The Power of Unfair Advantage: How to Create It, Build it, and Use It to Maximum - Softcover

Nesheim, John L.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1451624263 ISBN 13: 9781451624267

Publisher: Free Press, 2010

Synopsis

A Silicon Valley veteran and author of the bestseller High Tech Start Up reveals the nature of unfair advantage - that holy grail for every company, the mysterious quality that separates successful businesses from the nine out of ten that fail - and then shows how to create an unfair advantage, build it into a business plan, and use it to maximum effect. Nesheim's first book, originally self-published during Silicon Valley's wild west days in the 1990s, quickly moved from underground hit to business bestseller. He witnessed the incredible highs and lows of the Internet bubble, and he got an intimate look at why some companies weathered the storm while others went under. Now, in The Power of Unfair Advantage, Nesheim shows you how to bring the pioneer spirit to your new enterprise - whether you are starting a new company or trying to breathe new life into an old dog. Unfair advantage is an enduring but often overlooked dynamic and a crucial aspect of any successful business endeavor. To show you how to attain unfair advantage over your competitors, he begins with a clear model: Outsource everything you are not good at, concentrate on those things that can be differentiated, and strive for a unique, consistent difference that cannot be copied. Integrating these maxims with other essential elements, he demonstrates, with dozens of case studies, how to orchestrate unfair advantage through marketing, sales, engineering, and operations. Unfair advantage can take many forms. Pager maker RIM rocketed to the top of the mobile wireless email market with Blackberry by employing an unfair advantage that it alone possessed - pager technology and pager infrastructure. Alternately, an unfair advantage can come from a unique relationship with a strategic alliance partner, as when Flextronics pulled Handspring out of a life-threatening crisis. The Power of Unfair Advantage is an essential handbook for every manager who

About this title

About the Author

Since 1976, John L. Nesheim has coached more than three hundred new ventures that have raised over $2 billion in financing. Nesheim is CEO of the Nesheim Group in Carmel, California, which he founded after serving as treasurer of National Semiconductor, CFO of Valid Logic, and CEO of Flagship Software. He is also the author of High Tech Start Up. Nesheim lives in Carmel, California, with his wife, Gisela.

Review

"There is no shortage of books covering the basics of the entrepreneurial experience: having an idea, writing a business plan, recruiting a management team, etc., but I cannot find another book that is exclusively about the elusive 'secret sauce' of start-ups -- the so-called unfair advantage -- as it seems to defy a hard-and-fast definition. So many people use the term, but no one seems to be able to define it. This book is the first comprehensive treatment of this subject -- and long overdue."

-- David Rex, Jackson Walker L.L.P.

"Essential tips, tools, and techniques for achieving world-class greatness. Every entrepreneur needs to read this book."

-- Guy Kawasaki, managing director of Garage Technology Ventures and author of "The Art of the Start"

"A clear guide to creating a successful new enterprise. Unfair advantage is the difference between fighting the good fight and winning."

-- Ken Tidwell, Chief Architect, ArcSight, Inc.

"Most business books take one idea and beat it to death. Nesheim's new book is a rarity. It starts with a good idea and then takes you through all the steps along the way to turn that idea into a powerful business."

-- Al Ries, coauthor of "The Origin of Brands"

"If you want to be CEO of a great new enterprise -- or join one -- read "The Power of Unfair Advantage" and put its principles and practical tips to work, immediately."

-- Anthony Gioeli, CEO, Atrua Technologies, Inc.

"Nesheim provides the road map for gaining unfair advantage, an imperative for entrepreneurs seeking to differentiate themselves in the increasingly competitive global tech industry."

-- Peter Buhl, General Partner, BlueRun Ventures

Edition details

• Publisher: Free Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1451624263
• ISBN 13: 9781451624267
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 368