Introduction to Entrepreneurship
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| Now Taking Orders for Volume One of Our New Family Works Series
The Family Works Series Family Works is an exciting new DVD series that profiles the stories of family businesses and the joys and challenges that come as families work together. These stirring stories of self-sacrifice and service to others will encourage, inspire and entertain viewers,... |
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| Trailer for Volume 1 of Our Family Works Film Series
Available July 1st, Family Works: Inspiring Profiles of Family Business, profiles two Christian families and the businesses they run. Join me to explore how they started their businesses and what life is like for them as they work together to the glory of God. New Venture Lab co-produces... |
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| Venture Academy DVD Training Series Now Available Direct from NVL at a Discount
Save on the Venture Academy DVD Training Series! This professionally-produced Basic Entrepreneurship Training Course -- designed to equip Christian entrepreneurs, modeled after the Harvard MBA program, and presented in a Biblical framework -- is now available at a substantial discount... |
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| Coming Soon.....Family Works: Inspiring Profiles of Family Business
Stay tuned for an announcement soon about the availability of the first volume of our new series on Christian family business we co-produced with Franklin Springs Family Media… ... |
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| Guest Blog Post: A Theology of Risk
Jim was at the point of decision. He had been challenged in his thinking about the need to orient his life toward his family, toward his children. He had grown suspect of the system in which he had been trained, which now had him locked into an eight to five schedule. His desire... |
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| Family Business Profiles Film Project Update
I am thrilled with the footage we have on the businesses we are profiling for Volume I of the Family Business Profiles series we are co-producing with Franklin Springs Family Media. I just finished the host and expert analysis script for both segments of the first volume and I have... |
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| Guest Blog Post: Key Mistakes From a Young Entrepreneur Prior to Launch
A little over 8 months ago I launched an internet company with a close friend that provides lead generation for property management companies. Prior to this I spent 6 months mentoring under a serial entrepreneur, 3 months analyzing opportunities and then a little under a year preparing to launch... |
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| Now Available: Downloadable Versions of Additional Workbooks for the Venture Academy
Due to popular request from purchasers of the Venture Academy DVD Training Series and prior attendees of the Venture Academy, we now have available downloadable PDF versions of all six workbooks: Book: Venture Academy Workbook #1 - A Vision for Christian Entrepreneurship... |
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| Speaking at the Christian Heritage Conference This Weekend in Seattle
Join me at the Christian Heritage conference this weekend. My presentations include the following: Friday at 1:15 p.m. - Required Skills for Entrepreneurs: The Most Important Skills Required to Successfully Manage a Business Friday at 2:45 p.m. - Before You Launch Your Business: The 50... |
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| Preparing to Be an Entrepreneur - Example Roadmaps
As a student of entrepreneurs, I love to hear their story of how they launched, and as a teacher of entrepreneurship, I love to turn that into a roadmap of sorts (see a detailed example below). Let's start with a brief sketch of how Reid Hoffman (pictured above), founder and Chairman of... |
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| How to Build a Financial Model for Your Startup
One of the most important aspects of business planning is to have a detailed financial model that helps you: 1) forecast the ramp up of your revenue and expenses, 2) understand when the business might breakeven, 3) predict the amount of capital you will require, and 4) clarify the risks you will... |
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| Venture Academy Registration is Now Open for the Class of 2010
The Venture Academy's week-long Basic Entrepreneurship Training course -- a mini MBA in Christian Entrepreneurship taught by a Harvard MBA -- will take place September 20-25, 2010 at Camp Lake Benson Christian Retreat in the beautiful hills of middle Tennessee west of... |
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| New Venture Lab Successfully Raises Venture Capital for NVL Member
New Venture Lab is pleased to announce that is has successfully managed a venture capital raise for AgStrong, LLC, whose founder and CEO, Robert Bruce Davis, is a New Venture Lab member. New Venture Lab was also an investor in the round that included several other venture and “angel... |
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| New Podcast on Which Opportunities to Focus on in a Downturn
One of the most frequent questions I get is related to the topic of the kind of opportunities to pursue given the state of the economy. Whether you have been laid off or whether you are merely exploring how to gain more independence over your ability to produce an income in an uncertain... |
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| Good Entrepreneurs are Good Leaders
A friend of mine is having a ceremony tomorrow for his 13 year-old son, encouraging him -- now that he is thirteen -- to begin to think and act as a man. He sent out an email inviting some of his friend to send in an encouraging word for his son that he can then cut and paste... |
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| The Venture Academy DVD Training Series
The professional team at Franklin Springs Family Media filmed our recent Venture Academy Basic Entrepreneurship Training class (they have been wonderful to work with) and I am delighted to announce that The Venture Academy DVD Training Series is now available for pre-ordering from... |
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| Lessons Learned from Other Entrepreneurs
From another startup blog that captured and edited user-contributed entrepreneurial lessons learned: Infect employees with pride of ownership. If the employees feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves, then they'll work that way. Every company has "idiotsyncracies." Some... |
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| Research on What Makes an Entrepreneur Tick
This is an interesting research report on entrepreneurship in America. Although it leaves God out of the equation, there are some insightful nuggets in this scholarly research report based upon detailed surveys of 549 company founders in a variety of industries, including aerospace and... |
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| Venture Academy Film Project Update
From the Franklin Springs Family Media blog... We’re shooting a few last pieces today for elements that will be used with the release of The Venture Academy. This dynamic learning resource, featuring Wade Myers, will be available very soon. ... |
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| The Real Cost of Social Media (Hint: It Is Not Free)
I've only dipped my toe in the Social Media waters (New Venture Lab and a related LinkedIn group) and I have actually been fairly resistant to expanding any of my own personal efforts on social media (I do not Tweet on Twitter, I do not have a Facebook page, I do not have a MySpace page,... |
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| Are You an Inventor or an Entrepreneur?
I like this topic because there is a very real distinction between the two roles of inventor and entrepreneur. We've had a few Q&As on this topic including Taking an Invention to Market but I liked the perspective of this author regarding the entrepreneurial viewpoint and its... |
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| The Best Industries for Starting a Business Right Now
Every entrepreneur likes to catch a wave and ride the crest as long as possible. As I am fond of saying "a rising tide lifts all boats." Given that, when you are looking for ideas for a business, look for favorable macro trends - one of our 50 concepts in our Venture Analysis... |
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| The Problem with Employees - Part 2
I'm sure you've all experienced this from time to time: when the owner is absent, the employees will do almost anything but serve a customer. Well, it happened to me just today and it served as a fresh reminder of some of the typical problems with employees. It also turned into a good... |
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| How Consumers Drive American Innovation
America is uniquely entrepreneurial compared to most world economies and even in a downturn -- or even especially during a downturn -- we see the creativity and entrepreneurial efforts running high in the U.S. I know that within my daily work I am presented right now with an enormous number... |
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| The Impact of Increased Savings
As explained before in this post Why the Economy Is Going To Get A Lot Worse Before It Gets Better back in January, a nation's economy can only grow via three mechanisms of capital formation: Increased savings, which provides growth capital (we’ve had too little of this in our economy)... |
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| Creative Entrepreneurship in a Downturn - Part 2
In this ongoing series of blog posts (see Part 1 here), we are examining creative ways of taking advantage of the opportunities that the current downturn presents rather than simply despairing about our current economy. So how should we think about creating opportunities in a downturn? ... |
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| A Seven Year-Old's View of Entrepreneurship
The Big Pig, by seven year-old Eleni, the daughter of one of our Venture Academy students: Part 1 - The big pig works at a Mexican restaurant. The boss is mad at him because the big pig ate all of the chips. Now there are no chips for the customers. The boss said "you are... |
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| A Father's Perspective on the Venture Academy
I just want to say one more time how grateful I am for the opportunity to attend Venture Academy this past week. It was a blessing beyond words. Jonathon and I had a wonderful time...my family and I so appreciate your willingness to give of yourself to help train and teach men all... |
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| Blog Posts on the Recent Venture Academy
Be sure to check out the following blog posts on our recent Venture Academy: Franklin Springs Family Media blog Nathaniel Darnell's blog ... |
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| Join the NVL Group on LinkedIn
Looking to network with like-minded entrepreneurs? Join the New Venture Lab group on LinkedIn by clicking here. New to LinkedIn? It is the most powerful business networking tool I've seen and I recommend it highly for staying connected, hiring leadership talent and finding... |
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| Creative Entrepreneurship in a Downturn - Part 1
The crucible of a downturn always gives rise to an increase in entrepreneurial endeavor as we are forced into being more creative in dealing with fewer job opportunities and fewer available resources. In the following interview, Harvard Business School (HBS) senior lecturer and McKinsey &... |
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| Transitioning from Being Laid-Off to Being an Entrepreneur
Sometimes all a would-be entrepreneur needs is a little push and sometimes that push -- by the providence of God -- comes in the form of being laid off. Heavy lay-offs always lead to a spate of new startups, as many of those newly-released workers roll up their sleeves and attempt to start... |
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| Kevin Swanson on an Entrepreneurial Education
College – Overrated and Overpriced? Now mainstream folks are asking the same questions that we've been asking for the last ten years. John Stossel - January 28th, 2009, wrote an article entitled "The College Scam," calling college the most overrated, overpriced product on the market today. He... |
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| Venture Academy Registration is Now Open
The first installment of the Venture Academy with a week-long Basic Training course will take place March 23-28, 2009 at Camp Marymount in the beautiful hills of middle Tennessee just outside of Fairview, Tennessee (west of Nashville.) Click here to download the... |
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| Venture Academy Update
The first installment of the Venture Academy with a week-long Basic Training course will take place March 23-28, 2009 at Camp Marymount in the beautiful hills of middle Tennessee just outside of Fairview, Tennessee (west of Nashville.) Registration will open next week. For... |
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| Introducing the Venture Academy
The first installment of the Venture Academy with a week-long Basic Training course will take place March 23-28, 2009 at Camp Marymount in the beautiful hills of middle Tennessee just outside of Fairview, Tennessee (west of Nashville.) Registration is now open. Conference... |
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| What is a Young Man to Do?
We were visiting a family-integrated church recently where we have many dear friends and I was visiting with a super-smart young 18-year old homeschool graduate. When I asked him what his future plans were, he shifted the burden of the answer to me by asking me for ideas, since he was not... |
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| Governmentium
I'm not sure who to credit for this or where to source it from, since it seems to have suddenly appeared everywhere on the Internet and no one seems to claim authorship, but it is too good not to share -- especially in light of the fact that our government is bent on continuously expanding its... |
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| Lessons from Little House on the Prairie
I recently had breakfast with NVL member Don Dalrymple and really enjoyed his perspective on entrepreneurship and the Biblical mandate to take risks and work diligently as we follow God's will. Below is a recent blog post from Don about entrepreneurial lessons from Little House on the... |
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| Don't Wait Too Long to Become an Entrepreneur
Good advice from a professor in the Entrepreneurial Management unit at Harvard Business School...Are you one of the many executives who'd love to leave the corporate battleship to skipper a speedy, nimble start-up? And are you using a variety of rationales for why it's not yet time to go? Reasons... |
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| Wichita Christian Family Entrepreneurship Conference Report
I was blessed to participate as a sponsor and speaker at the recent Christian Family Entrepreneurship conference in Wichita where over 300 attendees learned more about entrepreneurship and building God-honoring businesses. I really enjoyed the warm hospitality of the Keith and Sherri Hayden... |
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| The Blessing of Working with Our Children
Including our children in our work can be such a blessing in so many ways -- and as I found out recently -- there are additional benefits I hadn't even counted on. I recently took my seven year-old son Adam with me to the board meeting of a software company in Denver that I am involved in... |
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| Equipping Sons: Lessons from David and Solomon
Most men in our generation leave their sons pretty much on their own to make their way in the world. After all, "I pulled myself up by the bootstraps, so why shouldn't my sons?", the selfish man asks, eager to hit the golf course or motor around the U.S. with the bumper sticker that proclaims... |
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| Top Ten Myths of Entrepreneurship
Scott Shane is the A. Malachi Mixon Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies at Case Western Reserve University and is the author of seven books, the latest of which is The Illusions of Entrepreneurship: The Costly Myths That Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By. (For an... |
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| Transitioning From a Corporate Layoff to an Entrepreneur
Do you find yourself in a situation where you have recently stepped out of the corporate rat race and you are now wondering what to do next in order to build your own business? Take comfort in that you are not alone and that through prayer and seeking God's will, you can create... |
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| Equipping Sons: A Father's Job
We all desire to equip our sons for the future; to equip them to be good leaders, protectors and providers. A big question among the faithful remnant is "how best to equip them?" Is it a formal academic program? Is a mentorship program? Is it online classes? As I've... |
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| Guest Blog: How One Son Was Equipped by His Father
As a homeschooled graduate who entered the business sales world at age 17, there is no doubt in my mind of what was most influential in launching me at such a young age: the mentorship training of my father. During my final two years of high school – at ages 15 and 16 – my dad would take... |
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| Startups: Not Just For The Young and Restless
Take heart if you are in the last half of your life: more and more of graying America is trying their hand at entrepreneurship. Check out this blog post for an example of how easy it can be for a highly-seasoned veteran to launch a new web-based startup given the tools of today's web... |
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| Understanding The Customer
The best startup ideas usually come from someone that knows an industry inside and out and recognizes and unmet need or they have the need themselves and know that no one is properly filling that need. The following story is about a disabled entrepreneur that built a company to better... |
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| Monitor 110: Turning Failure into Learning
As a student of business I like to study lessons learned from failure -- my own failures as well as other's failures -- because these are the lessons that are so powerful. As I often remark, I learned very little from my smash successes, but learned nearly everything from my failures. ... |
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| The Distinctiveness of Christian Entrepreneurship
The typical entrepreneur is in it for the money and most entrepreneurial opportunities are focused on the potential value creation, but as Christians, we need to constantly fight against that worldly wisdom and stand on the Word of God. God is clear on what our priorities need to be and we... |
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| College: Entrepreneurs Need Not Apply
Not only is college not necessary, but current college grads make less money than college grads from the class of 2001 - ouch! There's no law saying you have to go to college to start a business. There's also a carrot and a stick that might lead entrepreneurial-minded members of Generation Y to... |
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| The Unique Context of a Startup
The context of a startup is quite different than the context of a large, established company. Once in a while I will interview a candidate from a large company/Fortune 500 background for a position at one of my startups and it always leaves me with a fresh reminder of what a poor fit it would... |
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| How Big Sisters Can Bless Little Brothers
One NVL member family sent in this photo of one of their older daughters shepherding her little brother as they browsed the content of the New Venture Lab website. What a blessing to see a big sister that invests time in her little brother. It's also a beautiful picture of Biblical... |
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| Ex-Police Officer Becomes an Entrepreneur
I came across a story today about a former policeman that recently launched a printing business. There were a couple of notable items about his story: First of all, he has committed his business to Christ Secondly, he changed his lifestyle by downsizing and getting completely out of debt... |
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| Former NVL Intern Launches New Worship Music Service
David Craig, a former New Venture Lab intern (see his profile here) has launched a new worship music website call Family Music Service. The new site states that its purpose is to "provide families with quality, God-honoring resources that will aid them in developing skills in... |
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| 15-Year Old Homeschooler is a Hedge Fund CEO in His Spare Time
This is an encouraging story about how one young homeschool boy is preparing himself for a career in the high-stakes world of hedge funds. What he clearly exhibits is a combination of passion and preparation: NEW YORK CITY— The life of a budding 15-year-old investor is rarely sluggish.... |
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| God Gives Grace to the Humble: Success Stories of Simple Service Businesses
I often hear the lament "If I only had more capital…" and I must admit that in most of my bigger ventures, I have fallen prey to operating that way as well - devising business plans that require massive amounts of capital - call it the MBA curse if you will. But there is hope for the... |
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| Startup School 2008: Key Takeaways
The following summaries were developed by Philip Crissman during his participation in the recent Startup School 2008 at Stanford University: David Lawee, VP Corporate Development, Google; founder, XFire. Main take-away: Hurry Up. David emphasized the role of speed in a startup, and how the... |
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| Startup Of The Week: Marketcetera Takes Open Source To Wall Street
Even if you are not an open source fan, you have to appreciate the strategy of Marketcetera and admire their market positioning of riding two major trends of a move towards open source by Wall Street and a move towards automatice stock trades as pointed out in this news story. Its... |
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| Five-Year-Old Has First Brush With Entrepreneurship
There was a recent news story in the U.K. about a young boy and his invention: A five-year-old boy has given entrepreneurs a run for their money, after he became the youngest ever holder of a patent in the UK. Sam Houghton’s invention is called the ‘Improved Broom’, and consists of... |
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| Thirteen-Year-Old Entrepreneur Starts Hot Dog Business
Are you looking for ways to teach your children about entrepreneurship? This is a story about a 13-year-old boy that has been planning his hot dog stand for some time and is now in the final permitting stage. What a great way to learn with little risk... Most youths want to spend... |
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| The Funding Sources for the Hottest 100 Startups
Entrepreneur magazine recently announced its Hot 100 ranking of the fastest growing startup businesses in the U.S. They did their research by starting with nearly 21 million U.S. businesses and of those, considered only 64,000 businesses (or 0.3 percent of the total) that met the following... |
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| 8 Common Startup Mistakes
I came across this article recently which was full of good advice and links to additional articles: As the global economy expands, there is reason to believe that small businesses may have some competitive advantage. That is, if entrepreneurs don't fall prey to these common start-up pitfalls.... |
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| CPA Leaves Number Crunching to Others to Start Ice Cream Shop
This story features a CPA and his journey into entrepreneurship. While every story is unique, this one is interesting in that once this conservative CPA caught the entrepreneurial bug, he took high risks to get his venture launched. Not exactly a strategy I would endorse, but I do... |
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| Children are a Blessing and Not a Curse
I came across this quote today, which was plastered all over the home page of a very popular business magazine website: "When you make the choice to have a child, you're deciding to slow down your career for 5 or 10 years. " – Inspired by Suzy Welch (former chief of the Harvard Business... |
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| A Better Way to Start a Business
Scott Shane is a professor of entrepreneurial studies at Case Western University, a researcher on new businesses for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and an angel investor with the Cleveland-area North Coast Angel Fund. He offers 10 excellent tips to improve your odds of startup success.... |
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| The Questions Every Entrepreneur Must Answer
Launching a New Venture? Articulate Your Goals First Most newly launched business ventures never get off the ground -- because entrepreneurs often neglect to clarify their strategy. To chart a successful course for your new venture, start by articulating your goals for the enterprise. Do you want... |
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| Turning High Potential into Real Reward
According to Harvard Business School professor Joseph Lassiter, an entrepreneur's ability to transform a high-potential venture into a high-performance venture depends on combining what, how, and who they know. The article below features an interview with Professor Lassiter in... |
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| Putting Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector
This is an interesting article that introduces a new case book authored by four Harvard Business School professors. In the book, the authors probe the reasons why non-profits have been unable to solve many of society's worst ills despite the best of intentions and trillions of dollars worth... |
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| Get Ready to Compete with Billions of Entrepreneurs in China and India
Entrepreneurship has always fueled the American economy and has always added more jobs than corporate America has, but as the two world's largest populations catch the entrepreneurial bug (and as world markets become more and more global in nature), American entrepreneurs, as well as those in other... |
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| Ivy League Education Absolutely Free
As I've written before, the entire college and university system is completely outmoded in today’s wired world. The university construct with its aggregation of professors and libraries came into being due to the scarcity of books prior to the printing press when students traveled to the... |
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| Former Military Officer Uses His Leadership Experience to Build a $32 Billion Company
This is the story about Fred Smith and FedEx, an idea he came up with while in college. His professor was not impressed with his term paper that laid out his business plan, but Fred went on to build a $32 billion business. This is a great story of creative thinking and... |
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| Launch Your Food Business with the Help of a Kitchen Incubator
You've heard of business incubators that offer shared office space and business advice and you're certainly aware of New Venture Lab as a virtual onilne business incubator, but have you ever heard of a kitchen incubator? If you have a food business in the making, you should consider this... |
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| Failure is Part of Success
During U.S. Army Ranger training, we were trained in hand-to-hand combat, including how to fight with knifes and how to defeat an opponent with a knife (or unfixed bayonet). We “fought” with rubber knives which helped us gain expertise without a lot of physical damage to each other,... |
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| How One Faithful Father Prepared His Son, Part II
A few weeks ago, I wrote about an exceptional young man I had met that stepped in to run a family business brokerage/mergers and acquistions business at only 18 years old (click here to read the post.) Since many of you may want to know more how this young man's faithful father and... |
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| How One Creative Entrepreneur Built a Multi-Million Company During the Depression with No Capital
Here is another very inspiring story about entrepreneurship and creativity. The most creative entrepreneurs I know are those that work hard to find creative ways to accomplish their goals and get others to share risk along with them. While many entrepreneurs stand in line hoping to get... |
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| How a 17-Year-Old Built a Multimillion-Dollar Business
I don't know about you, but I just love to hear stories about how successful entrepreneurs did it - the steps they took, the pitfalls that almost did them in and their lessons learned. This is a terrific story about a 17-year-old college freshman that built one of the world's largest... |
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| How One Faithful Father Prepared His Son, Part I
I met a very sweet family last night with a bittersweet story. Their husband/father had been called home a couple of years ago after a short two and a half month battle with cancer. But even though the father left this earth, his legacy lives on in his wife and two children. ... |
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| Start a Business Just to Learn
I was recently talking to our two interns about their next steps after their internship with New Venture Lab. They are Godly young men in their early 20’s with some good work experiences and they are eager for the next phase of their lives. In addition to working closely with me in a... |
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| Guest Blog: Overcoming Adversity
Our families and our households are often under pressure and attack from the outside world. We are called by God to be a city on a hill, an example for all to see. But in the early stages of building our “city”, when there are numerous vulnerabilities, we must often build with a... |
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| The Formula for Entrepreneurial Success
There are many ways to think about what determines an entrepreneur’s success and I must admit that until recently I had not structured my thinking on this as much as I could have. As a venture investor, I’ve made the same mistake as most venture investors in going mostly by “gut feel” on... |
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| How Michael Dell Got Started and His Current Turn-Around
Stories about how an entrepreneur launched a business are always fun, but it is rare when an entrepreneur is as successful as Michael Dell, the founder and CEO of Dell Computer. I've always enjoyed following the Dell story, which took a personal turn for me when Dell invested several million... |
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| What Young Women Are Looking For In a Husband
I am not an expert on marrying off my children (they are still young) and I am not an expert on courting, but I do have the opportunity to meet and visit with many like-minded young men and women and most of the conversations of those in their early 20's turn to marriage and the preparation for... |
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| A Father Encourages Entrepreneurship
What happens when a father sits his family down and lays out a vision for entrepreneurship? When one father I know did this with his family several months ago, the results were dramatic. First, the vision was simple: he encouraged the family to think and pray about how they could contribute... |
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| Look for Customer Pain and Sub-Scale Processes
During a recent lunch with the New Venture Lab apprentices, one of them brought up an idea he was working on based on informal market research he had conducted by striking up conversations with members of his target industry. He was zeroing in on the process that the most frustrating part of the... |
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| New Web-Based Tutoring Business is a Disruptive Business Idea
There was a news story today about a web-based tutoring business that offers a very attractive method and pricing for tutoring: Companies such as TutorVista have assembled an army of foreign teachers, most of them classroom veterans with graduate degrees, to help American students learn... |
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| Entrepreneurship as Biblical Stewardship
A simple definition of entrepreneurship is: "creating value through the utilization and control of resources that you do not own", which is essentially a biblical definition of stewardship where God owns everything and we are merely the stewards tasked with making the most of those resources. ... |
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| Till Debt Do Us Part
There was an interesting story in the newspaper yesterday titled "Till Debt Do Us Part." As Christians, we should take seriously the scripture that warns against the bondage of debt, but now fresh research also shows what most of knew anyway, that debt also curses marriages: The decision... |
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| Creating an Entrepreneurial Training Roadmap
Once you've developed the high level vision for your children, look for the Lord's calling on each child when they are old enough to put away childish things. Discuss with them their areas of interest, seek God's guidance for their future and help them create a roadmap. We need to be... |
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| The Entrepreneurial Track vs. The College Track
College, with its specialized training followed by a job in corporate America, is still the most popular career "training" track and research shows that the average college graduate will earn more than their non-degreed peers -- with the notable exception of entrepreneurs (think Bill Gates and... |
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| The Necessity of Changing Your Lifestyle
If you are serious about starting or buying your own business and becoming an independent provider, the very first thing to do to get off the treadmill is to change your lifestyle. Anytime God calls us to obedience, it is almost always accompanied by a drastic change in direction and in this... |
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| Creative Re-Thinking of an Old Business Model
Being an entrepreneur, means creatively thinking about how to bring a new product or service to market, how to meet an unmet need or how to challenge an existing paradigm or business model. One of today's business headlines was all about bringing a new, creative model to an old... |
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Q&A
| Venture Academy Pricing
There are a number of men at my church who are interested in taking a group of young men through your Venture Academy in Tennessee in September. I see the price is variable. What would the approximate cost be for students in the 16 to 17 year old range? ... |
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| Ordering the Harvard Business School Cases for the Venture Academy
How do I order the Harvard Business School case studies that are taught in the Venture Academy DVD Training Series? Also, how much do the cases cost? ... |
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| Venture Academy DVD Set vs. Entrepreneurial Bootcamp DVD Set
Are there any differences between your new Venture Academy DVD set and the Entrepreneurial Bootcamp DVD set? If so, what are the differences? Is there added information, is it more applicable? What advantages are there purchasing your DVD set? This... |
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| Opportunities for Entrepreneurs to Focus On During a Downturn
Given the current economy and political environment of today, if you were going to focus on a particular type of business, market or segment what would it be? What would be your top 3 choices? ... |
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| MBA with Sales Experience Seeks Advice on Building His Entrepreneurial Skills
I am a homeschool dad of 2 girls and was introduced to you through a Homeschooling Today article 6 months ago, just as I was finishing my MBA. You've been a blessing! My question is: Now that I'm in management consulting, where should I focus my skill/knowledge development which will... |
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| Semi-Conductor Process Engineer Seeks Advice
I found your site after having seen DVDs of a couple presentations that Wade Myers did at the Entrepreneurial Bootcamp in 2006. The perspective presented there was a new one for me after working for several decades in the conventional worker economy. I'm a thirty year veteran of... |
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| Age Group for the Venture Academy
I'm in my early 50's. Will the academy be oriented to a younger age group? It would be difficult to attend this year, but what I have read is of interest to me.... |
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| How to Get Started with an Idea
I am a father of a homeschooling family with 8 children and I am currently unemployed, but I have been wanting to go into business for myself with the intentions of including my family. I have a couple of ideas for a business and was wondering what are the steps were to getting... |
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| Planning the Launch of an Online Collaboration Software Company
We are considering a software venture that would create an online collaborative content creation and editing tool. There are two main pieces - the content creation/editing tool, and the collaboration tool, which would enable more seamless work by numerous parties on this content, and which... |
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| Joint Venture with an Unbeliever
I was approached by a client and asked to develop a software tool to help meet the needs of a particular customer set for their service business. I saw the possibility for something much bigger than their intended use for the tool and asked them if they would be willing to explore the... |
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| Family Physician Seeks to Reorder Life
We were in Denver for the CHEC conference recently and enjoyed your talks at the "mini-bootcamp". I've had 19 years of experience as a family physician, with the last 11 in private practice. At this point in my life, I'm interested in doing something different and would love to work from home... |
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| What Makes an Entrepreneur
I read your post about the skills and experiences necessary to be an entrepreneur, but what about the "softer" stuff like my personality? Any thoughts on what makes an entrepreneur?... |
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| Basic Business Coaching
I have no business acumen and no mind for business. I feel like I need a business coach. Not ongoing, but maybe an hour or two of consulting to review my current plan/thoughts and make some suggestions. Any ideas on where to turn for help?... |
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| Entrepreneurship and Greed
How do you explain the issues with capitalism/entrepreneurship when it comes to the potential for companies to do anything for a dollar out of greed?... |
3 comments |
| Car Washes as a Business Model
I’m thinking about trying to raise $500K to build a car wash. What do you think about car washes? Is that a good business to go into?... |
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| Preparing an Accountant for Entrepreneurship
I have just received an accounting degree and would like to gain work experiences that would ideally position me for deal making and entrepreneurship. Some have suggested that I should go to work for one of the big four accounting firms to gain that “pedigree” prior to moving into... |
1 comment |
| Top MBA as Preparation to be an Entrepreneur
Is it worth the time and money to get an MBA? How much does a top-25 school matter? ... |
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| Acquiring Entrepreneurial Skills
What would you suggest is the best way to acquire necessary skills as an entrepreneur?... |
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| Businessman vs. Entreprenreur
What distinguishes an entrepreneur from a mainstream businessman?... |
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| Most Important Qualities
What are the most important qualities for a Christian entrepreneur?... |
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| Most Critical Skill
What would you say the most critical foundational skill is required to run a small business?... |
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| Lifestyle Change
Should I change my lifestyle to get out of debt?... |
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| Developing an Entrepreneurial Vision for Our Children
I am not an entrepreneur, so I struggle with how to create a vision for my children. What would you recommend?... |
1 comment |
| What To Do With Young Children
Is there anything I should be doing with my young children to prepare them to be entrepreneurs?... |
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| Lawyer Looking to Become An Entrepreneur
I've had 13 years of attorney experience as a litigator with a large brand-name law firm and then as a corporate lawyer, where I just got laid off. At this point in my life, I'm interested in doing something different and would love to work from home to have more time... |
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| CPA Interested in Coming Home
I am a CPA with 10+ years of experience and I work for a CPA firm as a tax and audit specialist. I feel God prompting me to build a home-based business so I can spend more time shepherding my family. What suggestions do you have for how I can go about doing that?... |
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| Launching a New Venture
Should I launch into my new entrepreneurial idea right away even if it involves dropping a steady source of income? Or what transitional steps should I consider?... |
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| Apprenticeships for Married Men
The NVL apprenticeships appear to be geared towards young unmarried men, would you ever consider offering an apprenticeship to a married man? ... |
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Downloads
Quotes
| The Imprisonment of Fear
If you put fleas in a shallow container, they will rapidly jump out. But if you put a lid on the container for a short time, the fleas will hit the lid, learn to jump only so high, and give up the quest for freedom. After the lid is removed, the fleas will remain imprisoned by their own... |
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| No One is a Self-Made Man
There is no such thing as a self-made man. We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts, as well as our success. - George Matthew Adams, writer... |
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| Jobless Ex-Managers Turn to Entrepreneurship
With the U.S. job market still stagnant, many out-of-work ex-managers and execs have quit the labor pool to start their own businesses, says outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The percentage of unemployed workers starting companies rose to 8.6% in 2009, a four-year high, with the... |
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| Entrepreneurs' Gloom Contradicts Wall Street Optimism
In the past year, more than one-third of the entrepreneurs surveyed have shed jobs while only five percent of entrepreneurs have added employees. A majority of entrepreneurs believe that the stimulus package has hurt entrepreneurial activity, and entrepreneurs want government to pursue a... |
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| Research Dispels Myth About Entrepreneurs
The commonly held belief that entrepreneurs are young college students working out of their dorms is simply wrong. Rather, on average, they tend to be highly experienced, well-educated workers who have families. They have come to a stage in their lives when they are simply tired of working... |
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| Small is the New Big
Big companies used to win out over small ones because of their experience, impressive client lists, and seeming permanence. We trusted big business because it was big, but the economic crisis has changed that. Small companies are now winning the confidence and the business of recession customers.... |
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| Your Backyard's Potential ROI
7 million more American households plan to grow their own fruits, vegetables, herbs, or berries in 2009 than in 2008 — that's a 19% increase. Last year, American amateur gardeners spent $2.5 billion on seeds, plants, fertilizer, tools, and other supplies to grow their own food. The National... |
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| Proverbs 11:28
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall flourish as a branch. (KJV)... |
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| Thomas Edison on Innovation
To have a great idea, have a lot of them.To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.When I have fully decided that a result is worth getting I go ahead of it and make trial after trial until it comes.The value of an idea lies in the using of it.Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot... |
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| 2 Chronicles 16:9
For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. (KJV) ... |
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| Proverbs 28:22
He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him. (KJV) ... |
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| 2 Corinthian 6:14
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (KJV) ... |
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| Teddy Roosevelt on Daring Mighty Things
Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.- Teddy Roosevelt, America's 26th President ... |
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| Proverbs 23:12
Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge. (KJV)... |
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| Proverbs 23:4-5
Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. (KJV)... |
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| Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (KJV)... |
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| Proverbs 13:22a
A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children. (KJV)... |
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| Jeffry Timmons on Entrepreneurship
The entrepreneurial process is not just about new companies, capital, and jobs. It's also about fostering an ingenious human spirit and improving humankind. - Jeffry Timmons, professor of business at Harvard University and Babson University... |
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| Psalm 144:12-15
That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace: That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets: That our oxen may be... |
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| Proverbs 12:27
The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious. (KJV)... |
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| Teddy Roosevelt on Christian Business
The thought of modern industry in the hands of Christian charity is a dream worth dreaming. The thought of industry in the hands of paganism is a nightmare beyond imagining. The choice between the two is upon us. - Teddy Roosevelt, America's 26th President ... |
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| Proverbs 28:20
A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. (KJV)... |
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| Don Hart on Working With Children
Just don’t sell them short. Our children are capable of so much more than we realize if we will be diligent and train them. Remember John Quincy Adams was an ambassador at the age of fourteen because he walked with his father. He shadowed his father, watched what his father... |
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| Colossians 3:17
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (KJV)... |
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| Peter Drucker on Entrepreneurship
The entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity. Innovation is the specific tool of entrepreneurs, the means by which they exploit change as an opportunity for a different business or a different service. It is capable of being presented as a... |
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| Michael Gerber on Entrepreneurship
The five essential entrepreneurial skills for success: Concentration, Discrimination, Organization, Innovation and Communication. - Michael Gerber, American businessman, consultant, author and trainer... |
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| Victor Kiam on Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage. Entrepreneurs are risk takers, willing to roll the dice with their money or reputation on the line in support of an idea or enterprise. They... |
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| John Naisbitt on Entrepreneurship
We are shifting from a managerial society to an entrepreneurial society. - John Naisbitt, American trend analyst, futurist and author... |
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| Joseph Schumpeter on Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurial profit is the expression of the value of what the entrepreneur contributes to production. - Joseph Schumpeter, Austrian-American economist... |
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| Robert Schwartz on Entrepreneurship
The entrepreneur is essentially a visualizer and an actualizer. He can visualize something, and when visualizes it he sees exactly how to make it happen. - Robert Schwartz, American businessman... |
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Family Works: Inspiring Profiles of Family Business – Volume One
The Family Works Series is a captivating blend of entertainment, inspiration and practical business instruction that features business profiles from a variety of family enterprises and features expert analysis into the day-to-day business lives of enterprising families and the unique challenges they face…more
The Venture Academy DVD Training Series
The Venture Academy DVD Training Series features an entire Basic Entrepreneurship Training experience with 35+ hours of premium business training, 16 DVDs with over 38 valuable sessions, 6 workbooks, and a pre-loaded USB drive with 60 helpful business documents…more
The Venture Academy Basic Entrepreneurship Training
The Venture Academy Basic Entrepreneurship Training is a week-long formal classroom-based Christian entrepreneurship training program held at a Christian camp that is designed to equip Christian families with the formal skills required to plan, launch and manage an entrepreneurial venture…more
Startup Financial Model
This detailed Excel-based startup financial model is the model featured in our free Startup Financial Model webinar series that explains in detail how to create a financial plan for your startup…more
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