A fascinating collage of stories about 100 of our most successful entrepreneurs - individuals who have made $25 million or more launching new enterprises. From Rose Blumkin, 91, founder of the Nebraska Furniture Company, to Star Wars mogul George Lucas, the book profiles successful entrepreneurs, revealing their work histories, personalities, personal backgrounds, and quotes that offer blue chip advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. The book also shows why the US economy is ripe for entrepreneurs now, identifying 10 entrepreneurial traits, and describing the step-by-step process most entrepreneurs go through to get where they are.

This pioneering work provides an index to over 1,700 biographies of prominent U.S. entrepreneurs, innovators and company executives published in over 120 biographical collected works which are identified, examined, and indexed here. These collected works cover a span of over 100 years and include men and women who shaped the history of American enterprise. In the past, collected works such as these have never been indexed but, finally, this book makes the biographies accessible to the general public. Wahib Nasrallah has created the only book available today that indexes these stories of corporate success as they are documented in collected works of biography. A large number of executive biographies are published in collected works that are rich with stories of American enterprise, male and female entrepreneurs of many ethnic backgrounds. Since these stories have never been indexed before, United States Entrepreneurs and the Companies They Built: An Index to Biographies and Collected Works is a central research tool in both academic and corporate worlds.

What qualities does it take to be a successful entrepreneur? Are some business ideas better than others, and how can I pick the one that's right for me? How do I obtain financing to start a business? How do I write a successful business plan? What is the secret to finding and keeping customers? How do I find, hire, motivate, and retain great employees? For answers to these and other critical questions on the minds of every entrepreneur and aspiring business owner today, there is no better source than those who have been there and done it. Few entrepreneurs have achieved the level of business success realized by the gurus covered here. Now you can find out what they have to say about the most practical aspects of starting and succeeding in the business of your dreams. The Guru Guide(TM) to Entrepreneurship is an indispensable source of inspiration and ideas for anyone who runs, or dreams of running, a business of their own. Some of the Gurus you'll meet: Paul Allen, cofounder, Microsoft Corporation J. Walter Anderson, cofounder, White Castle Mary Kay Ash, founder, Mary Kay Cosmetics Jeff Bezos, founder, Amazon.com Richard Branson, founder, the Virgin Group Charles Brewer, founder, Mindspring.com Warren Buffett, owner, Berkshire Hathaway Ben Cohen, cofounder, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Michael Dell, founder, Dell Computers Debbi Fields, founder, Mrs. Fields Cookies, Inc. Bill Gates, cofounder, Microsoft Corporation Earl Graves, founder, Black Enterprise Steve Jobs, cofounder, Apple Computer, Inc. Herb Kelleher, founder, Southwest Airlines Phil Knight, cofounder, Nike Corporation Ray Kroc, founder, McDonald's Corporation Edwin Land, founder, Polaroid Corporation Charles Lazarus, founder, Toys "R" Us Bill Lear, founder, Lear Jet Corporation Tom Monaghan, founder, Domino's Pizza Akio Morita, cofounder, Sony Corporation Fred Smith, founder, Federal Express Thomas Stemberg, cofounder, Staples, Inc. Dave Thomas, founder, Wendy's International, Inc. Jay Van Andel, cofounder, Amway Corporation Sam Walton, founder, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Professor Landrum begins with biographical overviews of a dozen of the most interesting and powerful entrepreneurs of recent vintage. He identifies their unique eccentricities and then shows the personality traits that they all have in common. These are the attributes that constitute the genius of the great entrepreneur. To enable you to compare your personality attributes with those of the great entrepreneurs who have achieved billionaire status, Professor Landrum has included in this book a self-assessment exercise. Book jacket.

To effectuate is to engage in a specific type of entrepreneurial action. It has special importance for situations where the future is truly unknowable or human agency is of primary importance. In this new and updated edition of the bestselling Effectuation, Saras Sarasvathy explores the theory and techniques of non-predictive control for creating new firms, markets and economic opportunities.

Since Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi published the groundbreaking Flow more than a decade ago, world leaders such as Tony Blair and former President Clinton, and influential sports figures like Super Bowl champion coach Jimmy Johnson have all been inspired by the book. In today's corporate upheaval, a new business paradigm is evolving. While many CEOs are being exposed for their greed, truly visionary leaders believe in a goal that benefits themselves as well as others. They realize that it is their vision and "soul" that attract loyal employees willing to go above and beyond the call of corporate duty. And their employees are realizing the same thing: while 80 percent of adults claim they'd work even if they didn't have to, the majority of them can hardly wait to leave their jobs and get home. Good Business starts with the premise that this is an age in which business and work have replaced religion and politics as central forces in contemporary life. The book reveals how business leaders, managers, and even employees can find their "flow" and contribute not only to their own happiness, but also to a just and evolving society. It identifies the factors crucial to the operation of a good business: trust, the commitment to fostering the personal growth of employees, and the dedication to creating a product that helps mankind. Good Business is sure to become a must-read text for anyone who values the positive contributions of individuals in the changing world of business.