Entrepreneurial Living

The

Book

Every day we hear and read about the greatest entrepreneurs of our generation but learn little about what it takes to become an entrepreneur. “Entrepreneurial Living” is intended for anyone who is interested in entrepreneurship but has not dared to venture into this world, yet.

“Entrepreneurial Living” takes the most relevant proven insights from research and practice and communicates them in an accessible and concise way with beautifully illustrated hands-on tools. Using the analogy of a board game and illustrative examples, the book teaches you the fundamentals of entrepreneurial life. Some exemplary lessons are as follows:

Knowing your identity, network and competencies helps you identify interesting entrepreneurial problems that you are equipped to solve.

Focusing on your means instead of a distant vision enables you to create goal portfolios and deal with uncertainty.

Understanding your own strengths and those of your potential partners lets you evaluate the option of cofounding a business.

If you are observant and reflective, your insights will combine and turn you into your personal version of a successful entrepreneur.

Developing a business model in collaboration with your customers can be more useful than writing a business plan. Listening to customers early in the ideation process helps you develop the business systematically.

“Entrepreneurial Living” teaches that it is never too late to become an entrepreneur; any prior life experience will help you visualize what you can do. Do not be afraid of the uncertainty and dare to take the first step to start the adventure. The best day to begin was yesterday. Today is the next-best day.

Buy now on Amazon

Click on the game figures

What kind of entrepreneur are you?

The social or greenpreneur may be busy solving a water problem in a developing country she or he has just visited.

The Serialpreneur executes one business idea after the other and often makes it big with his idea child two or three, since these later-born babies profit from the wealth of experience of the first-born start-up.

As a young academic in his first employment with a consulting firm, one may begin as a part-time preneur to solve an interesting customer problem in his spare time, already playing more or less consciously with the idea of turning this hobby into a profession later on.

The Papapreneur, who as a young father, in his new, unusual and in part still uncomfortable role, searches for like-minded people who want to revolutionize the education market with him, at least to some extent under the protection of his world of experience and knowledge.

The Necessitypreneur is based on necessity for lack of alternative or on the inner compulsion to get out. With or without his own starting capital from his former activity, he follows the urge to pursue something he is good at and something he likes to do.

The Lifestylepreneur is offered a career alternative that doesn't have to break new ground, but that satisfies his own passion, perhaps for something as unusual as protein-rich insect fast food in Europe.

The intrapreneur searches within the protected walls of his company for a new problem solution.

With a stolen idea from the USA, the Copycat, disguised as a hipster preneur, tries to jump on the bandwagon of pop culture in modern entrepreneurship.

The Geek- and Techiepreneur is tinkering with the algorithm that is supposed to change our daily consumer behaviour on the Internet. Be it the search help for unconscious customer wishes or the Internet of Things, which networks our devices.

The Friendchisepreneur is looking for a companion who will work with him on a shared passion, the solution to an exciting customer problem.

The Teeniepreneur or Studentpreneur experiments playfully with his hobbies in his youth, be it as a drummer in the school band or as a charitable environmental activist in the specially founded student group for aid deliveries to crisis areas.

The superpreneurs are not trying to predict the future, but to influence the future in the identified section of reality, in which the recognized problem has to be solved in a new way.

Play the

Entrepreneur Game

Buy the book and play the game

Reviews

Opinions

Entrepreneurial Living starts with your existing skill set and shows how to use it to build something great. To convert an idea into an opportunity is the core of entrepreneurship – this book gets it right! Read it and live it!

Gerard George

Dean, Singapore Management University

With Entrepreneurial Living, you hold a book in your hands that takes a practical, down-to-earth approach to entrepreneurship, helping you to assess who you are and where you want to go with your venture!

Marc Gruber

Vice President Innovation, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland

Professor Grichnik indicates how entrepreneurship is something that can be learned and therefore accessible to the many (not just the few).

Dean Shepherd

Ray and Milann Siegfried Professor of Entrepreneurship Management & Organization, University of Notre Dame, USA

Anyone that has thought about becoming an entrepreneur at some point should definitively read this book before abandoning the dream!

Joakim Wincent

Professor, Entrepreneurship and Management, Hanken School of Economics, Finland

If you want to break out of 9-5 and do your own thing, Entrepreneurial Living is your book towards entrepreneurial happiness.

Vangelis Souitaris

Professor of Entrepreneurship, Cass Business School, City University of London, UK

Where to buy

STORE

Each concept is only as good as its application. Implementing Entrepreneurial Living requires discipline and continuous practice – whether daily, weekly or monthly, you decide. Your passion for your project is your motivator that automatically drives you. It is important to document your progress on the entrepreneurial path, but also to take notes on the regressions you experience in your practice. In this way you become aware of which moves you need to practice and which ones are already working well. Step by step the picture of your own entrepreneurial journey is completed.

The next step

St.Galler Startup Navigator

The St.Gallen Startup Navigator is the next step after your journey through “Entrepreneurial Living”. The Navigator helps you to systematically build your business. It is a practical handbook based on the latest entrepreneurial research and best practices of Europe’s most successful entrepreneurs.

“This book introduces the reader to the relevant metrics for his startup. This is how you gain your very own competitive advantage!”
Prof. Dr. Ann-Kristin Achleitner

Discover more

About the author

DIETMAR GRICHNIK

Dietmar Grichnik is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Director of the Institute of Technology Management at the University of St. Gallen. He has held visiting professorships at ESADE Business School and the University of Melbourne, was a guest at Harvard Business School and taught at ETH Zurich. As a former banker, then entrepreneur, investor and coach, he supports university start-ups. His passion is entrepreneurship in all situations.

Contact me:

dietmar@grichnik.com