My ”Find of the Week” is Evan Douglas‘ latest book on ”Entrepreneurial Intentions.”
Evan Douglas is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at Griffith University in Australia. His book, published by Edward Elgar Publishing in 2021, addresses the famous phrase popularised by Simon Sinek ”Start with Why”
Why do people start businesses? The lure of profit, the desire to make a difference, the desire to be an innovator, the desire for autonomy and job satisfaction – the list is endless.
Evan Douglas distills these motivations into four major goals – profit, social benefit, innovation and job satisfaction. He goes on to propose a four-goal model of entrepreneurial intentions. The theory helps aspiring entrepreneurs identify and design the right type of business that fulfils their personal goals – whether it be a high-growth technology venture or a lifestyle business.
Norris Krueger, PhD, a renowned entrepreneurship expert, also provides an insightful and thought-provoking foreword to the book.
Why is it important to define your entrepreneurial intention? As the Cheshire cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland points out ”If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.”
Goals are a destination. Strategy is the road that leads to your destination. Put another way, this quote is saying, “If you don’t have goals, your strategy can be anything and you’ll succeed at reaching your non-goals.”
Interested in learning more? You can buy the book here: https://lnkd.in/d5eyxp4