In his book, “Fortunes: Creating and Sustaining the Smart Business,” nationally recognized entrepreneur Les Brownell provides a number of steps for entrepreneurs to take in order to prepare themselves and their companies for economic development. In the United States, many entrepreneurs have begun to downsize or start from scratch. Others have decided to expand existing businesses. The key, according to Mr. Brownell, is preparation.
He advocates working smarter rather than harder, especially when it comes to setting goals and making plans. There are a variety of tools that can help entrepreneurs determine their ultimate goals, including business plans, market research, networking opportunities, and evaluating company strengths and weaknesses. By taking advantage of current industry trends, as well as those being developed by industry leaders, entrepreneurs have the ability to build on existing entrepreneurial ventures and create new ones that generate income and market potential.
Many entrepreneurs fail, because they go about starting new businesses in the wrong way. Mr. Brownell suggests that an important first step is learning how to break simple rules. For example, he says, “If you want to open a coffee shop, be clear about what you want to do and what you’re looking for. Write it down, and make sure you’ve defined both.” This principle, which he reiterates in” entrepreneurship: Discovering the Pathway to Success”, is also applicable to other areas of an entrepreneur’s life.
Mr. Brownell strongly advises entrepreneurs to be realistic in their expectations about economic growth, finding customers, and retaining them, as well as identifying opportunities for growth and expansion. He recognizes that all of these factors may take time and money, and that all of these factors will interact to produce the results that entrepreneurs are looking for. However, he offers hope that entrepreneurs will not be disappointed with the results of their entrepreneurial ventures, because the process of building wealth has many benefits. Mr. Brownell writes, “the benefits of entrepreneurship extend beyond personal satisfaction and financial security. It is a process that generates wealth not only for the individual but for the community and the economy.”
The book is meant to encourage readers to consider the long-term rewards of entrepreneurship. Mr. Brownell points out that many entrepreneurs start out with one idea, but in the course of launching their businesses, they come up with a dozen or more. The ideas that these entrepreneurs come up with are, in turn, the result of years of study and application. They have come up with a host of ideas that have helped them create wealth, secure jobs, and improve the economic development of their communities.
Mr. Brownell recommends many Entrepreneurs Break rules when it comes to their businesses. There are several reasons for breaking the rules for entrepreneurship, but the most important reason is that it increases the likelihood that their business will succeed. According to Mr. Brownell, if many entrepreneurs break the rules and fail in their businesses, “the chances of that happening in a large number of businesses are very small. If you make it easy for yourself and your customers, you will be much more likely to succeed.”
Mr. Brownell also advocates allowing entrepreneurial ventures to fail rather than caving in and running away from them. He argues that entrepreneurs should have the option of quitting their businesses when they are not making as much money as they hoped. By quitting, the entrepreneurs can assess their performance, learn from their mistakes, and take advice from more successful entrepreneurs. In this way, they can build on their strengths and become even more efficient at running their businesses.
The book has received a lot of attention from both entrepreneurs and non-entrepreneurs. One reason for this is that it provides a very clear outline of how entrepreneurs break rules in their businesses. In addition, Mr. Brownell offers practical advice on how to get started with their own entrepreneurial ventures. He also provides a very useful primer on why entrepreneurs should avoid following bad habits. Finally, he makes a powerful case for allowing entrepreneurs to fail rather than caving into the temptation to run away from challenges. These are only some of the reasons why this book has been raved about by many people.