This book focuses on the process of commercialisation and innovation management in small firms. Although commercialisation and new product development (NPD) has been covered quite extensively, relatively little attention has been given to how small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) engage with these issues. The book explores this topic in depth, taking a close look at the reasons why decisions are made and mapping this behaviour against established theories and "best practice" models of NPD and commercialisation. The book uses case studies to analyse the relationship between entrepreneurial decision- making and commercialisation, and investigates how and why NPD and commercialisation decisions are made, which offers valuable insights from both a theoretical and applied perspective.

Winning the Chain Restaurant Game

Are you ready for success?...

Find out what it takes in this insider's guide to making it in today's most exciting growth industry.

In this instructive and inspiring book, award-winning authors and foodservice industry experts Charles Bernstein and Ron Paul tell how the most successful restaurant companies win with bottom-up management, putting the customer on top. Based on interviews with more than a hundred industry executives and packed with enlightening examples as well as a few historic failures, this unique book teaches important lessons for restaurateurs and other entrepreneurs:

• Presents the first authoritative, in-depth look at the restaurant chain industry as a whole
• Tells how successful chain CEOs produce results with varied winning styles
• Isolates and clearly describes the eight crucial factors, or strategic "links," vital to restaurant chain success
• Tells how chains can capitalize on bulk purchasing, brand identity, consistent execution, an individual sense of style and—most of all—finding unique ways to please the customer

Few success stories so thoroughly embody the twentieth-century American dream as those of restaurant chains such as McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Wendy's, Little Caesar's, and Taco Bell. But besides the "true grit" demonstrated by entrepreneurial heros like McDonald's Ray Kroc and Wendy's Dave Thomas, what does it take to build and maintain a successful restaurant or retail chain? Find out in this first book to give a broad, long-term perspective on one of the nation's leading growth industries and to offer crucial lessons for all entrepreneurs, no matter what the business.

Winning the Chain Restaurant Game, by award-winning authors and noted foodservice industry experts Charles Bernstein and Ron Paul, documents the critical success factors required for one of the toughest, most competitive industries.

Highlighting the winning styles of more than a hundred chain executives, their triumphs, trials, disappointments, and turnarounds, this fascinating and instructive book identifies the eight strategic "links" that lead to victory in the chain restaurant business. With surgical precision, Bernstein and Paul explore such key factors as leadership, motivation, bulk purchasing, marketing, identity, consistency, and expansion. But they place focus ahead of everything and conclude that the entrepreneurial passion of an executive who deeply believes in his concept is the ultimate catalyst for success.

Small- to medium-size chains are going public at a dizzying pace and there are enormous financial opportunities for savvy restaurant owners. Winning the Chain Restaurant Game arms operators with the vital know-how needed to win the game.

More than 15 years ago, the staff at Entrepreneur Media introduced bestseller "Start Your Own Business." Since release, "Start Your Own Business" has sold more than 300,000 copies and has been called "the best startup book of all time." At it again, the staff at Entrepreneur delivers a new dose of fundamental startup how-to, backed by 33+ years at the forefront of small business--"Write Your Business Plan." A comprehensive companion to "Start Your Own Business," this business library essential takes aspiring entrepreneurs past one of the hardest steps of startup second to committing to their business goal--defining how to achieve it.
Tell friends you're starting a business, and you will get as many different pieces of advice as you have friends. One piece of wisdom, however, transcends all others: Write a business plan.
Following the lead of its bestselling counterpart, "Start Your Own Business," each chapter in this detailed guide is devoted to analyzing, explaining, and presenting practical instruction on developing a business plan relevant to today's marketplace and lending landscapes.
Appropriate for existing companies and brand-new startups, this guide is divided into three sections: "Before Writing Your Business Plan, Writing Your Business Plan," and "Enhancing Your Business Plan." Starting with basic FAQs such as "how long should a business plan be? When should it be developed?" And, "what role does it play in business startup?" Our experts then lead readers into evaluating their venture, identifying what type of plan they need (one plan does not fit all), and gathering what they need to get their plan on paper and polished for their intended audience.
Aspiring entrepreneurs uncover how to calculate a business break-even ratio; current lending options, including crowdfunding, and how to approach them; tools for gathering essential data; what role social media and visual media can play; how to include current staff if applicable; and much more. Coached by a diverse group of experts and successful business owners, readers gain an in-depth understanding of what's essential to any plan, what's appropriate for their industry, and what they can do to ensure success.
Following the practical format of companion book Start Your Own Business, alongside practical instruction and information, the editors at Entrepreneur present definitions of important terms, contact information for useful resources, warnings of especially common or serious mistakes, and pointers to steer readers in the right direction. Each chapter is supported by exercises, worksheets, examples, and expert advice. Sample business plans from a variety of industries are included as well as resource listings, and a glossary.

The Consultant’s Manual If you’re serious about starting your own consulting practice, there’s something you should know … … No matter how knowledgeable you are in your field.… No matter how expert your advice or impressive your credentials.… If you don’t bring an air of consummate professionalism to every phase of your practice—from proposal-writing and fee-setting, to drawing up contracts and issuing reports—you’ll almost definitely lose out to the professional who does. But don’t worry, because with Tom Greenbaum and The Consultant’s Manual in your corner, you can make sure that never happens! Growing out of the author’s Harvard consulting course, this book offers level-headed, expert advice on virtually every practical aspect of starting, building, and marketing your consulting practice. Centered around the theme of developing and working an exhaustive business plan for your firm, it leads you step-by-step through the research, planning, and problem-solving stages. Positioning your firm, giving it a name, targeting your market, establishing a sales culture, maintaining top-flight customer service, cash flow, billing, and fee setting … it’s all in here, and much more.

Despite the seemingly relentless march of the multinationals, small businesses continue to thrive across the globe and form a vital part of all successful economies. The Economics and Management of Small Business provides an international perspective on this important topic, and includes many useful pedagogical features such as questions for discussion, international case-studies and empirical research.

Graham Bannock's accessible writing style is key to the reader gaining a good understanding of this important area, and students of small business and entrepreneurship courses will find this book extremely useful.

This book examines patterns of economic governance in three specific, contrasting, contexts: machinery-producing districts; declining steel cities; and clusters of high-technology activities. Building on the work of their previous book (Local Production Systems in Europe: Rise or Demise? OUP 2001), which charted the recent development of local clusters of specialized manufacturing among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, the authors find patterns of economic governance far more complex and dynamic than usually described in a literature which insists on identifying simple national approaches. The machinery industries were often identified in the literature of the 1980s as prominent cases of industrial district formation, which were then considerably weakened by the crises of the mid-1990s. Did clustering help these industries and their associated districts to respond to challenge, or only weaken them further? The case studies focus on the Bologna and Modena area of Emilia-Romagna, Stuttgart in Baden-Wurttemberg, Birmingham and Coventry in the English west midlands, but generally in France where there are very few local concentrations. Even while some thought local production systems were in crisis, national governments and the European Commission continued to recommend their approach to areas experiencing economic decline. This was particularly the case for cities that had been dependent on a small number of large corporations in industries that would no longer be major employers. Political and business leaders in these areas were encouraged to diversify, in particular through SMEs. Could this be done in response to external pressure, given that successful local production systems depend on endogenous vitality? The authors ask these questions of former steel-producing cities St. Etienne, Duisburg, Piombino, and Sheffield. The idea that local production systems had had their day was challenged by clear evidence of clustering among SMEs in a number of flourishing high-tech industries in parts of the USA and western Europe. Why do scientists, other specialists and firms actively embedded in global networks, bother with geographical proximity? This question is addressed by examining the software firms at Grenoble, the mass media cluster in Cologne, the information technology sector around Pisa, and the Oxfordshire biotechnology region.

In raising questions about the relationship between gender power, class power and enterprise, this book brings an insightful perspective to the study of family capitalism. Based on a study of enterprise across different sectors, interviews were conducted amongst 70 major business families.

Promotes the approach of addressing performance-related issues early in the system lifecycle to minimise performance tuning and expensive design rework Provides advice on the prudent selection of hardware and software products Discusses the issues that surround the accuracy and validity of both vendor and in-house benchmarks Focuses on approaches to hardware sizing early in the system lifecycle Outlines design principles and techniques to ensure satisfactory performance and system scalability Includes assessments of the key performance factors across a range of hardware and software technologies. The emphasis in this book is on pre-empting performance and scalability problems in production systems by tackling the issues during the early stages of the system lifecycle. It shows how to reduce technical risk, thereby helping to ensure that service level requirements can be met, and thus saving costly rework, redevelopment, and purchases of additional equipment. It includes discussions on the non-functional aspects of IT procurements from the perspective of both the client and the bidders. The watchword throughout is on an approach that is both cost-effective and "fit for purpose," necessary requirements in the modern age when there is increasing pressure to deliver in ever shorter timescales. Performance Assurance for IT Systems is a comprehensive, readable guide to the approaches and techniques for addressing IT performance and related technology issues throughout the system lifecycle. Written by an industry expert with many years of experience in addressing performance and technology issues on a wide variety of systems, the text is loaded with practical advice, easily applied techniques, and useful reference material. It is valuable for a range of IT professionals, including Performance Analysts, Technical Architects, Designers, and IT Managers who are involved in the assessment of technical risk.

Family business planning has traditionally centered on two issues - estate planning and succession. These goals are far too limited for today's family firm. Business families want to turn the business into not only a tool for profit, but for self-expression, innovation and legacy. The authors introduce the new concept of the Parallel Planning Process, explaining how to integrate the needs and expectations of the family and business systems in order to create an organic and entrepreneurial unit. Planning and decision making templates are included as well as studies of well-known family businesses.

Business Principles for Landscape Contracting, fully revised and updated in its third edition, is an introduction to the application of business principles of financial management involved in setting up your own landscape contracting business and beginning your professional career. Appealing to students and professionals alike, it will build your knowledge of financial management tools and enable you to relate their applications to real-life business scenarios. Focusing on the importance of proactive financial management, the book serves as a primer for students in landscape architecture, contracting, and management courses and entrepreneurs within the landscape industry preparing to use business principles in practice. Topics covered include: Financial management and accountability Budget development Profitable pricing and estimating Project management Creating a lean culture Personnel management and employee productivity Professional development Economic sustainability.

Most startups don’t fail because they can’t build a product. Most startups fail because they can’t get traction.

Startup advice tends to be a lot of platitudes repackaged with new buzzwords, but Traction is something else entirely.

As Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares learned from their own experiences, building a successful company is hard. For every startup that grows to the point where it can go public or be profitably acquired, hundreds of others sputter and die.

Smart entrepreneurs know that the key to success isn’t the originality of your offering, the brilliance of your team, or how much money you raise. It’s how consistently you can grow and acquire new customers (or, for a free service, users). That’s called traction, and it makes everything else easier—fund-raising, hiring, press, partnerships, acquisitions. Talk is cheap, but traction is hard evidence that you’re on the right path.

Traction will teach you the nineteen channels you can use to build a customer base, and how to pick the right ones for your business. It draws on inter-views with more than forty successful founders, including Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia), Alexis Ohanian (reddit), Paul English (Kayak), and Dharmesh Shah (HubSpot). You’ll learn, for example, how to:

• Find and use offline ads and other channels your competitors probably aren’t using
• Get targeted media coverage that will help you reach more customers
• Boost the effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns by automating staggered sets of prompts and updates
• Improve your search engine rankings and advertising through online tools and research

Weinberg and Mares know that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution; every startup faces unique challenges and will benefit from a blend of these nineteen traction channels. They offer a three-step framework (called Bullseye) to figure out which ones will work best for your business. But no matter how you apply them, the lessons and examples in Traction will help you create and sustain the growth your business desperately needs.

Cut and come again forestry - reviving the ancient practice of resprout silviculture to power local woodland-based economies. Coppice Agroforestry is a richly illustrated, comprehensive guide to resprout silviculture - managing trees and shrubs by coppicing, pollarding, shredding, and pleaching - for a continuous supply of small diameter polewood for products from firewood to fine furniture. Contextualizing resprout silviculture historically, ecologically, and economically, Coppice Agroforestry explores the potential of this ancient practice for modern times. Coverage includes: The cultural history of coppicing in Europe and North America Tree and shrub anatomy, biology, and woodland ecology A suite of woodland management systems Dozens of handcrafted wood products on a continuum of value, offering a wide range of business opportunities Case studies of diverse coppice-based enterprises Assessing existing forests for coppice potential Designing new resprout silviculture systems Tables highlighting diverse species for various uses A vision of a modern resprout silviculture renaissance. A decade in the making, encyclopedic in scope, and written by the hand of a woodsman, Coppice Agroforestry is a deep dive into this ancient practice, blending it with modern science, systems thinking, and tools to land it firmly into the 21st century. Whether you have a few trees or an entire forest, Coppice Agroforestry is the must-have practical guide for homesteaders, farmers, foresters, land managers, and educators who ally themselves with the remarkable resilience of woody plants.

The Wall Street Journal predicts that between 50-60% of all goods and services in the U.S. will be sold through network or multi-level marketing methods in this decade. Shows entrepreneurs how to start up and run their own successful, self-replicating network. Covers everything from picking the right product or service, managing your time, to tax and legal considerations.

The high profile leaps and falls of the share prices of dot.com enterprises have highlighted not only the enormous opportunities but also the perils of starting an e-business. kick-starter.com is the definitive guide by Andersen Consulting and other leading internet experts to setting up a European internet business and includes advice on finding a unique business concept as well as marketing, technical, financial and legal aspects and a sample business plan.

Human Resource Management in Small Business fills a gap in our understanding of economic performance. Small businesses are more numerous, have more employees, and contribute more to the economies of nations throughout the world than do large organizations. This book examines a range of issues, including the significance of human resource management (HRM) practices to small business success, the management of work hours and work stressors, work and family issues, succession planning, employee recruitment and selection, and managing staff. It also explores how individuals develop HRM skills, and learn from their own and others' experiences. The role of HRM practices in successful small businesses is illustrated through a range of case studies.Including contributors who are internationally recognized academics from a range of countries; this book will prove to be an essential resource for postgraduate students and academics in management. Professional managers and owners in SMEs will also discover great insights from this admirable book. Contributors include: R. Burke, G. Castrogiovanni, S. Clarke, C. Collins, E. Drew, S. Fielden, M. George, E. Hamilton, C. Henry, A.-L. Humbert, A. Noblet, T. Pett, J. Pollack, A. Rauch, G. Seijts, M. Troilo

If it can get dirty, chances are people will pay to have it cleaned. Houses, carpets, upholstery, windows . . . the list goes on and on. A vast majority of dual-income families use cleaning services, creating a huge market for cleaning service startups. Updated with the latest industry and market information, including the impact of technology and new specialty niches, this new edition provides eager entrepreneurs with all the information they need to become a squeaky-clean success. The experts at Entrepreneur Press share everything aspiring entrepreneurs need to know to start three of the most in-demand cleaning businesses: residential maid service, commercial janitorial service, and carpet/upholstery cleaning. Included here are current statistics and trend forecasts, the ins and outs of finding customers, new ideas for hiring and training employees, up-to-date legal, tax, and insurance requirements, tips on avoiding common pitfalls, and surefire tips for growing a business. Other support includes answers to frequently asked questions and access to an appendix of additional resources and checklists to guide readers through each step of the startup process.

Don't Sleep On It! is a call to action for people to wake up and live their best life by taking what they know and who they are and unleashing it in the world, all while creating their very own profitable online business. So many people want to start a business, but don't know what to do. With 10 years of online building experience, Kavit Haria guides readers through the steps to turn their passions and interests-their expertise and knowledge-into a profitable online business. When you light a fire in someone else, you can change the world. Whether you know it or not, what you know at this time is what someone else needs in order to overcome their challenges, remedy their pain, or solve their problem. Stop trading time for money, and start sharing what you know and earning from your own online, profitable business. Wake up and live your best life!

Family businesses are the most common business form in the world, ranging from the millions of small local businesses to giants such as Walmart. This book showcases the crucial contribution that family businesses make to the world economy and informs students of the existing and potential research in this area. Drawing upon global academic research and case studies, theories of family businesses are explained and prevailing myths and assumptions are tested. Features including exercises linked to case studies develop skills in applying theories in practice. This concise textbook is essential reading for students of family business and useful additional reading for those interested in entrepreneurship more broadly.

Start-up creation is the most distinctive feature of the entrepreneurial knowledge-based economy. It is also essential for economic growth and especially important in the current context of young graduate's high unemployment rates that are expected to increase in the next few decades. There are other books on the creation of start-up companies, designed to be of value to academics wishing to exploit the commercial value of a new technology or business solution, but none of these existing titles focus on start-up creation in the construction industry. In the second edition of this extremely successful title the editors present a state-of-the-art review on advanced technologies, and their application in several areas of the built environment covering energy efficiency, structural performance, air and water quality to inspire the creation of start-up companies from university research. Part One begins with the key factors behind successful start-up companies from university research, including the development of a business plan, start-up financing, and the importance of intellectual property. Part Two focuses on the use of Big Data, Intelligent decision support systems, the Internet of Things and their use in the energy efficiency of the built environment. Finally, Part three is an entire new section that focuses on several smartphone applications for the smart built environment. While in the first edition the section concerning apps for smart buildings had just two chapters, one for app programming basics and a second a case study on building security in this second edition the core of the book is about app development that constitutes 50% of the book.

While family businesses have existed for millennia all over the world, it is only in the past few decades that professional consultants have been utilized to help them function more effectively. This engaging, up to the minute volume explores the varied and complex world of family enterprises as they now exist in the third decade of the 21st century. Attention is given to the factors unique to family businesses in their attention to perpetuating family values, traditions, loyalties and their legacy to future generations. Consultants may be drawn from law, finance and accounting, organizational psychology, or family psychology (with its special emphasis on understanding the family relationship system). The book describes methods of assessment and how to effectively communicate the results as well as techniques of consulting and provides an invaluable description of what is necessary to be and become a family business consultant. Readers will benefit from explorations of A new model featuring 8 inter-related business domains Cybersecurity issues and how to handle them Working collaboratively with financial and legal professionals Comprehensive coverage of research based assessment instruments Given that over 85% of the businesses in the world, from small to multinational in size and scope are family businesses, the enormous amount of information conveyed in this volume can be extremely valuable to professional consultants and those in the C Suite (CEO's, CFO's, COO's) in helping businesses operate at maximum efficiency, productivity, profitability and satisfaction to all involved. "Throughout this well organized and well written book, the authors raise the pivotal questions that form the basis for becoming and being an exceptional family business consultant. Psychologists can learn to transform family business conundrums into healthy interactions between the family members of the enterprise before, during, and after transitions of the company. The various aspects of serving as a consultant are fleshed out in the carefully-researched chapters. Case studies show the patterns of behavior that can lead to continuing multigenerational successes or hard dissolutions. Their new model entitled "The Dynamic Interactive Multifactorial Family Enterprise Ecosystem Model" constitutes a major contribution to the field. The best part of the book remains its celebration of the importance and richness of family businesses across generations that will inspire any reader." G. Andrew H. Benjamin, JD, PhD, ABPPPast President, American Academy of Couple & Family Psychology Past President, American Board (ABPP) of Couple & Family Psychology Clinical Professor of Psychology & Affiliate Professor of Law, University of Washington

Small Farms Can Equal Big Pay!

Choose the right products, process and market them effectively, and you too can join the ranks of top-earning farmers, some of whom gross nearly $100,000 per acre. Whether you're buying a new farm or jump-starting an old one, Ron Macher's down-to-earth advice on planning, farming, and marketing you'll soon make your farm profitable -- and find satisfaction doing it.

Macher shares proven methods for farming smarter and explores today's new crops, new livestock, and new markets that translate into new ways to make money. Making Your Small Farm Profitable explains how to:

* Exploit lucrative niche markets that others overlook

* Plan for optimal farm efficiency

* Determine equipment requirements and estimate machinery costs

* Compare costs against profit for common vegetables and livestock

* Sell your products a dozen different ways

As the breadth and empirical diversity of entrepreneurship research have increased rapidly during the last decade, the quest to find a "one-size-fits-all" general theory of entrepreneurship has given way to a growing appreciation for the importance of contexts. This promises to improve both the practical relevance and the theoretical rigor of research in this field. Entrepreneurship means different things to different people at different times and in different places and both its causes and its consequences likewise vary. For example, for some people entrepreneurship can be a glorious path to emancipation, while for others it can represent the yoke tethering them to the burdens of overwork and drudgery. For some communities it can drive renaissance and vibrancy while for others it allows only bare survival. In this book, we assess and attempt to push forward contemporary conceptualizations of contexts that matter for entrepreneurship, pointing in particular to opportunities generating new insights by attending to contexts in novel or underexplored ways. This book shows that the ongoing contextualization of entrepreneurship research should not simply generate a proliferation of unique theories - one for every context - but can instead result in better theory construction, testing and understanding of boundary conditions, thereby leading us to richer and more profound understanding of entrepreneurship across its many forms. Contextualizing Entrepreneurship Theory will critically review the current debate and existing literature on contexts and entrepreneurship and use this to synthesize new theoretical and methodological frameworks that point to important directions for future research.