Kurtzman (MBA in a Box
) offers a meticulous and instructive analysis of 350 startup companies, which he and a PriceWaterhouseCoopers research team tracked from 2001 to 2003. In an effort to determine how investors and entrepreneurs can improve a startup's chance of success (300 of these companies succeeded), he synthesizes data from that study, as well as interviews with high-level players and anecdotes from some well-known success stories, such as the Web services provider Akamai and the online job site Monster.com. Kurtzman (formerly editor of the Harvard Business Review
) discusses the importance of selecting a talented management team, assembling a board that offers strategic guidance, managing cash flow, estimating market size, protecting competitive position and establishing a strategic business model, among other points. He sets out with 10 rules of thumb, from putting a marketing or salesperson on the founding team, to starting with an existing market rather than a revolutionary product, to creating an unforgettable brand for your product or service. (Comprehensive appendixes include company assessment charts as well as organizational role- and industry-specific data.) The research is not quite as "surprising" as the subtitle suggests, but Kurtzman's thorough volume will arm entrepreneurs with more than just common sense. (Oct. 10)
