Entrepreneur Thread

An entrepreneur is someone who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise. An entrepreneur is an agent of change. Entrepreneurship is the process of discovering new ways of combining resources. When the market value generated by this new combination of resources is greater than the market value these resources can generate elsewhere individually or in some other combination, the entrepreneur makes a profit. An entrepreneur who takes the resources necessary to produce a pair of jeans that can be sold for thirty dollars and instead turns them into a denim backpack that sells for fifty dollars will earn a profit by increasing the value those resources create. This comparison is possible because in competitive resource markets, an entrepreneur’s costs of production are determined by the prices required to bid the necessary resources away from alternative uses. Those prices will be equal to the value that the resources could create in their next-best alternate uses. Because the price of purchasing resources measures this opportunity cost— the value of the forgone alternatives—the profit entrepreneurs make reflects the amount by which they have increased the value generated by the resources under their control.

Bill Gross started Idealab in 1996 to create and operate pioneering technology companies. The structure of Idealab has allowed us to test many ideas at once and turn the best of them into companies, attracting the human and financial capital necessary to bring them to market.

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Idealab continues to explore a range of technology frontiers. New models for improving the search experience are at the core of several companies currently growing inside of Idealab. Moving beyond the Internet, we have spawned companies with breakthrough technologies in robotics (Evolution Robotics), three-dimensional printing (Desktop Factory) and renewable energy (Energy Innovations), among others. Idealab also continues to partner with leading venture capital firms and other strategic investors to provide the resources to maximize the potential of these companies.

In addition to capital, Idealab provides a full range of resources to infuse start-ups with the support they need to rapidly introduce innovative products and services. Resources include office space and the accompanying office services, development and technology, product and graphic design, marketing, financial advice, human resources, competitive research, legal, accounting and business development support and services. In addition, Idealab provides advice on strategy, branding and corporate structure.

This thread kind of went nowhere fast.

Since the OP more than two years ago, the economy went into a tailspin.

Anyway, for those interested in owning or participating in a small business, or thoughts of growing a small business, this might be of interest -

Tough Options for Family Business in a Tailspin
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/bu...il/13sbiz.html

See also - Matthew Stewart's “The Management Myth”.

And see - Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action
http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek...re_action.html

This thread kind of went nowhere fast.

Since the OP more than two years ago, the economy went into a tailspin.

Anyway, for those interested in owning or participating in a small business, or thoughts of growing a small business, this might be of interest -

Tough Options for Family Business in a Tailspin
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/bu...il/13sbiz.html

See also - Matthew Stewart's “The Management Myth”.

And see - Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action
http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek...re_action.html

My advice to any one with a great idea - find an investor that agrees and also has enough capital to fund every level of your business plan. If you find that investor - and your business plan is solid - you can give up 80% of your deal and never worry about money again.