Engineering Entrepreneurship from Idea to Business Plan
A Guide for Innovative Engineers and Scientists

This book shows engineers and scientists how to create new products that are income-producing for themselves and for investors.

Paul Swamidass (Author)

9781107651647, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 26 October 2016

254 pages
25.2 x 17.7 x 1.1 cm, 0.51 kg

'On balance, this is an easy to follow book which offers a good perspective on how a person interested in technological development should act to surmount all the hurdles and invites the readers to be more confident and to pursue on the road to a new business development … In the book preface, Swamidass states that the book is addressed to innovative engineers and scientists who desire to become income-producing businessman or potential investors. As such, the book meets the expectations, but may also be used by anyone interested in studying to better stimulate their own entrepreneurial/intrapreneurial abilities, potentially leading to business development in technology. I would recommend the book for instructors in entrepreneurship and their students as an important reference, as the book uncovers many of the multifaceted practical aspects of what it takes to become a first-time inventor and first-time business owner. Daniela Cristina Momete, International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship

This book is for engineers and scientists who have the aptitude and education to create new products that could become income-producing businesses for themselves and for investors. The book uses short chapters and gets directly to the point without lengthy and distracting essays. The rapid growth in technology-based business plan contests is a clear sign that there are many wealthy inventors looking to make substantial investments in start-ups based on new inventions by inventors, who lack the funds and knowledge to start a business. The key features of this reference enable readers to sharpen their new idea, turn an idea into a commercial product, conduct patent search and complete a provisional patent application, and collect requisite data and prepare a business plan based on a carefully selected business model. Supporting materials are provided on the book's extensive website (www.engineer-entrepreneur-book.com/).

1. Engineers create value for investors
2. Introduction to technological innovation
3. The seven phases of technological innovation
4. Engineers add value in stages
5. Disruptive technological innovators: value creators
6. Ideas: how do you find them?
7. Turn your idea into a product
8. Early detection of market potential A. David Mixson
9. Illustrative case: tennis racquet customer needs survey
10. What engineers can do for product development
11. Intellectual property, patents and trade secret
12. If you cannot afford a patent attorney
13. Reading and learning from a granted US patent
14. Patent search and conclusions before drafting a patent application
15. Pro se US patent applications do succeed
16. Macroeconomics for innovators in engineering and science
17. Customers, target markets and marketing
18. The power of social media marketing Haitham A. Eletrabi
19. Market analysis resources
20. Illustrative case: market analysis for tennis racquets
21. Competition research
22. Manufacturing and sourcing
23. Break-even analysis
24. Sales and distribution - wholesale, direct and other
25. Reaching your customer: advertising and promotion
26. Selecting the pre-start-up model
27. Key decisions: costs estimation and pricing
28. The business model versus the business plan
29. The business plan: the end of phase 3
30. A business plan is a war plan: anything can change
31. Making the start-up business financially feasible
32. What angel investors look for in a phase 4 company seeking funding
33. Ethics in engineering and business professions
34. Business as a legal entity in the United States
35. Pre-start-up business organization and management
36. An illustrative case: Amazon.com as a start-up
37. Execution phases 4 to 6
38. Phase 7: six case studies of mature firms
39. Comparing phase 7 firms from different industries: Apple and Wal-Mart
40. Teams and teamwork
41. Leadership issues in start-up business Jay Clark
42. What we know about entrepreneurs
43. Creating value as an engineer in India Hephzibah Stephen.

Subject Areas: Aerospace & aviation technology [TRP], Engineering: general [TBC], Industrial applications of scientific research & technological innovation [PDG], Entrepreneurship [KJH]