Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars | 23 ratings

Price: 17.05

Last update: 07-22-2024


Top reviews from the United States

Ann M
5.0 out of 5 stars How startups transcend the ordinary
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2024
While the story of many startups look like they are surprising, overnight successes, Mike Maples and Pete Ziebelman describe the structural ways in which founders are able to take advantage of the present and reinvent the future.

Time and time again Floodgate, Mike's venture firm, has witnessed first hand accounts of founders using massive changes in technology or unexpected regulatory shifts or societal movements, along with hidden insights discovered by founders to change the current trajectory of the future. For the first time, these frameworks along with concrete examples of how they manifest are documented in Pattern Breakers.

Startups are not about sizing markets based on current data. Startups at the earliest stages won't even exhibit traction. The very best founders will be able to document what secrets they have uncovered and why this is the moment to break the existing pattern. Mike and Pete explain in such a clear way from ideation to exit how founders can chart their own unique path and become true Pattern Breakers.

Excellent and clear read for all types of entrepreneurs wanting to create a different future!
Ryland P
5.0 out of 5 stars Not just another startup book
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2024
Just as the title suggests, Pattern Breakers doesn't follow the usual mold of startup books. There's not a recipe for get-rich-quick ideas or a promise to reveal the secret to wooing venture capitalists. Instead, you get differentiated wisdom based on experience with some of history's great startups (some that the authors funded and some that they humbly admit they were foolish enough to pass on). I came away realizing that each startup story is unique and special (and that this is a necessary requisite for breakout success) but that there are some ways of thinking and acting that the super-performers commonly exhibit. Anyone hoping to achieve startup success in the future would be wise to read this book and channel these practices themselves.
scottfits
5.0 out of 5 stars Why some startups impact the world, told with great stories
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2024
Our brains are wired for pattern recognition, but some of the most valuable companies were inspired by breaking out of familiar patterns - combining unlikely ideas or breaking long-held rules laid out by experts.

The best part of the book is Mike and Peter share lessons on startups through the lens of stories like the Wright Brothers, OpenAI, Airbnb, and Twitter / X. Super engaging and fast paced read.

Must read for anyone looking to build startups, and a fun read for those who are curious about some of the biggest inflection points in technology.
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scottfits
5.0 out of 5 stars Why some startups impact the world, told with great stories
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2024
Our brains are wired for pattern recognition, but some of the most valuable companies were inspired by breaking out of familiar patterns - combining unlikely ideas or breaking long-held rules laid out by experts.

The best part of the book is Mike and Peter share lessons on startups through the lens of stories like the Wright Brothers, OpenAI, Airbnb, and Twitter / X. Super engaging and fast paced read.

Must read for anyone looking to build startups, and a fun read for those who are curious about some of the biggest inflection points in technology.
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dukeblue
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, must read
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2024
Essential book for anyone who cares about startups and innovation. As one of the reviewers states on the book, one of the important startup books of the past 10 years
Robert Morris
5.0 out of 5 stars "We have met the enemy and he is us."  Pogo the Possum
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2024
Mike Maples and Peter Ziebelman agree. They created this book in order to convince as many people as possible that, "in different ways, all of us unwittingly let our own self-imposed limits govern how we think and act throughout our lives. The trickiest part is that they can become so embedded in our assumptions we fail to even realize they exist, not to mention how they hold us back." False assumptions are like chains that, in Warren Buffett's words, "are too light to notice until they are too heavy  to break."

In the Introduction, Maples differentiates "pattern making/matching" from "pattern breaking."  Just to be clear,  "I'm not saying that pattern matching is inherently 'bad' or breaking patterns is always 'good.' They are distinct mindsets, each with benefits and limitations." Indeed, "pattern matching is a crucial cognitive skill. It helps us process information efficiently, make decisions, learn, avoid danger, and adapt. It's vital for everyday functioning."

That said, to achieve a high-impact breakthrough, "you'll need a different mindset."  Maples cites this passage from George Bernard Shaw's play, Man and Superman: "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."

I am again reminded of this observation by Charles Kettering: "If you've always done it this way, it's probably wrong."

Organizations can be pattern breakers in their competitive marketplace if-- and only if-- their leaders adopt and nurture a pattern-breaking mindset, one "that breaks free from conventional thinking and actions." In Leading Change, James O'Toole suggests that the strongest resistance to change tends to be cultural in nature, the result of what he so aptly characterizes as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom."

Maples and Ziebelman may have written this book primarily for leaders in start-up companies but most of the material (with only slight modification) can also be of substantial value to leaders in mature organizations, especially those Marshall Goldsmith has in mind when asserting that "what got you here won't get you there."

In fact, I'd take it a step further and assert that what got you here won't even allow you to remain here, wherever and however you define "here" and "there."

Congratulations to Mike Maples Jr. and Peter Ziebelman on Pattern Breakers. It is a brilliant achievement. Bravo!
B Grif
5.0 out of 5 stars Startup Mavericks: A Path to Extraordinary Success
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2024
“Pattern Breakers” offers a fresh take on what it takes to launch a groundbreaking startup. This book is packed with practical advice and actionable insights, emphasizing the need to think and act differently to achieve exceptional results. “Pattern Breakers” communicates a unique approach to creating a company that is radically different from what exists today in order truly stand out and achieve breakthrough success. It warns against the dangers of conformity and the comparison trap, and underscores the importance of movements, storytelling, and a healthy dose of disagreeableness in achieving startup success. "Pattern Breakers" is an essential read for anyone eager to understand what characteristics set successful startups apart from the rest. The book provides a comprehensive guide to navigating the unpredictable world of startups and turning bold ideas into reality. PB will undoubtedly become a must read for all startup entrepreneurs moving forward.

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