Entrepreneurship

Overview
 Business Communication
 Characteristics of an entrepreneur
 Planning to be an entrepreneur
 Growth pressures, managing a family
business, and corporate
intrapreneurship
Characteristics of an
entrepreneur
Small Business Owners
 Small business owners are people who
own a major equity stake in a company
with fewer than 500 employees.
 In 1997 there were 22.56 million small
business in the United States.
 47% of people are employed by a small
business.
Employee Satisfaction
 In companies with less than 50 employees,
44% were satisfied.
 In companies with 50-999 employees, 31%
are satisfied.
 Business with more than 1000, only 28% are
satisfied.
Employee Satisfaction
Employee Satisfaction

50 44
Satisfaction Percentage

40 less than
31 50
28
30
50-999
20
1000+
10

0
less than 50 50-999 1000+
Number of Employees
Advantages of a Small
Business
 Greater Opportunity
to get rich through
stock options
 Feel more important
 Feel more secure
 Comfort Level
Disadvantages of a Small
Business
 Lower guaranteed pay
 Fewer benefits
 Expected to have many skills
 Too much cohesion
 Hard to move to a big company
 Large fluctuations in income possible
Who are entrepreneurs?

 Common traits  Common traits

 Original thinkers  Self employed parents
 Risk takers  Firstborns
 Take responsibility  Between 30-50 years old
for own actions  Well educated – 80%
have college degree and
 Feel competent and 1/3 have a graduate level
capable degree
 Set high goals and
enjoy working
toward them
Successful and Unsuccessful
Entrepreneurs
 Successful  Unsuccessful
 Creative and  Poor Managers
Innovative
 Low work ethic
 Position themselves
in shifting or new  Inefficient
markets  Failure to plan and
 Create new products prepare
 Create new  Poor money
processes managers
 Create new delivery
 Characteristics of
Entrepreneurs
Key Personal
Attributes

Strong Managerial Successful

Competencies Entrepreneurs

Good Technical Skills

Key Personal Attributes
 Entrepreneurs are Made, Not Born!
 Many of these key attributes are developed early
in life, with the family environment playing an
important role
 Entrepreneurs tend to have had self employed
parents who tend to support and encourage
independence, achievement, and responsibility
 Firstborns tend to have more entrepreneurial
attributes because they receive more attention,
have to forge their own way, thus creating higher
self-confidence
Key Personal Attributes (cont.)
 Entrepreneurial Careers
 The idea that entrepreneurial success leads to
more entrepreneurial activity may explain why
many entrepreneurs start multiple companies over
the course of their career
 Corridor Principle- Using one business to start or
acquire others and then repeating the process
 Serial Entrepreneurs- A person who founds and
operates multiple companies during one career
Key Personal Attributes (cont.)
 Need for Achievement
 A person’s desire either for excellence or to
succeed in competitive situations
 High achievers take responsibility for attaining
their goals, set moderately difficult goals, and
want immediate feedback on their performance
 Success is measured in terms of what those
efforts have accomplished
 McClelland’s research
Key Personal Attributes (cont.)
 Desire for Independence
 Entrepreneurs often seek independence from
others
 As a result, they generally aren’t motivated to
perform well in large, bureaucratic organizations
 Entrepreneurs have internal drive, are confident in
their own abilities, and possess a great deal of
self-respect
Key Personal Attributes (cont.)
 Self-Confidence
 Because of the high risks involved in running an
entrepreneurial organization, having an “upbeat”
and self-confident attitude is essential
 A successful track record leads to improved self-
confidence and self-esteem
 Self-confidence enables that person to be
optimistic in representing the firm to employees
and customers alike
Key Personal Attributes (cont.)
 Self-Sacrifice
 Essential
 Nothing worth having is free
 Success has a high price, and entrepreneurs have
to be willing to sacrifice certain things
Technical Proficiency
 Many entrepreneurs demonstrate strong technical
skills, typically bringing some related experience to
their business ventures
 For example, successful car dealers usually have lots
of technical knowledge about selling and servicing
automobiles before opening their dealerships
 Especially important in the computer industry
 NOT ALWAYS NECESSARY
Planning
 Business Plan – A step-by-step outline
of how an entrepreneur or the owner of
an enterprise expects to turn ideas into
reality.
Questions To Keep In Mind
 What are my motivations for owning a business?

 Should I start or buy a business?

 What and where is the market for what I want to

sell?

 How much will all this cost me?

 Should my company be domestic or global?

Motivations
 Deciding what your motivations are
will direct you toward what type of
business fits you best.
 Types:
1. Lifestyle Venture
2. Smaller Profit Venture
3. High Growth Venture
1. Lifestyle Venture
 Small company that provides its owner
independence, autonomy, and control.
 Is often run out of household
 Provides flexibility (hours, meeting
places, attire)
 Aligns your personal interests and
hobbies with your desire to make a
profit.
2. Smaller Profit Venture
 Small company not concentrated on
pushing the envelope and growing
inordinately large.
 Making millions of dollars not important.
 Content with making a decent living.
 Ex. Mom and Pop Stores
3. High Growth Ventures
 Goal is maximum profit and growth.
 Concentrated on pushing envelope and
growing as large as possible.
 Focus on innovation
Start or Buy?
 Start – cheapest, but very difficult
-requires most planning/research
 Buy – expensive – may be out or reach
-requires less planning and research
 Franchise (middle ground) – a business
run by an individual (the franchisee) to
whom a franchiser grants the right to
market a certain good or service.
The Market???
 Planning & Research essential
 Extensive market surveys (family,
friends, neighbors…)
 Magazines and Polls offer some
information on the market
-Businessweek, Harris Poll
What about the cost?
 Plan realistically, not optimistically
 Don’t overestimate your profits
 Don’t underestimate your costs
 Sources of Funds
 Banks
 Venture Capitalists – filthy rich, high risk investors
looking for a many-times-over yield
 Angels – seem to have altruistic motives and less
stringent demands than venture capitalists
Domestic or Global?
 Drawbacks to Global – more research
and less accessible connections in
startup phase, more travel time
required, more considerations.
 Advantages to Global – more human
resources, more demand, more
financing, easier to start global than go
from domestic to global.
 Entrepreneurship: Growth Pressures
Business Entrepreneurial Formal
Dimension Organization Organization
Strategic orientation Seeks opportunity Controls resources

Commitment to Revolutionary Evolutionary

opportunity Short duration Long duration
Commitment to Lack of stable needs and Systematic planning
resources resource bases systems
(capital, people, and
equipment)
Control of resources Lack of commitment to Power, status, financial
permanent ventures rewards for maintaining
status quo
Management Structure Flat Clearly defined authority
Many informal networks and responsibility

Compensation policy Unlimited; based on Short-term driven;

team’s accomplishments limited by investors
Entrepreneurship: Managing a Family Business

Two reasons not to go into business with your family or

friends.…

Families fight
Friends fight.
Often, it involves money. So a business environment could
potentially breed arguments, disagreements, and feuds.

Fighting can occur during early developmental stages when

hours are long and pay is low. Or, after success has been
achieved.
Entrepreneurship: Managing a Family Business
Six steps to help lead you to a successful Family Business:

 Clear job responsibilities

 Clear hiring criteria
 Clear plan for management transition
 Agreement on whether and when to sell business
 Commitment to resolving conflicts quickly
 Outside advisors are used to mediate conflicts.

Clarity is key…. but NO GUARANTEE.

Entrepreneurship: Managing a Family Business

Operational vs. Survival Issues….

Operational = Decisions about the economics of the business

and how to balance that with rational and family obligation
criteria.
THINK: Day-to-day grind.

Survival = Develop out of a lack of attention on the operational

issues within the business.
THINK: Festering problems; ultimately compromise livelihood.
 Entrepreneurship: Managing a Family Business
FAMILY FEUD:

Severed Divorce Poor business Low morale,

relationships performance motivation
Intrapreneur = someone in an existing organization who
turns new ideas into profitable realities.

Not every employee has the ability to become a successful

intrapreneur. It takes well-developed strategic action, teamwork
and communication abilities.