The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship (Hardcover)

by William D. Bygrave (Editor), Andrew Zacharakis (Editor) "This is the entrepreneurial age..." (more)
Key Phrases: most loan agreements, confidential disclosure agreements, lead entrepreneur, United States, Uncle Max, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The only book that offers a state-of-the-art education in entrepreneurship

. . . From an all-star team that includes:

William D. Bygrave, Babson College • Jeffry Timmons, Harvard University and Babson College • Abdul Ali, Babson College • Kathleen Seiders, Babson College • Andrew Zacharakis, Babson College • William Wetzel, University of New Hampshire • Joel Shulman, Babson College • Elizabeth Gatewood, Indiana University • Richard Mandel, Babson College • Joseph Iandiorio, Iandiorio & Teska • Steve Spinelli, Babson College • J. William Petty, Baylor University • Julian Lange, Babson College • Ed Marram, Babson College • Donna Kelly, Babson College

Starting your own business is an increasingly popular and feasible response to today’s changing job market, and the best entrepreneurial wisdom available is in The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship, Third Edition. Edited by William Bygrave and Andrew Zacharakis, two seasoned professors of entrepreneurship at Babson College, it covers all the fundamentals–from opportunity recognition to venture capital to formulating smart business plans. This revised volume of the 600,000-copy bestseller includes a wealth of new case studies, as well as updated tax and legal information. Geared towards both MBA candidates and aspiring entrepreneurs, The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship guides the reader through the startup process and beyond, culling wisdom from the best and brightest in the field. If you’re ready to see what the entrepreneurial world has to offer you, this book is your ticket.

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.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 500 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 3rd edition (March 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471271543
• ISBN-13: 978-0471271543
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #150,540 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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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)

This review is from: The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship (Hardcover)

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)

This review is from: The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship (Hardcover)

"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

This review is from: The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship (Hardcover)

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!