Home :: Books :: Reference  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference

Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
The Silicon Valley Way, Second Edition : Discover 45 Secrets for Successful Start-Ups

The Silicon Valley Way, Second Edition : Discover 45 Secrets for Successful Start-Ups

List Price: $15.95
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Inspirational...a clear must for any startup!
Review: ...so I was walking into my local bookstore and saw the sign: "See Venture Capitalist Elton Sherwin speak on his new book" and I thought "this guy must not be able to make a living venturing in capital." After listening to him and questioning him for an hour, I realized that Mr Sherwin is a very, very smart man and is very good at what he does (and he HAS done well in the venture business). I bought the book, read it in a day, and gutted my business plan based on his advice. I highly recommend it to any entrepeneur that wants to know what the investors are thinking when they're looking at you from across the table.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very nice reading...I really recommend this book!
Review: An interesting and educational book, that will get you many tips. And it will also give you advice what Entrepreneur errors to avoid.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: are you able to explain your business in a few words?
Review: highly recommended by other entrepreneurs (left and right). the book has created a basic structure for which i can get back to the basic questions to answer. read it and create a killer business!

dave

founder and president of my second internet start-up..

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Discover the secrets of small business planning!
Review: I read this book a couple of times. I always enjoy reading books by professionals who have front-line knowledge, and Elton Sherwin is in the trenches with some of the leading "hypergrowth" companies. You come away a winner if you only read the appendices!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Actually, Several
Review: Sherwin's expressed purpose is to share what he calls "the secret of America's fastest growing companies." At least that is the book's subtitle. My own experience suggests that the fastest growing companies usually have several "secrets" which are soon revealed (or discovered) and thus lose much of their "mystique." Moreover, this same experience suggests that whatever secrets the fastest growing companies may share in common (speed, focus, innovation, tenacity, etc.) have already been well-documented. These are some of the reasons why I did not rate this book higher. However, for certain readers, I think it offers several substantial benefits.

Here is how the book is organized. First, in Chapter 1, Sherwin explains "The Back of the Napkin Analysis" and "The 45-Second Business Plan" to sharpen the reader's focus. Next, he asks a number of basic but essential questions (a total of 44) which "you will need to answer if you are to successfully compete in a high-tech world. In a few hours, you will get help organizing your thoughts and planning your business." Finally, Sherwin includes 12 (count 'em, 12) Appendices in which he discusses a wide range of subjects, beginning with "The 10-Second Proposal" and concluding with "Additional Reading." He also includes Notes and a Glossary.

One benefit is derived from the process of thinking about and then answering the 44 questions, especially for those preparing to launch a new organization or for those associated with one now proceeding through its launch phase. Sherwin suggests that "to win in the twenty-first century", an organization must:

• Select the right markets • Know its customers

• Design exceptional products

• Market products creatively

• Distribute products efficiently

Answering the 44 questions will help any organization to meet these imperatives. Another benefit is derived from the Appendices which I encourage the reader to approach as if they were different departments within Sherwin's General Store. Struggling to put together a business strategy presentation? Check out aisle three. Need a marketing, sales, and distribution "scorecard"? You'll find one over on aisle seven. You get the idea. In fact you'll get lots of ideas from this book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent !
Review: The book has great advice. I really like the condensed format.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent advice for entrepreneurs large and small
Review: The Silicon Valley Way sets out to describe how Silicon Valley companies develop new products and how you can apply those techniques to everything from satellite systems to opening a gas station. This is business writing for the information age: concise, engaging, and to the point. If you have ever had an idea for a new business--or needed to evaluate someone else's idea--this book will help you more than a shelf full of volumes on writing business plans.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Silicon Valley Way: Discover 45 Secrets for Successful
Review: This is one of the best books I own: a mother lode for the second gold rush!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This is a winner!
Review: This is the "how to do it right" - book for entrepreneurs. It's the "what to look for" - book for investors. It's a "must have" to me!!!


<< 1 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates