On the List: Disciplined Entrepreneurship for Climate and Energy Ventures

The authors of Disciplined Entrepreneurship for Climate and Energy Ventures are established entrepreneurs in the climate space, with positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Ben Soltoff is the Ecosystem-Builder and Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship. Bill Aulet is the managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and Professor of the Practice at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Tod Hynes is the CEO and co-founder of Maigent, as well as chair of the board of the Woodwell Climate Research Center. Frank O’Sullivan is a managing director at S2G Investments and an adjunct faculty member at the MIT Sloan School; he has previously served as the director of research for MIT’s Energy Initiative and as co-director of the MIT Electric Power System Center. Libby Wayman is an investor with Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

Disciplined Entrepreneurship for Climate and Energy Ventures discusses how to bring your climate or energy startup to life using the authors’ 24-step framework.

When asked what contributed to the book landing on the USA Today bestseller list, Aulet said: “Just like in business, where making a great product does not mean you will achieve great success, it is just table stakes. It needs to be coupled with a strong go-to-market plan and execution.”

The authors prioritized targeted outreach that leveraged their networks. “I reached out to about 500 people, asking them to share about the book,” said Soltoff. Proactive followup was a necessity. His co-authors all participated in outreach to their networks as well, not only by email but also by phone. “This targeted outreach was especially effective in getting people to pre-order bulk copies, which is a much bigger ask than asking folks to post on social media.”

Christopher Burns, social media and communications coordinator at the MIT Sloan School of Management, assisted the authors and emphasized the importance of creating a targeted social media plan before release. “This sounds simple and obvious, but when a writer … is in the middle of a book launch, marketing looks like an impossible task,” he said.

The kit included sample posts that tied to the “current zeitgeists of climate tech ventures.” Providing sample copy and limiting the ask to two types of content—a selfie with the book or one of the sample posts—kept the ask straightforward and simple for promoters to complete. The authors also created resources for educators to integrate the book into their curriculum.

Video was another key component. Burns and the authors drafted scripts focused on four “zeitgeists” they could connect the book to, then filmed. Burns advises keeping these to two minutes max. “Trickle these out over one month on personal social and company social,” Burns said. “I don’t think we would have the same organic success with our network posts if we didn’t train the LinkedIn algorithm on this video content.”

“People want to help, but they need us to lower the activation energy,” Soltoff said, emphasizing that authors who take the time to make their requests simple and strategic will see gains for their book launches.