There are many places on the Web where entrepreneurs can go for information relating to start ups and their related challenges. Sites and materials that we particularly like are:
Entrepreneurship and Business Formation
Entrepreneur.com
, Entrapreneur.com and the Entrepreneur’s Home Page offer various content on entrepreneurship and business formation.
The KauffmanCenter
supports entrepreneurship nationally and also provides some interesting content on the mindset of entrepreneurship.
The Entrepreneur’s Mind
also provides though provoking content on entrepreneurial behavior.
Business Plan Resources
The PWC Entrepreneur Resource Center
has some helpful tools on business plans, as well as many other resources on starting a business from a financial and venture capital perspective, including financial models, templates and funding trend information.
There are a number of websites that are associated with for profit businesses that provide business planning resources, including The Center for Business Planning, Busplans.com and PlanWare.
Books That We Like
The Entrepreneurial Venture
, by William Sahlman, Howard Stevenson, et al., Harvard Business School Press. A collection of interesting and useful essays on a wide range of topics relating to start ups and entrepreneurships.
The Merchant of Power
, by John Wasik, Palgrave MacMillian. The biography of Sam Insull, a promoter of the electrification of the United States, and a good illustration of the differences between invention and innovation.
If at First You Don’t Succeed
, by Brent Bowers, Random House. The eight patterns of entrepreneurship. See how many you have, and then consider whether you need any or all of them to succeed.
Patents, Ingenious Inventions
, by Ben Ikenson, Black Dog & Leventhal. The short history of some of the most important inventions of our times. Very entertaining.