Naeem Zafar’s 7 steps to a Successful Startup

Naeem Zafar is a Pakistani who has gained a lot of respect both inside Pakistan and outside the country. He is a faculty member at the University of California, Berkley where he teaches Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Haas School of Business. We are fortunate that he travels to Pakistan often and delivers lectures at universities across the country – including IBA, CBM, LUMS and NUST. He is also involved (as a member of OPEN) in the MIT Enterprise Forum initiative that was launched in Pakistan  3 years ago and has therefore been a great mentor for many of the small to mid-sized companies in the Pakistan IT sector.

Naeem has worked in Silicon Valley for many startups, serving as the president and CEO of three of them.  He also served as a member of the Board of Directors or as a Board advisor for several startups and small companies.

I have had the privilege of meeting him a few times and he is as modest as he is accomplished. A great motivator and a totally down-to-earth individual.

Thanks to Babar Bhatti for pointing us to the e-book that Naeem has launched titled “7 steps to a Successful Startup”.

A quick look at the Table of Contents tells you that it is indeed a book that would be useful for someone who is considering quitting her/his day job and going the entrepreneurial route.

Are you an entrepreneur, asks Naeem in his first chapter? What are the essential steps every entrepreneur needs to take starting with Step Zero (did you know there was such a thing?).

The other steps ask you these questions:

1. What is the unmet need?
2. How big is this market?
3. Can we create differential market positioning?
4. How will I make money and who will pay me?
5. Why us?
6. Why now?

The book ends with chapters that ask these questions:
The End – or is it the beginning?
How will I know when I am ready?

For answers, to all these questions, go read the book :).

A pdf version of the book can be downloaded from here

Note to myself & Rabia: Must get Naeem on ITLoW when he is here next.