Launching New Ventures: An Entrepreneurial Approach

LAUNCHING NEW VENTURES provides tomorrow's entrepreneurs with the tools to launch a successful new business in a global marketplace. The text follows the logical development process, from initial idea through drafting of the actual business plan. The sixth edition represents the most current thoughts, ideas, and practices in the field of entrepreneurship. Allen focuses on the pre-startup and startup stages of a new business, with special emphasis on the process and activities that must take place prior to opening a new business. The student-friendly material includes real-world case studies, new venture action plans, and advice from successful entrepreneurs and the author herself. Part One introduces the foundations of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial opportunity that are important to understanding the decisions that entrepreneurs make, the environment in which they make those decisions, and the tasks they must undertake before launching a new company. Part Two addresses the heart of entrepreneurial activity--the testing of a new business concept through feasibility analysis. Part Three focuses on strategy and drafting the business plan. Part Four looks at planning for growth and change in the new organization.

Nine Case Studies (six new) reflect a wide variety of businesses and types of entrepreneurs. Most cases are followed by discussion questions. New cases include HomeRun.com, B2P Micro-Bioinformatics Technology, Potion Inc., 1-800-Autopsy, Demand Media, and Google. Command Audio and Crowne Inn were retained from the previous edition, as well as MySpace, which has been updated.
Entrepreneur Profiles that begin each chapter provide real-life examples to illustrate the application of chapter concepts and to inspire readers. Smaller-scale examples are also scattered throughout the chapters to maintain the real-life tone of the book.
Global Insights and Social Entrepreneurship: Making Meaning boxed inserts highlight additional examples, companies, and organizations that have taken a global or a socially responsible approach to entrepreneurship.
The New Venture Action Plan serves as a reminder of the tasks that need to be completed at particular stages of the entrepreneurial process.
Questions on Key Issues at the end of each chapter provoke interesting discussions.
Experiencing Entrepreneurship is a series of activities at the end of each chapter that give readers a chance to learn about entrepreneurship by getting involved in entrepreneurial activities and interacting with entrepreneurs and others in an industry of special interest to the reader.

Kathleen R. Allen
Dr. Kathleen R. Allen is the author of more than fifteen books in the field of entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. As a professor of entrepreneurship and the Director of the Marshall Center for Technology Commercialization at the University of Southern California, which she co-founded, Allen works with scientists and engineers to help them identify markets and applications for their technologies and to prepare them to seek funding. Her personal entrepreneurial endeavors include two successful companies in commercial real estate brokerage, development and investment, and two technology-based businesses. She is also director of a NYSE company. As co-founder and CEO of N2TEC Institute, a nonprofit organization, she is advising universities and state government entities in the northern plains states on the commercialization of energy technologies and medical devices, and assisting them in the development of commercialization teams to drive the launch of new technology ventures. Allen also serves as entrepreneur-in-residence at a major aerospace company working to develop commercial applications for space technology. Allen holds a PhD with a focus in entrepreneurship, an MBA, and an MA in Romance languages; as well as a degree in music.

Part I: ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITY.
1. Understanding Entrepreneurship.
2. Preparing for the Entrepreneurial Journey.
3. Recognizing and Shaping an Opportunity.
4. Developing and Testing a Business Model.
Part II: FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS.
5. Analyzing the Industry and Market.
6. Analyzing Product/Service Design and Protection.
7. Building the Founding Team.
8. Calculating Startup Capital Requirements.
Part III: BUSINESS DESIGN.
9. Proof of Concept: A New Approach to Business Plans.
10. Choosing the Legal Form of Organization.
11. Incorporating Ethics and Social Responsibility into the Business.
12. Designing an Entrepreneurial Organization.
13. Planning Startup Operations.
14. Developing a Startup Marketing Plan.
15. Funding a Startup Venture.
Part IV: PLANNING FOR GROWTH AND CHANGE.
16. Funding a Rapidly Growing Venture.
17. Planning for Growth.
18. Planning for Change.
Case Studies.
Appendix: Feasibility Analysis.
Notes.
Index.