Founded in 2017, Carlile Media is one of America's leading independent publishers of high-quality print editions, e-books, and audiobooks.
We specialize in “how-to” titles that help our readers grow their skillsets, achieve their goals, and expand their horizons.
Speak Startup
Core Concepts, Ideas, and Skills
Speak Startup arms you with the tools every founder needs to succeed. Knowing the mistakes to avoid is half the battle.
All in Plain English - No Experience Necessary
The startup world has its own private language. Every word or phrase in that language is a vital new idea - an essential concept that outsiders don't understand.
Master the Essentials - Fast!
Instant Expert books build knowledge rapidly - and painlessly!
Speak Startup
The Founder's Secret Weapon: A Plain-English Skillset-Builder for High-Velocity Company Creators (Instant Expert, Book 2)
Audiobook
Instant Expert
Available Now
THE BOOK EVERY FOUNDER WISHES THEY'D READ FIRST
The journey to startup success is beset with dangers, traps, and uncertainty. New founders and entrepreneurs risk making the same fatal errors as those who have gone before.
But it doesn't have to be that way. Speak Startup is the only book that arms you with the language of Silicon Valley, explains the building blocks of the industry, and equips you with the insider mindset that makes the difference between failure and success. All in plain English - no experience necessary.
You don't have time to learn by trial and error. Whether you're a visionary new startup founder, a professional looking to level up your career, a student evaluating your options, or just want to know how to create billion-dollar businesses, Speak Startup lets you master the essentials - fast!
IT'S ALL ABOUT CONFIDENCE
Every walk of life has its own private language.
Language is a skillset. Every new word or phrase is a vital new idea - an essential concept that outsiders don't understand.
Skillset drives strategy. Speaking the language gives you the confidence to make good decisions. Good decisions build great businesses.
MAKING IT LOOK EASY IS THE ULTIMATE SKILL
Speak Startup lets you answer the questions that every founder asks:
- "What should I actually build - and how do I know anyone wants it?"
- "Do I need a co-founder - or is that overrated?"
- "How do startups actually make money - and when?"
- "How do I get my first customers - without spending a fortune?"
- "What do investors actually care about - how do they really think?"
- "Do I really need venture capital - or can I bootstrap to success?"
- "How much of my company am I giving away - and should I care?"
- "What does success actually look like - and how long does it take?"
- "What do I need to worry about legally - and what can I ignore for now?"
- "Am I the kind of person who can actually do this?"
This book contains over 600 entries, covering:
1: Startup Foundations and Strategy
2: Market, Customers, and Validation
3: Product, MVP, and Shipping
4: Business Model, Pricing, and Unit Economics
5: Marketing, Acquisition, and Growth
6: Sales, Success, and Expansion
7: Metrics, Analytics, and Experimentation
8: Fundraising and Venture Capital
9: Legal, Finance, Governance, and Compliance
10: Team, Culture, Ops, and Ways of Working
Instant Expert books are the #1 easiest, quickest, smartest beginner's guides available.
Published in the USA.
ISBN/SKU:
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Before You Buy
Q: Who is this audiobook for?
A: This audiobook is an excellent choice for founders, employees joining startups, investors, consultants, marketers, students, and anyone who wants to become fluent in startup language while commuting, exercising, traveling, or otherwise away from a book.
Q: What does the audiobook cover?
A: It explains more than 600 startup terms and concepts across strategy, customers, product development, business models, pricing, growth, sales, metrics, fundraising, venture capital, legal issues, finance, governance, team building, culture, and operations.
Q: Is this mainly a dictionary?
A: It is more than a conventional dictionary. The entries explain not just what startup terms mean, but why they matter, how they are used, and how they connect to the broader realities of building and running a high-growth company.
Q: Is this suitable for complete beginners?
A: Yes. The explanations are written in plain English and assume intelligence rather than prior startup experience. Listeners can begin with little or no specialist knowledge and gradually build enough vocabulary to follow startup conversations, investor discussions, interviews, podcasts, and business news with much greater confidence.
Q: Is this useful if I already work in business?
A: Yes. Traditional business experience does not automatically translate into startup fluency. High-growth companies use a distinctive mix of venture-capital terminology, product language, growth metrics, software concepts, and Silicon Valley shorthand, so even experienced professionals can benefit from a focused introduction.
Q: Can this help me prepare for a startup job or interview?
A: Yes. Understanding the language used by founders, investors, product teams, marketers, and operators makes it much easier to follow discussions and communicate credibly. Listening through the book can help make important concepts familiar before you encounter them in interviews, meetings, pitch decks, or day-to-day work.
Q: Does the audiobook cover venture capital and fundraising?
A: Yes. It explains the terminology surrounding investment rounds, valuation, dilution, cap tables, investor rights, exits, and related fundraising concepts, along with the wider strategic questions founders face when deciding whether and how to raise capital.
Q: Does it cover product, growth, and startup metrics too?
A: Yes. The audiobook also covers product development, customer acquisition, retention, funnels, unit economics, recurring revenue, burn, runway, experimentation, growth, and other measures commonly used to understand startup performance.
Q: Is a reference book practical in audiobook format?
A: Yes, especially for building broad familiarity with the language and concepts of startups. Hearing the terminology repeatedly in context can make it easier to recognize and understand naturally when it appears later in conversation, meetings, podcasts, or business media.
Q: Why choose the audiobook rather than the print or ebook edition?
A: The audiobook is the best choice for sustained learning when reading is impractical. At more than nine hours, it turns commuting, travel, exercise, or other spare time into an opportunity to build startup fluency. Readers who mainly want instant lookup of individual terms may prefer the searchable ebook or print reference alongside it.
Publication Details & Specifications
| Format | Audiobook |
|---|---|
| Series | Instant Expert, Book 2 |
| Edition | Unabridged audiobook edition |
| Listening length | 9 hours 26 minutes |
| Narrator | Ed Marvin |
| Language | English |
| Release date | August 6, 2026 |
| ASIN | B0HD9JWPQG |
| Author | Rick Carlile |
| Reference content | More than 600 startup terms, concepts, and definitions |
| Coverage | Startup strategy, markets and validation, product and MVP development, business models, pricing and unit economics, marketing and growth, sales, metrics and experimentation, fundraising and venture capital, legal and finance, governance, teams, culture, and operations |
| Approach | Plain-English skillset builder designed to teach both startup vocabulary and the underlying ideas behind it |
| Focus | Practical understanding of how high-growth startups are created, financed, operated, measured, and scaled |
| Format advantage | Portable unabridged audio edition suitable for learning during commuting, travel, exercise, and other hands-free situations |
| Designed for | Founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, startup employees, professionals, students, and readers seeking a practical introduction to the startup ecosystem |
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