The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship (Hardcover)

by William D. Bygrave (Editor) "This is the entrepreneurial age..." (more)
Key Phrases: integrated financial projections, durable gross margins, dynamic capitalism typology, United States, Uncle Max, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Your golden opportunity to get a state-of-the-art education in entrepreneurship in your spare time and at a tiny fraction of the cost of an MBA program . . .

. . . From an all-star team that includes: William D. Bygrave, Babson College . . . Jeffry Timmons, Harvard University and Babson College . . . Karl Vesper, University of Washington . . . Gerry Hills, University of Illinois, Chicago . . . Robert Ronstadt, Pepperdine University . . . David E. Gumpert, David Gumpert Communications . . . William Wetzel, University of New Hampshire . . . Joel Shulman, Babson College . . . Elizabeth Gatewood, University of Houston . . . Richard Mandel, Babson College . . . Joseph Iandiorio, Iandiorio & Teska . . . Steve Spinelli, Babson College . . . J. William Petty, Baylor University . . . Bruce Kirchhoff, New Jersey Institute of Technology . . . Julian Lange, Babson College.

"Bygrave has assembled a thoughtful and highly usable volume. The fundamentals are all here . . . from how to recognize entrepreneurial opportunity to the development of successful business plans and financial arrangements. This book will be on the desk of every aspiring entrepreneur who wants a ready reference with a wealth of information equal to his dreams of entrepreneurial success." —Alfred E. Osborne, Jr. Director, Entrepreneurial Studies Center

"Bygrave's book includes all the right stuff: the right topics, the right applications, and the right concepts for the MBA student seriously interested in entrepreneurship or providing goods and services to the growth segment of the business world." — Donald L. Sexton, William H. Davis Chair of American Free Enterprise System, Ohio State University

"This book is a 'keeper.' The entrepreneur will be referring to it through the startup process and long afterward. This will be the bible for those who want to create and grow their own ventures." —Frank Hoy Dean, College of Business Administration, University of Texas, El Paso

With the global marketplace now a reality, entrepreneurs and small businesses are seizing opportunities at a rate never before equaled. New markets emerge almost daily, offering boundless potential to those with the vision to see them, the courage to pursue them, and the persistence to capture them. But a keen eye, a strong heart, and a tenacious temperament do not guarantee success in this swirling maelstrom of competition. You'll also need a generous supply of the most precious commodity in the global marketplace—knowledge.

The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship, Second Edition equips real-world entrepreneurs with the same state-of-the-art business knowledge and information taught to MBA candidates in top business schools. William Bygrave has reassembled his all-star team of professors, consultants, and entrepreneurs to expand and update this bestseller. Every chapter is brought into step with the times through a host of new case studies and examples, and the changing legal, tax, and regulatory climates for small businesses and entrepreneurs are examined and explained as well. New and updated topics covered in this indispensable Second Edition include:

• Using the Internet as both a source of opportunities and a resource for generating additional revenues
• Discovering the perfect business opportunity
• Creating a business plan
• Financing a business with venture capital or debt financing
• Managing for growth
• Protecting intellectual property
• Harvesting your business

Amazingly, while The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship, Second Edition brings you the collective wisdom of some of the top guns in the academic and business worlds, you don't need an academic background to understand it. Featuring solid, substantive information written in a clear and engaging style, this book is your golden opportunity to get a five-star education in entrepreneurship at a take-out price.

Also available, The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship Case Studies.

The Portable MBA Series

The Portable MBA, with over 150,000 copies sold, continues to provide instant "MBA literacy" to managers, professionals, and business owners. Now, with the Portable MBA Series, Wiley takes this idea one step further by providing readers with a continuing business education. These titles provide comprehensive coverage of the primary business functions taught in MBA programs, as well as focused coverage of today's vital business topics.

SERIES TITLES:

Core Curriculum

The New Portable MBA

• The Portable MBA in Marketing
• The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting
• The Portable MBA in Management
• The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship, Second Edition
• The Portable MBA in Investment
• The Portable MBA in Strategy
• The Portable MBA in Economics

Vital Business Topics

Real-Time Strategy

• New Product Development Total Quality Management
• Psychology for Leaders
• Market-Driven Management

Also Available

The Portable MBA Desk Reference

• The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship Case Studies

From the Inside Flap
Opportunities for entrepreneurs with vision are endless in today’s global economy. More and more people are seizing the opportunity to get out of someone else’s office and into their own–starting their own businesses and finding independence. Success is by no means a guarantee, but there’s no reward without risk. The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship is designed to lessen that risk.

This new and updated Third Edition equips real-world entrepreneurs with the same state-of-the-art business knowledge and information taught to MBA candidates in top business schools. William Bygrave and Andrew Zacharakis lead an all-star team of professors, consultants, and entrepreneurs in bringing this bestselling business resource into step with the times through a host of new case studies and examples. Changing legal, tax, and regulatory climates for small businesses and entrepreneurs are examined and explained in full detail, and–as in previous editions–you’ll find all the entrepreneurial advice you need to run a business:

• Recognizing great entrepreneurial opportunities
• Writing a business plan and building your financial statements
• Securing financing with venture capital or debt financing
• Franchising your business
• Managing a growing business
• Protecting intellectual property
• Selling a business when the time comes

As always, The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship brings you the collective wisdom of some of the top names in business and academia, in plain, accessible language. Solid and substantive, written in a clear and engaging style, this book is a cutting-edge education in entrepreneurship at a cut-rate price. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 510 pages
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; Second Edition edition (February 13, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471160784
• ISBN-13: 978-0471160786
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.1 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #767,855 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

62 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A great reference book but not a great read., May 9, 2000

By	Rusty Keele (Salt Lake City, UT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this book to help me get started on my own service business. It is helpful in many ways, and not so helpful in other ways. THE GOOD: 1) There is a load of information about entrepreneurship. This book takes you from getting started, to finding the capital you need, to tax and legal issues, to franchising your business. 2) It gives good definitions and explains words that you may be unfamiliar with. Ex... What is a sub chapter S corporation? You'll find the answer to that and many other questions in this book! 3) A great reference. It tells you where you can go to find the information that you will need. It lists journals, books, and government sites that will help you. THE BAD: 1) It reads like a text book. There is a lot of information crammed into this book, page after page after page... 2) Is this guy really an entrepreneur or just a teacher? There are a lot of theories and charts in this book... it makes you wonder. 3) It is a reference book. There was no way that I could read this book straight through, so it sits on my shelf and every once in a while I pull it down to look up words, find references to more information or read one chapter that is applicable to my life right now. OVERALL: If you are looking for an encyclopedia-like reference book for everything you wanted to know about entrepreneurship then this book is for you. If you want motivation, real world examples or unconventional techniques to help you in your business then I would suggest Harry Beckwith or Ries & Trout.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overview of Entrepreneurship, August 13, 2002

By	Peter Hupalo (MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship" is a very thorough introduction to the entire process of entrepreneurship and business formation. New entrepreneurs will find articles by various entrepreneurs and scholars of entrepreneurship that cover marketing, finance, venture capital, writing a business plan, and many other topics.

"The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship" also notes many interesting aspects of entrepreneurship as it relates to the broader economy. It is pointed out that throughout the 1980's, for example, that only 5% of all the companies accounted for 77% of the new jobs in the U.S. Such information is interesting and it helps us understand the broader issues of entrepreneurship.

Although much of this academic information about entrepreneurship is not practically useful to new entrepreneurs who are building and growing companies, it does make for some interesting reading. Nor is "The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship" a thorough analysis of successful businesses. It is not a business case study book.

The chapter about Market Opportunites and Marketing by Gerald E. Hills is especially good reading for people contemplating starting a business.

While this is a very good book, if I were going to teach a class in entrepreneurship (and assuming students wanted a more hands-on introduction to building a company), I'd use "The Entrepreneur's Fieldbook" by John Vinturella.

Peter Hupalo, Author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur"

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Execellent Overview of Entrepreneurship, July 15, 1999

By A Customer

I recently completed my MBA. Although no single book will sufficiently cover the material learned through an entire Masters program, I did find this book to be a good start on understanding many of the important issues involved in a new venture. I highly recommend this book!