Strategic Bootstrapping is about helping entrepreneurs sift through the “noise” regarding bootstrapping a start-up. The cold-hard facts on bootstrapping are presented. Practically speaking, most entrepreneurs should avoid bootstrapping, realistically, most entrepreneurs will need to engage in some form of bootstrapping. The argument then shifts to how should one bootstrap? In this era of lean start-ups, effectuation, and bricolage, bootstrapping is oft romanticized but seldom analyzed. This book is different from other bootstrapping books in two key ways. First, it draws on evidence from scienti c study to offer best practices. Second, it utilizes this evidence to help en- trepreneurs thrive—not just survive.
A comprehensive guide for tech entrepreneurs to acquire vital resources while delaying or entirely avoiding the need for highly dilutive equity sales. In today's start-up environment a common mindset among tech founders is to raise investment funds through an equity sale as a first option whenever acquiring additional resources becomes necessary. Indeed the amount of investment funds secured has become a measure of success. In reality the subsequent equity dilution and loss of decision-making control suffered by the founders only reduces the potential ROI for the founders and increases the probability that the original vision of the venture is not pursued and/or achieved. Consequently raising investment funds through an equity sale should not be the first option and when successfully executed is nothing to boast about. What is boastful and impresses most sophisticated investors is the ability to garner as much traction as possible before "settling" for an equity sale. Another recent prevailing notion amongst founders the author counters is that every aspect of a start-ups' existence can be approached scientifically and the need for strategic financial planning is no longer necessary. This could not be further from the truth. Although new processes and methodologies such as Lean and Agile give valuable guidance on how to conduct customer and product development efforts successfully, ultimately fits well within an overall bootstrapping strategy and may serve as a decisive factor on whether the innovation created by a tech start-up is commercially successful it still does not sufficiently address the issues of securing the necessary resources in a timely manner nor ensure a successful exit in financial terms for the founders. In his new book David presents an alternative mindset allowing founders to devise a bootstrapping strategy whereby the optimal amount of traction can be accomplished before an equity sale becomes necessary. Drastic changes in the start-up landscape during the past few years have increased the importance of bootstrapping as start-up cycles have lessened and the Lean era has commenced. Subsequently a premium is placed on "good" money as opposed to "bad" money and a challenge to the wealth vs. control dilemma is in order. In this new start-up environment there is less margin for error in decision-making, an increased need for efficiency and greater reliance on alternative sources of funding. All of this has necessitated a revised definition of the term "bootstrapping" from merely a descriptive term to an overall strategy that can be pursued by founders of tech ventures to increase both the probability of commercial success and a lucrative financial exit for all shareholders.
This book provides encouragement and strategies for researchers who routinely address research questions using data from small samples. Chapters cover such topics as: using multiple imputation software with small sets; computing and combining effect sizes; bootstrap hypothesis testing; application of latent variable modeling; time-series data from small numbers of individuals; and sample size, reliability and tests of statistical mediation.
Starting a business might sound easy, but sustaining it to be successful is challenging. People are often afraid to start new businesses because at least everyone has known someone who started a business but failed or someone struggling to sustain a business. Starting your own business and staying successful is the most exciting achievement. This book Strategies to Sustain Small Businesses Beyond 5 Years is used worldwide to help aspiring or struggling business owners succeed. The book is for anyone interested in doing business. aEURC/ You might be a passionate creator, starting your business out of love for what you do and believing that passion is a crucial quality of success; running your business gives you a sense of accomplishment and pride. aEURC/ You might be a freedom seeker, starting your small business; you value the ability to control your work experience and want to be in charge of your own schedules, career path, and work environment. aEURC/ You might be a legacy builder, starting a business to bring something new to the marketplace, practical in your approach to business ownership. aEURC/ You might be a struggling survivor profile representing the cold, hard truth of business ownership. aEURC/ You might be a Jack of all trades in your business, spreading too thin from managing directive, sales administrative duties to customer service. This book is the path to success in your business. Sometimes running a small business is more frightening than rewarding, and the fear is real, deeply rooted in you facing the challenges of ownership every day. The motivation of a small business owner is as diverse as the business itself. ItaEUR(tm)s very important to understand your category to know your strengths and weaknesses to adjust accordingly.
Based on the world-renowned Babson Entrepreneurship program, Entrepreneurship: The Practice and Mindset catapults students beyond the classroom by helping them develop an entrepreneurial mindset so they can create opportunities and take action in uncertain environments.
Written for existing and future small business owners, this book provides proven, practical tips requiring little or no money on how to grow a business. It also explains where and how to get free assistance and quality advice.
Women-owned firms represent an increasingly important segment of the small business sector. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 7.8 million women-owned firms in the United States in 2007, generating $1.2 trillion in revenues and providing employment for 7.6 million people. A Rising Tide presents the financial strategies that have helped today's bold and creative women entrepreneurs to succeed. The authors take a "lifecycle approach" in discussing the issues and strategies for different types of women-owned firms, from nascent and home-based firms to growth-oriented and technology-based enterprises. Each chapter includes real-world cases studies featuring women entrepreneurs as a way to bring the book's lessons to life. Uniquely, this book ties together the latest research on financing women-owned businesses and its implications for actual or potential entrepreneurs. Drawing on the Kauffman Firm Survey, a longitudinal survey of over 4,000 new firms, the authors are able to provide particularly useful conclusions, making this a must read for the thousands of women who are starting or may start businesses in the next few years. Please visit www.kauffman.org/sketchbook.aspx?VideoId=1699151957001&type=M to view the book trailer.
You may be familiar with the success stories of Spanx, GoldieBlox, and other women-owned businesses that have taken their markets by storm. But, today, only two percent of women-owned firms generate more than one million dollars annually. The Next Wave is here to help women drive up that number. Drawing on the Kauffman Firm Survey and many other sources, Susan Coleman and Alicia M. Robb cull together data-driven advice for women-owned, growth-oriented businesses as they finance their expansion. They not only consider the unique approaches and specific concerns of female business owners, but also take into account the growing pool of investors who will play a role in selecting and grooming a new generation of women entrepreneurs. Since growth-oriented firms typically require external capital, the investor perspective is critical. Telling entrepreneurs what the research means for them, outfitting them with resources, and illustrating the road ahead with real world cases, this book serves as a pioneering strategy guide for the next wave of women who want to "go big" to bring home their goals.
Entrepreneurial finance is a discipline that studies financial resource mobilization, resource allocation, risk moderation, optimization in financial contracting, value creation, and value monetization within the context of entrepreneurship. However, without proper strategic consideration the discipline is incomplete. This book examines how the activity of entrepreneurial finance can be enhanced via a concentration on value creation and through improved strategic decision-making. The most unique feature of the book is its focus on value creation. For entrepreneurs, value creation is not a one-off activity, but rather a continuous cycle of incremental improvements across a wide range of business activities. Entrepreneurial value creation is described in four comprehensive stages: value creation, value measurement, value enhancement, and value realization, referred to as the C-MER model. This book focuses on what creates value rather than merely presenting value creation in a straight accounting framework. At the same time, deliberate and tactical planning and implementation ensure that the firm does not ignore the components necessary for it to survive and flourish.Vigorous strategic deliberations maximize the entrepreneurial firm’s chances of making the right business decisions for the future, enable the firm to manage its available financial and non-financial resources in the most optimal manner, ensure that the necessary capital is secured to progress the development of the firm to its desired development level, and build value. While financial considerations are important, the field of strategic entrepreneurial finance represents a fusion of three disciplines: strategic management, financial management, and entrepreneurship. This orientation represents a natural evolution of scholarship to combine specific domains and paradigms of naturally connected business disciplines and reflects the need to simultaneously examine business topics from different perspectives which may better encapsulate actual entrepreneurial practices.
Live unapologetically, fearlessly, and fabulously! Get ready to discover and implement practical, fierce, and fun ways to manifest your desires in every personal and professional sphere. With verve and heart, Permission Granted illustrates proven paths from “you couldn’t possibly” to “just watch me!” You’ll begin to deeply understand who you are and what you have been through, moving toward self-compassion and learning to give yourself the care and support you may have lacked. Author Regina Louise took herself from a childhood in solitary confinement in a residential treatment center to college and the creation of several successful businesses. She now works to show others how to dream and do no matter what. Her book is undeniably inspirational for anyone striving to get out from under limiting beliefs — their own as well as others’.
