Yesterday, I had a discussion with a friend of mine who is currently going through the start-up process.  He noted that starting up is not a vertical process (develop product then do beta testing then find investment, etc.), but rather the steps involved are all jumbled together - in order to secure an investment, you should be working on product development while finding companies to do the beta testing and getting to know prospective investors. Save your ammunition until the time to fire is right, but line up the dots to make sure you maximize your efficiency.  The point of all this is to speed up the process of execution so you don’t run out of cash or lose your motivation.

In theory, I encourage every entrepreneur to practice a non-vertical approach.  It may not work out as planned, as most of what entrepreneurs do does not, but with the right mix of flexibility and persistence you just may find yourself ahead of the game.