How to be an entrepreneur: the six secrets of self-made success

"By their nature entrepreneurs do things differently, and that includes how they like to learn. I'm impressed by the creativity you [Steve Parks] have shown in communicating ideas, knowledge and best-practice to your target audience. "

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair

The rate of new start ups is growing dramatically. According to Barclays Bank there were 288,200 new businesses launched in England and Wales in the first 6 months of 2004 - an increase of 23% on the same period in 2003. However, the failure rate is high. Barclays research also showed that 164,400 firms went out of business in the same period – that’s over half of those that start up. Entrepreneurs are becoming increasingly aware of this threat because of media coverage, and are eager to get any help they can.

How to be an Entrepreneur, written by bestselling author and small business guru Steve Parks, reveals how to become that person who will succeed not just at starting up, but also running that business.

The author is himself a successful entrepreneur, but this book is the cumulated wisdom of the hundreds of other successful entrepreneurs who he has interviewed in the last 5 years. His research identified that successful entrepreneurs have special strengths in six fundamental abilities, which form the structure for the book:

1. Attitude

How entrepreneurs think and behave – and how that helps them to deal with the many challenges they face. We examine how you can develop those attitudes, and handle the contradictions they seem to present.

2. Opportunity

How entrepreneurs find or create opportunities – and how they maximise them to create great businesses.

3. Focus

Once they have an opportunity, entrepreneurs are masters at marshalling people and resources and focussing their time and energy on the opportunity. We look at how you can gain superb personal focus, and then focus your company and your team

4. Talent

The best entrepreneurial companies manage to attract the best talent before they’re even out of the starting gate – then they seem to be able to bring out the very best in these people. At the same time these entrepreneurs manage the difficult balancing act of keeping this creating melting pot under control without stifling ideas. How is this achieved?

5. Planning

The popular image may be of entrepreneurs working ‘on the hoof’ but it’s simply not true. They have firm, clear plans – but they also ensure they have a good enough Radar system and contingency plans to be able to spot trouble and change course, in a planned way, when necessary.

6. Communication

Entrepreneurs are masters at communicating with their team, their customers and the media. They have a clear, uncomplicated style of communication that wins hearts and minds.

Packed with ideas, inspiration, case studies of how other entrepreneurs have succeeded, and highly original practical tools, this is the book that will separate the brilliant entrepreneur from the 'tried but failed'.