Entrepreneurship

Theory

• Researchers (Clay Christensen, Jeff Dyer and Hal Gregersen) have identified five habits of mind that characterise disruptive innovators: associating, questioning, observing, networking and experimenting. Read a quick review of their study, "The Innovator's DNA", by The Economist.


• Entrepreneurs give their views on how innovation helped their business: The Innovation Toolkit: the how-to guide to innovation.


• 6 basic characteristics of a "Maximally Buyable Product"


• Paul Graham on startups and growth


• Fred Wilson on user engagement metrics


• SaaS startups metrics & cohort analysis


• Top 12 Traits of The Best SaaS Websites

Books

The Art of the Deal (Donal J Trump, 1987)

« I don't do it for the money. I've got enough, much more than I'll ever need. I do it to do it. »
In this captivating, intemporal book, Donald Trump explains in great detail some of the deals he has made, from initial discovery to closure.
see extracts

Enter the Dragon (Theo Paphitis, 2008)

Alongside his auto-biography, UK angel investor Theo Paphitis proposes 11 rules for business success, all derived from his effective down-to-earth approach.
see extracts

General purpose

• Outsourcing skills, projects, by hiring contractors: oDesk, global marketplace that helps employers hire, manage, and pay remote freelancers or teams


• Setting up "virtual" phone numbers (you can choose from various country codes) and call forwarding (ex: to you mobile number): Skype Online Numbers


• E-commerce solutions:

  • e-junkie.com - their shopping cart has a built-in VAT, packaging and shipping cost calculator. Cost-effective.

  • 1Shoppingcart.com - shopping cart software, shipping cost calculator + online marketing tools (emails, affiliates, etc).

• Intellectual property

  IP rights fall into 4 categories: patents (functional, technical aspects), trade marks (brands, logos, jingles, domain names, slogans), designs (visual appearance) and copyright (does not protect ideas, but particular expressions of ideas, such as texts).
  Some of these rights arise automatically, whereas others can only be granted by official bodies. For the latter, it is often the case that rights can only apply in the country which is home to the official body granting the rights; therefore, for global protection, it appears necessary to seek protection in each country (although some international protection is sometimes possible).
  Beware: When resorting to a contractor (e.g. for a website), make sure you will own the IP rights; legally, the contractor would retain ownership unless a contract is explicit to the contrary.
  

  ™ : unregistered trade mark — ® : registered trade mark

  • European Union Intellectual Property Office

  • Intellectual Property Office (IPO) (UK)

Funding

Crowdfunding

• Crowd Cube

Entrepreneurs of newly formed and growing small businesses can gain access to finance by aggregating small amounts from ordinary people.

• Seed Ups

Crowdfunding platform for tech startups and high net worth technology investors.

Angel investment & Venture Capital

(for proven ideas, in need of funding for growth)

• Angels Den (worldwide but mainly in the UK)

Connects business owners who need funding with over 4500 high net worth business angels who can invest finance and knowledge. One of the largest global business angel networks.

• Eden Ventures (UK and Europe)

Invests in early stage technology companies; its main areas of focus are telecommunications software, enterprise software and SaaS, digital media and e-commerce, internet and mobile, social media and media.

• Oxford Technology (UK)

Manages a 30 million fund specialised in early stage technology companies in the United Kingdom. It can invest between 100K and 2 million in suitable companies, plus appropriate follow-on investments.

• Having high net worth individuals invest in the company via the EIS (Enterprise Investment Scheme); shares in the company would be reserved for EIS.

Bootstrapping, maxed-out overdrafts. .

Geographies

• Doing business in Europe: Country & city guide: overview, economy, infrastructure, workforce, costs, standard of living, local resources, etc


• Startups.co.uk (UK)

Provides independent advice, tools and information for startups, small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs on growth strategies, funding, sales & marketing, the latest in digital technology, law, etc.

• UK Business Forums (UK): small business forums for community discussion and networking


• Tech Nation (UK): support for businesses leveraging digital technology


• Retail Focus (UK): retail news and lists of suppliers to retail companies, by category


• Daltons business (UK - national and international): list of businesses for sale


• L'Entreprise (French)


• Doing business in Hong Kong: InvestHK: information & resources for any business seeking entry to Hong Kong