Who needs investors? More than two generations ago, the venture capital community VCs, business angels, incubators and others convinced the entrepreneurial world that writing business plans and raising venture capital constituted the twin centerpieces of entrepreneurial endeavor.

Why This Book? xv 1 Craving Crowdfunding? Pandering to VCs? Groveling to Your CFO?: The Magic of Traction and the Customer-Funded Revolution 1 2 Customer-Funded Models: Mirage or Mind-Set? Old or New? 39 3 Buyers and Sellers, but Not Your Goods: Matchmaker Models 70 4 Ask for the Cash: Pay-in-Advance Models 98 5 Recurring Revenue: Subscription and SaaS Models 125 6 Sell Less, Earn More: Scarcity and Flash Sales Models 153 7 Build It for One, Then Sell It to All: Service-to-Product Models 177 8 Make It Happen: Put a Customer-Funded Model to Work in Your Business 205 Acknowledgments 239 Notes 243 About the Research 267 About the Author 271 Index 273 

THE CHALLENGE More than two generations ago, the venture capital community—VCs, business angels, incubators, and others—convinced the entrepreneurial world that writing business plans and raising venture capital constituted the twin centerpieces of entrepreneurial endeavor. They did so for good reasons: the sometimes astonishing returns they’ve delivered to their investors and the incredibly large and valuable companies that their ecosystem has created. But the vast majority of fastgrowing companies never take any venture capital. So where does the money come from to start and grow their companies? Or yours? THE SOLUTION For most companies, fast-growing or otherwise, the early funding comes from a much more agreeable and hospitable source, their customers. That’s exactly what Michael Dell, Bill Gates and Banana Republic’s Mel and Patricia Ziegler did to get their companies up and running and turn them into iconic brands. In The Customer-Funded Business, John Mullins identifies five novel approaches that scrappy and innovative twenty-first century entrepreneurs have ingeniously adapted from their predecessors like Dell, Gates, and the Zieglers: Matchmaker models (for example, the U.S. companies Airbnb and DogVacay)Pay-in-advance models (the USA’s Threadless, India’s Via and Loot)Subscription models (India’s TutorVista, the USA’s H.Bloom)Scarcity models (Spain’s Zara, France’s venteprivee, the USA’s Gilt Groupe)Service-to-product models (Denmark’s GoViral, Puerto Rico’s Rock Solid Technologies). STARTING, FINANCING, OR GROWING YOUR BUSINESS Drawing on more than two years of in-depth research into the customer-funded phenomenon, and through the captivating stories of these and other companies from around the world, John Mullins brings to life the five models and identifies the questions that angel or other investors will—and should!—ask, and he addresses the key implementation issues that characterize each of the models: when to apply them, how best to apply them, and the pitfalls to watch out for. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur lacking the startup capital you need, an early-stage entrepreneur trying to get your cash-starved venture into take-off mode, a corporate leader seeking to grow an established company, or an angel investor, mentor, or business accelerator or incubator professional who supports high-potential entrepreneurial ventures, this book offers the most sure-footed path to starting, financing, or growing your business or those you support. Learn more at www.TheCustomerFundedBusiness.com

there s inspiration aplenty for entrepreneurs looking to do things their own way. (Elite Business, August 2014) Mullins is a good corporate storyteller, which is what makes this book an engaging read. (Financial Times, August 2014) A truly different, but comprehensive way of looking at the issue of funding, this book will set the idea juices flowing. (Talk Business, September 2014) No matter what sort of business you re actually contemplating starting, this is a book you want to read. (Entrepreneur Middle East, September 2014) ..a great book that any aspiring entrepreneur should read. What is says is such good common sense that it s amazing it took so long to be written. (The Telegraph, December 2014)