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Week of December 5 - 9, 2005

Welcome to the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship, an initiative of the Public Forum Institute made possible by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. Through NDE-news, we bring you short summaries and analyses of various trends driving the innovation economy. Subscribe now to receive your weekly copy. Archived issues are available online. Links to the day's entrepreneurship stories from across the nation and around the world are posted each weekday on the NDE main page - bookmark it and stay informed about the latest entrepreneurship news.

If you’re out shopping for an entrepreneur or for someone who enjoys reading about the entrepreneurial economy, take this list along. We’ve compiled our picks -- available at major retailers – of some of the best recent books on topics related to entrepreneurship and innovation. Look for our next Books Issue in the summer of 2006.

Business Plan in a Day: Get It Done Right, Get It Done Fast!
Rhonda Abrams and Julie Vallone (Planning Shop, 2005)

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of business planning guides on the market these days. Business Plan in a Day is the latest market entrant, and it’s a good one. The book does what it advertises---it helps the reader get a business plan up and ready in rapid fashion. It’s breezy and well-written, and helps minimize the pain of what can often be a painful process. If you’re struggling with a business plan, this book can help.

How to Run Your Business Like a Girl: Successful Strategies from Entrepreneurial Women Who Made It Happen
Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin (Adams Media, 2005)

Baskin’s book is part of what seems to be a growing sub-specialty in publishing: the entrepreneurial “self-help” book. Yet, with her focus on how women entrepreneurs differ from their male counterparts, Baskin’s take is a little different from others in the genre. Baskin argues that women entrepreneurs are more likely to use their intuition, focus on maintaining work-life balance, and focus on relationships in their working life. The book assesses the effects of these differences, but also offers many useful guides and tips for women who are considering the start of a new venture or the growth of an existing business.

The World According to Peter Drucker
Jack Beatty (Free Press, 1998)

Volumes have been written about Peter Drucker since his death last month. We can’t offer much new here, except to note that he offered a host of useful insights about the power of innovation and entrepreneurship. Many of Drucker’s works, especially Innovation and Entrepreneurship (1993), should be “must reads” for those hoping to understand today’s economy. If you don’t have time to plow through all of Drucker’s works, check out Beatty’s The World According to Peter Drucker. It is not a new book, but it is an excellent one-volume introduction to the man and his ideas.

The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth
Benjamin Friedman (Knopf, 2005)

Is growth good? The debate continues, but, for Friedman, the verdict is in. Economic growth is not only good for generating prosperity, but it also helps promote a more ethical society. He argues, and backs his points with voluminous research, that in growing economies, individuals see their personal fortunes improve. As a result, they tend to be more tolerant, democratic and generous toward the disadvantaged. In contrast, tough times create conditions where distrust, stinginess, and reaction can prevail. The book is full of historical examples, and concludes with a critical look at the impact of current US economic policies.

Beer School: Bottling Success at the Brooklyn Brewery
Steve Hindy and Tom Potter (Wiley, 2005)

Brewing up a Business: Adventures in Entrepreneurship from the Founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Sam Calagione (Wiley, 2005)

You probably didn’t expect to see a book called Beer School in a list of suggested reads on entrepreneurship. The beer industry has long been a hotbed of entrepreneurship, going back to early brewers like Augustus Busch or Pennsylvania’s Yuengling family (brewing since 1829). The latest generation can be found at microbreweries, which first sprung up in the 1980s and are now a regular part of the landscape. These books tell the stories of New York’s Brooklyn Brewery and Delaware’s Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. Both of these books tell a good story about making great beer and about building a great business.

Startups that Work: Surprising Research on What Makes or Breaks a New Company
Joel Kurtzman and Glenn Rifkin (Portfolio Hardcover, 2005)

The book’s subtitle says it all. Kurtzman and Rifkin present the results from a PricewaterhouseCoopers research project that tracked 350 startup businesses between 2001 and 2003. They synthesize these findings into nine key factors that help explain a start-up’s success. While they are not necessarily “surprising,” they are useful. Their tips include ideas like the fact that speed is more important than perfection. In other words, being first to market is often better than having the “best” product or service. This is a clearly written and useful guide to what separates start-up successes from start-up failures.

End of the Line: The Rise and Coming Fall of the Global Corporation
Barry Lynn (Doubleday, 2005)

A quick glance at Lynn’s book might make you think it’s just another critique of outsourcing. But, End of the Line’s arguments are more subtle. Lynn’s real concern is the vulnerability of global supply chains. Lynn notes that globalization is really about three processes: the globalization of financial markets, energy markets, and production systems. Financial and energy markets are effectively globalized and these systems have a host of redundancies and protections in place. For example, if some parts of the energy market are disrupted, supplies will eventually be produced in other locations. Lynn fears that these risk management mechanisms don’t exist in key manufacturing industries. Thus, if Asia’s computer chip production system is disrupted (by a natural disaster or other factors), there may be no alternative source for these products. Lynn closes with a series of recommendations, but his bottom line is that corporate leaders need to do a better job of diversifying their supplier bases and managing the risk of supply disruptions.

The Tycoons: How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould and J.P Morgan Invented the American Supereconomy
Charles R. Morris (Times Books, 2005)

This popular history tells the story of America’s economic boom in the last half of the 19th century by chronicling the lives of its four leading entrepreneurs. These mini-biographies give us a good look at hard-nosed entrepreneurship, 1800’s style. Morris does not attribute America’s boom simply to the work of great entrepreneurs. He also depicts the effects of massive societal changes such the development of manufacturing, the rise of the middle class, and the emergence of consumerism. All of these factors combined to create an economy that was to become the world’s top producer.

Made in China: What Western Managers can Learn from Trailblazing Chinese Entrepreneurs
Donald Sull and Yong Wang (Harvard Business School Press, 2005)

Sull and Wang have considerable experience in the China market, and this book seeks to offer lessons for other business owners trying to succeed in China. The book offers a series of case studies of Chinese entrepreneurs (such as Legend Group and Sina), and then uses these stories to present guidelines for successful investing in China. China presents a potentially huge market, but timing is critical. This book offers tips to get your timing right and enter growing markets with limited competition and high returns.

Looking for more recommendations? Check out our 2005 Summer Books issue.

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All stories © 2005 The Public Forum Institute
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