I rarely do this, but I am going to recommend a book to my OrthoStreams readers.
You should read Peter Thiel's book Zero to One if you want to succeed in an Orthopedic startup. Peter Thiel is an eccentric contrarian entrepreneur, but he has been wildly successful in startup companies and is a genius ahead of his time.
I have worked to build three Ortho startups so far, and based on my experience Peter has nailed the formula for success. For instance, too many Ortho startups focus on creating incremental technology advancements to "beat the competition". This is a recipe for failure. Think Innovative Spinal Technologies (IST) or Inion or Pegasus or Baxano. There is a long list at the graveyard. And, too few Ortho startups focus on dominating the market with a monopoly in a unique Orthopedic technology. Think Kyphon.
The essence of Thiel's book are 7 questions that every business must answer:
Question 1) The Engineering Question - Can you create breakthrough technology instead of incremental improvements?
Question 2) The Timing Question - Is now the right time to start your particular business?
Question 3) The Monopoly Question - Are you starting with a big share of a small ...
