True Founder

What No One Else Has the Guts to Teach You About Starting Your First Business

By Marc Lafleur
Published by Forbes Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

About The Book

True Founder will help you navigate the challenges of launching your first startup.

WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR? First-time founders, all-time founders. If you’re looking to pull the trigger and quit your job, this book is for you. If you’re trying to figure out whether you should hire your first team member based on experience, or take a chance on hiring friends, this book is for you. If you’re trying to decide between angel funding, venture capital funding, or debt, this book is for you. If you’re sitting there reading this feeling like you’re about to burn out and that you’re doing everything wrong, this book is definitely for you.

No doubt you’ve had someone make a comment about how you work too much or you need to take a break. As a first-time founder, you’re guilted for setting work-life balance aside. Yet, anywhere else in life, sacrifice is encouraged. Think about a ball player who decided to go to the league after one year of college, or a billboard artist who spends every night and every last dollar in the studio working on their debut album. Consider a PhD student who’s given up on even starting life until they’re done with their 10-year specialization. In all these situations, you get a pat on the back for your risk and sacrifice. Starting your own company shouldn’t be any different.

It’s time to stop feeling guilty and lean into the sacrifice. Your willingness to chase your dreams is what sets you apart, and your personal competitive advantage and the strategies presented in True Founder will help you double down on the sacrifice.

10 Things This Book Will Teach You

  • Becoming a professional problem solver

  • Understanding that business is a series of sprints, not a marathon

  • How your job is to make decisions, even if they aren’t the right ones

  • How to stay motivated when everything is on fire

  • How to create opportunities by shooting your shot and putting yourself at the table

  • Avoiding cofounder drama with difficult conversations and a shareholder’s agreement

  • The truth about early-stage hires

  • Working with freelancers, dev houses, and marketing agencies

  • Raising capital with angels and venture capitalists

  • How to build a community by finding your own niche

It doesn’t take someone special to succeed in business. It takes absolute dedication, the willingness to sacrifice in the pursuit of your goals, and a little bit of luck.

About The Author

Marc Lafleur

MARC LAFLEUR had holes in his shoes at sixteen. As the only Black kid in an all white Catholic school, life was tough. His entrepreneurial journey didn’t begin until he heard that Snapchat turned down a $3 billion offer from Facebook. That’s when everything changed. By 2016, at the age of twenty-five, he founded truLOCAL— an online marketplace for consumers to connect with local farmers and producers. Over the course of five years—as cofounder and CEO—he grew the business to over sixty employees and expanded across the country. Following a successful pitch on Dragons’ Den, truLOCAL became a runaway success culminating in a $16.8 million acquisition in 2020. Marc was thirty years old at the time.

Today Marc shares his unique perspective on business from the lens of someone who nobody thought would make it. He has been asked to share his knowledge with the likes of Lululemon, Google, FedEx, and various academic institutions. Marc is currently doing keynote talks at conferences across the United States and Canada

Product Details

  • Publisher: Forbes Books (February 7, 2023)
  • Length: 181 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781955884709

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Raves and Reviews

“True Founder is a must-read for aspiring entrepreneurs! Starting a business is hard, and Marc Lafleur does a great job of capturing the truth behind what it takes to be a successful first-time founder. If you want a leg up on the competition, True Founder serves as your tactical guide to getting started.”
—Michele Romanow
Dragons’ Den CEO, Clearco

“This book was written by someone who has actually made money. These tips are real. Marc is an incredible business person who has strategies for first-time founders that are invaluable. It’s a must-read if you’re considering starting your own business, if you want to know tricks of the trade, or if you just want to be successful.”
—Mikhaila Peterson
Host, The Mikhaila Peterson Podcast

“Any founder who is truly serious about taking their business to the next level must read True Founder. It’s filled with TRUE FOUNDER valuable insights and lessons. No fluff or filler, only to the point, practical, and actionable takeaways that can be applied to nearly any business regardless of industry. After reading True Founder, I found myself immediately taking many of the valuable insights and putting them into action. Marc’s journey of success from zero to a $16 million deal is broken down to the most critical lessons and learnings that any founder can relate and aspire to.”
—Sheena Brady
Founder, Founders Fund

“True Founder is honest, entertaining, and practical. All first-time founders looking to get a sense of what their early years might look like will get tremendous value from this book. Marc Lafleur provides founders with actionable tips and tricks, all the while keeping readers engaged with his stories about the high, and the lows of building a $20 million dollar business at the age of thirty.”
—Giovanni Marsico
Founder, Archangel Academy

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True Founder

What No One Else Has the Guts to Teach You About Starting Your First Business

By Marc Lafleur
Published by Forbes Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
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