FOREWORD

I have not worked for a large company for ten years. Even when I did, it was for Apple which is hardly what you’d call typical. However, I know enough to tell you that is unfair to characterize all large companies as difficult places and all start-ups as Shangri-las, but for some people start-ups and small companies are the only way to go.

Clearly, you don’t have to spend much time in many large companies today to see that, as Steve Jobs would say, “there must be a better way.” Meetings are long and painful, decision making is as much about politics as about doing what’s right, and the inability to control your destiny is enough to make most people walk around with their teeth on edge.

And that’s a well-run large company.

Many people go nuts in these environments and fantasize about getting out. If you’re one of these people, you’ve come to the right place. However, the mystique of entrepreneurship is more sexy than the reality. No one wants to hear about how hard it is to finish a product, make a sale, or collect the money. Everyone wants to think they are joining the next Google, and the German and Italian cars are a few months away.

Pamela Slim is not afraid to tackle the thorny parts of the journey from employee to entrepreneur. Her pragmatism will calm your nerves, and her sense of humor will help you keep moving through the tough parts. She has spent a decade inside numerous corporations and knows the fears you currently face. She’s also been an entrepreneur and knows the challenges you will face.

No book can promise you your business will be a success if you follow a set of instructions. If it did, it would cost a lot more. However, Escape from Cubicle Nation will help you make a good decision about whether to shut up and suck up your current cubicle or strike out on your own. Think of it as a good, hard reality check.

 

Guy Kawasaki