Strategic Entrepreneurism: Shattering the Start-Up Entrepreneurial Myths (Hardcover)

~ Jon Fisher (Author), Gerald Fisher (Author), (Author)
Key Phrases: designing your company, attractive acquisition target, strategic customer, Holy Grail, Strategic Entrepreunerism, Wells Fargo (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Every entrepreneur's dream is to create the next big name success story like Amazon.com, or Google. While everyone should dream big, the reality is that most startups fail precisely because they're trying to become the next big name success. The real secret to entrepreneurial success lies in Strategic Entrepreneurism where you design a company specifically to be acquired by a larger one.

That's why the founder and CEO of several successful high-tech startup companies, multi-millionaire Jon Fisher, has written down his success principles. Strategic Entrepreneurism shows entrepreneurs how to design their companies towards the path of least resistance, maximum payoff, and lowest risk.

Entrepreneurs will learn how to evaluate their business ideas; leverage technology to increase profits; choose strategic customers to insure their company's survival; generate revenue from their company's inception; and avoid competing against larger companies. Above all, Strategic Entrepreneurism explains the common pitfalls of starting a company and how to avoid them. These include the traps of growing too fast, focusing on the wrong product, and accepting too much funding from outside investors.

About the Author

Jon Fisher has successfully started up, run, and sold two high-tech companies. In addition to over a decade worth of practical business experience as the CEO of both of his companies, Jon is also an adjunct professor of business at the University of San Francisco (USF). Jon was awarded Silicon Valley's Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2007.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: Select Books (September 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590791894
• ISBN-13: 978-1590791899
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #416,285 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Marketing Product Managers, too!, March 20, 2009

By	Mark Travis (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an awesome book, and I wish I had read it long ago before I co-founded a couple of technology companies. This book is equally valuable to product marketing managers and marketing managers as they assess their markets, and seek to fill the gaps in their offerings.

The biggest premise, and perhaps the best advice is to flip the notion that you need to invent a product or a service FIRST before you find a market. Instead, identify "Holy Grail" types of problems to solve, then find a strategic customer and help them solve that problem. They will help you get the product right with a minimal amount of rework. This premise is pretty much worth the price of the book and the rest of Jon's advice is gravy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Title should be: "how to start and sell an enterprise software company", October 20, 2009

By	Simon M "Another guy" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I read this book over the last week as I'm about to embark on starting my company. My intent is to start an internet-based business, so this book was definitely seemed n interesting read.

The good:
- Quick, easy read
- Simple and good concepts (ie you *don't* need to be first mover!)

The bad:
- This guy started his own enterprise software company and he wants you to as well. He talks incessantly about the value of an enterprise customer over selling to the consumer space. Yet he doesn't touch on the downside: if you get that one company and they walk you are screwed!

- His examples are not correct a good chunk of the time. For example: he uses Apple as a success model for differentiating from Microsoft by building their own machines, conveniently omitting the fact Apple may have made a HUGE mistake by not licensing their OS to compete with windows from day 1.

- His laser-like focus on acquisition misses another path: grow your successful business and keep running it, or IPO and exit yourself. He highlights the sale exit but cleverly dismisses the others.

- He makes high-level blanket assertions like "build your product with your customer". Okay, great idea. How do I do that? Who do I call? He doesn't touch on the nuts and bolts at all.

I found this book to be useful about 40% of the time, and filled with platitudes the rest. I'm glad I read it at the library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful Insights , September 24, 2008

By	Shana Schneider (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A quick, easy read for the consummate entrepreneur or someone just thinking about starting a company. Shines a light on key questions and steps to help lead a venture to success from the very beginning.