The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship

by William D. Bygrave et. al.

The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship is a very thorough introduction to the entire process of entrepreneurship and business formation. New Entrepreneurs will find articles by various entrepreneurs and scholars of entrepreneurship that cover marketing, finance, venture capital, writing a business plan, and many other topics.

The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship also notes many interesting aspects of entrepreneurship as it relates to the broader economy. It is pointed out that throughout the 1980's, for example, that only 5% of all the companies accounted for 77% of the new jobs in the U.S. Such information is interesting and it helps us understand the broader issues of entrepreneurship.

Although much of this academic information about entrepreneurship is not practically useful to new entrepreneurs who are building and growing companies, it does make for some interesting reading. Nor is The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship a through analysis of successful businesses. It is not a business case study book.

The chapter about Market Opportunites and Marketing by Gerald E. Hills is especially good reading for people contemplating starting a business. However, most of the greatest entrepreneurs and company founders probably did not spend much time studying the competition. Rather, they just focused upon building the best product they could at the time, and marketing it effectively.