Starting Something

"A company's ultimate product is its culture."

I just finished reading an incredible book detailing entrepreneurship and the roller coaster ride that comes with the struggles and successes. "Starting Something" by Wayne McVicker is "an entrepreneur's tale of control, confrontation & corporate culture," but it is so much more...

It is a tale of how Wayne, along with his friend and co-founder Jeff Kleck, started a company named Neoforma. The two were able to create an internet healthcare company which eventually became a $3 billion publicly traded business. What started out as a side project for Wayne and Jeff eventually led to something bigger than either could possibly imagine, or manage.

The book reads almost like a "Dear Diary" journal and Wayne allows the reader to enter his mind, offering up his personal stories and insecurities along the way. Although the story may seem a little outdated, Neoforma was founded in 1996 and much of the story centers around the dot com era, the lessons are timeless.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering starting a business or who has any interest in entrepreneurship. It is a quick read, and Wayne certainly changed how I view many things, including the importance of corporate culture.