By Charlie Barlow

A must-read for all aspiring entrepreneurs – and anyone who enjoys a gripping story – this book chronicles one startup-owner’s head-spinning journey from incubation to exit, charting every success and setback along the way.

Synopsis

What does it take to build a high-growth business while navigating regulatory minefields, economic volatility and cultural barriers in some of the world’s most complex markets

In this fast-paced, eye-opening account, Charlie Barlow – entrepreneur and founder of pioneering telehealth company Health at Hand – takes you from San Francisco to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and even Iran, as he battles to scale his startup and build the business of his dreams. From venture-capital struggles to legal threats, demoralising setbacks to hard-won breakthroughs, this is not a polished tale of effortless success, but the unfiltered reality of entrepreneurship.

Barlow relates his story with a refreshing honesty, wit and self-reflection and lays bare painful lessons he had to learn, along with the resilience needed to survive in the high-stakes startup world. Unlike books that paint founders as infallible geniuses, this story embraces failure as part of the journey – and, ultimately, its teller faells short of his stratospheric ambitions. But if you’re an entrepreneur – or thinking of becoming one – this is the handbook you never knew you needed. Learn from his achievements and mistakes, accelerate your journey towards success and discover what it truly takes to snag that most elusive of beasts – the unicorn.

About the author

After 12 years working as a Private and Investment Banker for leading international banks – including Morgan Stanley, HSBC and the Bank of Singapore, – while living and working in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Charlie Barlow established his own technology venture- capital business, Rockfirst Capital, in 2012 and subsequently founded the multi-award- winning telehealth company Health at Hand.

Health at Hand became the first licensed telehealth company to ever be established in the Middle East and the first to focus on transforming healthcare access to the under-served blue-collar population of the region.

Having scaled Health at Hand to over 4 million patients and 6 countries, Charlie sold the business in 2021 to Fortune 500 company Allianz. He now works within the fintech and health sectors, advising businesses on how to scale cross-border and to reach their full exit potential.