The Effective Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs experience the highest highs and the lowest lows (sometimes in the same day); events reverse themselves at such speeds that they can easily shred a person's psyche. The issues range across customers products technical programs competitors employees and investors (see Rule No. 58)</P>There is a fine line between self confidence and arrogance; an entrepreneur must walk that fine line falling on neither side but right in the middle (see Rule No.3)</P>I wish I had had this book as I started and built companies over the years. It would have been an invaluable resource. It is wisdom concisely and accurately presented that takes years to accumulate and should be required reading for every entrepreneur. Rodney Perkins MD Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur: Cohesion Collagen DFine Earlens Laserscope Novacept Pulmonics Resound Sound ID and Surgerex.</P><I>The Effective Entrepreneur</I> is the first compendium of value-building principles specifically designed for entrepreneurs and sequenced according to the company's growth cycle. The 59 rules are organized around the four chronological stages of emerging enterprise evolution in the order a manager might experience them.</P>Inception-recognizing successful start-up alchemy; looking in the mirror for strengths self-confidence and leadership; developing business plans and models; leading innovation; and establishing a culture of excellence and integrity.Development-selecting and organizing managers teams and boards; creating strategy with vitality; building barriers to entry; and succeeding in negotiations.Growth-managing through economic cycles with a global outlook; financing with debt equity or corporate partners; and understanding communications basics.Maturity-supervising service providers; determining valuation as a function of timing; and formulating efficacious acquisition integration plans and realistic post acquisition commitments.</p>A small well organized team with clear objectives can always defeat a large poorly organized or contentious army. The more senior the manager the more time he/she should spend being proactive on human resources issues (see Rule No.12)</P>Finally the book that clients (and I) have been looking for over the past 25 years. Inspired format. Laura Puckett Corporate and Securities Partner at DLA Piper.</P>