Extraordinary Entrepreneurship: The Professional's Guide to Starting an Exceptional Enterprise [Paperback]

Stephen C. Harper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2006

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.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"The marketplace calls out for new ideas, new products, new services, and new approaches. New ventures no longer have to live off the table scraps left by big businesses. Today, market segments are emerging that didn't even appear on yesterday's radar screen. Today, breakthrough technological advances make things possible that no one ever dreamed of a few years ago."
—From the Preface

Extraordinary Entrepreneurship is not for people who want to start a mom-and-pop type of business. Instead, it is written for people who want to start an exceptional enterprise. It is written for executives, managers, engineers, scientists, inventors, and other professionals who want to break away from their organizational boxes, who want to seize the moment, and who want to experience the thrill of creating an exceptional enterprise. This book is also a valuable resource for bankers, attorneys, accountants, consultants, and educators who want to assist people who are about to embark on the entrepreneurial journey.

Extraordinary Entrepreneurship guides prospective entrepreneurs through its fourteen-step New Venture Creation process by offering timely and practical guidance for identifying and evaluating market opportunities, systematically developing a business plan, and securing the appropriate level and type of funding.

Extraordinary Entrepreneurship is for professionals who want to create a business that:

• Capitalizes on lucrative market opportunities
• Is positioned to achieve a high rate of growth
• Offers goods and/or services that are in sync with its target market
• Has significant and sustainable competitive advantages
• Generates considerable wealth for the founder(s)

Extraordinary Entrepreneurship provides insights into the qualities and capabilities entrepreneurs must have to start a successful venture. It applies the latest accounting, finance, and marketing practices to the entrepreneurial process. It illustrates how having a keen sense of timing, doing perceptive market research and test marketing, analyzing key feasibility and logistical issues, and having a flexible funding plan prepared in advance are essential before launching the venture. It also demonstrates how using kaleidoscopic thinking, developing competitive matrices, being the first mover, bootstrapping, and establishing a network of value-added advisors will enable prospective entrepreneurs to boldly go where no venture has gone before.

Extraordinary Entrepreneurship profiles various challenges associated with starting a high-growth venture. It also provides valuable insights through numerous "reality checks" that encourage entrepreneurs to look before they leap. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

Don't Let Your Innovative Business Idea Sit on the Shelf One More Day!

Extraordinary Entrepreneurship is not for people who want to start a mom-and-pop type of business. Instead, it is written for people who want to start an exceptional enterprise. It is written for executives, managers, engineers, scientists, inventors, and other professionals who want to break away from their organizational boxes, who want to seize the moment, and who want to experience the thrill of creating an exceptional enterprise. This book is also a valuable resource for bankers, attorneys, accountants, consultants, and educators who want to assist people who are about to embark on the entrepreneurial journey.

This entrepreneurial road map guides prospective entrepreneurs through its 14-step New Venture Creation process by offering timely and practical guidance for identifying and evaluating market opportunities, systematically developing a business plan, and securing the appropriate level and type of funding.

Extraordinary Entrepreneurship is for professionals who want to create a business that: Capitalizes on lucrative market opportunitiesIs positioned to achieve a high rate of growthOffers goods and/or services that are in sync with its target marketHas significant and sustainable competitive advantagesGenerates considerable wealth for the founder(s)

With insights into the qualities and capabilities entrepreneurs must have to start a successful venture, Extraordinary Entrepreneurship applies the latest accounting, finance, and marketing practices to the entrepreneurial process. It illustrates how having a keen sense of timing, doing perceptive market research and test marketing, analyzing key feasibility and logistical issues, and having a flexible funding plan prepared in advance are essential before launching the venture. It also demonstrates how using kaleidoscopic thinking, developing competitive matrices, being the first mover, bootstrapping, and establishing a network of value-added advisors will enable prospective entrepreneurs to boldly go where no venture has gone before.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 436 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470087277
• ISBN-13: 978-0470087275
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,556,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen C. Harper, Ph.D. is the author of six books on leadership and entrepreneurship. The McGraw-Hill Guide to Starting Your Own Business is a best seller. The first edition was a featured selection for numerous book clubs. The second edition continues to be popular - including the Chinese edition - for people who want to start a lifestyle business. Extraordinary Entrepreneurship is targeted for professionals in established organizations who are thinking about starting a high-growth business. Steve's latest book on leadership, The Ever-Evolving Enterprise: Guidelines for Creating Your Company's Future was launched in January, 2011.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best A - Z Entrepreneur Book, May 2, 2008

By 

Franco Arda (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Extraordinary Entrepreneurship: The Professional's Guide to Starting an Exceptional Enterprise (Paperback)

If there was such a book as the 'bible' among entrepreneur books, this would be it. Extraordinary Entrepreneurship is obviously not for people who want to start a mom-and-pop type of business. Instead, it is written for people who want to start an exceptional enterprise. This exceptional book provides a road-map through the 14-step New Venture Creation process.

Brilliant from the beginning, ('philosophy' of entrepreneurship), to the end (Investment Banker; take my firm public, pls!), in 14-steps. Nice, new ventures are categorized in (1) lifestyle venture (2) modest venture (3) promising venture (4) high-growth ventures and (5) revolutionary ventures. A great framework for the entrepreneur who needs to decide the category he aims for and what's needed.

Some of the author's findings are based on Bhide's 'the Origin and Evolution of New Business' - while Bhide's achieved a masterwork on entrepreneurship for academics, Extraordinary Entrepreneurship excells in practicality without missing depth.

Extraordinary book indeed!

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best on entrepreneurship, January 13, 2012

By 

Adedoyin Adebayo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Extraordinary Entrepreneurship: The Professional's Guide to Starting an Exceptional Enterprise (Paperback)

I have bought and read so many books on entrepreneurship and seems to be getting the same idea and information. I was fascinated by the price of this book initially wondering why it could sell for that amount. Extraordinary Entrepreneurship is a book you cannot read and finish just at a goal. You have to keep on reading, studying and applying alot of ideas whether you are a business owner or a consultant. I have learn a great deal from this book and I want to recommend this book to anyone who is interested in starting his own business as well as someone who is into training/coaching people on entrepreneurship.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best A-Z Business Book I Ever Read, July 16, 2011

By 

Daniel (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Extraordinary Entrepreneurship: The Professional's Guide to Starting an Exceptional Enterprise (Paperback)

I cannot say enough about this book. It change my whole outlook and made me realize some major shortcomings of mine. I have been working steadily for the past year on a plan as a result of this book. A wee bit of repeat in a few places, but I am not complaining. I needed the review, because there is so much raw information here.

Main takeways:
If you don't plan you will most likely fail is really driven home.
Exactly what types of planning you should do in greater detail than I have ever seen before.
Explanation of various business types was like none that I have ever read before.
Confidence to succeed, resulting from tremendous knowledge gained.

Just be aware, this is no quick fix or light read. This is the real deal for serious Entrepreneurs. If you want to start a small Mom & Pop Store, then read his book on that subject. Check the Author's page for that.