The Reluctant Entrepreneur


Book Description

Intelligent strategies for starting and growing a small business with minimal personal financial risk A comprehensive guide for entrepreneurs from one of the most successful business creators in recent years, The Reluctant Entrepreneur: Turning Dreams into Profits addresses the fears and misconceptions that many people have about starting their own businesses, walking prospective owners through the necessary decisions they need to make before even putting a business plan in place. Presenting solid, reliable strategies based on author Michael Masterson's own successful practices, and debunking some common illusions entrepreneurs have about their businesses, the book is a vital resource for anyone looking to avoid the pitfalls that threaten fledgling companies. Packed with insights from an entrepreneur who has launched and sold dozens of business, presented in a lively and conversational style Some 600,000 new businesses are launched each year and with an uncertain economy, more and more people are looking for a stream of income separate from their 9 to 5 job Filled with highly applicable advice that budding and professional entrepreneurs can start using immediately Essential reading for small business owners and both first time and established entrepreneurs, The Reluctant Entrepreneur presents the smart strategies on starting and growing a small business that can make launching your own company a cinch.




World Encyclopedia of Entrepreneurship


Book Description

This second edition of a classic reference work, written by some of the most eminent academics in the field, contains over 30 per cent more entries on entrepreneurship. Comprehensive in scope, it includes topics from business angels, to export services to family business and uncertainty and venture capital. There are also entries on individuals including George Eastman, Howard Hughes, Joseph Schumpeter and Walt Disney. Providing its readers with a unique point of reference, as well as stimulus for further research, this Encyclopedia is an indispensable tool for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, particularly students, scholars and researchers.




Let My People Go Surfing


Book Description

Yvon Chouinard-legendary climber, businessman, environmentalist, and founder of Patagonia, Inc.-shares the persistence and courage that have gone into being head of one of the most respected and environmentally responsible companies on earth. From his youth as the son of a French Canadian blacksmith to the thrilling, ambitious climbing expeditions that inspired his innovative designs for the sport's equipment, Let My People Go Surfing is the story of a man who brought doing good and having grand adventures into the heart of his business life-a book that will deeply affect entrepreneurs and outdoor enthusiasts alike. A newly revised edition of Let My People Go Surfing is available now. From the Trade Paperback edition.




Why Startups Fail


Book Description

If you want your startup to succeed, you need to understand why startups fail. “Whether you’re a first-time founder or looking to bring innovation into a corporate environment, Why Startups Fail is essential reading.”—Eric Ries, founder and CEO, LTSE, and New York Times bestselling author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way Why do startups fail? That question caught Harvard Business School professor Tom Eisenmann by surprise when he realized he couldn’t answer it. So he launched a multiyear research project to find out. In Why Startups Fail, Eisenmann reveals his findings: six distinct patterns that account for the vast majority of startup failures. • Bad Bedfellows. Startup success is thought to rest largely on the founder’s talents and instincts. But the wrong team, investors, or partners can sink a venture just as quickly. • False Starts. In following the oft-cited advice to “fail fast” and to “launch before you’re ready,” founders risk wasting time and capital on the wrong solutions. • False Promises. Success with early adopters can be misleading and give founders unwarranted confidence to expand. • Speed Traps. Despite the pressure to “get big fast,” hypergrowth can spell disaster for even the most promising ventures. • Help Wanted. Rapidly scaling startups need lots of capital and talent, but they can make mistakes that leave them suddenly in short supply of both. • Cascading Miracles. Silicon Valley exhorts entrepreneurs to dream big. But the bigger the vision, the more things that can go wrong. Drawing on fascinating stories of ventures that failed to fulfill their early promise—from a home-furnishings retailer to a concierge dog-walking service, from a dating app to the inventor of a sophisticated social robot, from a fashion brand to a startup deploying a vast network of charging stations for electric vehicles—Eisenmann offers frameworks for detecting when a venture is vulnerable to these patterns, along with a wealth of strategies and tactics for avoiding them. A must-read for founders at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey, Why Startups Fail is not merely a guide to preventing failure but also a roadmap charting the path to startup success.




The Path to Freedom


Book Description

Do you want to start your own business but you're too afraid or nervous to try? Do you dread financial risk and failure? Do you fear rejection? Stop worrying right now, because The Path to Freedom: Starting a Business for the Reluctant Entrepreneur gives you everything you need to start a successful side business! Do you know the difference between success and failure? It is KNOWLEDGE. The majority of start-up businesses fail because of a lack of skill, planning, and strategy. You should have a vision. You should work hard to create a product that will break the market. But that's not enough! To run a business successfully, you have to know the basics. There's no skipping the legwork if you want to make it. Whether you're starting a side-hustle or looking to plant a seed that will grow into an international giant, The Path to Freedom: Starting a Business for the Reluctant Entrepreneur shows you how to: START A SMALL BUSINESS or side-hustle while working a full-time job Craft a market-friendly product Run books and numbers like they're second nature Hire the right talent and expertise GAIN FINANCIAL STABILITY by knowing when and how to take your side-hustle to a full-time job Maintain a steady income and manage personal and business finances Budget for optimum lifestyle and sustainable growth Invest for optimum returns DEFINE SUCCESS and learn how to set achievable goals Master strategic marketing to make your presence known GROW ON ALL LEVELS, both personally and in business And so much more! This book won't cloud your judgment with fake motivational quotes. It won't tell you to risk it all because your dream is worth it. It won't tell you to mantra your way to success. The Path to Freedom: Starting a Business for the Reluctant Entrepreneur shows you how to fulfil your dream by being a practical realist.




Entrepreneurship and the Wired Life


Book Description

Shows how the emergence of the knowledge-based economy has resulted in a decline in the traditional career-based approach to working life. Examines the development of new forms of working life: a 'wired' (fast, globally networked, project-centred) form of productivity which is emerging in high-tech and media centres and entrepreneurship. Discusses the implications for individuals and communities and considers how public policies can best respond to these changes.







Entrepreneurship


Book Description

This popular and well received standard text on Entrepreneurship has been completely revised and updated for the second edition. The text retains the favourably reviewed features of the first edition which include the importance of context, diversity and differing international entrepreneurial practice, yet is underpinned by coverage and application of relevant theory. In particular, the text now contains important and entirely new sections on entrepreneurship in the face of multiple global crises, evidence on entrepreneurial resilience, new case study material on examples of international entrepreneurship from developing countries including a new section on Entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa, new case material on ‘clean technology’ entrepreneurship and on green finance, and a new chapter on Indigenous Entrepreneurship. All chapters have been completely updated to reflect increased diversity and the place of Entrepreneurship in the context of multiple global crises. The text retains the pedagogic features of the first edition which are consistent throughout the text and include learning outcomes, boxed case studies with discussion questions, policy and practical issues, summaries of each chapter, recommended reading and suggested assignments. The text is complemented by online support material for tutors.




Against Entrepreneurship


Book Description

This book explores whether there is reason to be against entrepreneurship. Just like literature on the darker sides of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship, the book is an answer to the one-sided, overly positive and uncritical image of entrepreneurship. The “twist” in this book, in comparison with literature on dark sides of entrepreneurship, is to explore being against entrepreneurship. From various perspectives such as lexical semantics, Marxism, philosophy of science and psychology, the contributors contemplate on why there may be reason to be against entrepreneurship discourse as well as entrepreneurship practice. Some chapters are based on first-hand empirical data, others are conceptual. The main overall conclusion is that there are some strong arguments for being against entrepreneurship discourse, as well as for being against certain aspects of entrepreneurship practice. Before it is reasonable to be against entrepreneurship practice in total, a convincing and practicable alternative needs to be developed. This book will be valuable reading for entrepreneurship scholars, as well as academics working in the fields of business ethics, (critical) management, and international business.




Career Choice in Management and Entrepreneurship


Book Description

Presents an assessment of early influences on the career choice of managers and entrepreneurs, their attitudes at the start of their careers as students, and in their later employment experiences. This book also examines the influence of an MBA education on the later work and life experiences of managers and entrepreneurs.