The Intentional Entrepreneur: Bringing Technology and Engineering to the Real New Economy

by David L. Bodde

The Intentional Entrepreneur will help technology professionals and student of business, engineering, or science learn the art of entrepreneurship. David Bodde emphasizes the real-world experience of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765614154
• ISBN13: 9780765614155
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A revealing discussion of the new venture process

This book provides a somewhat academic but informative overview of the startup and management of technology businesses. Some of the topics Bodde covers: * The challenge of creating market value from technology * Technology cycles, marketing strategy, intellectual property protection, and financing of high growth businesses * The limits to planning, the necessity for continual market research * Quickly scraping a business model and adopting a new one if the market so dictates * Management teams, and how they must have a knowledge base appropriate to the purpose of the enterprise * What works in "intrapreneuring" from within an existing business (Chapter 9). The book also explains some of the external forces and contingencies that can foil the best-laid plans of technology businesses. Bodde is a professor at the University of Missouri, and the book frequently had an academic tone - like a drawn out discussion of the theory of business models, which I thought added little to the book. In places he glosses over complex issues or suggests oversimplified solutions. However, he does ground his instructional chapters with numerous real world examples, including revealing case studies documenting the trials and tribulations of two startup businesses: a company producing energy from bio-fuels, and a venture capital company. He finishes with a discussion of how the business landscape is changing. The term "Real New Economy" in the subtitle refers to four "New Economy" trends Bodde, perceives emerging: knowledge as the product; privatization of public sector services; convergence of scientific disciplines; and the impacts of how society deals with the issues of information privacy, intellectual property rights and the technological enhancement of life forms. It also refers to the realities of technology businesses getting financing and competing post dot-com bubble (i.e. the need for business models that stand up to the emerging competitive, economic and regulatory realities). What I didn't like about the book: * The book could have used a proofreader - there are typos, and text chopped off mid-paragraph. * Bodde likes to use high-sounding, pretentious words where a more common word would have sufficed. This, and a sometimes glib, business school style of writing seemed to speak down to the reader. Notwithstanding these distractions, I would recommend the book to technology investors, entrepreneurs and anyone wanting to learn more about the new venture process and the pitfalls therein, as well as insights on the evolvement of some industries and technologies as at 2004. I would also recommend Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter F. Drucker if you were looking for a thorough study on the process of innovation and entrepreneurial strategies.

Review of The Intentional Entrepreneur by David L. Bodde

Dave Bodde's The Intentional Entrepreneur illuminates a complex area of our economic system that is usually learned through experiences, rather than in the classroom - and all too frequently from the lessons of bad experiences. This book brings principles and structure to the subject of how to bring a new idea or technology into the competitive marketplace and succeed. What has always appeared to be more of an art, practiced with intuitive skills rather than a set of rules, becomes a discipline to be learned. The Intentional Entrepreneur provides an excellent discussion of the relative importance of technology and business development for entrepreneurial success. Written with an appreciation and understanding for technology by an accomplished engineer, who went far beyond the practice of engineering during his life, it expertly relates how technical ideas only succeed when they are merged with an even more important understanding of the market and customer needs. The book emphasizes that success is driven more by understanding markets, customer development, and timing than the technology itself. Particularly to its credit, the book succeeds by being extremely readable, teaching through real-life experiences and quotations that bring a general wisdom applicable to the broader world of private enterprise, as well as to the world of entrepreneurial ventures. The experiences that Dave Bodde selects show the value of team organization, energy, enthusiasm, and persistence. They show the overriding importance of considering what is to be needed in the future world as it moves dynamically forward. His basic thrust toward the markets of the future provides maxims common to private enterprise in general. As such, The Intentional Entrepreneur could be a textbook for a variety of courses. In addition to its obvious value as the main reference for a course dealing with technology development, Dave Bodde's collection of experiences could provide supplemental text material for planning, engineering, and general business courses. And as a refresher for the practicing professional, it has given this engineer, frequently fascinated by technical matters, a reminder to remain focused on the market and business development.

Building Successful, High-value Enterprises with Technology

I am using this book as the text for a one-semester course introducing undergraduate students of business and engineering to the skills needed and knowledge required for building successful, high-value enterprises with technology. The book is ideal because it is guided by the view that entrepreneurship is a behavioral skill, and that we benefit most from opportunities to practice the behaviors and thinking of successful entrepreneurs. To accomplish this, the book is case oriented, thus affording readers the opportunity to try on these skills for comfort and fit. As you start the book, for example, you will meet Kevin Bolin, founder of EnerTech Environmental and Maurice Gunderson co-founder (with Nancy Floyd) of Nth Power Technologies. Their stories are woven throughout the book so you become familiar with them and develop empathy for the way they respond to the challenges they face. As you progress through the chapters of the book, you continue to reflect on these stories, and ask yourself how well the behaviors practiced by the protagonists mesh with your own interests and character. You will find in this book unique insights into the process of creating economic value with technology, both as an independent entrepreneur or as part of a team from an established company. If the former, this book should improve your chances for success. If the latter, the book should help you distinguish yourself with prospective employers. By the end of the book, you should have accomplished the following: Learned the basics of entrepreneurship within the context of the unique advantages and challenges posed by advanced technology; Gained skills in the analysis of interesting business cases that continue throughout the book and build interest and build understanding as new subjects are addressed; Enjoy the author's unique ability to communicate concisely and persuasively and provide interesting examples to illustrate key points; Gained experience working through the issues facing entrepreneurs in the diverse multidisciplinary world they must master in order to succeed; Developed sufficient understanding and insight to prepare a business model for an independent venture you might actually like to start or for a venture launched from an existing enterprise that you might like to lead. Finally, this book is unique because it is so down to earth and interesting. By weaving the comprehensive case studies with the technical and theoretical content, the author captures your imagination and piques your curiosity so that you are curious to learn how Bolin and Gunderson were able to address the key topics that form the basis for each chapter. This book is super!