De La Guardia provides aspiring entrepreneurs with practical steps and guidance at key career points to advance their careers and reach their professional goals in any engineering discipline.

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/).

Entrepreneurs have led economies out of downturns in the last 100 years and evidence points to this trend continuing into the future. In fact, regardless of country or economic conditions, entrepreneurial enterprises are on the rise. High-tech start-ups, where innovation, dedication, collaboration, and pure genius align into a successful enterprise

We are all engineers at heart-analyzing and fixing daily problems with simple ideas. Some ideas ignite an entrepreneurial spark in us. We discuss the idea with our friends and family. Out comes the entrepreneur in us, charting an exciting voyage from an engineer to entrepreneur. In this Internet-age of fast-moving business opportunities, it is important to evolve rapidly from idea-excited engineers to business-aware entrepreneurs. This book follows a workbook approach to provide entrepreneurs a quick-start on a broad range of business life-cycle topics such as analysis of ideas, founding team dynamics, marketing, sales, and funding. The goal of this book is to provide a few degrees of early correction for entrepreneurs to avoid many degrees of deviation, later, during their entrepreneurial flight.

KEY BENEFIT Essential business lessons for turning today's scientists and engineers into entrepreneurs in new technology companies. In today's global and interconnected world, students with a science or engineering background have ample opportunity to mesh their technical know-how with the free market. Yet, these same students lack the basic business skills to make competent business decisions. This book seeks to make students' first experience with entrepreneurship interesting and useful. KEY TOPICS Technology Entrepreneurship for Scientists and Engineers; Developing and Protecting Intellectual Property; Technology Entrepreneurship Strategy; Start-up Financial Strategy As the source of new discoveries and technologies, scientists and engineers are uniquely positioned to launch new business ventures based on cutting-edge discoveries. This book will teach those with no prior training how to start a company and grow their business through marketing and astute team building techniques.

Written by teachers and successful entrepreneurs, this textbook includes guidance, instruction and practical lessons for the prospective entrepreneur.

Thinking of starting your own business in high-tech? Do yourself a huge favor by reading this book first. The authors, both veterans of many start-ups, address topics vital to your start-up success, such as: Finding start-up opportunities Leaving your current employer but keeping your ideas Protecting your intellectual property Managing the five critical elements of a successful start-up Securing start-up financing Dealing successfully with venture capitalists Writing a winning business plan Creating a management team Handling employment and compensation--who to hire and how to pay them Avoiding the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make Understanding company valuation and exit strategies James Swanson and Michael Baird lay out all the basic concepts clearly, step by step. They demystify the start-up process with frank advice, insiders' tips, and "been there" examples. On-point case studies show you what to do--and what to avoid. An expanded list of resources steers you to help when you need it. You'll learn what it takes for you to create and manage a start-up, and the personal characteristics required to be successful in your new venture. In good economies and bad, entrepreneurs will continue to lead the way to new markets, new ventures, and new technologies. With this comprehensive new guide, you have a great start to start-up success! _____________________________ Since 1975 more than 2 million people preparing for their engineering, surveying, architecture, LEED�, interior design, and landscape architecture exams have entrusted their exam prep to PPI. For more information, visit us at www.ppi2pass.com.