Newton M Campos

The Myth of the Idea and the Upsidedown Startup: How Assumption-based Entrepreneurship has lost ground to Resource-based Entrepreneurship. Newton M Campos

Based on decades of global insights into the life of successful and unsuccessful entrepreneurs, Professor Campos deconstructs the myth that successful startups are built upon great ideas, once and for all proving the vast majority of aspiring entrepreneurs are positioned to explore their potential before having a specific idea in mind for a new venture. In a friendly yet defiant and inverted manner, the book starts with the traditional end - by drawing a supported conclusion about modern entrepreneurial endeavors. Professor Campos then succinctly navigates through real cases and recent powerful concepts such as Design Thinking, Effectuation and Lean Startup, in an audacious quest to explain why execution emerged as the main source of entrepreneurial achievement around the world. The Upsidedown approach is presented in a conversational tone, allowing readers to discover an entrepreneurial process based on their ability to explore existing resources and social connections, thus debunking the myth that the idea is the crucial first step.