In the start-up world, it is nearly impossible not to be distracted by all the noise around Unicorns and feel pressure to match the pattern of always getting to the next round of funding. The venture capital mantras of “go faster”, “hockey stick growth”, “multiples upon multiples”, and “crush the competition” are a lot of pressure for founding teams. But what start-up founders need to know is that there is a different way to build a business where you take less capital, keep control and still get to a meaningful exit. Here are the key ingredients to make it happen.