Customer Reviews

Upstarts!: How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit from Their Success

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Living and working in Silicon Valley: the land of VC 's and start-ups, I was intrigued to read this book. Fenn begins by describing GenY entrepreneurs as builders of "the new lemonade stand." How true that is about the GenY revolution and their impact and influence on modern business practices. With a population size of roughly 80 million, a predisposition to all things technology and little start-up capital required to produce results, it's fair to say we all need to pay attention to how they think and operate.

Fenn opens up the dialogue with how cultural norms within this group fuel their passion and direction such as brand, social justice, and the need to work on their terms - a philosophy born out of seeing their parents get wiped out from corporate downsizing. They see a servant-leader model focused on collaboration that strives to share the wealth with all. To that end they don't view weekends and long hours as work - but an extension of themselves and their passions - the very fuel that most entrepreneurs need to be successful.

In terms of modeling, Upstarts shows the basic formula for the Millennial world view. They grew up understanding team activities so they collaborate easily. College is the incubator where they meet like-minded spirits. Throw in a dose of mentoring and encouragement their creativity flows. Soon corporations (often in the form of strategic partnerships or community outreach) get involved and fund their innovations.

Leveraging technology is key as well. No surprise as Fenn points out; Millennial entrepreneurs are accustomed to an imperfect business launch via the web, coupled with social networking chatter and buzz. Soon a community platform is built that praises (and buys) the product or service idea. It doesn't take long for this simple business plan to leapfrog into game changers or new rules of engagement. This mentality allows the GenY entrepreneur to adapt quickly to changing customer needs, uncover underserved niches, and professionalize old-economy businesses.

Acting fast on trends or rapid re-design isn't the only key differentiators for GenY entrepreneurs. Fenn describes the role this group plays in corporations and what to do about managing this talent pool. Fenn outlines key strategies such as flexibility, continuous learning, frequent feedback, open spaces, and increasing the frequency of web-based tools to keep communication flowing and dynamic.

Fenn interviewed 150 young CEOs for the data behind the conceptual and practical guidance she offers in Upstarts. The result is a rich text that gives you background, real world examples, and playlists that condense the essential learning points into digestible information chunks. The book also contains an appendix full of stats from her survey and advice from experts which is very insightful in itself.

After meeting Donna Fenn, I had to read her book Upstarts and I am glad I did. I had started my business Dura Doggie and it was essential for me to keep up on my business readings. It was not the typical "10 steps to success" type of read, but instead a boiling pot of stories and cases done on already successful Gen Y companies. An easy read filled with tactics, and lessons that will most certainly help your business grow. As the saying goes, "Two Thumbs Up"...well I give it four.

Well done!!

As an Entrepreneur, Upstarts is a great resource which proves that the creative force is alive and well. You can't help but feel energized while reading story after story of those who had the courage and desire to create or improve on what was already created. The following line best sums up the book for me: "why am I breaking my back on something that's not exciting to me." (page 84)It is that sentiment that resonates throughout the book while Donna Fenn describes each GenY Entrepreneur and how he or she has "rocked" the status quo. The book is written in a very readable style and thoroughly enjoyable.

Upstarts takes you on a journey inside the mind of a new generation of entrepreneurs. Donna Fenn's insights and case studies reveal how this new crop of entrepreneurs approach business and how their business endeavors will impact our future. Her findings appeal to a wide audience including aspiring entrepreneurs, existing entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.

I enjoyed reading her book from cover to cover. From Chapter 1, which shows how new innovative businesses are moving away from a personal accomplishments mentality to a new collaborative paradigm, to Chapter 9 which brings some perspective on the future of Upstarts.

In closing, I firmly believe that any Upstarters who adopt the lessons from this book is bound to challenge the conventional wisdom and create a new kind of venture with a great sense of purpose.

Donna Fenn takes a refreshing stance on GenY. Most people will say that this generation has been spoiled by the comforts and technologies that they have become accustomed to. Donna argues that for these same reasons GenY has the capacity, opportunities, and ambition to create their own business. When something isn't the way they like it, they are ready to change it. Their businesses are their identities and their pride. From t-shirt companies to internet start-ups, Donna covers all the angles when analyzing their success. Outlined in a concise manner, the strategies Donna examines are critical for all entrepreneurs to consider.

Donna Fenn has written an excellent book for every entreprenuer as a result of interviewing 150 Gen Y entreprenurs. She has distilled 8 critical lessons that provide insight for every business. From building collaborative tribes, to creating branding buzz, to reinventing the next wave of opportunity, Upstarts show us how to succeed. Technical savvy is only the beginning of what is driving this creative and energized generation. They are confident and bold in their ideas and execution of them. Learn from these upstarts who know how to generate wealth.

Sheryl Dawson
COO, Total Career Success
Author, Job Search: The Total System (3rd Ed)

I didn't read this book, I devoured it. As as young entrepreneur, I was overwhelmed with the compelling and concrete examples of GenY approaches to business. Upstarts! is a fresh roadmap for any person, project, organization, or company looking to "get" how business (and the world) can thrive in the transformational days ahead. I bought three for my friends stuck in boring jobs!

A 53in52. [...] review.

First of all I love the layout of the book. While it has all the usual sections (intro, acknowledgements, chapters, etc) there is a "playlist" between each chapter. The playlist is basically the cliff's notes of the preceding chapter and I love that.

On to the content. The book is the story of a generation that refuses to play the corporate game invented for them my their parents and grandparents. It used to be popular to learn a trade, go to work everyday, collect your paycheck, have little, live simply and 45 years later the company that you built with your blood, sweat and tears would take care of you in retirement. My generation is faced with a much harsher reality which includes making investment choices within our own retirement vehicles (with little to no education on investing), dozens of jobs throughout our lifetimes and the shattered image of stability that huge companies once provided.

There are a few nuggets I got from this book. The first of which is that while we see the corporate monsters and their lack of commitment to employees who work diligently to improve the company and the bottom line we don't like the game. While most of us don't run companies with the big corporations resources we know what loyalty and commitment are. Todays small business requires results and when those results are achieved the rewards are more responsibility and a loyalty that exceeds the walls that make a company. While the status quo is seeking a candidate that has a certain number of years within a field we demand results. A company that is not highlighted within this book but easily could have and, presumably, would have been had Donna heard of it, is [...]. In one of their current job listings they ask for 3 years of experience and then add this:

"At least 3 years of experience are preferred, however drive and accomplishments are more important than the exact number of years experience, please highlight these in your cover letter"

We are changing the face of corporate America and how it is run. Those who adapt early will survive and those who refuse will fail to attract the truly creative, world changing people they so badly need.

Second, we will not demand a defined block of time but an end result. The expectation has already begun to change among some of America's biggest corporations including electronics giant Best Buy. They began using the Results Oriented Work Environment (ROWE) in 2006 (This story is highlighted on page 169 of the book) and their reward was a 35 percent increase in productivity. People stopped punching the clock and started getting their work done. Best Buy is swimming against the strong current that is corporate America and saying we don't need to see you, we need to see your results.

We are a generation that wants it all. We want the amazing job, long coffee breaks, recognition for the hard work and results we achieve and we don't want to wait until we're in our 50's to experience it. We are capable, we are chomping at the bit to achieve great things and companies like Best Buy provide the avenue for us to do exactly that.

Finally, I want to talk about what separates an entrepreneur and a dreamer. It is a simple one word answer that takes creativity, dedication and discipline. EXECUTION. Every story in this book represents a dream, a plan or a hobby that turned into something bigger than most people thought it would. From moving and trash companies to website development all entrepreneurs find themselves doing. They don't wait for their big break, they create it. Some come from families with money, some shut themselves in their bedrooms and offered free website enhancements to their favorite bands and others learn to bootstrap not only their companies but they sacrifice a lot of comforts like real food (eating ramen) and time off but they all took action.

That is the biggest piece of the puzzle that most people refuse to acknowledge in their quest for happiness, riches or success. They all wait for it to come to them. WAKE UP! It is not coming to you, you have to make it. Change your life, your family's life and the lives of so many within your community by getting up and doing something great.

I would not recommend this book to those who are comfortable and have no desire to be inspired by the stories of young people building successful companies. If you have the desire to change or need that extra boost of encouragement to get up and get out of where you are then this is the book for you. For me it fanned the flame, I have started a few companies and have yet to be truly successful but without question I will get there and the best part is I will know when I'm there and it may not be your picture of success.

~jc

In her book, Fenn provides important, inspirational insights into what the next generation of business is going to look like. If the trends started by these young entrepreneur continue to scale, business and work will be very different than it is today. More networking, sharing, increased focus on the bottom-line as well as social good, and working while being able to have a life will move front and center. And it's not just for entrepreneurs under 30 years old. Those of us in the Gen-X and Baby Boomer generations can jump onto and integrate the innovative approaches into our own businesses and careers. And if you aren't an entrepreneur, it gives you insights into the up and coming industries that you can investigate becoming part of. I highly recommend Upstarts to anyone.

I will start my review by mentioning that I am one of the entrepreneurs in the book--and I love it so much I have bought ten copies and distributed it to other entrepreneurs. Donna Fenn writes about what other people don't. She's clearly done exhaustive research--for instance, I was at an event last night where she had three of her "upstarts" in the room...of 150 that she interviewed. The time and effort involved in this book is exciting. Every time I have seen her present, she is engaging, exciting and highly vocal in a stimulating way. Donna does not buy into the typical stereotype of Gen Y--which I happen to be, and I applaud her for it. Gen Yers may have their quirks, but when motivated correctly, they can be incredibly powerful.

I am particularly excited with her section on deploying technology to competitive advantage. Gen Y has an unbelievable head start in the technology space, and it is wise to steer them towards understanding ways that they can use their unique knowledge to solve problems. There are incredible examples of Gen Y taking something that's being done in a way that is not efficient, and making it into a streamlined, highly competitive process. My own experience running a successful Web 2.0 company has shown me that Gen Y either wants control over their life and work, or a piece of whatever they are working with. Ownership is important to them. Donna understands this in her book and gives a detailed and exciting dissection of why Gen Yers think the way that they do.

If you want to understand Gen Y AND understand their value, this is the book for you.