Samuel Dinnar and Lawrence Susskind open by identifying negotiation challenges distinctly faced by entrepreneurs — negotiating with investors, co-founders, and early customers under conditions of extreme uncertainty and power imbalance — that differ meaningfully from negotiation in more established organizational contexts.

Why entrepreneurial negotiation deserves distinct treatment:

• Entrepreneurs frequently negotiate from positions of significant informational and resource disadvantage relative to investors or established partners
• The extreme uncertainty inherent in early-stage ventures creates negotiation dynamics not well addressed by negotiation frameworks developed for more established organizational contexts
• This distinct treatment addresses a genuine gap between general negotiation literature and entrepreneurs' specific practical needs

This opening establishes the book's specific focus, distinguishing it from more general negotiation guidance not tailored to entrepreneurial contexts specifically.