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Could everything we've learned about entrepreneurship simply be wrong?
There is no shortage of how-to books with 'manual' in the title, and articles promising 'The 7 [or 6 or 10] key traits of successful entrepreneurs', which breed an infectious optimism all too often quashed as startups fail. Amiel Kornel puts a persuasive case for an alternative theory that while grounded in the natural way great entrepreneurs operate resists reduction to a simple recipe or method.
Kornel, who has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs, believes that disciplined planning, lean management, and commitment are no guarantee of success. The limited resources of a startup demand knowing when and how to explore and 'tinker', artfully recombining ideas, designs, media, software, and materials on hand. True venture craftsmen harness and redirect the energy of startups that might otherwise spin dangerously out of control towards failure.
The stories of entrepreneurs like Sun Basket's AdamZbar, Minecraft's Markus Persson, Y Combinator's Paul Graham, and Metacode Technologies' Joel Schatz are woven throughout the book, along with examples from beyond business, including legendary ocean-racing sailor Isabelle Autissier and acclaimed urban designer Gerard Penot. Kornel shows how meeting challenges in a broad variety of fields rife with uncertainty often relies on the ability to loosen the coupling between command and control, a prerequisite of skillful improvisation.
List of contents
1. Ode to the venture craftsman.- 2. Mastering the art of tinkering.- 3. Mastering the art of conversation.- 4. Mastering the art of wandering.- 5. The improvisational startup.- 6. Making do.- 7. Making new.- 8. Blending art and science.- 9. Epilogue- The failsafe entrepreneur.
About the author
Since co-creating and incubating on-line publisher IDG News Service in pre-Internet 1985, Amiel Kornel has co-founded, managed, funded, and/or advised nearly 20 early-stage startups. He has also advised more than 15 multinational companies in the US and Europe seeking to launch new ventures, pilot startup accelerators, or redesign their innovation practices. Through his work as venture capitalist since 2004, he has qualified roughly 1000 startups as potential investments. A sailor, he divides his time between homes in San Francisco, California, and La Rochelle, France.
Summary
Could everything we’ve learned about entrepreneurship simply be wrong?
There is no shortage of how-to books with ‘manual’ in the title, and articles promising ‘The 7 [or 6 or 10] key traits of successful entrepreneurs’, which breed an infectious optimism all too often quashed as startups fail. Amiel Kornel puts a persuasive case for an alternative theory that while grounded in the natural way great entrepreneurs operate resists reduction to a simple recipe or method.
Kornel, who has coached hundreds of entrepreneurs, believes that disciplined planning, lean management, and commitment are no guarantee of success. The limited resources of a startup demand knowing when and how to explore and ‘tinker’, artfully recombining ideas, designs, media, software, and materials on hand. True venture craftsmen harness and redirect the energy of startups that might otherwise spin dangerously out of control towards failure.
The stories of entrepreneurs like Sun Basket’s AdamZbar, Minecraft’s Markus Persson, Y Combinator’s Paul Graham, and Metacode Technologies’ Joel Schatz are woven throughout the book, along with examples from beyond business, including legendary ocean-racing sailor Isabelle Autissier and acclaimed urban designer Gerard Penot. Kornel shows how meeting challenges in a broad variety of fields rife with uncertainty often relies on the ability to loosen the coupling between command and control, a prerequisite of skillful improvisation.
