The Entrepreneur's Strategy Guide: Ten Keys for Achieving Marketplace Leadership and Operational Excellence

(Hardback)

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Description

In an environment where the chances of failure are much greater than success, what will make your company a winner Drawing from fifty years of experience, research, and observation in entrepreneurial strategy, Tom Cannon offers a game plan for entrepreurs. Dividing the book into two basic partsthe marketplace (external environment) and the organization (internal environment)he outlines the ten core capabilities that every business must master in order to be successful. Illustrating each principle through examples of real companies, and engaging the reader through diagnostics, checklists, and other interactive exercises, Cannon presents an essential resource for entrepreneurs; managers of startups, spinoffs, and other entrepreneurial units; and students of strategy and business development. At the heart of the book is an emphasis on how entrepreneurs can execute ambitious visions and strategies by mastering the basics and recognizing opportunities to continuously improve and innovate.

Reviews

The typical entrepreneur usually has a dream--be it an innovative product or a service--which he or she believes would take the world by storm. But for every Google and eBay, there are thousands of other entrepreneur wannabes who fall by the wayside. Using his considerable experience in counseling start-ups as part of the Service Corps of Retired Executives, Cannon details a fine-grained blueprint that holds the entrepreneur's hand every step of the way. While myriad books on the market provide advice to ambitious business owners, this current one stands apart on several fronts. First, it is comprehensive and details both the external and the internal environment that the entrepreneur faces. Second, it is practical, as each chapter offers several dos and don'ts. Third, it relates the material to real-life insights that Cannon has gleaned from his practical experience. Cannon's advice to entrepreneurs is in the form of ten key lessons (e.g., targeted marketing, customer service, and dynamic business planning) that provide plausible take aways. Recommended. Collections supporting practitioners and entrepreneurship programs. * Choice *
Cannon's book describes successful strategies for small business CEOs and managers and start-up entrepreneurs. He covers externally focused strategies that position the business in the marketplace and managerial and operational strategies for implementation of this goal. He follows ten keys to create success, involving end-user benefits; pricing; infotech-strengthened channels and supply chains; sales and marketing; customer service; business planning; teaming; leveraged development, production, and outsourcing; problem solving; and linking growth strategies with profit plans. Many case examples are incorporated. Cannon is a marketing and strategic planning consultant specializing in startups and small businesses. The bibliography is annotated. * Reference & Research Book News *

Author Bio

Tom Cannon is a marketing and strategic planning consultant, specializing in startups and small businesses. Throughout his career, he has audited client's competitive environments, developed business plans, and conducted seminars, retreats, and problem-solving workshops for small to large companies in many industries. Over the last few years, his main client work has been as a consultant with the Service Corps of Retired Executives. He is the author of Marketing: Text and Cases, Business Strategy and Policy, and of No Miracles for Hire.