'This remarkable book can be your secret weapon for bringing your idea to life.' DAN PINK, bestselling author of Drive 'Whether you want to get ahead inside a company or build a startup from the ground up, this fascinating book is a must-read.' REID HOFFMAN, co-founder of LinkedIn 'A super-readable and actionable look at how to make your ideas take flight. Whether you're pitching a brand new startup or an idea for your company's next product, you'll find a wealth of insights and stories throughout.' MIKE KRIEGER, co-founder of Instagram No one makes it alone. But there's a reason why some people can get investors or bosses to believe in them while others cannot. And that reason has little to do with experience, pedigree or a polished business plan. Backable people seem to have a hidden quality that inspires others to take action. We often chalk this up to natural talent or charisma . . . either you have 'it' or you don't. After getting rejected by every investor he pitched, Suneel Gupta had a burning question: could 'it' be learned? Drawing lessons from hundreds of the world's biggest thinkers, Suneel discovered how to pitch new ideas in a way that has raised millions of dollars, influenced large-scale change inside massive corporations, and even convinced his 8-year-old daughter to clean her room. Inside the book are long-held secrets from producers of Oscar-winning films, venture capitalists, founders of unicorn-status startups, and executives at iconic companies like Lego, Method and Pixar. Suneel used these invaluable lessons to become the New York Stock Exchange's 'New Face of Innovation'. Backable reveals how the key to success is not charisma, connections, or even your CV, but rather your ability to persuade others to take a chance on you. This groundbreaking book will show you how.

The real story of what it takes to risk it all and go for broke. Conventional wisdom says most startups need to be in Silicon Valley, started by young engineers around a sexy new idea, and backed by VC funding. But as Mikkel Svane reveals in Startupland, the story of founding Zendesk was anything but conventional. Founded in a Copenhagen loft by three thirty-something friends looking to break free from corporate doldrums, Zendesk Inc. is now one of the hottest enterprise software companies, still rapidly growing with customers in 150 countries. But its success was anything but predestined. With revealing stories both funny and frank, Mikkel shares how he and his friends bravely left secure jobs to start something on their own, how he almost went broke several times, how they picked up themselves and their families to travel across the world to California and the unknown, and how the three friends were miraculously still together for Zendesk's IPO and (still growing) success. Much like Zendesk's mission itself to remove friction, barriers, and mystery in order to make customer service easier and more approachable Startupland removes some of the myths about startups and startup founders. Mikkel's advice, hard-won through experience, often bucks conventional wisdom and entrepreneurial tropes. He shares why failure (whether fast or slow) is awful, why a seemingly boring product or idea can be the most exciting, why giving back to the community is as important as the bottom line. From how to hire right (look for people who are not offended by swearing) to which personas generate the highest response rates, Mikkel answers the most pressing questions from the perspective of someone still in the trenches and willing to share the hard truth, warts and all. While there are books by consultants who tell you how to build businesses, or by entrepreneurs now running billion-dollar businesses, there are few books from people still in the trenches who acutely remember the difficult daily decisions, the thrill (and fears) of the early days, the problems that scale with growing a business, and the reason why they all went on the adventure in the first place. Startupland is indispensable reading for all entrepreneurs who want to make their ideas the next big thing. The book will inspire and empower you to follow your own dream and create your own story.

Proven strategies for harnessing the power of social media to drive social change

Many books teach the mechanics of using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to compete in business. But no book addresses how to harness the incredible power of social media to make a difference. "The Dragonfly Effect" shows you how to tap social media and consumer psychological insights to achieve a single, concrete goal. Named for the only insect that is able to move in any direction when its four wings are working in concert, this book
Reveals the four "wings" of the Dragonfly Effect-and how they work together to produce colossal resultsFeatures original case studies of global organizations like the Gap, Starbucks, Kiva, Nike, eBay, Facebook; and start-ups like Groupon and COOKPAD, showing how they achieve social good and customer loyaltyLeverage the power of design thinking and psychological research with practical strategiesReveals how everyday people achieve unprecedented results-whether finding an almost impossible bone marrow match for a friend, raising millions for cancer research, or electing the current president of the United States

"The Dragonfly Effect" shows that you don't need money or power to inspire seismic change.

All across the globe, companies large and small are making a tremendous difference in the lives of others and, in turn, are enhancing employee performance, boosting morale, lowering turnover, and heightening brand recognition. In "The Business of Changing the World," Marc Benioff and 19 other leaders share their corporate philanthropy secrets for the first time, revealing how any company can start their own program and reap enormous benefits.

This inspiring collection of testimonies brings to light the need for community giving, the challenges of implementing a philanthropic initiative, and the qualities CEOs must possess in order to make their programs a success. Most important, it highlights the tremendous rewards society and businesses stand to earn.

These are just a few of the extraordinary leaders you'll hear from: Michael Dell explains how making a commitment to environmentally sustainable products isn't just the right thing to do-it makes good business sense Alan Hassenfeld, the chairman of Hasbro-a pioneer of the integrated corporation-shares why he believes he owes a "debt" to the children of the world and how Hasbro expanded its reach beyond the playroom UPS CEO Mike Eskew demonstrates how his company delivers on its legacy by adhering to a set of core values Timberland president and CEO Jeffrey Swartz tells how, by integrating social justice into its business model, the company represents the apex in innovation in CSR Michael Milken reveals how applying best business approaches to healthcare and education can have a positive impact on the U.S. economy

In "The Business of Changing the World," these trailblazers reveal why your company can-and should-start making the world a better place.