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Sail to Scale: Steer Your Startup Clear of Mistakes from Launch to Exit by Mona Sabet, Heather Jerrehian and Maria Fernandez Guajardo

August 31, 2024 Melanie Hawken

Mona Sabet, Heather Jerrehian & Fernandez Guajardo

Book Review

In their new book, Sail to Scale, authors Mona Sabet, Heather Jerrehian and Maria Fernandez Guajardo acknowledge that most new businesses fail, and yet most failures are avoidable. While some startups may catch favorable winds, most will encounter stormy seas that can capsize their ventures. Understanding how to navigate these choppy waters is crucial. You don't learn to captain a warship by training to sail fast on calm seas.


In Sail to Scale, authors Mona Sabet, Heather Jerrehian, and Maria Fernandez Guajardo identify 18 common mistakes that leaders make across four pivotal waves of a startup's journey. Drawing from their collective experience, they dissect each mistake, help leaders recognize the situations that create them, and offer practical advice to steer clear of them so that their businesses can overcome each wave successfully.

Through both first-hand accounts and interviews with leaders across a variety of businesses, the authors provide insight from people behind successful - and not so successful - companies, the decisions they made, and why they mattered.

This trio of visionaries and operators has navigated the challenges of scaling businesses from nascent startups to global powerhouses. Together, they offer a comprehensive roadmap for entrepreneurial success, drawing on their experiences to help business leaders sidestep pitfalls and harness opportunities in the dynamic tech landscape.

Sail to Scale serves as an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to chart a steady course through critical business junctures and fluctuating market conditions.

Author Quotes

Identify and overcome the most common mistakes that lurk beneath the surface as you navigate each phase of growth: Launch, Pivot, Scale, and Exit.

Sail to Scale is your compass, guiding you toward entrepreneurial success, one wave at a time.

While some startups may catch favorable winds, most will encounter stormy seas that can capsize their ventures. Understanding how to navigate these choppy waters is crucial. You don’t learn to captain a warship by training to sail fast on calm seas.

About the authors

Mona Sabet's career spans over two decades in Silicon Valley at the vanguard of the technology industry. Leveraging her technical, legal and business background, Mona works with B2B technology companies through their early and growth stages, shaping their corporate strategy to help pave their way to successful outcomes, from acquisitions to IPOs.

Heather Jerrehian is an entrepreneurial futurist and investor who has driven innovation and go-to-market strategies for startups and Fortune 500 companies for over two decades. As a serial founder and tech executive, she has led turnarounds at unprecedented speed, scaled 10X growth, and engineered profitable exits.

Maria Fernandez Guajardo is a transformative product executive with extensive experience in tech innovation. She has guided companies, from startups to industry giants like Meta and Google, in bringing cutting-edge consumer and B2B products to market at a global scale.


Why LoA loves it…

Every entrepreneur knows that the journey to build a business can be challenging, and often tumultuous. That’s why being able to tap into the insights and experiences of others who have navigated their businesses to success is key. In Sail to Scale, authors Mona Sabat, Heather Jerrehian, and Maria Fernandez Guajardo, draw on their collective experience to help entrepreneurs recognize the situations that create barriers and hurdles to success, and offer practical advice to steer clear of them. This is a great read for all those entrepreneurs who want to scale successfully. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa

In Essential Tags Books
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CELEBRATING 10 YEARS


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LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORIES

LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Retang Phaahla, a pioneer for South Africa’s indigenous teas
Retang Phaahla, a pioneer for South Africa’s indigenous teas
Dr Margaret Kemigisha, a publishing entrepreneur passionate about childrens’ literacy
Dr Margaret Kemigisha, a publishing entrepreneur passionate about childrens’ literacy
Sydelle Willow Smith, a pioneer of solar-powered mobile cinema in Africa
Sydelle Willow Smith, a pioneer of solar-powered mobile cinema in Africa
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Babette Kourelos, a passionate artisanal bread-baking business builder
Thandekile Moloko, an entrepreneur empowering her clients’ financial futures
Thandekile Moloko, an entrepreneur empowering her clients’ financial futures

IMAGE OF THE DAY. CELEBRATING WOMAN MADE IN AFRICA.

Image of the Day / Oryx Desert Salt

Sustainable salt and pepper…At Lionesses of Africa, we are passionate about supporting  sustainable brands, and a great example is Oryx Desert Salt, founded by Samantha Skyring in South Africa. This growing
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Sustainable fashion accessories…We love showcasing women business innovators, so this morning we are featuring the work of sustainable lifestyle brand, Reform Studio, an inspirational eco-focused manufacturing
Image of the Day /Femi Handbags

Full Bloom Style…Add a touch of summer florals to your wardrobe with one of the beautiful new Bloom handbags from Femi Handbags in Nigeria, founded by Femi Olayebi. With their eclectic pops of colour, there&rsq
Image of the Day / Melvins Teas

Time for tea…If you love tea, then this Cool Chamomile tea from the Melvins Tea brand, founded by Flora Mutahi in Kenya is just what you need. The brand is part of Melvin Marsh International, the Kenyan-based f
Image of the Day / Afropian

Storytelling through accessories…Afropian, the Pan-african lifestyle brand founded by Ethiopean entrepreneur Hortense Mbea, is a rare, fully hand-made in Africa brand. It uses traditional know-how in a modern way t
Image of the Day / AAKS

Vibrant Ghanaian craftsmanship,…We just have to share one of our favourite accessories of the year, this beautiful hand-woven bag created by award-winning designer Akosua Afriyie-Kumi and her AAKS brand in Ghana. We lo
Image of the Day / Ledikana

Contemporary South African Chic…Knowing exactly how to spot a gap in the marketplace is key to the success of any fashion brand, and Mapholo Ratau, founder of Ledikana in South Africa, has achieved that goal. For h
Image of the Day / The 1964 Brand

Modern relaxed fashion…Olakunmi Oni is the founder of The 1964 Brand in Nigeria, a fashion business that proudly promotes self-care through minimalist clothing for the modern woman. Loyal patrons of The 1964
Image of the Day / Adèle Dejak

Big bold accessories…We are big fans of luxury jewellery and accessories made with love and passion on the African continent, and Adèle Dejak in Kenya is the epitome of handmade luxury. The brand c
Image of the Day / ReelFruit
 
Healthy snack treats…We love showcasing Africa’s women agribusiness builders, and ReelFruit, founded by Affiong Williams, is inspirational - it’s the largest fruit processing, packaging and distributi
Image of the Day / Oryx Desert Salt

Sustainable salt and pepper…At Lionesses of Africa, we are passionate about supporting  sustainable brands, and a great example is Oryx Desert Salt, founded by Samantha Skyring in South Africa. This growing Image of the Day / Reform Studio

Sustainable fashion accessories…We love showcasing women business innovators, so this morning we are featuring the work of sustainable lifestyle brand, Reform Studio, an inspirational eco-focused manufacturing Image of the Day /Femi Handbags

Full Bloom Style…Add a touch of summer florals to your wardrobe with one of the beautiful new Bloom handbags from Femi Handbags in Nigeria, founded by Femi Olayebi. With their eclectic pops of colour, there&rsq Image of the Day / Melvins Teas

Time for tea…If you love tea, then this Cool Chamomile tea from the Melvins Tea brand, founded by Flora Mutahi in Kenya is just what you need. The brand is part of Melvin Marsh International, the Kenyan-based f Image of the Day / Afropian

Storytelling through accessories…Afropian, the Pan-african lifestyle brand founded by Ethiopean entrepreneur Hortense Mbea, is a rare, fully hand-made in Africa brand. It uses traditional know-how in a modern way t Image of the Day / AAKS

Vibrant Ghanaian craftsmanship,…We just have to share one of our favourite accessories of the year, this beautiful hand-woven bag created by award-winning designer Akosua Afriyie-Kumi and her AAKS brand in Ghana. We lo Image of the Day / Ledikana

Contemporary South African Chic…Knowing exactly how to spot a gap in the marketplace is key to the success of any fashion brand, and Mapholo Ratau, founder of Ledikana in South Africa, has achieved that goal. For h Image of the Day / The 1964 Brand

Modern relaxed fashion…Olakunmi Oni is the founder of The 1964 Brand in Nigeria, a fashion business that proudly promotes self-care through minimalist clothing for the modern woman. Loyal patrons of The 1964 Image of the Day / Adèle Dejak

Big bold accessories…We are big fans of luxury jewellery and accessories made with love and passion on the African continent, and Adèle Dejak in Kenya is the epitome of handmade luxury. The brand c Image of the Day / ReelFruit
 
Healthy snack treats…We love showcasing Africa’s women agribusiness builders, and ReelFruit, founded by Affiong Williams, is inspirational - it’s the largest fruit processing, packaging and distributi

STARTUP STORIES. MEET THE WOMEN WHO’VE LAUNCHED.

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Gladys Kgorane, an entrepreneur creating special events and wellness retreats for those looking for rest and relaxation
Gladys Kgorane, an entrepreneur creating special events and wellness retreats for those looking for rest and relaxation
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Drienie Botes, an entrepreneur empowering women to achieve economic independence through beekeeping
Tumelo Tshwagong, a South African agri-entrepreneur contributing to finding sustainable local solutions to addressing food insecurity
Tumelo Tshwagong, a South African agri-entrepreneur contributing to finding sustainable local solutions to addressing food insecurity
Gloria Sellwane Phala, a South African entrepreneur helping clients benefit from the transformative impact of yoga
Gloria Sellwane Phala, a South African entrepreneur helping clients benefit from the transformative impact of yoga
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Nondumiso Leshaba, a South African business builder providing professional business advisory and accounting services to SMEs

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Women Entrepreneurs Rewired To Rise: Powerful Habits that Break Through Burnout, Silence Your Inner Critic, and Build a Thriving Business from the Inside Out  by Fiona Soutter
Women Entrepreneurs Rewired To Rise: Powerful Habits that Break Through Burnout, Silence Your Inner Critic, and Build a Thriving Business from the Inside Out by Fiona Soutter
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Feminine Intelligence: How visionary leaders can reshape business for good by Elina Teboul
Bridging the Confidence Gap: How Empowered Women Change the World by Sheena Yap Chan
Bridging the Confidence Gap: How Empowered Women Change the World by Sheena Yap Chan

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