The MouseDriver Chronicles - Hardcover

Lusk, John; Harrison, Kyle

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0738205737 ISBN 13: 9780738205731

Publisher: Basic Books, 2002

Synopsis

When John Lusk and Kyle Harrison graduated from Wharton in 1999, nearly all of their entrepreneurially minded classmates set their sights on conquering the dot-com world. To the almost universal disdain of their friends and professors, these two turned down tempting job offers, borrowed money from friends and family, loaded up on credit card debt, and decided to start a single-product company to manufacture and market a computer mouse shaped like the head of a golf club.They watched enviously as nearly all of their friends became millionaires in the dot-com boom, but they persevered and forged their own path. To chart their progress and to keep themselves motivated against the odds, they kept a diary that recorded the realities of their everyday life as entrepreneurs. Out of their diary entries grew The MouseDriver Chronicles, an intimate, insightful, and often funny look into the minds of two entrepreneurs and how they brought a simple idea to market.From The MouseDriver Chronicles:"School was just about over, and the wondrous combination of brick-baking heat and relentless high humidity that defines summer in south Philadelphia wasn't too far off. We couldn't afford to wait around for it. We needed to blaze to San Francisco and get rolling. Fine. No problem. Except we didn't yet have an office in San Francisco. Or a place to live. Or MouseDrivers in stock. We had all our plans and ambition, but everything real about running a business was ahead of us. Immediately ahead."

About this title

About the Author

John Lusk spent four years as a management consultant in the Information Technology Group at Ernst & Young. In 1997, he enrolled in the Wharton School of Business, where he met Kyle Harrison, a former management consultant at Andersen Consulting. Together they founded Platinum Concepts, Inc., a company specializing in technology consumer products. Both Lusk and Harrison live in San Francisco, California.

Reviews

In this unconventional memoir, Wharton graduates Lusk and Harrison (actually, just Lusk; Harrison contributed only the epilogue) tell how they started a company the old-fashioned way: they had an idea, raised some money, then manufactured and sold their product. That product is the MouseDriver, a computer mouse resembling the head of a golf club. Not exactly an earth-shattering concept, but for Lusk and Harrison the product is almost beside the point. Their intent here is to show how, in an age of venture capitalists and "revolutionary" business models, it's still possible for non-dot-commers to start a company and make a buck. They founded Platinum Concepts Inc. in the summer of 1999 and set up shop in their shared loft in San Francisco, then a hi-tech boomtown. Obstacles in the beginning were legion: the first MouseDrivers were prone to falling apart; a typhoon almost wiped out their Hong Kong manufacturer; and retail inexperience caused them to miss the Christmas rush. But they persevered, and within 18 months had made $600,000 in sales and moved 50,000 units. Not quite GE, but not a failure either. The authors argue that almost anyone can achieve this kind of modest success; it just takes intelligence, determination and a good idea (although an MBA probably doesn't hurt). Though the book is occasionally less than enlightening (a blow-by-blow account of a Sony Playstation session is unlikely to help budding entrepreneurs), on the whole Lusk and Harrison provide solid, entertaining insights into how to start a business. This is a refreshing alternative to the recent wave of narcissistic dot-com memoirs. (Jan.)Forecast: The authors were the subject of a cover story in Inc. magazine in February, and have been covered widely in golf magazines. That, and a splashy jacket, may help buyers pick up their book. It will mainly appeal to ambitious young entrepreneurs especially those who've had it with the dot-com life.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Shunning the siren call of dot-coms after their graduation from Wharton School's MBA program, Lusk and Harrison did what few enterprising young Americans now dream of: started up a manufacturing company. They began with an idea sparked by a school paper--the MouseDriver, a computer mouse shaped like a golf club's head--and they chronicle their ins and outs in a soon-to-be-widely-read e-newsletter. This is the witty and wise testament to their trials and tribulations--and a dawning of humility, as the realization that Big Five consulting stints and a degree from a prestigious university do not a successful company make. Laugh when Chinese Moon Cakes accompany a missive announcing that a typhoon and earthquake have disrupted Asia production. Sympathize when Brian, once perceived as sales savior, turns out to be a fast-talking do-nothing. And learn along with the authors about the vagaries of PMS colors, the advertising specialties world, patent infringement, and trade shows, among other barriers and breakthroughs. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Lusk and Harrison are cofounders and essentially the only employees of Platinum Concepts, a one-product start-up located in the shark-filled waters of San Francisco. In this engaging work, they describe how, after their graduation from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, they avoided the typical banking, consulting, and dot-com jobs and instead set out to experience the ins and outs of life as entrepreneurs. Starting with their decision to develop and market a computer mouse that looks like the head of a golf club (MouseDriver), this well-written chronicle effectively describes the many challenges they overcame, including the hunt for a marketable product, the pitfalls of product development, the problems associated with manufacturing, and the need for flexible business and marketing plans, common objectives, and industry-experienced mentors. Along the way, the authors reveal an appreciation of the importance of logistics, distribution, patents, and trademarks and show how they learned to carry on despite legal challenges, unexpected results, and business lulls. An interesting and insightful study; recommended for both academic and public libraries. Norm Hutcherson, California State Univ., Bakersfield
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Basic Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0738205737
• ISBN 13: 9780738205731
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256