Introduction to Business covers the scope and sequence of most introductory business courses. The book provides detailed explanations in the context of core themes such as customer satisfaction, ethics, entrepreneurship, global business, and managing change. Introduction to Business includes hundreds of current business examples from a range of industries and geographic locations, which feature a variety of individuals. The outcome is a balanced approach to the theory and application of business concepts, with attention to the knowledge and skills necessary for student success in this course and beyond. This is an adaptation of Introduction to Business by OpenStax. You can access the textbook as pdf for free at openstax.org. Minor editorial changes were made to ensure a better ebook reading experience. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Judging by all the hoopla surrounding business plans, you'd think the only things standing between would-be entrepreneurs and spectacular success are glossy five-color charts, bundles of meticulous-looking spreadsheets, and decades of month-by-month financial projections. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, often the more elaborately crafted a business plan, the more likely the venture is to flop. Why? Most plans waste too much ink on numbers and devote too little to information that really matters to investors. The result? Investors discount them. In How to Write a Great Business Plan, William A. Sahlman shows how to avoid this all-too-common mistake by ensuring that your plan assesses the factors critical to every new venture: The people—the individuals launching and leading the venture and outside parties providing key services or important resources The opportunity—what the business will sell and to whom, and whether the venture can grow and how fast The context—the regulatory environment, interest rates, demographic trends, and other forces shaping the venture's fate Risk and reward—what can go wrong and right, and how the entrepreneurial team will respond Timely in this age of innovation, How to Write a Great Business Plan helps you give your new venture the best possible chances for success.

Lots of people want to write a book, but few people actually ever do it. Why? Because like any other major accomplishment, writing a book takes time and effort that most just can't commit to. That's also exactly why a book can distinguish you from your colleagues and open the door to otherwise impossible opportunities. This is not only a step-by-step guide to write your book, but what to do with it afterwards. This book, written by two industry experts, will tell you how to publish your book and maximize all of the benefits of being an author.

A WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER Do you know the best way to drive your company's growth? If not, it's time to boost your Growth IQ. Trying to find the one right move that will improve your business's performance can feel overwhelming. But, as you'll discover in Growth IQ, there are just ten simple--but easily misunderstood--paths to growth, and every successful growth strategy can be boiled down to picking the right combination and sequence of these paths for your current context. Tiffani Bova travels around the world helping companies solve their most vexing problem: how to keep growing in the face of stiff competition and a fast-changing business environment. Whether she's presenting to a Fortune 500 board of directors or brainstorming over coffee with a startup founder, Bova cuts through the clutter and confusion that surround growth. Now, she draws on her decades of experience and more than thirty fascinating, in-depth business stories to demonstrate the opportunities--and pitfalls--of each of the ten growth paths, how they work together, and how they apply to business today. You'll see how, for instance: * Red Bull broke Coca-Cola and PepsiCo's stranglehold on the soft drink market by taking the Customer Base Penetration path to establish a foothold with adventure sports junkies and expand into the mainstream. * Marvel transformed itself from a struggling comic book publisher into a global entertainment behemoth by using a Customer and Product Diversification strategy and shifting their focus from comic books to comic book characters in movies. * Starbucks suffered a brand crisis when they overwhelmed their customers with a Product Expansion strategy, and brought back CEO Howard Schultz to course-correct by returning to the Customer Experience path. Through Bova's insightful analyses of these and many other case studies, you'll see why it can be a mistake to imitate strategies that worked for your competitors, or rely on strategies that worked for you in the past. To grow your company with confidence, you first need to grow your Growth IQ.

If you want your startup to succeed, you need to understand why startups fail. “Whether you’re a first-time founder or looking to bring innovation into a corporate environment, Why Startups Fail is essential reading.”—Eric Ries, founder and CEO, LTSE, and New York Times bestselling author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way Why do startups fail? That question caught Harvard Business School professor Tom Eisenmann by surprise when he realized he couldn’t answer it. So he launched a multiyear research project to find out. In Why Startups Fail, Eisenmann reveals his findings: six distinct patterns that account for the vast majority of startup failures. • Bad Bedfellows. Startup success is thought to rest largely on the founder’s talents and instincts. But the wrong team, investors, or partners can sink a venture just as quickly. • False Starts. In following the oft-cited advice to “fail fast” and to “launch before you’re ready,” founders risk wasting time and capital on the wrong solutions. • False Promises. Success with early adopters can be misleading and give founders unwarranted confidence to expand. • Speed Traps. Despite the pressure to “get big fast,” hypergrowth can spell disaster for even the most promising ventures. • Help Wanted. Rapidly scaling startups need lots of capital and talent, but they can make mistakes that leave them suddenly in short supply of both. • Cascading Miracles. Silicon Valley exhorts entrepreneurs to dream big. But the bigger the vision, the more things that can go wrong. Drawing on fascinating stories of ventures that failed to fulfill their early promise—from a home-furnishings retailer to a concierge dog-walking service, from a dating app to the inventor of a sophisticated social robot, from a fashion brand to a startup deploying a vast network of charging stations for electric vehicles—Eisenmann offers frameworks for detecting when a venture is vulnerable to these patterns, along with a wealth of strategies and tactics for avoiding them. A must-read for founders at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey, Why Startups Fail is not merely a guide to preventing failure but also a roadmap charting the path to startup success.

Getting Entrepreneurial! is the definitive guide for would-be entrepreneurs, covering everything you need to know to put your financial future in your own hands. But far beyond reciting business school fundamentals, this book shows you how to create and innovate, turn your idea into a great business, and grow that business to maturity. Author Larry Farrell gives you the secrets of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, in an easy-to-follow format that covers: The four bedrock business fundamentals of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs Sense of mission–the entrepreneurial way to identify and deliver product/market winners Customer/product vision–creating entrepreneurial passion to produce continuous growth...and more! Don’t delay—order your copy today!

Written by a practicing business attorney with startup experience in the environmental and technology sectors, this comprehensive handbook assists entrepreneurs in tackling the wide variety of opportunities to go green. A one-stop resource for entrepreneurs, it helps readers incorporate clean technology, environmental practices, and green business approaches into the work environment. The book discusses how to sell to utilities, explores fundraising outlets for green businesses, covers government incentives, presents key startup tools aimed at green businesses, and addresses challenges of many new businesses, such as raising money and making sales. Additional resources are available on the book's website.

An all-in-one guide to helping you buy and own your own business. Are you looking for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own start-up seem too risky? There is a radical third path open to you: You can buy a small business and run it as CEO. Purchasing a small company offers significant financial rewards—as well as personal and professional fulfillment. Leading a firm means you can be your own boss, put your executive skills to work, fashion a company environment that meets your own needs, and profit directly from your success. But finding the right business to buy and closing the deal isn't always easy. In the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business, Harvard Business School professors Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff help you: Determine if this path is right for you Raise capital for your acquisition Find and evaluate the right prospects Avoid the pitfalls that could derail your search Understand why a "dull" business might be the best investment Negotiate a potential deal with the seller Avoid deals that fall through at the last minute Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.

Unlock the secrets to startup success with "Startups: Innovation, Growth, and Navigating Challenges." This comprehensive e-book offers entrepreneurs, founders, and business enthusiasts the ultimate guide to navigating the dynamic world of startups. Discover proven strategies for innovation, scaling, funding, and overcoming common challenges in the entrepreneurial journey. Learn from real-world case studies, success stories, and expert insights that will empower you to turn your startup dreams into reality. Why Buy This Book? Comprehensive Startup Guidance: Whether you're at the ideation stage or scaling your business, this book covers all aspects of the startup lifecycle, providing you with a roadmap for success. Practical Tips and Techniques: Gain access to actionable advice, from managing stress and burnout to building a scalable business model. This ebook offers practical solutions for real-world startup challenges. Learn from Success Stories: Explore case studies and success stories from successful startups, giving you a firsthand look at what it takes to build a thriving business. Avoid Common Pitfalls: Understand the common mistakes that lead to startup failure and learn how to avoid them. This book equips you with the knowledge to navigate obstacles and stay on the path to success. Expert Insights and Advice: Benefit from the wisdom and experience of successful startup founders and industry experts. Their insights will inspire you and help you make informed decisions. Flexible and Adaptable Strategies: The book's strategies are flexible, allowing you to adapt them to your unique startup journey, industry, and business goals. Keywords: #Startups #entrepreneurship #businessgrowth #startupchallenges #innovation #funding #stressmanagement #startupsuccess #scaling #startup guide With "Startups: Innovation, Growth, and Navigating Challenges," you'll have the tools and insights needed to overcome obstacles and build a successful startup. Purchase this ebook today to embark on a journey of innovation, growth, and endless possibilities. Your entrepreneurial adventure awaits!