7 Reasons Why the Book of Esther Is Like a Startup

Here’s a quickie, partly (but only partly!) in jest:

With the Jewish holiday of Purim right around the corner, it occurs to me that the central text of this holiday, the Book of Esther , has a lot to do just about the typical startup journey:

1. A startup that is seemingly an overnight success usually takes 9+ years to come to fruition (“In the 3rd year of his reign… On the 13 th day of the 12th month…”)
2. The best startups attack truly huge markets (“… who ruled from India to Ethiopia, 127 nations”)
3. There is typically an established incumbent that has become complacent and less responsive to their clients’ needs (“But Queen Vashti refused to appear by the king’s order…”)
4. Many startups operate in stealth mode for an extended period of time (“Esther did not divulge her race or ancestry, for Mordechai had instructed her not to tell”)
5. Even after landing their first big account and getting a substantial lead, steps often still face stiff, well funded competition (“After these events, King Achashverosh promoted Haman… above all his fellow ministers. ‘…and I [Haman] will pay 10,000 silver talents to… the King’s treasuries.’ “)
6. But great startups know how to mobilize their entire community to counter any threat (“Go and gather all the Jews who are in Shushan and fast for my sake, do not eat and do not drink for 3 days, night and day.”)
7. And when the startup finally best all the competition, they jacked prices up through the roof! (“King Achashverosh levied a tax upon the mainland and the islands of the sea.”)