Richard Hooker heads up RHMC, a Los Angeles marketing consultancy specializing in start-ups and turnarounds, and is co-author of Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible. After doctoral work at Stanford University and an MBA at USC, Mr. Hooker spent eight years teaching, first at Stanford and then Washington State University, before moving on to become senior creative director and chief strategist at a Los Angeles ad firm. As an international consultant, Mr. Hooker has worked with one-person start-ups to Fortune 500 firms across the globe.