| Venture Capital Related | |
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Venture Capital Handbook: An entrepreneurs guide to obtaining capital to start a business, buy a business, or expand an
existing business. David Gladstone, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1988. ISBN: 0139415017. Price: $32.95 (soft cover). Provides a detailed checklist of the items to be included in a venture package from a professional investorÌs perspective. |
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Venture Capital Investing: The complete handbook for investing in small private businesses for outstanding profits. David Gladstone,
Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1988. ISBN: 0-13-941428-2. Price: $39.95 (hardcover). This book for would-be investors discusses the venture capitalist's approach to investing in private companies and includes a chapter on due-diligence questions. |
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Zero Gravity Ò Riding Venture Capital from High-Tech startup to breakout IPO. Not only gives a Silicon Valley perspective on the process, but
includes pre-money valuations for a list of key firms from the VentureOne database at a fraction of the cost to access that tool. About a quarter of the book is a VC list, which is available in
other places. The interviews with VCs is probably the most valuable element. IÌve only skimmed it, but it sits as a resource on the shelf. ISBN: 1-57660-032-7. Price: $21.56. |
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Confessions of a Venture Capitalist: Inside the High-Stakes World of Start-up Financing by Ruthann Quindlen $20.76 218 pages 1st edition (May 15, 2000), Warner Books; ISBN: 0446526800. A womenÌs perspective on being Ïin the VC biz. Many great tidbits and according to one reviewer: "This book might save you some money. For example: It will save you the $795 Garage.com fee, the 2% the guy writing the business plan wants, the 10% commission the guy raising money wants, the $5000 Industry Standard conference fee, the $4,000 a day consultant, the 3% the law firm wants." ThatÌs not a bad return on $20. |
| Click Here | Pratts Guide to Venture Capital Sources, 2000 Edition. Venture Economics, a division of Thompson Financial, ISBN: 0914470094. Price: $575 One of the most well recognized directory of venture capital firms. The hardcover version can beat the fatigue of surfing the web, though is measurably slower to access. The CD-Rom is worth its weight in gold for consultants doing work for clients. YouÌll find a host of alternative sources and example downloads at their web link as well: http://www.ventureeconomics.com/ |
| Click Here | Corporate DirectorÌs Guidebook. American Bar Association, ISBN 0-89707-9949. Great resource I hand to clients who are new to boards and private investing. Covers responsibilities of directors, legal duties, director rights, committees, and securities Ò all packed into a 1/4" book - Cliff Notes for Directors. Price: $19.95. |
| Entrepreneurship - High Tech Startups | |
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** The Silicon Valley Way. Elton B. Sherwin, Jr. Prima Publishing, 1998. ISBN: 0-7615-1272-1. Excellent text for first-time entrepreneurs that takes you through the 7 key questions seasoned Silicon Valley executives ask before jumping into a new venture. Quick read that is literally worth hundreds of dollars and should be a prerequisite before any new team embarks on a fund raising mission. Must Have - The First Book You Should Buy!! A mere $20. We met at the Garage.com opening party in 1998. Order Here. |
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The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship: Complete coverage of what the leading business schools teach about entrepreneurship, 1997. William D. Bygrave, John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 0471160784. Hard Cover Price: $27.95. Excellent, professionally written text that covers the full range of issues related to financing a startup Ò from venture capital to debt financing. We visited during my visit to Babson in 1996. |
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* High Tech Startup. The complete how-to handbook for creating successful new high tech companies.
John L. Nesheim, Electronic Trend Publications, San Jose, CA. 1992. ISBN: 068487170X. Price: $50.00. The book contains difficult to obtain capital and wage structures of several successful companies like Microsoft, Oracle and Silicon Graphics before they went public. 800-726-6858 http://www.electronictrendpubs.com |
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Perks and Parachutes - Negotiating Your Best Possible Employment Deal, John Tarrant. Stonesong Press/Times Publishing. ISBN: 0-8129-2677-3. A great book that explains how top CEOs really get paid. Covers the ins and outs of employment agreements with several examples. Since nearly every founder raising venture capital will sign an employment agreement, why not put it in your favor? Price: $25. |
| Click Here | Launching New Ventures: An Entrepreneurial Approach. Kathleen Allen, Upstart Publishing Company, Chicago, IL, (800) 448-3181, 1995. ISBN: 0-936894-73-3. Book Cover Price: $32.95. |
| Diagnostics - Interpersonal | |
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The Creative Brain by Ned Herrmann, $26.95. Paperback Rev edition (September 1989), Brain Books; ISBN: 0944850022. This sayÌs paperback, which is an understatement. It is a bible on the human mind and identifying the dominant traits of people. Ned Herrmann developed a visual diagnostic framework for comparing personalities and developing teams. Investors can use their simple diagnostic located on their web site to easily spot misplaced entrepreneurs. Meek and mild anal accountants trying to play "Type A" CEO show up like a beacon with this tool. Why not make this a part of your due diligence process? Take the diagnostic online and compare yourself to other famous entrepreneurs. http://www.hbdi.com |
| Strategic Alliances | |
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* Fast Alliances: Power Your E-Business, by Larraine D. Segil, $22.36. Hardcover - 240 pages 11 edition (December 22, 2000) ,
John Wiley & Sons; ISBN: 0471396834. Literally a cook book on how to do strategic alliances at internet speed. One of the few strategy books to include a CD-Rom. Author is definitely promoting her consulting business (http://www.larrainesegil.com) Useful and worth your time if youÌre doing deals. |
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Smart Alliances: A Practical Guide to Repeatable Success (Jossey-Bass Business & Management Series) by John R. Harbison, Jr. Peter Pekar, $28.00, Hardcover - 167 pages 1 Ed edition (November 1998) , Jossey-Bass; ISBN: 0787943266. Written by Booz Allen consultants, with simple graphics and writing, gives a great overview on the variety of alliances and their structures. Great strategy book. |
| Internet Economy | |
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New Rules for the New Economy: 10 Radical Strategies for a Connected World, by Kevin Kelly, $15.95, Hardcover - 179 pages (November 1998), Viking Pr; ISBN: 0670881112. A staple book followed its debut article in Wired back in the heyday in1998. Was absorbed and appreciated by all for its foresight. Certainly influenced many who have since written books that have led this knowledge to be common among e-commerce industry vets. AuthorÌs web site: http://www.well.com/user/kk/ |
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Net.Gain: Expanding Markets Through Virtual Communities, John Hagel and Arthur Armstrong, Harvard Business School Press, 1997. ISBN: 0-87584-759-5. Price: $19.95. A former leading book that took Silicon Valley by storm and certainly led to the development of many DotComs and their subsequent failures. Demystifies the "increasing returns" business model used by AOL, Amazon.com, Motley Fool, Microsoft, and many others. Somehow after reading this, we feel like we're much smarter today than in 1997. |
| Value Drivers | |
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Cracking the Value Code: How Successful Businesses Are Creating Wealth in the New Economy, by Barry D. Libert, Steve M. Samek, barr Libert, Richard E. S. Boulton, $21.60, Hardcover - 261 pages 1st edition (May 2, 2000), Harperbusiness; ISBN: 0066620635. An Arthur Anderson strategy book on value drivers. Much less number intensive by presenting a simple visual framework for describing value. Tightly relates to many of the needs that early-stage companies face in hyper-competitive markets. Word to the wise for private investors who are wondering what value they should be bringing to the table besidesmoney. |
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** In Search of Shareholder Value, by Andrew Black, Philip Wright, Jermyn P. Brooks, John E. Bachman, $23.20, Paperback - 302 pages 2nd edition (January 15, 2001), New York Institute of Finance/Prentice Hall Press; ISBN: 0273650831. A great book by PriceWaterhouseCoopers authors. The authors simplify the number crunching that becomes the bottom line value drivers most often requested by the Board, CEO, and CFO. Lots of graphics and examples that can be used to apply to your situation. |
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Power Pricing: How Managing Price Transforms the Bottom Line, by Robert J. Dolan, Hermann Simon, $32.00, Hardcover - 416 pages (February 1997), Free Press; ISBN: 068483443X. This book has mixed reviews. I liked this book since it is one of the few books that address pricing as a stand-alone topic. Usually itÌs buried in a chapter of a sales book. The author is an academic who dives into some number crunching and introduces techniques like Ïconjoint analysisÓ, without explaining them or giving a web link for more info. Great to stimulate discussion among founders who want to sound smart for VCs when they have sales history to analyze. |
| Strategic Marketing Principals | |
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* Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing, by Harry Beckwith, $16.76, Hardcover - 252 pages (March 1997), Warner Books; ISBN: 0446520942. Aptly named, this book is a compact reference for anyone (i.e. investors, board members, busy entrepreneurs) who need powerful information distilled to a high level. We always talk about the "whole product model", which references the tangible and intangibles that customers buy (i.e. 800-customer support with a laptop). How do you market that intangible stuff? In many cases, the intangible and invisible is more valuable than the product itself (i.e. Evian water...). Good stuff. |
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* Kotler on Marketing: How to Create, Win, and Dominate Markets, by Philip Kotler, $22.00, Hardcover - 257 pages (April 1999), Free Press; ISBN: 0684850338. What bibliography would be complete without a reference to the granddaddy of Marketing Strategy Ò Phillip Kotler. A key reference on marketing best-practices with strategy, tactics and simple examples based on a customer relationship framework in the Internet age. |
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* The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk, by Al Ries, Jack Trout, $11.20, Paperback - 160 pages 1 Pbk Ed edition (May 1994) , Harperbusiness; ISBN: 0887306667. Timeless wisdom. Substitute stock as the product youÌre selling, and youÌve got the foundation for Equity Marketing. Greatly compresses the key factors into a simple "Cliff Notes" for easy travel anywhere. Read periodically and do it. Visit their web site too: http://www.ries.com/ |
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Permission Marketing: Turning Strangers Into Friends, and Friends into Customers, by Seth Godin, Don Peppers, $20.00, 255 pages 1 edition (May 1, 1999) , Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 0684856360. Gives a tactical approach to the adoption problem that all startups building a new brand face. Phrase coined by this book is now common place among entrepreneurs. Quick read, well written, worth it. |
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* Experiential Marketing: How to Get Customers to Sense, Feel, Think, Act, and Relate to Your Company and Brands, by Bernd H. Schmitt, $20.80, 256 pages (August 1999), Free Press; ISBN: 0684854236 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.94 x 9.55 x 6.46. This book gets you to Think, Sense, Feel, Act, and Relate to your customers. Deciphers the process of linking marketing strategy with customer needs based on psychographics. Should be taught to all engineers and b-school students. Enables pricing for maximum value based on experience (whenÌs the last time you paid too much for an experience) Ò could uncover the emotional buying process of investors. Wind surfing never looked so fun! |
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High Visibility: The Making and Marketing of Professionals into Celebrities, by Irving J. Rein, Philip Kotler, Martin Stoller, Phillip Kotler, $19.96, 288 pages (September 1997 Ntc Business Books; ISBN: 0844234486. I liked this book since it gives you a glimpse into the world of managing People Brands, like Michael Jordan and Tom Peters. For consultants, this is the ultimate sign that youÌve made it. While a few Amazon reviewers didnÌt like it, theyÌre probably not celebrity material like you anyway. |
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* Marketing Plans: How to prepare them, How to use them. Malcolm McDonald, Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd., Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, England, 1999. ISBN: 0750641169. Excellent text filled with graphics and charts that systematically outlines the process for developing a sound marketing plan. Walks through the market segmentation process, step by step. Price: $47.95. |
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* Marketing High Technology, an InsiderÌs View. By William H. Davidow, The Free Press Division of Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, 986. ISBN: 002907990X, Price: $28. Absolutely one of the best ever marketing books written by one of the most well respected and well published VCs in Silicon Valley. |
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* Relationship Marketing, Regis McKenna, Addison Wesley Publishing Co., 1991. ISBN: 0-201-62240-8, Price: $13.60. Another great marketing book written by one of the leading VCs (Kleiner Perkins limited partner) in Silicon Valley. Great advice that extends beyond high technology firms. |
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*The Gorilla Game: An Investor's Guide to Picking Winners in High Technology, by Geoffrey A. Moore, Paul Johnson, Tom Kippola, $26.00, 331 pages 1 Ed edition (March 1998), Harperbusiness; ISBN: 0887308872. I always wonder about famous authors that respect who start to produce investment advice with a complimentary web site (www.gorillagame.com is now operated by a forum, Silicon Investor.) I saw Geoff give a presentation on this book and it was awesome. Great foundation for learning how certain VCs strategically look at deals at a high level. Tough to apply, however, as IÌm sure theyÌve discovered. |
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* Inside the Tornado, Geoffrey Moore. HarperBusiness a division of HarperCollins Publishers, 1995. ISBN: 0-88730-765-5. Price: $24.00. Sequel to the Crossing the Chasm. Excellent strategy book, focuses on the details for how to cross the chasm. |
| Psychographics | |
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The Stimulus Factor, by Dr. David Freemantle, $21.60, Paperback - 256 pages 1 edition (December 30, 2000), Financial Times Management; ISBN: 0273649949. This is one of the few books IÌve found that nicely goes into the fundamentals of human motivation and what stimulates people. Whether motivating employees, or seducing customers Òthere are a few nuggets in this book that can help the strategic focus. Written by a seasoned executive and board member of British Caledonian Airways Ò led me to believe that this guy knows what heÌs talking about. |
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Beyond Mind Games: The Marketing of Power of Psychographics, by Rebecca Piirto, $19.95, Paperback Reprint edition (April 1992), Amer Demographics Books; ISBN: 0936889101. This is another hard to find book on market segmentation based on Psychographics (editor claims it was the first on this topic). In the end, demographics falls short as a means of segmentation. Clustering customers into groups based on attitudes, motivation and behavior can be much more successful. Gives a number of great examples of segmentation strategies, such as: Young Strivers, Hopeful Loyalists, Established Adapters, Recent Seekers, etc. |
| Advertising | |
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* Words That Sell: A Thesaurus to Help Promote Your Products, Services, and Ideas, by Richard Bayan, $11.96, Paperback - 136 pages Reprint edition (April 1, 1987), NTC/Contemporary Publishing; ISBN: 0809247992. This is a great thesaurus if youÌre writing ads, brochures, or business plans and need to find that perfect sales phrase. Will pay for itself many times over. No wonder this book is still in print. |
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Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads, by Roy, H. Williams, $13.56, Paperback - 240 pages 1 edition (September 6, 1999), Bard Press; ISBN: 1885167393. When this book came out, I wondered where it had been all this time and I couldnÌt put it down. From the title alone, you can see that this is going to be a fun read. The author gives you a practical toolset on how to execute marketing strategies with ads that work. http://www.wizardofads.com |
| Strategic & Tactical Brand Management | |
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* Firebrands: Building Brand Loyalty in the Internet Age, by Michael Moon, Doug Millison, $23.99, Hardcover - 318 pages (August 14, 2000), Osborne McGraw-Hill; ISBN: 0072124490. Wow. This book was a great find. Written by a San Francisco media asset management consultant with Gistics (www.gistics.com), and a seasoned high tech writer, this book is probably the most visual reference on branding IÌve found yet. Helps place in context all that fuzzy thinking and process design work that makes businesses take off while keeping customers loyal. A lot of dot coms wished they followed these rules. All marketing managers should own a copy. |
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The Handbook of Brand Management (The Economist Books), by David Arnold, $35.00, Hardcover - 259 pages (March 1993), Perseus Pr; ISBN: 0201632799. Another book that proves that brand management experience has been around for a long time, yet is practiced little. VCs manage a portfolio of brands, which they evaluate on a regular basis Ò especially when it comes to making the tough decisions on who doesnÌt get their time or resources. For a busy VC, thereÌs no faster shortcut to sorting companies in the Monday partner meetings when referring to deals based on their brand equity, profitability and capital invested. |
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* The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding: How to Build a Product or Service into a World-Class Brand, by Laura Ries, Al Ries, $20.00, Hardcover - 182 pages 1 Ed edition (October 1998), Harpercollins; ISBN: 0887309372. Investors who allow entrepreneurs to spend millions in building a brand need to consider this book as a guideline for keeping the wheels on the track. Another staple book for your library. http://www.ries.com/ |
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Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity, by Kevin Lane Keller, $60.00, Hardcover - 635 pages 1st edition (November 10, 1997), Prentice Hall; ISBN: 0131201158. This is the textbook (literally) on building brand equity. One of the best resources that investors may wish to read. After all, many of them are left managing brand assets in the end (i.e. Pets.com). Great reviews on the Amazon site as well. |
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**Creating Brand Loyalty: The Management of Power Positioning and Really Great Advertising, by Richard D. Czerniawski, Michael W. Maloney, $19.20, Paperback - 240 pages 1 edition (June 1, 1999), AMACOM; ISBN: 0814405010. A very tactical book that is an absolute must for your library. This book rocks! It takes you through the wow and the how, with templates, tools and examples. Every entrepreneur and MBA student should read this book. Now the tough part is how to get your investors to want to wear your brand and become loyal repeat customers in future investment rounds. Good luck. |
| Strategic Positioning | |
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* The New Positioning, Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin. McGraw Hill, 1996. ISBN: 0070653283, Price: $10.36. A classic introduction to positioning. One of the few books out there on the topic that is continually referenced. Well written with easy to apply examples and practicable concepts. |
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* Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition, by Jack Trout, Steve Rivkin, $19.96, Hardcover - 230 pages 1 edition (March 17, 2000) , John Wiley & Sons; ISBN: 0471357642. How many startups failed to observe these principals? Absolute truth about early-stage high tech markets. This book becomes the handbook for investors who have deals that have gone sideways and require "repositioning". Easy to understand, very difficult to apply however. Be sure to hire an expert before trying this on a sideways deal. http://www.troutandpartners.com |
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* Corporate Religion: Building a Strong Company Through Personality and Corporate Soul, by Jesper Kunde, $23.20, Hardcover - 288 pages 1st edition (January 15, 2000), Financial Times Prentice Hall Publishing; ISBN: 0273643800. A great book by UK brand consultancy, Kunde & Co. that summarizes the highest goals of business Ò to make your customers religious over your brand (i.e Harley, Coke, Nike). Cool graphics and examples add support to a very subjective topic on brand equity and positioning. Now only if startups could only apply these principals to their Equity Brand. Recommended to all marketing management. Web site supports the content presented nicely: http://www.corporatereligion.com |
| Adoption Drivers of High Growth Markets | |
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* The Anatomy of Buzz: How to Create Word-Of-Mouth Marketing, by Emanuel Rosen, $19.96, 304 pages (October 17, 2000), Doubleday; ISBN: 0385496672. This book is one of the first to explore the marketing tactic called Ïword of mouthÓ advertising and explains how to use buzz as a method of stimulating adoption. Since this is how VC markets work, it is quite appropriate for those raising capital for the first time. Author lives in Menlo Park and had me over to his home - web site: www.emanuel-rosen.com |
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How Hits Happen: Forecasting Predictability in a Chaotic Marketplace, by Winslow Farrell, $19.20, 256 pages 1 Ed edition (July 1998), Harperbusiness; ISBN: 0887309070. Predecessor to "The Tipping Point" by 3 years. Author comes from ex Coopers and Lybrand with contributions by Brian Arthur, renown expert from the Santa Fe Institute. Aims to decipher what makes a "Tickle Me Elmo" or "Pet Rock" take off. Fun reading. Of course, youÌre on your own to connect the dots to apply it to your business. |
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The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell, $19.96, 279 pages (February 2000), Little Brown & Company; ISBN: 0316316962. Through analogy, this book attempts to decode the processes that drive explosive adoption in customer demand. Well written by an accomplished NY author, lacks the practicality of "having done it" as an executive of a startup. This leaves you on your own to figure out how to apply it. Very useful for folks new to the area of "tipping factors" that drive mass adoption. |