Product Description

"By their nature entrepreneurs do things differently, and that includes how they like to learn. I'm impressed by the creativity you [Steve Parks] have shown in communicating ideas, knowledge and best-practice to your target audience. "

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair

The rate of new start ups is growing dramatically. According to Barclays Bank there were 288,200 new businesses launched in England and Wales in the first 6 months of 2004 - an increase of 23% on the same period in 2003. However, the failure rate is high. Barclays research also showed that 164,400 firms went out of business in the same period – that’s over half of those that start up. Entrepreneurs are becoming increasingly aware of this threat because of media coverage, and are eager to get any help they can.

How to be an Entrepreneur, written by bestselling author and small business guru Steve Parks, reveals how to become that person who will succeed not just at starting up, but also running that business.

The author is himself a successful entrepreneur, but this book is the cumulated wisdom of the hundreds of other successful entrepreneurs who he has interviewed in the last 5 years. His research identified that successful entrepreneurs have special strengths in six fundamental abilities, which form the structure for the book:

1. Attitude

How entrepreneurs think and behave – and how that helps them to deal with the many challenges they face. We examine how you can develop those attitudes, and handle the contradictions they seem to present.

2. Opportunity

How entrepreneurs find or create opportunities – and how they maximise them to create great businesses.

3. Focus

Once they have an opportunity, entrepreneurs are masters at marshalling people and resources and focussing their time and energy on the opportunity. We look at how you can gain superb personal focus, and then focus your company and your team

4. Talent

The best entrepreneurial companies manage to attract the best talent before they’re even out of the starting gate – then they seem to be able to bring out the very best in these people. At the same time these entrepreneurs manage the difficult balancing act of keeping this creating melting pot under control without stifling ideas. How is this achieved?

5. Planning

The popular image may be of entrepreneurs working ‘on the hoof’ but it’s simply not true. They have firm, clear plans – but they also ensure they have a good enough Radar system and contingency plans to be able to spot trouble and change course, in a planned way, when necessary.

6. Communication

Entrepreneurs are masters at communicating with their team, their customers and the media. They have a clear, uncomplicated style of communication that wins hearts and minds.

Packed with ideas, inspiration, case studies of how other entrepreneurs have succeeded, and highly original practical tools, this is the book that will separate the brilliant entrepreneur from the 'tried but failed'. 

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #67751 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 148 pages

Review
"an intensely practical book... a useful framework to consult time and again" - New Business Magazine, December 2006

From the Back Cover

What does it really take to become a successful entrepreneur?

If you look at those who have already achieved this goal you’ll find that the reason they stand out is not because of the way they read a balance sheet, fill in forms, meet the bank manager or any of the other topics covered in most books on building businesses.

They stand out because of the attitude they have, the way they identify opportunities and a range of other key attitudes and skills that are identified in this book. These are so-called ‘soft’ skills that are glossed over in other books on entrepreneurship – but they are absolutely vital. They are the difference that makes the difference.

In How to be an Entrepreneur you’ll learn about these six secrets of successful entrepreneurs, and find out how you can apply them in your business to achieve the goal of self-made success.

About the Author

At the age of 16 when Steve Parks told his school careers adviser that he wanted to work for the BBC or run his own business they laughed and suggested a career in electronic engineering. Steve began his career as a journalist and presenter for BBC Radio in 1994. His work has been broadcast on Radio 4, Radio 5-Live, Radio 1, Radio 2, BBC TV and the ‘Today’ programme. He left the BBC to form his own company, which is now the UK’s leading publisher of business audio. Steve has written articles for business magazines, comedy sketches for BBC’s Dead Ringers and is currently working on his first novel. The author draws his knowledge for this book from his own career, and also from the experiences of close friends who are successful entrepreneurs. He is regularly approached by people for advice on starting their own business, and has launched a vast community for entrepreneurs, Flyingstartups.com, helping startups to network and gain tips, advice, and ongoing support.

Customer Reviews

Sensible overview
I found this book somewhat uneven. The section on types of opportunities, for example, seemed rather thin. On the otehr hand, the section on the "talent cake" (a resource for use in recruitment, appraisal, and staff development) is neat. Overall, the view that in entrepreneurship there are certain attitudes that are key, seems a very sensible one.

Real entrepreneurs
If you think real entrepreneurs are the guys competing for a job on The Apprentice, think again. If you are serious about running your own business and you want to be as successful as the best of them, in your own right, then you need to figure out how the real entrepreneurs do it.

This is about the things that make a difference to HOW you go about things in business when you work for yourself and no-one else. How you think, how you plan, what you focus on. How to build a system that works. How to get better at all things entrepreneurial. How to network successfully for business.

How to start your business so that it can grow into an entrepreneurial giant. Or just how to make it the best in your field. How to re-shape and tune your existing business so that it can prosper. How to get and keep the right attitude. And how to recruit the right people to help you achieve your business goals.

Streamlining your business and keeping the focus for you, and your team, isn't easy. But this book shows you how in clear, straightforward steps.

Become an Entrepreneur
If you're thinking of Starting a business then great, but don't do it until you've read this book, If you're already running a business but are stuck in a rut and/ or looking to grow it then read this book.

I started my Electrical contracting business over a year ago now and wish i'd had this book then, it's full of usefull ideas, tips and advice on how you can improve yourself, your business and your staff.

Rather than being written about the mundane business stuff such as legal/ accounts etc this book concentrates on what i consider the fun side of business the stuff that makes a real entrepreneur!

The book i'm sure will also be great for me as a reference for the future growth of my business and won't be sitting on the shelf gathering dust now i've read it.

So happy reading and good luck with your business(es)

Paul