Entrepreneurial management

The hardest part of being an entrepreneur can be learning to turn down business. It is also the only way to survive—and grow.

Finding the hackers, problem-solvers, and other people impatient for change.

The success of Yahoo!, eBay, Enron, and other companies that have become adept at morphing to meet the demands of changing markets can't be explained...

A workshop attendee asked me this seemingly simple question: "So, what else should I read to learn more about innovation?" It's a hard question to answer...

The founder and CEO of Viking Range recalls the eventful words of an early adviser: "You should run this from day one like it's a public company. Treat...

Outsiders make more-drastic changes, but insiders make faster ones.

There is a pervasive belief that innovation is random and unpredictable. Data would seem to support this belief. Ask a venture capitalist what percent...

For years, I’ve been reading about executives who leave their jobs and go into business for themselves, where they find contentment and learn the meaning of life. Now that I’ve done it, I’m here to tell you it isn’t quite that easy. I was on the corporate fast track for almost 30 years, and now […]

Two years ago, Jonathan Seelig left business school to cofound Akamai Technologies. Today, the company is worth $20 billion.

It’s a way to test out products that will eventually be sold to larger customers.

AllerGen, a young biotechnology firm, is heading for trouble, possibly even bankruptcy. The company's one product--a vaccine for people allergic to cats--may...

And you're probably misreading Robert Frost.

Stephen Greer's Hong Kong-based scrap-metal-recycling company, Hartwell Pacific, was enjoying a period of fantastic growth in the late 1990s: Within 18...

Connections boost credibility but scare away some customers.

The success of Yahoo!, eBay, Enron, and other companies that have become adept at morphing to meet the demands of changing markets can't be explained...

A special breed of adviser helps entrepreneurs with everything from recruiting talent to negotiating the first million in seed money. These “mentor capitalists” often spell the difference between success and failure. What they do—and how—may surprise you.

Salespeople writing fake sales orders. Cashiers “borrowing” from incoming revenues. Production workers leaving the factory with spare parts and finished products. These were among the control problems that dogged the author of this article over 12 years of running his company. Ironically, they occurred not during business crises but during periods of growth and prosperity. […]

Before the days of the Internet, it was primarily venture capitalists who coached young entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. Today, because of the phenomenal...

There are some things a big company can do better than a startup.

Your startup doesn't need a bartender.