In Search of Entrepreneural Excellence: The Professional's Guide to Starting an Exceptional Enterprise - Tapa dura

Don't let your innovative business idea sit on the shelf one more day! Extraordinary Entrepreneurship is packed with insights on how to create an exceptional enterprise and examples of ventures that were created to capitalize on market gaps. It also provides more than 600 "Entrepreneurial Dos and Don'ts" from interviews with 200 successful entrepreneurs. Here's what a few entrepreneurs have said about Extraordinary Entrepreneurship: "Customers today are more open to new ideas. It's an incredible time to start a new business or introduce a new product because people are eager to try new things." -Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks "Dr. Harper has ingeniously captured and collected literally hundreds of years of entrepreneurial experience into an easy-to-read experience. Chapters 6 and 7 are the best treatment I've seen on business plans. You will find Chapters 8 through 12 extremely valuable if you ever seek funding of any kind-especially venture capital." -Scot Wingo, cofounder of ChannelAdvisor Corporation "Dr. Harper captures the excitement and anxiety, the courage and commitment, and the concepts and tools that stand at the very heart of entrepreneurship. He opens the door and gives us an insightful, comprehensive look at the entrepreneurial way of life-an attitude, a process, and a journey by which we can turn compelling ideas into profitable realities." -Roger Rains, founder of Global Analytics "Extraordinary Entrepreneurship touches all the essential steps an entrepreneur needs to start and grow his business. Steve tells it straight and to the point. His 'reality checks' contain all the essential ingredients for success." -Michael Cain, entrepreneur and angel investor "Dr. Harper demonstrates that opportunities are everywhere ...as long as you offer a product or service that truly fills a need. Many of the techniques profiled in Chapter 3 have contributed to our success. More important, we will use a number of the new techniques in the future." -Dr. Roy A. Archambault, DPM, founder of Xero Products "Dr. Harper demystifies the process of critically evaluating each business opportunity. He has reminded us that opportunities have not dwindled after the age of irrational exuberance, but instead require both the enthusiasm of a true believer and the pragmatism of a sage. In a profession defined by risk and gamble, he asks the challenging questions that lead to the most confident solutions." -Michael Rhoades, founder of Learning Perspectives, Inc.

STEPHEN C. HARPER is President of Harper and Associates, Inc., a management consulting firm. He is also Progress Energy/Betty Cameron Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Steve has worked with entrepreneurs in the United States and Canada for more than thirty years. He is on the editorial review board of the Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship and serves on the board of directors of Wachovia Bank (Wilmington area), and the Coastal Entrepreneurial Council, of which he is a cofounder and a former president and executive director.