The Entrepreneurial Venture

By William Andrews Sahlman

This text on entrepreneurship covers basic concepts & emerging issues through readings by leading academics & practitioners. These readings portray the entrepreneur as the ultimate general manager, responsible for orchestrating the relationships among all parts of the organization. The text covers every phase of the entrepreneurial start-up, from evaluating opportunities to harvest. Profiles & examples from a variety of companies & fields illustrate the diverse, imaginative ways in which entrepreneurs think & act. The Practice of Management Series.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0070545685
• ISBN13: 9780070545687
• Release Date: February 1992
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.0" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

Strong Reference, More Cases Desired

'The Entrepreneurial Venture' is a strong reference that covers both strategic & tactical perspectives of the topic: from planning, launching to managing new venture. Each perspective is rigorously analysed & coherently presented; it would be a '5-star' book if the material is further illustrated by more case studies.

GOOD OVERVIEW, MISSING SOME PRACTICE

Sahlman provides a very comprehensive volume on the current stage of knowledge of entrepreneurship as a field. In the articles, which are mainly written by a limited number of professors, all important topics related to entrepreneurship are addressed, such as finance, personality, marketing, strategy, culture, and many more. From an academic perspective, it is a 10.However, I often felt that it was missing more on the practical side. For example, there are a few case studies, but only on certain topics. It was missing more of the "been there, done that" perspective. Definitely there were stories, but in those there was more of a strategic analysis rather than visionary or inspirational. Overall, this is a very good book to use as reference to certain topics, especially in an academic environment.

Previous student and current early stage investor

As an MBA student at Harvard six years ago, I had the opportunity to learn under Professor Sahlman. His class and his books are worth their weight in gold if you intend to either start companies or invest in them. This book brings together some of the best ideas from his colleagues.