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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: $15.80
You Save: $10.20 (39%)
Buy New/Used from $14.83
Avg. Customer Rating:  (38 reviews)
Sales Rank: 40071
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6 x 0.9
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 33 more reviews...
Sobering October 21, 2008
Scott Shane's work "Illusions of Entrepreneurship" was a valuable, yet sobering, addition to my library and knowledge base. He shines the light on many of the leading myths of entrepreneurship that scholars, practioners, and practioner-scholars such as myself proport.
Its enjoyable to read. Somewhat fun, its a good book to hammer through for practioners, policy makers, and academics alike. Supported by "facts" and research, it will lead one to rethink the link between entrepreneurship and economic development for beginners.
As a Ph.D. student researching entrepreneurship, innovation and regional development, I found this book valuable in helping me to question many of my basic assumptions that I took for granted. I also found Scott's Seminar in Entrepreneurship Research that I attended in 2007 in Cleveland to be helpful as well.
One of my takeaways as an entrepreneurship and innovation researcher was a renewed question and interest in methods. The entrepreneurs and related activites at the middle of the bellcurve are really not that interesting. What matters are the outliers. The use of empirical methods, the preferred way to go now amongst academic researchers, in order to better understand high impact entrepreneurship, is really not helpful. Qualitative methods and creative exploring will help us better understand these outliers.
-Michael Clouser, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Edinburgh, Centre for Entrepreneurship Research, University of Edinburgh; Research Associate, Edinburgh-Stanford Link, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh. Edinburgh, Scotland.
NOT FOR CHARLATANS October 7, 2008
This is a great book! Its about time that someone put together a book that offers a realistic perspective on starting a business! Its a quick and easy read and offers some great ideas for increasing the odds that the business you start will be succesful.
 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 8 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.
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