Joshua Gans, Erin L. Scott, and Scott Stern wrote this book for students—all students—who are hungry to learn how they can emulate the success of entrepreneurs they see in the media and in their communities. This text brings modern research and insights together to teach a proven approach to understanding, navigating, and choosing an entrepreneurial path. Informed by their decades of research, the authors provide tested tools to get started, helping students use four key choices and four core strategic approaches to find and frame opportunities. Throughout, the book emphasizes that students should choose and pursue the approaches that fit their personal goals and interests, and it underscores the important roles of guidance, mentorship, and entrepreneurial education in a founder’s path to success.
Joshua Gans is a professor of strategic management and holder of the Jeffrey S. Skoll Chair of Technical Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Rotman School of Management, the University of Toronto. He is also chief economist of the University of Toronto's Creative Destruction Lab. The author of numerous books and recipient of several awards, Gans has developed specialties in the nature of technological competition and innovation, economic growth, publishing economics, industrial organization, and regulatory economics.
Erin Scott is a senior lecturer in the Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management Group at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Her research focuses on strategy for start-ups and has been published in leading journals, including Harvard Business Review, Management Science, and Strategy Science. At MIT Sloan, she teaches electives on entrepreneurship and innovation, including the award-winning Entrepreneurial Strategy course. Additionally, she serves as a mentor and adviser to early-stage entrepreneurs, start-ups, and entrepreneurship programs.
Scott Stern is the David Sarnoff Professor of Management in the Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management Group at the MIT Sloan School of Management and holds fellowship and research appointments across multiple institutions. Stern's research focuses on entrepreneurial strategy, innovation-driven entrepreneurial ecosystems, and innovation policy and management. He works closely with practitioners, advising start-ups and collaborating with governments on policy issues. Stern co-founded and serves as the co-faculty director of the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program and is the faculty director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship.