Start-ups are easy, but... is A.-W. Scheer's retrospective on his experiences founding, growing and taking public a successful, international company. Since its founding in 1985, IDS Scheer has grown to become the world leader in business process performance, with subsidiaries and representatives in 50 countries. This book contains the author's experiences and opinions about founding companies and watching them prosper, about how research and science work, and about the politics of innovation. It was written for entrepreneurs or potential company founders who would like to learn more about the challenges of building a company. It is also written for students who want to find out what it is like to live like a businessperson. Furthermore, the book is written for members of the scientific community, to motivate them to a more business-oriented approach at their research institutions.