Crazy Is a Compliment

In the tradition of both The Lean Startup and Lean In, a manifesto about taking smart risks in pursuit of big dreams

Linda Rottenberg has spent her career helping innovators think big. “If people aren’t calling you crazy, you aren’t thinking big enough,” she says. These days taking chances isn’t just for young college dropouts in hoodies. Whether you work at a Fortune 500 company, a non-profit, or a mom-andpop store, everybody needs to think and act like a changemaker. We all need to be nimble, adaptive, daring, and maybe even a little crazy, or risk being left behind.

But how do you take smart risks and still achieve big success? That’s Rottenberg’s expertise as the CEO and cofounder of Endeavor, the world’s leading organization devoted to identifying, mentoring, and investing in fast-growing businesses. Since 1997, Endeavor has screened 40,000 candidates and handpicked 1,000 entrepreneurs in 20 countries —then helped them take the crucial steps to grow their organizations and transform their communities. In 2012, Endeavor entrepreneurs generated $6 billion in revenues and provided 225,000 jobs.

Now Rottenberg draws on her unique experience to show how we can all take manageable steps to achieve our dreams. Crazy Is a Compliment offers a blend of inspiring stories and practical tools for getting started, going bigger, and integrating work and family. As she writes, “Since everybody has to take risks these days, we all need to be able to derisk risk.”

Written with wisdom, wit, and passion, Crazy is a Compliment is a rallying cry for a new approach to business and a blueprint for personal change. The good news is that anybody can initiate those changes. “There are no admission criteria. There is no wardrobe requirement. There is no secret vote. Entrepreneurship is for everyone.”