The “a-live music-company (AMC)-case” illustrates, how a start up can survive and strive in the turbulent and fragmented entertainment market. AMC moved into the entertainment market three years ago with an innovative idea, by combining acapella live-performances with a franchise system and building a number of additional products – CDs, customized songs - and services around its competencies. The case demonstrates a number of issues a start-up faces such as how to enter into a new market with limited resources, how to build a brand by applying alternative marketing techniques, how to cross sell products or generate efficiencies in its corporate structure etc. The case further shows how similar strategic issues of a start-up can be compared to a large organization. AMC makes decisions on its growth path, on internationalization, on budget allocation, on target groups or business models.