Entrepreneur's Notebook: Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture (Paperback)

by Steven K. Gold (Author)
Key Phrases: convertible note, term sheet, authorized shares, Stone Soup, Big Picture

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Entrepreneur's Notebook propels you on a whirlwind tour of the start-up process. It is an invaluable reference for new and experienced entrepreneurs that includes chapters on a wide range of topics, from entrepreneurial team building to business plans to financing. This excellent book provides an incredible amount of practical information that will help you make smarter decisions and avoid costly mistakes. The author, Steven K. Gold, is an accomplished entrepreneur who has co-founded and led five early-stage ventures. As an investor and mentor, he also advises many entrepreneurs and young companies. He earned his B.S.E. in Entrepreneurial Management from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and his M.D. from Brown University Medical School.

From the Author
Entrepreneur's Notebook: Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture is written for entrepreneurs and anyone who dreams of becoming an entrepreneur - and who wants real-life advice and practical information. This book will take you on a whirlwind tour of the start-up process and help you to build a solid foundation for your new venture, whether it is a small business, or a venture capital funded enterprise. Irrespective of the size or type of business, the underlying principles are the same.

As an entrepreneur for most of my life, it's impossible to imagine a career more challenging or gratifying. Being an entrepreneur is one of life’s great adventures. It allows you to take control of your destiny, continuously learn and grow, and experience the sense of accomplishment that comes with transforming an idea into something of value. Whether you seek to build a large corporation, or create a modest business that will enable you to live the life you choose, this book will guide you through the key steps in the start-up process, helping you to make smart decisions and avoid costly mistakes.

Becoming an entrepreneur is achievable for everyone, but there are rules to the game - principles that are time-tested and likely to lead you to success. This book focuses on the information that you need to know to get started. Chapters 1-3 introduce three critical concepts that relate to every new venture: people, products, and making progress. Chapters 4-5 discuss the entrepreneurial team. In chapters 6-7, a review of the business plan is followed by a discussion of cash flow, a concept that is appreciated by every successful entrepreneur. Finally, chapters 8-10 delve into the practicalities of starting a new company, securing investment, and managing a team of people.

I should note two things about this book. First, it is about concepts, and is not a technical manual. There are many great resources that teach accounting, finance, marketing, management, and more. The real spotlight is on the Big Picture. Second, it focuses on getting your new business off the ground. While the ideas presented are valid and remain important throughout the life of a business, new challenges arise as a business becomes successful, grows, and eventually matures. The later stages rely on a solid foundation and success in the early stages; however a discussion about the development and management of a mature business is beyond the scope of this book.

Starting a company is, without question, both a personal and professional quest. This book is intended to help you to succeed by providing you with advice that is practical and proven, learned the hard way through almost three decades of real-life experience, and backed by the lessons of one of the best business schools in the country. Another reason why this book (and others) will contribute to your success is because sooner is always better than later. You want this information now, before you take action, and an investment of time and dollars in knowledge is small in comparison to the benefits you will receive by making smarter decisions and avoiding the common mistakes. I hope that the following pages inform and inspire you, and help you to realize your entrepreneurial dreams.

-Steven K. Gold --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Learning Ventures Press (February 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976279045
• ISBN-13: 978-0976279044
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,679 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars easy, helpful read!, November 9, 2006

By	comedyhacker (Brookline, MA) - See all my reviews

I am relatively new to the world of entrepreneurship having started my own small business about a year ago. I was thrilled to come across this book and consider it my entrepreneurship bible. It is a concise, thoughtful and practical guide for anyone starting a new business venture. He covers everything from building your team, to choosing a lawyer, to making your pitch to investors. I do not have a strong financial background, so the chapters that were most helpful to me were the chapters covering Cash Flow and Investment. Gold focuses on the big picture when writing about these topics, which is exactly what I found most helpful. I'm new enough to the game that I didn't want to get bogged down in the details. The Entrepreneur's Notebook has helped me avoid common mistakes and use Gold's years of experience to arm myself as I continue to grow my new business.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brief and to the point, April 27, 2007

By	Elijah Chingosho "Dr Elijah Chingosho" (Nairobi, Kenya) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a delightful little book that contains a wealth of useful and helpful information and ideas on starting a small business and ensuring that it is viable and succesful. The book is well written and easy to follow and interesting to read.

This is a must read for entrepreneurs, particularly budding ones as the information the book provides is very practical and can help you avoid making costly errors. The book covers a wide range of topics including the start-up process, marketing the business on a small budget, cash-flow forecasting, among other things.

The book is an excellent companion for the entrepreneur that is well worth having.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, Hands-On Guide for Novice--or Seasoned--Entrepreneurs, October 30, 2007

By	Robert Plotkin "Author, The Genie in the Mach... (Concord, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

Gold goes far beyond the typical "here's the difference between a C Corporation and an LLC" to explain not only the nuts-and-bolts of finding business partners, forming a company, marketing your products/services, and writing a business plan, but also--and perhaps even more importantly--how to *think about* being an entrepreneur and how to make the critical decisions that can make or break any new venture in its early stages. And he does this not only from the point of view of someone who has studied and taught business (although he does fit the bill on both of these fronts), but as someone who has successfully started and run several businesses.

For example, he not only points out the need to put together a team, but explains how to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses and how to identify complementary team members who are most likely to work together as a cohesive unit. He not only explains the importance of finding the right corporate lawyer for your company, he also provides concrete--and nonintuitive--advice for how to avoid picking the *wrong* one. He doesn't merely repeat the mantras of "find your niche" and "focus on your core competency," he explains how to translate your "big idea" into a finely-honed business plan based on analysis of both your company's strengths and weaknesses and the market in which it will operate.

I highly recommend this book to anyone thinking about starting a business who wants to avoid common pitfalls and start off on the right foot with the "entrepreneur's mindset" and plenty of concrete strategies for success.