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I want to be really clear that, despite misgivings that I hope would make a fun conversation with the author, I highly recommend Jerr Boschee's book Migrating from Innovation to Entrepreneurship. The book is a valuable addition to the shelf of any nonprofit leader who wants to take earned income seriously.
My misgivings center around the book's frame of reference, rather than its core lessons. That frame of reference, based on anecdote as far as I can tell, is that the culture of the nonprofit sector is fundamentally more averse to entrepreneurship than the business sector. I would like to see a study (controlling for all other factors) that demonstrates that, not just anecdotes and assertions. (By the way, I do think the sector is very conservative, just not necessarily more so than most businesses, as plenty of consultants who work with the latter will tell you.) This frame of reference makes itself known in a variety of unfortunate implications: Are government contracts really not a form of earned income? Are churches really inherently unsustainable because they rely on donations?
That said, the book's discussion of critical entrepreneurial success factors alone justifies the modest price of the book. They include: candor, clarity of purpose, courage, core values, willingness to plan, building the right team, the separation strategy, strategic marketing, viability before mission, focus, customer service, quality, aggressive pricing, and strategic partnerships. Buy this book for those lessons.
Posted: 1/18/07; 11:03:15 AM # |