This landmark research volume provides the first detailed history of entrepreneurship in Britain from the nineteenth century to the present. Using a remarkable new database of more than nine million entrepreneurs, it gives new understanding to the development of Britain as the world’s ‘first industrial nation’. Based on the first long-term whole-population analysis of British small business, it uses novel methods to identify from the 10-yearly population census the two to four million people per year who operated businesses in the period 1851–1911. Using big data analytics, it reveals how British businesses evolved over time, supplementing the census-derived data on individuals with other sources on companies and business histories. By comparing to modern data, it reveals how the late-Victorian period was a ‘golden age’ for smaller and medium-sized business, driven by family firms, the accelerating participation of women and the increasing use of incorporation as significant vehicles for development. A unique resource and citation for future research on entrepreneurship, of crucial significance to economic development policies for small business around the world, and above all the key entry point for researchers to the database which is deposited at the UK Data Archive, this major publication will change our understanding of the scale and economic significance of small businesses in the nineteenth century.

Entrepreneurship plays an exceptional role in the development of economies and is a vital source of change in all aspects of society. This book tries to facilitate a fundamental rethinking of entrepreneurial activity and how it is manifested. It addresses a critical shortcoming in much of the research, education, and economic development work that deals with entrepreneurship. Instead of the general theories of entrepreneurship, the book lays a foundation for developing theories of different kinds of entrepreneurial ventures. As the reader navigates these pages, he or she should hopefully broaden their entrepreneurial landscape and identify critical factors that drive contemporary entrepreneurship.

A Brief History of Entrepreneurship charts how the pursuit of profit by private individuals has been a prime mover in revolutionizing civilization. Entrepreneurs often butt up against processes, technologies, social conventions, and even laws. So they circumvent, innovate, and violate to obtain what they want. This creative destruction has brought about overland and overseas trade, colonization, and a host of revolutionary technologies—from caffeinated beverages to the personal computer—that have transformed society. Consulting rich archival sources, including some that have never before been translated, Carlen maps the course of human history through nine episodes when entrepreneurship reshaped our world. Highlighting the most colorful characters of each era, he discusses Mesopotamian merchants' creation of the urban market economy; Phoenician merchant-sailors intercontinental trade, which came to connect Africa, Asia, and Europe; Chinese tea traders' invention of paper money; the colonization of the Americas; and the current "flattening" of the world's economic playing field. Yet the pursuit of profit hasn't always moved us forward. From slavery to organized crime, Carlen explores how entrepreneurship can sometimes work at the expense of others. He also discusses the new entrepreneurs who, through the nascent space tourism industry, are leading humanity to a multiplanetary future. By exploring all sides of this legacy, Carlen brings much-needed detail to the role of entrepreneurship in revolutionizing civilization.

24 Steps to Success! Disciplined Entrepreneurship will change the way you think about starting a company. Many believe that entrepreneurship cannot be taught, but great entrepreneurs aren’t born with something special – they simply make great products. This book will show you how to create a successful startup through developing an innovative product. It breaks down the necessary processes into an integrated, comprehensive, and proven 24-step framework that any industrious person can learn and apply. You will learn: Why the “F” word – focus – is crucial to a startup’s success Common obstacles that entrepreneurs face – and how to overcome them How to use innovation to stand out in the crowd – it’s not just about technology Whether you’re a first-time or repeat entrepreneur, Disciplined Entrepreneurship gives you the tools you need to improve your odds of making a product people want. Author Bill Aulet is the managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship as well as a senior lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management. For more please visit http://disciplinedentrepreneurship.com/

From Silicon Valley leader Maynard Webb, how we can leverage technology to change how we work Maynard Webb has always been the go-to guy when Silicon Valley companies have thorny problems. Whether revamping eBay's crashing servers (transforming their technology weaknesses into a competitive strength) or investing in emerging technology start-ups, Webb brings strategic and operational savvy to every issue and venture. In his first book, Webb brings this same focus to tackle outdated models of work, created a century ago, which no longer sync up with either individual or employers' needs. Through a unique framework, Webb identifies 4 different mindsets around work (the company man, CEO of your own destiny, disenchanted employee, and the aspiring entrepreneur). It organizes those who are self-motivated versus those who are waiting to be discovered and aims to give readers the tools to become more self-actualized, happier, and ultimately more fulfilled in their careers. In identifying a paradigm shift that is already under way, Webb demonstrates clearly how to harness technology to embrace our own personal happiness, allowing people to become more productive at work and also spend more time with their families. Contains a framework that demonstrates how we can leverage technology to create better job opportunities and foster more balanced lives Written by Maynard Webb, chairman of LiveOps, former COO of e-Bay, founder of Webb Investment Network (WIN), and board member of Yahoo! and salesforce.com Includes personalized worksheets and empowering action-oriented advice Rebooting Work reveals how anyone can take control of his or her own future, finding greater fulfillment, productivity, and happiness.

Entrepreneurship is in chaos. The past and the outdated rules are holding you back.Learn what's different about entrepreneurship today.Master the New Rules of Modern EntrepreneurshipLearn how to thrive and succeed as a modern entrepreneur - a Metapreneur.

Super Founders uses a data-driven approach to understand what really differentiates billion-dollar startups from the rest—revealing that nearly everything we thought was true about them is false! Ali Tamaseb has spent thousands of hours manually amassing what may be the largest dataset ever collected on startups, comparing billion-dollar startups with those that failed to become one—30,000 data points on nearly every factor: number of competitors, market size, the founder’s age, his or her university’s ranking, quality of investors, fundraising time, and many, many more. And what he found looked far different than expected. Just to mention a few: Most unicorn founders had no industry experience; There's no disadvantage to being a solo founder or to being a non-technical CEO; Less than 15% went through any kind of accelerator program; Over half had strong competitors when starting--being first to market with an idea does not actually matter. You will also hear the stories of the early days of billion-dollar startups first-hand. The book includes exclusive interviews with the founders/investors of Zoom, Instacart, PayPal, Nest, Github, Flatiron Health, Kite Pharma, Facebook, Stripe, Airbnb, YouTube, LinkedIn, Lyft, DoorDash, Coinbase, and Square, venture capital investors like Elad Gil, Peter Thiel, Alfred Lin from Sequoia Capital and Keith Rabois of Founders Fund, as well as previously untold stories about the early days of ByteDance (TikTok), WhatsApp, Dropbox, Discord, DiDi, Flipkart, Instagram, Careem, Peloton, and SpaceX. Packed with counterintuitive insights and inside stories from people who have built massively successful companies, Super Founders is a paradigm-shifting and actionable guide for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone interested in what makes a startup successful.