Unlike the many other fine books available to teachers that discuss the interrelated topics of entrepreneurship, business development, and business plan preparation, The Smart Entrepreneur has been purpose-built to provide a highly aligned set of chronological processes and actions that help an entrepreneur avoid the many pitfalls and common mistakes that often doom a new venture.
The specific aim of The Smart Entrepreneur is to help an entrepreneur go from an idea, invention, or innovation into opportunity development, and then efficiently and adroitly proceed to the development of a business plan, securitization of investment, and start-up. The book is not intended to be a scholarly treatment of entrepreneurship; however, the book can be used to:
The Smart Entrepreneur teaches students how to think about a complex and challenging subject, new venture creation, in an organized way so that success is an expected outcome of the disciplined process-oriented set of activities.
The Author taught a graduate-level course in Entrepreneurship for the MBA program of Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) for over five years and used a syllabus similar to the one that can be downloaded.
Entrepreneurship is increasingly being recognized as an essential element of the basic skill set of any person much like the knowledge of mathematics, science, and grammar, which are essential to success in the modern world. It is often thought that a person is either right-brained (mathematics and technical oriented) or left-brained (imaginative and creative). Entrepreneurship is a synergy of both right- and left-brain thinking and opens up the mind to creativity in matters related to the building of organizations that can provide very useful products for society as well as providing the entrepreneur with pathways for future economic independence. Entrepreneurship is a skill that can be learned. It requires a person be creative and innovative on one hand, but disciplined, focused, and business-minded on the other. The Smart Entrepreneur provides the essential processes for students of any age to learn to think and act in an entrepreneurial manner.