Startup to Sold Reviews & Praise
Noah Alper
Founder - Noah's Bagels
Chuck Temple’s From Startup to Sold is a great primer for the would be entrepreneur. This first hand recount demonstrates what to do, and as importantly what not to do to grow a business.
His story of going from a literal starving student to a million dollar business exit is honest, humble and compelling. This quick moving memoir reveals the real life shoals the would be business owner must navigate, and the kind of boat and paddles that work best.
He demonstrates that often these materials need to be made fast from whatever is readily available, and are all too often improvised and tenuous. His special gift, however, is after the improvisation when his teamwork building skills (which are thoroughly enumerated) allow the ship to be improved and made solid, stable, and built to last.
Through myriads of troubled business waters, he shows us that with enough faith, perseverance, and belief in oneself and others, smooth sailing and bright sunshine can be found.
Sean Williams
CEO - DVD Your Memories
The following was written as a blog post on DVDYourMemories.com
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We are in the business of memories. My friend, the industrial designer Stuart Karten, once told me, “In your business you have to find a way to get as close to the memories as you can.”
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I’ve noticed over the years that some of our client’s fondest memories are from the very early years of their lives when they were first starting to get things figured out. Often amongst the family photos, films, and videos of the Thanksgivings, birthdays, trips to Disneyland, and anniversaries, there are mixed in some items that show the early days of the family business: the farm, the restaurant, the accounting office, the legal office, the retail store. Everybody is so young and optimistic. You can feel the energy in those images, and you can feel the energy in the owner of those images as they describe them and tell you the stories they contain. The family business was often a center of gravity. Something that not only provided a living, but also provided meaning beyond that living.
Now I’m happy to say that we have a book about the founding of THIS business, DVD Your Memories, penned by our founder Chuck Temple. His book is Startup to Sold and it launches on March 7. Not many small businesses have had Inc. Magazine publish a memoir regarding their early years, but Chuck’s story is a worthy one.
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Startup to Sold relates the entire journey from Chuck’s early years earning money hustling for signatures on petitions, selling cars, tutoring autistic children, and eventually working in big box retail before recognizing an opportunity and a need in the market that he was uniquely suited for…all the way through the challenges and successes that came with rapid growth, and finally his successful sale of the business he built.
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Rare for a business book, he writes with authentic honesty, humility, and vulnerability.
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Chuck sold DVD Your Memories to me in 2012 after I retired from a 25 year career in the tech industry. I looked at over 100 businesses before buying DVD Your Memories, and I can honestly tell you that the only one that was well run was this company Chuck built from the ground up.
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It is a tribute to Chuck and to the values he espouses in his book that many of the key employees he put in place over 10 years ago are still employed at DVD Your Memories today. It is a further tribute to his process-building skills that many of the processes and systems he put in place to keep things under control are still in place as well.
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If you are thinking about starting a business (or thinking about what to do with a business you already own) you should read this book. If you are a college age student getting ready to be launched out into the world (or if you know such a person) you should read this book or give that person a copy.
Chuck’s lens is focussed sharply. He writes in such a personal and specific way about recognizing and confronting obstacles, the value and necessity of hard work, the keys to personal and professional success, the importance of kindness and empathy, and the rewards of persistence. I guarantee you will learn something, and I guarantee you will be inspired.
Rayan Bouajram
Staff Product Designer, Mentor
Chuck’s journey through entrepreneurship has so many valuable gems to learn from, and his book does a great job illustrating real challenges that entrepreneurs can face. I’m really stoked to see this book finally get released, and highly recommended for anyone who is looking to start or compliment their entrepreneurial journey. Congrats on releasing your book.
Michael Hobson
Owner - Rookies Sports Lodge
From a roommate in college to a groomsman in my wedding, my good buddy Chuck wrote a book! I don’t often post so consider this a real treat :0) I encourage all my friends to take a look at his book, buy it and read something worth learning about. So proud of you Chuck
Seth Gilmore
Systems and Process Expert
Startup to Sold is a refreshing and candid account of Chuck Temple's journey to building a successful, multi-million dollar company. Unlike many business books that only focus on the glitz and glamor of e-ship, Chuck provides an honest and relatable account of the nitty-gritty details of running a startup.
The book is well-written, with an approachable tone and a great sense of humor. Chuck's storytelling style makes it easy to follow his journey and understand the lessons he learned along the way. I appreciated the balance between practical business advice and insights into the author’s personal growth as an entrepreneur.
This is a valuable resource for aspiring entrepreneurs. There’s a wealth of useful tips and resources that will help anyone looking to start a business. From managing finances to building a team, to preparing a business for sale, Chuck covers all the essential aspects of entrepreneurship.
Definitely recommended to anyone interested in entrepreneurship or looking to start a business, especially a brick-and-mortar one.
Claudia Temple
Assistant Principal/Dean of Students - Retired
Not only is this book a masterful resource for entrepreneurs (especially the up-to-date resources at the end of each chapter), but it is also a masterful resource for how to live an intentional life. Intentionality is the purposeful plan to perform an action which will lead to a desired outcome. Chuck shares his growth in intentionality with regard to business as well as relationships: with himself, "taking care of employees no matter what," growing a company culture, customer focus. colleagues, friends, and family.
Chuck's insights into his personal growth are impressive and hard-won. His psychology major, which at first glance may have seemed to be unrelated to his eventual business success (and later MBA), ended up serving him well regarding his "debilitating anxiety" and intentional living. This is reflected in such thoughts as taking on a "general mentality that I wanted to succeed at whatever I was doing"; and "I wanted to see what I was capable of when I had only myself to listen to."
What Chuck calls "instinct" that compels him to keep going, and "my passion speaking to me, as passion's existence is not predicated on logic" is, in my opinion, at the heart of this book - "My head and my heart stepped into rhythm, and from that moment on, my thoughts were totally different." Head and intuitive heart in rhythm - may we all be blessed with such "success" and intentionality in our own lives. I look forward to possibly hearing more about his Mindfulness journey.