Peter Birkeland
Studied at University of Chicago
Worked at Techstars
I'm flexible on times if you happen to live in a place that's 12-18 hours of time difference to Chicago (Central time). Let me know and we can arrange something that fits your schedule.
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About Peter
I've published my own books and for the past decade have helped others publish their books. I have worked on twenty-seven books as a writing partner — most with Wiley — on entrepreneurship, startups, venture capital, and leadership. That includes Do More Faster with Brad Feld and David Cohen, and Startup CXO with Matt Blumberg. The difficult part about writing a book isn't so much having something worthwhile to say. Most accomplished people have that. The hardest part is extracting your ideas and organizing them into something that will make sense to someone other than yourself. I have a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago, I understand research and structure, and I find genuine satisfaction in putting that to work for someone else's ideas.
Why do I coach?
I never thought I would write a book — writing was nothing I ever aspired to do. But after finishing my dissertation a professor introduced me to an editor at the University of Chicago Press and said, "You're going to want to publish Birkeland's book." The editor laughed and said, "Well, write the book and maybe I'll take a look at it." Several years later I turned it in, it was published by the University of Chicago Press and reviewed by the Wall Street Journal. That introduction changed the trajectory of my life. I could have kept writing my own books. I find it more rewarding to help other people write theirs. These are accomplished and credible people who don't need someone to tell them what to think. What they need is someone who understands the process, knows the terrain, and can help them move from where they are to where they want to be. A book is a door. It opens conversations, opportunities, and rooms that would otherwise stay closed. Most people who have something worth saying never write the book — not because they lack the ideas, but because the gap between expertise and published book is real and the path through it isn't obvious. That gap is where I work. And helping someone cross it — seeing their ideas finally reach an audience — is still the most satisfying thing I do.
Work Experience
Insight Series
Techstars
July 2019 - June 2020
Insight Series
Techstars
July 2019 - June 2020
Insight Series
Techstars
July 2019 - June 2020
Work with entrepreneurs, founders, and others to turn their ideas into a book, and publish it.
Lead Writing Partner
Independent consultants
June 2018 - Present
Partner with executives, investors, and entrepreneurs on book projects. 24+ books published across business, venture capital, franchising, crypto, and entrepreneurship. Publishing experience spans all three paths: academic press (Franchising Dreams, University of Chicago Press), traditional commercial (multiple titles with Wiley), and self-publishing (most recent 7 projects). This breadth allows me to guide authors to the right publishing path for their goals.
Technical Writer
Peter Millar
August 2016 - Present
Significant experience creating winning proposals, grants, and business plans, financial plans, and operating plans that lead to measureable results. Top-rated business plans in merit-based national competitions.
Lecturer
SCORE Chicago
September 1996 - Present
Education
University of Chicago
Ph.D., Franchising, Sociology, Organizational Behavior
1986 - 1995
Iowa State University
Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Social Work
1979 - 1983