The 21st Century brings all new rules. Entrepreneurs are challenging conventional wisdom and thinking outside the box. One of the first challenges involves challenging the assumption that a business has to be big to be successful. While most of the 20th century heralded big businesses, it is clear that businesses no longer have to be big to do big business. Now it is possible for a handful of people to operate a global business from virtually any place on the planet. Today, the keyboard has overtaken the boardroom. Financial markets, alliances, and joint ventures have eliminated the need for entrepreneurs to put up substantial capital investments. Today’s businesses are driven by ideas, innovation, and execution. This book will show entrepreneurs and business leaders will provide CEOs and entrepreneurs with the tools that they will need to become leaders in their market. The contents are as follows: Introduction: The Nature of Entrepreneurship, (1) Essential Entrepreneurial Qualities and Capabilities, (2) What Type of Venture Do You Have in Mind?, (3) Identifying New Venture Opportunities, (4) Ventures that Capitalized on Market Gaps, (5) Evaluating New Venture Opportunities, (6) Developing the Business Plan, (7) Components of the Business Plan, (8) Sources of Funding, (9) Debt Financing, (10) Seeking Investors, (11) Going the Angel Route, (12) Venture Capital Funding, (13) Initial Public Offering, Epilogue: Entrepreneurial Dos and Donts.
Book Details:
- Author: Stephen C. Harper
- ISBN: 9780470087275
- Year Published: 2007
- Pages:
- BISAC: BUS025000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/Entrepreneurship
About the Book and Topic:
The 21st Century brings all new rules. Entrepreneurs are challenging conventional wisdom and thinking outside the box. One of the first challenges involves challenging the assumption that a business has to be big to be successful. While most of the 20th century heralded big businesses, it is clear that businesses no longer have to be big to do big business. Now it is possible for a handful of people to operate a global business from virtually any place on the planet. Today, the keyboard has overtaken the boardroom. Financial markets, alliances, and joint ventures have eliminated the need for entrepreneurs to put up substantial capital investments. Today’s businesses are driven by ideas, innovation, and execution. This book will show entrepreneurs and business leaders will provide CEOs and entrepreneurs with the tools that they will need to become leaders in their market. The contents are as follows: Introduction: The Nature of Entrepreneurship, (1) Essential Entrepreneurial Qualities and Capabilities, (2) What Type of Venture Do You Have in Mind?, (3) Identifying New Venture Opportunities, (4) Ventures that Capitalized on Market Gaps, (5) Evaluating New Venture Opportunities, (6) Developing the Business Plan, (7) Components of the Business Plan, (8) Sources of Funding, (9) Debt Financing, (10) Seeking Investors, (11) Going the Angel Route, (12) Venture Capital Funding, (13) Initial Public Offering, Epilogue: Entrepreneurial Dos and Donts.
This book examines the entrepreneurial process of identifying business opportunities, evaluating potential business ventures, and developing a game plan for creating a venture from scratch. It identifies various qualities and capabilities entrepreneurs need to have to increase the odds for success. It also highlights various challenges associated with starting a new venture.
COMPREHENSIVE: coverage of a topic area that has been treated simplistically. STEP-BY-STEP GUIDANCE: guides prospective entrepreneurs from self-awareness, to identifying business opportunities, developing the business plan, and exploring sources of funding. PRACTICAL ADVICE: Provides more than 600 “Entrepreneurial Dos and Don’ts” from interviews with 200 successful entrepreneurs.
About the Author
Stephen C. Harper (Wilmington, NC) is president of Harper & Associates, a management consulting firm. In addition, he is the Progress Energy/Betty Cameron Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Steve has worked with entrepreneurs in the United States and Canada for more than thirty years. He is on the editorial review board of the Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship and serves on the board of directors of Wachovia Bank (Wilmington area), and the Coastal Entrepreneurial Council, of which he is the cofounder and former president and executive director.