Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 Steps to a Successful Startup

STEP 0

Getting Started

THREE WAYS TO START A NEW VENTURE

When I listen to my students, I hear a diverse range of reasons as to why they are interested in entrepreneurship. Some students have worked in one industry for years and want a change. Some want to push their skills to the maximum and have the biggest impact on the world. Some want to be their own boss. Some hold patents and are interested in the different ways they can commercialize them. Some have an idea about how their own life could be improved and they wonder if that idea is interesting to others.

All of these reasons can be synthesized into three distinct categories (see Table 0.1):

1. Have an Idea: You have thought of something new that can change the world—or some small part of it—in a positive way, or something that can improve an existing process you're familiar with and you want to implement it.
2. Have a Technology: You have come up with a technological breakthrough and want to capitalize on it, or simply expedite its ...