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A Field Guide for Startups

Becoming Unstuck

From Gift-Wrapped Indifference to Authentic Demand

Learn to distinguish authentic demand from polite encouragement — before you invest months building something nobody wants.

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Becoming Unstuck

From Gift-Wrapped Indifference to Authentic Demand

Ed Rieker

Most startup advice assumes you already have a viable idea.

This book helps you prove it.

"That sounds interesting!" they say. But interesting doesn't pay the bills. Polite encouragement has killed more startups than bad code ever will.

— The problem this book solves

Through "micro-interactions" — brief, focused conversations with real potential buyers — you'll learn to detect the critical difference between a "sounds interesting" lead and a genuine "I need this now" customer.

What You'll Learn

🎯

The Cannot-Not-Buy Test

Identify buyers who feel genuine urgency to act — not just polite interest.

💬

Micro-Interactions

5-7 minute conversations that reveal what months of building cannot.

⚡

Fast Filter

Test any business idea in about two hours with the 4-gate assessment.

🗺️

Pathways

Find the reliable routes through which your solution reaches buyers.

📊

Authentic Demand Signals

Measure what people do, not what they say they'll do.

📖

Evidence-Based Stories

Turn your discovery into narratives that drive action.

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Ed Rieker

About the Author

Ed Rieker is a serial entrepreneur with four healthcare software companies and three successful exits, including two acquisitions by public companies. He's the co-inventor of US Patent 5,832,447 for an automated health insurance verification system.

As an educator, Ed has guided hundreds of founders through early-stage validation as a Venture Catalyst at Georgia Tech's Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) and through his work developing the Emory Startup Launch program at Emory University's Goizueta Business School.

Entrepreneurship Center Management Certificate, International Business Innovation Association (INBIA)