The Silicon Valley Way: Discover the Secret of America's Fastest Growing Companies - Hardcover

Sherwin Jr., Elton

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761512721 ISBN 13: 9780761512721

Publisher: Crown Business, 1998

Synopsis

NOTE: THE HARDBACK IS THE FIRST EDITION. Most college courses assign the second edition which is more current and available in paperback or Kindle versions.

  

Imagine that you're a member of a venture capital group of a decision-making body inside a fast-growing company. Everyday, new business projects and ideas are hurled your way. Some are trash, some are solid gold. How do you know the difference?
  
In this ground-breaking book, a top-level manager reveals the methodology used by the movers and the shakers in Silicon Valley to decide what's a "go" and what's a "no."

The amazing thing about this go-or-no approach is that it is both fast and extremely effective. Knowing this simple process will make you a much more effective decision maker. You will be able to apply it to a whole variety of important situations:

* Deciding if your idea is viable before you present it to your colleagues
* Assessing if a new profit center is going to succeed
* Putting your entrepreneurial ideas to the acid test before you risk your life savings
* Improving a good idea by making sure every aspect of it is tightly planned
* Assessing investment opportunities, based on the criteria in this book
* Creating business plans that will wow your audience

  

The Silicon Valley Way is your powerful entry into the mind-set of the most powerful and successful business leaders of today. They have amassed fortunes and built empires by knowing which questions to ask. Now, so can you.
 
What Silicon Valley Insiders Are Saying:
   

"Elton Sherwin captures the essence of entrepreneurship that made Silicon Valley America's #1 exporter."
-- The Honorable Susan Hammer, mayor of San Jose
  
"Concise, insightful, well written. I wish I had read it before I started my third company."
--Kay Brown, president, PREMIER Biosoft International

"Here are the up-to-date, proven checklists for your baseline business plan. . . . Real-life, practical advice shines through the chapters. You'll have more time and energy for creating and building your new business."
-- Marketta Silvera, founder, president, and CEO, Pilot Network Services, Inc.
  
"Elton Sherwin gives us what no other business book provides: the business planning of Harvard and Stanford MBAs in a simple, usable form"
-- James M. Coughlin, vice president and general manager, StarTemps, Inc.
   
About the Author    
Elton Sherwin spent over 30 years in the tech industry: starting at IBM, moving to Motorola and spending the last 15 years as a venture capitalist.
 
A UC Berkeley graduate in Political Science, he holds eight patents and has served on the board of directors of over a dozen startups.

Elton is an authority on the economics of innovation and climate change. He is an occasional guest speaker at Stanford University on energy policy and entrepreneurship. 
 
The Silicon Valley Way is used by entrepreneurs and university programs around the world and is sometimes called "The Start-up bible."
 
In 2010 he authored his second book Addicted to Energy - A Venture Capitalist's Perspective on How to Save our Economy and Our Climate.   Elton is currently the Executive Director of The Carbon Zero Institute which is dedicated to helping stop the increase of atmospheric CO2 by mid-century. 
 
Entrepreneurs and executives from around the world consult with Elton for advice on sustainability, innovation, business planning, marketing and strategy. He also has a unique ability to apply business principles to complex public policy and non-profit issues.

About this title

From the Back Cover

From the World's High-Tech Epicenter, Here Are the Secrets of the Powerful Decision Makers

From the Inside Flap

Imagine that you're a member of a venture capital group of a decision-making body inside a fast-growing company. Everyday, new business projects and ideas are hurled your way. Some are trash, some are solid gold. How do you know the difference?

In this ground-breaking book, a top-level manager reveals the methodology used by the movers and the shakers in Silicon Valley to decide what's a "go" and what's a "no."

The amazing thing about this go-or-no approach is that it is both fast and extremely effective. Knowing this simple process will make you a much more effective decision maker. You will be able to apply it to a whole variety of important situations:

• Deciding if your idea is viable before you present it to your colleagues
• Assessing if a new profit center is going to succeed
• Putting your entrepreneurial ideas to the acid test before you risk your life savings
• Improving a good idea by making sure every aspect of it is tightly planned
• Assessing investment opportunities, based on the criteria in this book
• Creating business plans that will wow your audience

The Silicon Valley Way is your powerful entry into the mind-set of the most powerful and successful business leaders of today. They have amassed fortunes and built empires by knowing which questions to ask. Now, so can you.

What Silicon Valley Veterans Say:

"Elton Sherwin captures the essence of entrepreneurship that made Silicon Valley America's #1 exporter."
The Honorable Susan Hammer, mayor of San Jose

"Concise, insightful, well written. I wish I had read it before I started my third company."
Kay Brown, president, PREMIER Biosoft International

"Here are the up-to-date, proven checklists for your baseline business plan. . . . Real-life, practical advice shines through the chapters. You'll have more time and energy for creating and building your new business."
Marketta Silvera, founder, president, and CEO, Pilot Network Services, Inc.

"Elton Sherwin gives us what no other business book provides: the business planning of Harvard and Stanford MBAs in a simple, usable form"
James M. Coughlin, vice president and general manager, StarTemps, Inc.

About the Author

Elton Sherwin spent over 30 years in the tech industry: starting at IBM, moving to Motorola and spending the last 15 years as a venture capitalist.

A UC Berkeley graduate in Political Science, he holds eight patents and has served on the board of directors of over a dozen startups.

Elton is an authority on the economics of innovation and climate change. He is an occasional guest speaker at Stanford University on energy policy and entrepreneurship.

The Silicon Valley Way is used by entrepreneurs and university programs around the world and is sometimes called "The Start-up bible."

In 2010 he authored his second book Addicted to Energy - A Venture Capitalist's Perspective on How to Save our Economy and Our Climate. Elton is currently the Executive Director of The Carbon Zero Institute which is dedicated to helping stop the increase of atmospheric CO2 by mid-century.

Entrepreneurs and executives from around the world consult with Elton for advice on sustainability, innovation, business planning, marketing and strategy. He also has a unique ability to apply business principles to complex public policy and non-profit issues.

Edition details

• Publisher: Crown Business
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0761512721
• ISBN 13: 9780761512721
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208