Under the Radar: Starting Your Internet Business without Venture Capital - Hardcover

Kling, Arnold

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0738204684 ISBN 13: 9780738204680

Publisher: Basic Books, 2001

Synopsis

Forget everything you've ever read about starting an Internet business. Forget the moon-shot IPO's. Forget Silicon Valley and venture capital. The start-ups featured in Forbes, Fortune, and The Industry Standard represent only a sliver of what is happening on the Internet.Under the Radar tells the story of Web companies that bear little resemblance to the cash-burning businesses that were the media darlings before the Internet bubble burst. In this distinctive and timely guide, Arnold Kling, an experienced "Netstrapper" who sold his Internet start-up for 85 million, introduces the reader to more than two dozen business founders-all of whom launched their sites without venture capital-whose stories inspire and instruct. Kling advises Internet entrepreneurs not to waste time trying to woo big-time investors obsessed with billion-dollar jackpots. Instead, he offers clear, tough-minded coaching on every important aspect of building a real Internet enterprise -from evaluating business ideas to finding the best partners and making wise use of web technology. His step-by-step plan produces solid businesses that are free from market turbulence and investor control, making it easy to operate "under the radar."

About this title

About the Author

Arnold Kling is a teacher, scholar, and author. He holds a Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He started his career as an economist with the Federal Reserve Board and later with Freddie Mac. In 1994, he founded Homefair.com, one of the first commercial sites on the World Wide Web. These days, Kling spends his time writing and volunteer teaching in high school. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Reviews

The death of the tech IPO frenzy has cemented the feeling that there are no viable business opportunities in the Internet space, but between the lofty billion-dollar goals of venture capitalists and the $5 to $10 million target of the small entrepreneur lies a vast zone of opportunity that Kling calls "under the radar." He should know, having founded one of the first commercial sites on the World Wide Web, a real estate relocation service that he sold to Homestore.com for $85 million in October 1999. He believes that the Internet shakeout has not reduced the game to a few remaining megaliths, as many believe, but has leveled the field to allow for creative niche players to move in. The book's main focus is on how to finance an Internet startup today, but it also includes sections on creating a business plan, developing a Web site, selling, and marketing, with 25 case studies. Kling's own fascinating story should serve as an education for prospective "netstrappers" eager to carve out their piece of the pie in today's challenging environment. David Siegfried
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

This book offers advice from the founder of the successful web site Homefair.com, who built up that business and sold it (along with two related businesses) for $85 million. Kling recounts his experiences as a "Netstrapper" who created a successful enterprise without venture capital by looking to smaller target markets than those required by entrepreneurs seeking such funding. The characteristics of the Netstrappers, as described by the author, are charm, talent-scouting skills, the ability to stand up to the bar, the ability to focus, and a beginner's mind. Kling also describes the nuts and bolts of establishing a company, including writing a business plan, choosing a team, brainstorming, selecting a target market, and test marketing. Bibliographic citations would have been helpful in supplementing the numerous case studies, but given the current situation with dot-coms, this volume offers readers a way to build a potentially more stable company than those relying on venture capital. Recommended primarily for public libraries, though larger academic libraries should consider. Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NY
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0738204684
• ISBN 13: 9780738204680
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272