Product Description

Bootstrap serves as a useful reference for the prospective or newly established entrepreneur and offers valuable lessons for anyone interested in building a self-funded company, regardless of industry. Ken Hess lets the reader step into the shoes of the entrepreneur, and benefit from first hand experiences on what worked well and what failed. Written in narrative form, the book takes the reader through the evolution of a company, from one employee to one hundred, and highlights the fundamental business philosophies that enabled this entrepreneur to achieve success. The book covers topics applicable to any company, such as: how to hire the right employees, developing a functional organizational structure, creating a vision that translates into actionable objectives for every employee, managing the product portfolio, and understanding your customers needs and market trends to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #476862 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 301 pages

Review
An excellent reference for anyone wondering what it takes to be an entrepreneur. -- John Glynn, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Stanford Graduate School of Business

More than a how-to book, it is one of an entrepreneur's journey... -- John Neer, Executive, Lockheed Martin and former Founder, Space Imaging

More than a how-to book, it is one of an entrepreneur’s journey... -- John Neer, Executive, Lockheed Martin and former Founder, Space Imaging

Not your typical Silicon Valley venture capital story... -- Chuck McMinn, Founder and Chairman, Covad

Solid advice on every step of building a company, from developing a product to selling the company. -- Heidi Roizen, Managing Director, SOFTBANK Venture Capital

From the Author
What's it like to start a business from scratch? I found it to be intensely creative and stimulating -- so rewarding that I'm in the process of doing it again. Yet the very thought of leaving a job to start your own business scares many people. Should you start your own company? This book provides and insider's window into the process I went through, starting with a dream and ending years later with the sale of my company, Banner Blue Software, at a handsome price. As I built my business, I learned answers to these questions and many others. Ultimately, I did more right than wrong, for Banner went on to great success. I hope that by sharing what I learned, you can improve your chance of success and minimize your mistakes.

From the Inside Flap
Having spent numerous nights and weekends analyzing the software market for new product opportunities, Ken Hess decided the time was right to leave a secure job and pursue the entrepreneurial dream. He resigned from Symantec, and embarked on a twelve-year endeavor to build his own company without venture capital. With $20,000 in his bank account and a solid product idea, Ken started Banner Blue Software, which he ultimately grew to annual sales of $23 million and later sold to a larger company. Bootstrap chronicles this highly successful endeavor from starting up to selling out, and serves as a source of invaluable lessons from a veteran entrepreneur.

For anyone who has ever wondered “what’s it like to start a company?”, Ken Hess lets the reader step into the shoes of the entrepreneur, and benefit from firsthand experiences on what worked well and what failed. Bootstrap covers topics applicable to any startup, regardless of industry, such as: how to hire the right employees for a startup, developing a functional organizational structure, creating a vision that translates into actionable objectives for every employee, managing the product portfolio, and understanding your customers needs and market trends to stay one step ahead of the competition.

Written in narrative form, the book spans more than a decade of corporate growth. Recounting the struggles to overcome a myriad of challenges from continuously changing technology platforms to competitive encounters with Microsoft, the book outlines the underlying business philosophies that helped to tackle each challenge and drive the ultimate success of the company.

More than the typical Silicon Valley venture capital story, Bootstrap is a firsthand look at an entrepreneur’s role in building a self-funded company, and provides invaluable lessons for those interested in following a similar path.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Story
Hess writes a wonderful story about his experiences of starting, growing, and selling a successful software company. The narrative intertwines his family life into the never-ending responsibilities of entrepreneurialism. The book is full of "lessons learned", although don't expect this to be a step-by-step roadmap for bootstrapping a company. This book serves as a testament of what can be achieved through planning, motivation, leadership, and passion. If you are creative and desire control and freedom, then this book will get you excited.

Not Interesting
The book won't help you at all if you are looking to open a company. It is a long an uninteresting story of this guy's life.

Great inspirational story for anyone thinking of starting a company
The 10 year story of starting a company scratch with no outside money, and taking it to US$17/million annual revenue and 80 employees over the span of 10 years.

Lots of great advice for any owner-CEO, especially in the high-tech software field.

A page turner for anyone thinking of starting a high-tech software company (me), or working on high-tech marketing or product development.