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Key people at Shortcut Your Startup.
"Shortcut Your Startup" is a book presenting a practical playbook for entrepreneurs. It outlines ten "Startup Switchups," providing unconventional strategies to accelerate success from inception to exit. The publication streamlines the entrepreneurial journey by challenging traditional advice, giving experience-backed guidance for impact.
Brothers Courtney and Carter Reum authored "Shortcut Your Startup," published September 4, 2018. Their insight developed from careers as former Goldman Sachs investment bankers and successful operators. After co-founding and selling VEEV Spirits, then establishing M13, an investing platform, the Reums identified a need for simplified guidance on business challenges.
The book targets aspiring individuals launching ventures and seasoned entrepreneurs refining strategies. "Shortcut Your Startup" empowers its audience with an actionable roadmap to maximize business potential. The Reums envision entrepreneurs achieving sustainable growth and success rapidly, leveraging proven methodologies to build thriving enterprises.
Key people at Shortcut Your Startup.
Shortcut Your Startup is a practical business book co-authored by brothers Courtney Reum and Carter Reum, former Goldman Sachs investment bankers turned entrepreneurs and investors. Published in 2018 by Gallery/Jeter Publishing, it serves aspiring and seasoned entrepreneurs by outlining ten "Startup Switchups"—unconventional strategies that challenge traditional advice to accelerate business launches, growth, and exits.[3][5][8] Drawing from the authors' experience building VEEV Spirits (sold in 2016) and investing via their firm M13 in over 130 companies like Lyft, Pinterest, Warby Parker, Bird, and SpaceX (many now valued at $1B+), the book emphasizes hands-on tactics like leveraging unfair advantages, outsourcing non-core tasks, and prioritizing milestones over timelines.[1][2][3][5]
The Reums target entrepreneurs navigating a hyper-competitive startup landscape, solving the problem of prolonged idea-to-market timelines with real-world anecdotes from Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and their own ventures. Endorsed by figures like Tony Robbins, Arianna Huffington, and Steve Case, it promotes sustainable success over hype.[4]
Courtney and Carter Reum's entrepreneurial journey began after stints at Goldman Sachs, where they helped take companies like Under Armour and Vitaminwater public over 15 years ago.[1][2] Carter honed his skills early at Champ Ventures in Sydney, incubating startups, before joining Goldman Sachs for deals like KKR's historic IPO.[2] Bored with existing drinking experiences at age 25, the brothers launched VEEV Spirits, pioneering an artisanal brand that became a top independent U.S. liquor seller, winning awards like Technomic Fast 50 and Inc 500, before its 2016 acquisition.[1][2]
Post-VEEV, they founded M13 in Los Angeles, an early-stage consumer tech investment firm backing 130+ ventures including Ring, Rothys, and Thrive Market.[1][3] Their triumphs and setbacks across investing, operating, and scaling distilled into *Shortcut Your Startup*, published in 2018, as a guide born from "every triumph and tribulation" to shortcut the startup path from inception to sale.[3][5]
The book's edge lies in its contrarian, battle-tested framework, distinguishing it from generic startup advice:
*Shortcut Your Startup* rides the golden age of entrepreneurship, where tools make starting businesses easier but competition fiercer amid consumer demands for branding, speed, and innovation.[5] Timing aligns with the "Internet's Third Wave," per Steve Case, empowering direct-to-consumer models at the nexus of tech, media, and products—mirroring M13's investments in disruptors like Pinterest and Lyft.[1][2][4][5] Market forces like accessible funding and global reach favor its switchups, helping founders exploit unfair advantages in crowded fields.
It influences the ecosystem by humanizing VC wisdom, amplifying operator-investor insights from successes like VEEV and M13's $1B+ exits, and promoting outsourcing/scaling strategies that echo trends in consumer tech acceleration.[1][3]
With enduring relevance in 2025's AI-driven, post-pandemic startup boom, *Shortcut Your Startup* equips founders to navigate volatility via flexible, milestone-focused growth. Next steps could include updates incorporating AI tools for "1 Percent Better" iterations or expanded M13 case studies. Trends like decentralized ecosystems and sustainability will shape its tactics, evolving the Reums' influence through M13's ongoing investments. Ultimately, it reminds entrepreneurs: thriving isn't just speed—it's smart switchups from inception to impact, echoing the brothers' path from spirits to scalable ventures.[3][5]
