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| The Illusions of Entrepreneurship: The Costly Myths That Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By | 
 enlarge | Author: Scott A. Shane
Publisher: Yale University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $26.00
Buy New: $15.00
You Save: $11.00 (42%)
Buy New/Used from $15.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  (36 reviews)
Sales Rank: 83598
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.2 x 1
ISBN: 0300113315
Dewey Decimal Number: 658.11
EAN: 9780300113310
ASIN: 0300113315
Publication Date: January 28, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
There are far more entrepreneurs than most people realize. But the failure rate of new businesses is disappointingly high, and the economic impact of most of them disappointingly low, suggesting that enthusiastic would-be entrepreneurs and their investors all too often operate under a false set of assumptions. This book shows that the reality of entrepreneurship is decidedly different from the myths that have come to surround it. Scott Shane, a leading expert in entrepreneurial activity in the United Statesand other countries, draws on the data from extensive research to provide accurate, useful information about who becomes an entrepreneur and why, how businesses are started, which factors lead to success, and which predict a likely failure. The Illusions of Entrepreneurship is an essential resource for everyone who has dreamed of starting a new business, for investors in start-ups, for policy makers attempting to facilitate the formation and survival of new businesses, and for researchers interested in the economic impact of entrepreneurial activity. Scott Shane offers research-based answers to these questions and many others: Why do people start businesses? What industries are popular for start-ups? How many jobs do new businesses create? How do entrepreneurs finance their start-ups? What makes some locations and some countries more entrepreneurial than others? What are the characteristics of the typical entrepreneur? How well does the typical start-up perform? What strategies contribute to the survival and profitability of new businesses over time?
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| Customer Reviews: Read 31 more reviews...
 So Repetitive September 4, 2008
This book is the perfect example of the folks whose communication style goes like this: they tell you what they are going to tell you, they tell you, and then they tell you what they told you! And just for good measure (or to fill up more pages) this guy adds a numerical list of what he told you! Since the hardcover version I have runs just 165 pages before endnotes, you have to wonder if this is really a business magazine article, stretched waaaayyyyy out.
From reading business and economic development literature, I have often seen a distinction made between lifestyle entrepreneurs and other entrepreneurs. Shane makes no such distinction and I think the statistics he uses to bust myths are highly questionable. Do we really think policy-making in this important area should conflate every attorney who hangs a shingle to do real estate closings or draft wills, with businesses that aspire to develop new products, technologies?
On the other hand, if you are reading this because you want to leave your law firm and open a solo practice, or sell baked goods prepared in your home (lifestyle entrepreneurs) this book could be quite useful.
 The illusions of entrepreneurship August 17, 2008
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
Totally crap book. All based on stupid opinions that dont have solid grounding or come across even realistic.
The book starts you off with throwing out an opinion that america is not entrepreneural due to the graphs the book provides. A graph showing people starting business ranging from 3-11%. Find me a country that has 50% of their population as self employed.
Then the rest of the book ends up stating opinions like why dont women start more businesses and having a load of crap opinions backing it up.
You are better off with a book on economics, then seek out a business lawyer or business conferences because even the most undemocratic governments have people with business which means anyone can start a business on any government.
What i would say 1 of the reason that makes america good for business is the ease of movement of goods from 1 part of the country to the next. Also the easiness of starting a business. Some countries have so much red taping that, its really a tuff road.
 Interesting read if you're considering entrepreneurship July 6, 2008
I found this book to be an interesting read for people considering becoming entrepreneurs. It is filled with data points that are not very well know. I would take some of conclusions with a grain of salt, as some of the data backing it is not all that solid. However, the author does mention when the data is not extensive.
It's not a guide to entrepreneurship and if you aren't sold on starting your own business, then it will probably seem rather gloomy. However, it's a good eye opener if you have a decent job and have considered starting a company just to not have to work for somebody else. Would defeinitely recommend it if you are thinking about starting your own business but are on the fence.
The conclusion set forth in the end seemed a bit rushed (it's all mentioned in the last 2 pages) but I think the previous chapters are worth it.
It also has a lot of references (almost half the book pages are filled with references), so depending on what kind of reader you are, that might be (or not) a good thing.
Why do people start businesses? May 6, 2008
Why do people start businesses? Why doesn't the high failure rate dampen their enthusiasm? "The Illusions of Entrepreneurship: The Costly Myths That Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By" is an examination of modern entrepreneurship and what makes it all tick. Taking a good, long look at the reality of it all, "The Illusion of Entrepreneurship : The Costly Myths That Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By" takes into account the industries that are popular for start up, how they are financed, the characteristics of an entrepreneur, and strategies for new businesses to survive when they first start. Scholarly written and researched, "The Illusion of Entrepreneurship: The Costly Myths that Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Policy Makers Live By" is highly recommended for any community library collection with an interest in economics and business, and should be required reading for any aspiring entrepreneur.
Believe or not, we study entrepreneurship, but much of our implicit belief about entrepreneurship turned out to be wrong May 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was drawn to this book when Dr. Shane gave us a quiz about the FACTS of entrepreneurship. Believe it or not, although many of us might have thought we were savvy in entrepreneurship, we got almost none of the questions correct. After that, I placed a pre-order for this book and waited for months before this book was first in print and available. It was quite a worthwhile.
What we got wrong? If you read the book you will understand why many of us got them wrong. His data (much of them from public sources) basically strikes you like this:
* Can you believe the most entrepreneurial state in the US is not California, nor Massachusetts, but Vermont?
* Can you believe U.S. is not the most entrepreneurial country in the word, but instead three times less entrepreneurial than the top country? (The book uses various measures of entrepreneurial activities)
...
This long list of debuted myths are summarized in the end of each chapter.
Most important, each chapter explains WHY the myths turn out to be wrong. Without these explanations, the book would become simply a stack of striking facts that you found hard to believe. What makes this book highly insightful and convincing is that the author not only points out what is the truth based on reliable data, but also tells us why the surprising truth makes sense.
Certainly, to buy in his points, you need to first buy in how the author defines entrepreneurship--starting a new (for-profit) organization, including self-employment, etc. This is a fair definition in the research on entrepreneurship.
If you teach entrepreneurship or related courses, the book will be a perfect tool for you to draw students' interest. Students become more involved and learn more when their stereotype mental model is challenged with a sound reason.
One more thing to note: The author has a notable merit across his writings: clear, and easy to follow. This book is of no exception. You can easily grab what he wants to say in this book even when you read it when traveling on a plane or before going to bed.
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