Burn Rate: Launching a Startup and Losing My Mind
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- Create Date：2022-06-16 06:51:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Andy Dunn
- ISBN：0593238265
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Summary
The co-founder of the menswear startup Bonobos opens up about the struggle with bipolar disorder that nearly cost him everything in this gripping， radically honest memoir of mental illness and entrepreneurship。
"Arrestingly candid 。 。 。 the most powerful book I've read on manic depression since An Unquiet Mind。"--Adam Grant， #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of WorkLife
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022--Forbes
At twenty-eight， fresh from Stanford's MBA program and steeped in the move-fast-and-break-things ethos of Silicon Valley， Andy Dunn was on top of the world。 He was building a new kind of startup--a digitally native， direct-to-consumer brand--out of his Manhattan apartment。 Bonobos was a new-school approach to selling an old-school product: men's pants。 Against all odds， business was booming。
Hustling to scale the fledgling venture， Dunn raised tens of millions of dollars while boundaries between work and life evaporated。 As he struggled to keep the startup afloat， Dunn was haunted by a ghost: a diagnosis of bipolar disorder he received after a frightening manic episode in college， one that had punctured the idyllic veneer of his midwestern upbringing。 He had understood his diagnosis as an unspeakable shame that--according to the taciturn codes of his fraternity， the business world， and even his family--should be locked away。
As Dunn's business began to take off， however， some of the very traits that powered his success as a founder--relentless drive， confidence bordering on hubris， and ambition verging on delusion--were now threatening to undo him。 A collision course was set in motion， and it would culminate in a night of mayhem--one poised to unravel all that he had built。
Burn Rate is an unconventional entrepreneurial memoir， a parable for the twenty-first-century economy， and a revelatory look at the prevalence of mental illness in the startup community。 With intimate prose， Andy Dunn fearlessly shines a light on the dark side of success and challenges us all to take part in the deepening conversation around creativity， performance， and disorder。
"Arrestingly candid 。 。 。 the most powerful book I've read on manic depression since An Unquiet Mind。"--Adam Grant， #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of WorkLife
ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022--Forbes
At twenty-eight， fresh from Stanford's MBA program and steeped in the move-fast-and-break-things ethos of Silicon Valley， Andy Dunn was on top of the world。 He was building a new kind of startup--a digitally native， direct-to-consumer brand--out of his Manhattan apartment。 Bonobos was a new-school approach to selling an old-school product: men's pants。 Against all odds， business was booming。
Hustling to scale the fledgling venture， Dunn raised tens of millions of dollars while boundaries between work and life evaporated。 As he struggled to keep the startup afloat， Dunn was haunted by a ghost: a diagnosis of bipolar disorder he received after a frightening manic episode in college， one that had punctured the idyllic veneer of his midwestern upbringing。 He had understood his diagnosis as an unspeakable shame that--according to the taciturn codes of his fraternity， the business world， and even his family--should be locked away。
As Dunn's business began to take off， however， some of the very traits that powered his success as a founder--relentless drive， confidence bordering on hubris， and ambition verging on delusion--were now threatening to undo him。 A collision course was set in motion， and it would culminate in a night of mayhem--one poised to unravel all that he had built。
Burn Rate is an unconventional entrepreneurial memoir， a parable for the twenty-first-century economy， and a revelatory look at the prevalence of mental illness in the startup community。 With intimate prose， Andy Dunn fearlessly shines a light on the dark side of success and challenges us all to take part in the deepening conversation around creativity， performance， and disorder。
Reviews
Mamta
，
Thankful to have read this。 Incredibly vulnerable， redeeming and appreciate Andy for sharing his mental health struggles that are rarely spoken about in tech， finance and the most senior levels of management。
Nicole
，
This book is so incredibly timely as it focuses on the intersection of mental health and tech。 Andy’s story of building a startup while fighting his “Ghost” is relevant， heartbreaking， and inspiring。 I read this on the Kindle but I will be buying a hard copy because this deserves to be a part of my shelved collection。 Six fantastic stars。
Nate Lorenzen
，
Great topic but felt like an over extended blog post。 I’m also a bit untrusting that bipolar was pushed on by paternal idealism versus severe chemical imbalances。
Alex
，
Incredible book！ Less of a business memoir than a transparent and brutally candid look at someone with bipolar who happens to have been building a large company。 I was enthralled at the authenticity with which Andy wrote this。 Seriously good。
Tom Lehmann
，
Really appreciate Andy Dunn’s honest and often surprisingly humble insight into his life as an entrepreneur and his mental illness。
BookStarRaven
，
Quick Take: Andy Dunn talks about his experiences with Bipolar type 1 while founding a multimillion-dollar company。Burn Rate by Andy Dunn blew me away with his refreshing honesty and authenticity。 I went into this book expecting a book focused on how startups are run and burn people out and while that is part of it， the biggest story is that of Andy Dunn’s severe mental health issues and how he handles them。 Dunn grew up in the suburbs outside of Chicago。 He excelled at school， making his way th Quick Take: Andy Dunn talks about his experiences with Bipolar type 1 while founding a multimillion-dollar company。Burn Rate by Andy Dunn blew me away with his refreshing honesty and authenticity。 I went into this book expecting a book focused on how startups are run and burn people out and while that is part of it， the biggest story is that of Andy Dunn’s severe mental health issues and how he handles them。 Dunn grew up in the suburbs outside of Chicago。 He excelled at school， making his way through gifted programs and being named “most likely to be a millionaire” in high school - and they were right。 His competitive nature drove him to college and eventually Stanford business school where he met his future co-founder， Brian Spaly。 Together they founded Bonobos， a Mensa pants wear company。 While on the outside Dunn looked like a successful entrepreneur on his way to the top， his inner world was crumbling。 Having had a psychotic break in college and receiving a diagnosis of bipolar type 1， Dunn was in complete denial。 He refused to acknowledge that his deep depression followed by hypomanic states were anything other than the stress of running a company。 Until he had another manic episode， this time so serious he ended up in jail。I highly recommend this book and think it will be one of my top reads for June。 I respect Dunn for being so open about an often-misunderstood mental illness。 Rating: 5/5Review: Non-Fiction 。。。more
Anthony Fawkes
，
Honest， well-written and engaging。 I've read a few books on bipolar disorder lately and I found this to be the best of them in how thorough Andy is in describing the hypomanic and manic episodes。 In particular the way he creates a frenetic energy when describing his memories from the severe manic episodes。 It happens to also be quite an interesting business book as well which is a big bonus。 Honest， well-written and engaging。 I've read a few books on bipolar disorder lately and I found this to be the best of them in how thorough Andy is in describing the hypomanic and manic episodes。 In particular the way he creates a frenetic energy when describing his memories from the severe manic episodes。 It happens to also be quite an interesting business book as well which is a big bonus。 。。。more
Brian
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Fantastic book， possibly the best memoir I’ve read。 A must in general， but especially if you’re an entrepreneur。
Mick Gupta
，
Amazing first person narrative at the intersection of mental health and entrepreneurship / startup life。 Incredibly quick and easy read ❤️
E
，
Interesting read。 I have spoken to both Andy Dunn and Brian Spaly each years ago but I do not know them at all。Brave move on coming clean with the bipolar struggles。 It still sounds like he was truly terrible to Brian Spaly - I am glad that he also did well for himself。I have mixed emotions on this book - it is a good read but I feel like the author uses his mental health diagnosis as almost justification about how poorly he treated some of his peers （and likely subordinates） - which doesn't fee Interesting read。 I have spoken to both Andy Dunn and Brian Spaly each years ago but I do not know them at all。Brave move on coming clean with the bipolar struggles。 It still sounds like he was truly terrible to Brian Spaly - I am glad that he also did well for himself。I have mixed emotions on this book - it is a good read but I feel like the author uses his mental health diagnosis as almost justification about how poorly he treated some of his peers （and likely subordinates） - which doesn't feel right。 。。。more
Stacey B
，
5。0The author deserves kudos for being so transparent in his personal life。Well written and crystal clear， he articulates a candid story of his bi -polar disorder that threatened to ruin his life。 I love the fact that Andy Dunn is so open-hearted telling his story; it was the intrigue for me to see how he would overcome his monsters。 This story comes from a different perspective， not as what one might expect inside a book on mental health， as Dunn says himself "This book isn't what you think。。。" 5。0The author deserves kudos for being so transparent in his personal life。Well written and crystal clear， he articulates a candid story of his bi -polar disorder that threatened to ruin his life。 I love the fact that Andy Dunn is so open-hearted telling his story; it was the intrigue for me to see how he would overcome his monsters。 This story comes from a different perspective， not as what one might expect inside a book on mental health， as Dunn says himself "This book isn't what you think。。。" In response to some of the other reviews written which are spot on， I have to assume it's hard enough to take over a business where the infrastructure already exists; I can only imagine the distress being involved in a start-up co。 with an albatross around your neck rearing its ugly head。 。。。more
Patty
，
I devoured this book in two days。 The author， Andy Dunn， poured his heart and soul into this book to share his experience of bipolar disorder 1。 The honesty in this book is notable。 Blessings to the author for helping others and realizing that help is important for us all。
David Levy
，
this isn’t about startups; it’s about humansThe arc of the founder journey is only the backdrop for a great story about accepting oneself and realizing the work is never done。
Jessica
，
Unbelievably brave book about bio polar diagnosis and being a founder
RTS
，
Psychotic break but make it startup， mental illness but make it seed-stage， a state of deep unhappiness but make it market-driven！！ I adored this book。I love most business/startup books that avoid the trope of hustle porn。 The book is ostensibly about starting Bonobos， but almost all of the content is about mental health。It's probably Not Ballin how much I relate to his journey。 I read this book during the most difficult week of my own startup journey so far。 I casually refer to this week as my Psychotic break but make it startup， mental illness but make it seed-stage， a state of deep unhappiness but make it market-driven！！ I adored this book。I love most business/startup books that avoid the trope of hustle porn。 The book is ostensibly about starting Bonobos， but almost all of the content is about mental health。It's probably Not Ballin how much I relate to his journey。 I read this book during the most difficult week of my own startup journey so far。 I casually refer to this week as my Grippy Sock Era， when it felt like I belonged more at Bellevue than the office。（Relevant tweet: "oh boy ever spill a little bit of your coffee and realize the thread you are hanging on by is actually quite thin。"）My family has a fun， flirty history of bipolar/schizo。 During my 20s， my greatest fear was those genes unlocking in me。 I kept that fear hidden for a decade， despite it being a daily anxiety。 From that angle， this book felt like coming up for air。I don't want to say that entrepreneurship and mental illness are deeply linked。 （As he jokes in the book， they're arguably the same thing。） But there's an undercurrent of my life contained in this book - that the top-line narrative may be startup/career， but the deeper story is about trying （and often failing） to stay well。It's incredible what people can survive。 Thrilled that this book exists。 I'm recommending it to everyone I know。 。。。more
Brin
，
I may be biased， because I worked at Bonobos and know Andy。 However， anyone who is willing to show this level of vulnerability to normalize mental health， deserves an audience。 Andy reveals a disorder most people would choose to hide their entire lives。 Yet， illness， mental and physical， is probably the most relatable human experience。 Ultimately， this book is a reminder that illness may be an obstacle in life， but it doesn’t have to be a boundary to living it。
Josh Knowles
，
Amazing to hear such a raw story about the challenges with mental health。 Kudos， Andy， for sharing your ghost with the world。
Marcela Schmidt
，
This book is so honest and candid that it allowed me to see mental health under a different light。 The author digs deep into his memories and shares his true thoughts and feelings while going through both depressive and manic episodes and by doing so， he puts a focus on the very real and constant struggle of dealing with mental health while life continues to happen。 It was a beautiful read; I laughed， I cried and deeply connected with the author even though many of the situations described were This book is so honest and candid that it allowed me to see mental health under a different light。 The author digs deep into his memories and shares his true thoughts and feelings while going through both depressive and manic episodes and by doing so， he puts a focus on the very real and constant struggle of dealing with mental health while life continues to happen。 It was a beautiful read; I laughed， I cried and deeply connected with the author even though many of the situations described were foreign for me。 I couldn’t recommend this book more， it’s definitely at the top of my list this year。 。。。more
KJ Grow
，
Wow， definitely a worthwhile listen/read for anyone interested in mental health。 Despite some cringe-y moments that feel typical of tech-bro startup culture （rampant materialism， treating women as disposable， name dropping， extreme privilege， etc）， the last third of this book is one of the most vivid and immersive experiences I've read on bipolar disorder， the terror of a psychotic break， and the daily dedication required to actively manage living with a mental illness。 Ultimately compassionate， Wow， definitely a worthwhile listen/read for anyone interested in mental health。 Despite some cringe-y moments that feel typical of tech-bro startup culture （rampant materialism， treating women as disposable， name dropping， extreme privilege， etc）， the last third of this book is one of the most vivid and immersive experiences I've read on bipolar disorder， the terror of a psychotic break， and the daily dedication required to actively manage living with a mental illness。 Ultimately compassionate， hopeful and illuminating。 。。。more
Geoff
，
My Recommendation: This should be a must-read for entrepreneurs/business classes， therapists， and so many other people。 There are so many takeaways from what not to do with your friends/co-workers and mental health professionals， to self-care and the importance of open communication and learning from your mistakes。 There were so many people Dunn could've blamed for nearly two decades of his life， including himself， and even though he may have done that in the moment as you're reading the book， h My Recommendation: This should be a must-read for entrepreneurs/business classes， therapists， and so many other people。 There are so many takeaways from what not to do with your friends/co-workers and mental health professionals， to self-care and the importance of open communication and learning from your mistakes。 There were so many people Dunn could've blamed for nearly two decades of his life， including himself， and even though he may have done that in the moment as you're reading the book， he and everyone he's interacted with during this time had to go through a lot of discovery and healing for them all to be where they are today。My Response: When someone in the marketing department at the publisher reached out about this because I'd positively reviewed David Chang's Eat a Peach， I had to take a few minutes to really think if I wanted to go back into this world。*In Chang's book， his mental health struggles are peripheral， but in Dunn's Burn Rate， he centers them。 I spent quite a bit of time reading about bipolar disorder， alcoholism， and other mental health issues before my mom died a few years ago to try and understand what she was going through and what my sister and I were experiencing。 And that REALLY hit home when the first quote Dunn uses in his book is a quote from Kay Redfield Jamison who wrote THE book （ An Unquiet Mind） about brains and bipolar/manic depression/brains in general。Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley。com。*I received a copy of Burn Rate via NetGalley in return for my honest opinion。 No goods or money were exchanged。 。。。more
Philip Cass
，
I had difficulty putting this book down。 It's a fascinating story of Bonobos early years and a harrowing dive into the symptoms of bipolar disorder。 Captivating reading， punctuated by great insights into relationships generally that had me thinking about my own relationships。 I had difficulty putting this book down。 It's a fascinating story of Bonobos early years and a harrowing dive into the symptoms of bipolar disorder。 Captivating reading， punctuated by great insights into relationships generally that had me thinking about my own relationships。 。。。more
Erika Gianni
，
This very simple point at the beginning of this book means so much。 "Most of all， I write this for all of you struggling with a secret you feel you can’t talk about。 I hope this book serves as a reminder that there can be a path to health， integration， and healing。" This very simple point at the beginning of this book means so much。 "Most of all， I write this for all of you struggling with a secret you feel you can’t talk about。 I hope this book serves as a reminder that there can be a path to health， integration， and healing。" 。。。more
Kara
，
Story of the founder of Bonobos， Andy Dunn’s，struggle with bi-polar disorder。 It sheds light on trying to manage the disease as well as some interesting stats on how many entrepreneurs struggle and simultaneously succeed because of it but overall not enough of interest to recommend it。
Deb
，
Beautifully written and due to be every bit impactful as AN UNQUIET MIND and GOOD TO GREAT。
Janine
，
Wow。 This is such a brave book on the intersection of entrepreneurship and mental illness （specifically bipolar disorder）。 As a founder myself during this same time period， I can relate to a lot of the depressive feelings and major swings of entrepreneurship but as he described the manic episodes， I found myself holding my breath。 This is an important book not only about business but more importantly to destigmatize mental illness as a founder。
Nate S
，
A compelling read - enjoyable yet harrowing at the same time。 Love the writing style！ What’s most important to me is the way this book gives an earnest account of the author’s experiences。 Not only do I think this book advances public discussion about mental health， but the author’s story gives a concrete example of someone with a serious mental health condition still achieving great success。 If that doesn’t help erode the stigma in the professional world （where stability is so valued） towards p A compelling read - enjoyable yet harrowing at the same time。 Love the writing style！ What’s most important to me is the way this book gives an earnest account of the author’s experiences。 Not only do I think this book advances public discussion about mental health， but the author’s story gives a concrete example of someone with a serious mental health condition still achieving great success。 If that doesn’t help erode the stigma in the professional world （where stability is so valued） towards people suffering from mental illness， I don’t know what will！ Another important lesson from the book is how very damaging it can be to try to ignore （out of shame， wishful thinking， or otherwise） a mental health diagnosis - that’s a message for everyone。 Definitely worth a read， and I found myself analogizing some of the author’s experiences with those in my life。 A+++ 。。。more
Phuong Sophie
，
Humanistic approach to open a discussion on mental health in entrepreneurshipWhat a thought-provoking book！ It took courage to shine a light on mental health as part of entrepreneurship。 I'm amazed how the author， Andy Dunn， was able to share and reflect on his story with such a rare kind of self-awareness and kindness to himself and other people around him。As a founder with a similar diagnosis， I would recommend this book to all of my team members。 Like Andy， I have already disclosed my diagnos Humanistic approach to open a discussion on mental health in entrepreneurshipWhat a thought-provoking book！ It took courage to shine a light on mental health as part of entrepreneurship。 I'm amazed how the author， Andy Dunn， was able to share and reflect on his story with such a rare kind of self-awareness and kindness to himself and other people around him。As a founder with a similar diagnosis， I would recommend this book to all of my team members。 Like Andy， I have already disclosed my diagnosis to people who are close to me， but it takes a herculean effort to start a worldwide conversation on this topic like Andy has done here。 Thank you for leading the way for founders like me。 I mean it。 。。。more
Chris Travers
，
Boldly honest page-turner from the co-founder of Bonobos--highly recommend！
Nick Ehrmann
，
The honest truth is nobody knows what it's like - not me， not anyone。 Living inside someone else's brain， seeing their hopes come alive， their demons screaming， walls designed to keep reality from seeping into the light。 Because there's reps to build， right？ Bullshit to deal。 CNBC appearances at noon， dinners and laughs and money - major， multiple rounds of money to raise to keep the oxygen flowing。 The sheer amount of pumped-in oxygen helped Andy stay alive and maintain a two-decade fiction， ov The honest truth is nobody knows what it's like - not me， not anyone。 Living inside someone else's brain， seeing their hopes come alive， their demons screaming， walls designed to keep reality from seeping into the light。 Because there's reps to build， right？ Bullshit to deal。 CNBC appearances at noon， dinners and laughs and money - major， multiple rounds of money to raise to keep the oxygen flowing。 The sheer amount of pumped-in oxygen helped Andy stay alive and maintain a two-decade fiction， over time becoming toxic， concentrated， dangerous。 And instead of living that lie forever， instead of protecting that ghost， this guy takes out a match。 But here's the trick: that match doesn't explode the room。 It illuminates。 It helps every single one of us see the world， see each other a little more clearly。 Courageous， funny， nauseating in parts， this book should become a cultural touchstone in the history of how mental illness is seen， felt， and understood in a society that for too long has （at best） looked the other way。 。。。more
Andy Dunn
，