Over the last few years Amy and I have become close friends with Ben Casnocha. We adore the guy. Ben started his first company – Comcate – at age 14. As of today (age 19), he’s now a published author as his first book – My Start-Up Life: What a (Very) Young CEO Learned on His Journey Through Silicon Valley – is officially available.
As an early reader / reviewer of the book, I highly recommend it. The story is oriented around Ben’s experiences as a teenager trying to deal with the pressures of both teenage and adult “business / entrepreneurship” life simultaneously. He does a magnificent job of articulating the characteristics of a startup without being preachy and weaves in a number of vignettes from experienced friends and colleagues. It is simultaneously personal, educational, and emotionally deep.
If you are an aspiring (or existing) entrepreneur, My Start-Up Life is required reading. If you are a TechStars entrepreneur, Ben will be out in Boulder in June – pick up a copy so you can pepper him with questions
In addition to recommending that you buy the book right now, Ben and I are going to do a giveaway on this blog of an autographed copy of the book to the commenter who has the best haiku with the word “start-up” in it. Join in the fun – now!