THE EFFECTIVE ENTREPRENEUR

About the Book

"Entrepreneurs experience the highest highs and the lowest lows (sometimes in the same day); events reverse themselves at such speeds that they can easily shred a person's psyche. The issues range across customers, products, technical programs, competitors, employees, and investors " (see Rule No. 58)

"There is a fine line between self confidence and arrogance; an entrepreneur must walk that fine line, falling on neither side but right in the middle " (see Rule No.3)

"I wish I had had this book as I started and built companies over the years. It would have been an invaluable resource. It is wisdom, concisely and accurately presented, that takes years to accumulate and should be required reading for every entrepreneur." Rodney Perkins, MD, Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur: Cohesion, Collagen, DFine, Earlens, Laserscope, Novacept, Pulmonics, Resound, Sound ID, and Surgerex.

The Effective Entrepreneur is the first compendium of value-building principles specifically designed for entrepreneurs and sequenced according to the company's growth cycle. The 59 rules are organized around the four chronological stages of emerging enterprise evolution in the order a manager might experience them.

• Inception-recognizing successful start-up alchemy; looking in the mirror for strengths, self-confidence, and leadership; developing business plans and models; leading innovation; and establishing a culture of excellence and integrity.
• Development-selecting and organizing managers, teams and boards; creating strategy with vitality; building barriers to entry; and succeeding in negotiations.
• Growth-managing through economic cycles with a global outlook; financing with debt, equity, or corporate partners; and understanding communications basics.
• Maturity-supervising service providers; determining valuation as a function of timing; and formulating efficacious acquisition integration plans and realistic post acquisition commitments.

"A small, well organized team with clear objectives can always defeat a large, poorly organized or contentious army. The more senior the manager, the more time he/she should spend being proactive on human resources issues " (see Rule No.12)

"Finally, the book that clients (and I) have been looking for over the past 25 years. Inspired format." Laura Puckett, Corporate and Securities Partner at DLA Piper.

About the Author

George Von Gehr is a proven counselor to entrepreneurs and their advisors. He had front-line experience as an entrepreneur before starting, growing, and selling his successful boutique technology investment banking firm. His background includes degrees in engineering, law and business from Princeton and Stanford as well as consulting with McKinsey & Company, Inc. An avid car enthusiast and collector, he lives with his wife in Pebble Beach, California and San Juan Island, Washington.