Customer Reviews

Entrepreneurial Management (McGraw-Hill Executive MBA)

5 star:		(4)
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Gosh, I had almost given up reading ?How To? books by Top B-School Professors!
University of Chicago Professor Robert Calvin actually writes a book that (while concisely dealing with strategic decisions) gets its head out of the trendy typical pie in the sky themes and goes straight to what drives the bottom-line of the firm!
However, It should be given a new title ?Nuts and Bolts of the Entrepreneur? with subtitle ?Do you have what it takes??
I really liked the section on raising money. Calvin uses insider knowledge of the Venture Capital Trade to get directly to the point of where and where not to look for funds!
If you are serious about making money this book is for you. If you are looking for an easy million this book is not for you. This Book has little sympathy for the quick dollar schemes but is filled with enthusiasm for the nose to the grindstone types!

Most people think that all they need is a great idea and they will be able to start a successful business. Professor Calvin outlines, step-by-step, the realities of being an entrepreneur, how you need to prepare, and what you can expect. Specifically, he gives links and resources for doing market research, tells you where and how to go looking for financing, and emphasizes the key control points you must set up and monitor in order to be one of the businesses that actually makes it.

I am a consultant to start-up businesses, refer to his book often, and recommend it to my clients.

Our team has started borrowing heavily from Calvin with our consulting focus on female entrepreneur clients.
Key suggested readings are the chapters dealing with writing an effective yet focused business plan and knowing key control points of your business.
We have just put this book on our suggested client reading list.

I give this book a definite thumbs up. It is one of the most all encompassing titles out there on this subject. It has information on writing a business plan, getting financing, motivating salespeople, motivating employees in general, proper compensation for employees, inexpensive promotion and advertising, pricing products, and a lot more. It is written on a very practical and "how to" level. This book is less about business theory and more about application. Calvin's experience in starting/buying businesses and running them is apparent. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants a hands on tactical approach to running a small or start up business - or even big business for that matter.