The New Business Road Test What entrepreneurs and executives should do before writing a business plan

by Mullins, John

• ISBN13: 9780273732792
• ISBN10: 027373279X
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-07
• Publisher: FT Press

Summary

Starting your own business is a daunting task. No matter how talented you are, no matter how much capital you have, no matter how good your business plan is, if you're pursuing a fundamentally flawed opportunity you're heading for failure. So before spending time and money on a new enterprise it's vital to know if your idea is actually going to work in practice.

The New Business Road Test shows you how to avoid the obvious mistakes that everyone else makes. The new edition of this best-selling textbook features:

• A new version of the 7 domains model.

• Updated case studies that reflect the changes that have happened in the last four years.

• Chapter 13 has been rewritten to make the Industry Analysis Checklist more understandable.

• A new author run companion website for readers to access extra information.

"Ideal for those who want to test the longevity of a business plan." The Entrepreneur, June 2010

"...offers a smart way to quickly assess what might and might not work. The distinction between markets and industries (the former is a collection of buyers, the latter of sellers) is typical of the quality of approach here". Director Magazine, July/August 2010

Author Biography

John Mullins, a veteran of three entrepreneurial ventures, teaches and studies entrepreneurship and the management and financing of rapidly growing businesses, as a professor, at the London Business School and the University of Denver. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a PhD in Marketing from the University of Minnesota. He is co-author of Marketing Management: A strategic decision making approach (McGraw Hill/ Irwin 2002) and of Marketing Strategy' A decision focused approach (McGraw Hill/ Irwin 2002). 

Table of Contents

Why read this book?	p. ix
Author's acknowledgements	p. xvi
Publisher's acknowledgements	p. xix
Road test your new business idea	p. 1
My opporturnity: Why will or won't this work?	p. 3
Will the fish bite?	p. 25
Is this a good market?	p. 51
Is this a good industry?	p. 77
How long will your advantage last?	p. 103
What drives your entrepreneurial dream?	p. 129
Can you and your team execute?	p. 147
Your connections matter: Which matter most?	p. 171
Putting the seven domains to work to develop your opportunity	p. 189
What to do before you write your business plan	p. 207
Toolkits for your road test	p. 225
How to learn what you don't know you don't know	p. 227
Market analysis worksheet	p. 241
Industry analysis checklist	p. 245
Determining the viability of your business model	p. 255
Do-it-yourself marketing research for your new business road test	p. 263
Evidence-based forecasting	p. 277
Getting help wfth your road test	p. 289
Appendix - Research methodology	p. 291
Notes	p. 293
Index	p. 307
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