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Select One (and Only
One) Opportunity
Y
ou learned from the previous chapter that there is a difference between
just any idea and an idea that fits your personal objectives, skills, risk
tolerance, and passions. Now your task is to scrutinize the idea even more
closely to determine whether it is an entrepreneurial opportunity. The term
opportunity has a distinct meaning in entrepreneurship. Opportunities have
inherent characteristics that enable them to be converted into positive, sus-
tainable Money Machines in the right hands and under the right conditions.
Consider the following case study of a real situation, and then ask yourself
whether the two entrepreneurs, Mark and Larry, have a true entrepreneurial
opportunity.
C ASE S TUDY:PLASTECHNOLOGY
1
MARCH 31, 2008
Even the most casual observer could see the stress and frustration carved
on their faces. Mark Greene and Larry Quinn were sitting in Caf
´
e Vittorio
anxiously poring over their business plan. They desperately wanted to be in
business for themselves but couldn’t figure out what to do and how to do it.
“So, what should we do?” asked Larry. “Should we take a chance and buy
the equipment at auction tomorrow? Quit our jobs and go for it?” “But how
could we support our families?” Mark asked. We could make a proposal to
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