Good starting point for those who want to consider starting their own business. Slightly too academic.

Although much of the material in this book can be found in other places and it's high level (as noted by a previous reviewer), the content is high quality and it's helpful to see it pulled together in one place. As a serial entrepreneur, I often rely on HBS publications. While some tend to be more academic than practical in nature, this book does a nice job balancing the two. It contains a lot of solid information based on academic research, yet places it into a context where it is useful to a practicing entrepreneur. If you are an entrepreneur seeking to start or grow a venture, this book is worth a read and is likely to provide a meaningful ROI.

Steven K. Gold
Author, Entrepreneur's Notebook: Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture

As I am finding with all of the Harvard Business Review series, this book is a high level overview that serves as a general guide or summary to the practice. I have seen all of this material in other books, and there is no innovative thought or fresh strategy offered. I gave it a high rating because it is great for someone that is just starting on this subject.

I am at the point to run the first round of non-founder funding for my 5-year-old start-up when I grabbed this book off the bookstore's shelf. The author clearly understood the process of building a business, and knows how to get outside investors interested in a start-up. One interesting viewpoint the author held was that VCs are the most expensive financial aid a start-up can find, and offered alternatives to getting VC's funding. In the end the author addresses ways an entrepreneur can be really paid off for the efforts invested, both by way of IPO and by non-IPO means. In general, I find this book very helpful to help one understand many faces of starting up.