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  • © 2013

Beyond the Business Plan

10 Principles for New Venture Explorers

Palgrave Macmillan

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Table of contents (23 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
  2. Why Look Beyond the Business Plan?

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-2
    2. The Purpose of This Book

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 3-12
    3. Business Plans — Why Are They Advocated?

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 13-25
    4. Are Business Plans Appropriate?

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 27-40
    5. Business Plans Are Not the Only Option

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 41-50
    6. Enterprise and Exploration

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 51-63
    7. A Guide for Explorers?

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 65-69
  3. The Ten Principles

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 71-72
    2. The Starting Point: Understanding How to Explore

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 73-80
    3. Principle 1 — An Enterprise Is a Means, Not an End

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 81-88
    4. Principle 3 — Start from Where You Are

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 97-101
    5. Principle 5 — The Only Reliable Test Is a Real One

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 109-118
    6. Principle 6 — Get Started and Get Some Momentum

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 119-130
    7. Principle 7 — Accept Uncertainty

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 131-140
    8. Principle 8 — Look for Opportunities

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 141-145
    9. Principle 9 — Build and Use Social Capital

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 147-158
    10. Principle 10 — Acquire the Relevant Skills

      • Simon Bridge, Cecilia Hegarty
      Pages 159-163

About this book

This insightful practical guide argues that the traditional business plan may not be appropriate for many new ventures and presents an alternative, effectual approach that encourages flexibility and development through exploration and experience. 10 principles demonstrate how to respond better to uncertainty during the business development process.

Authors and Affiliations

  • University of Ulster, Ireland

    Simon Bridge

  • PLATO EBR, N. Ireland and Ireland

    Cecilia Hegarty

About the authors

SIMON BRIDGE is a practitioner and academic, and has worked in the enterprise field for nearly 30 years, first in LEDU (Northern Ireland's small business agency) and then in his own business as a consultant and facilitator. He is Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Ulster and co-author of Understanding Enterprise, Entrepreneurship and Small Business - a leading enterprise text book, the fourth edition of which is now in preparation - and has also written on social enterprise and enterprise policy. Simon speaks at business and entrepreneurship conferences worldwide and consults with organizations on manager training and development in entrepreneurship.

CECILIA HEGARTY is an active contributor to the national strategy for entrepreneurship education in Ireland and has worked in entrepreneurship higher education for over 10 years in programme development and delivery from undergraduate to post-doctoral level. She is also a consultant working directly with SMEs on entrepreneurship and training. Dr Hegarty sits on a number of international journal review boards and has published widely in the field of entrepreneurship and enterprise including journal articles, book chapters and textbooks. Cecilia's current research interests relate to entrepreneurship education, family SME growth and succession and applied enterprise research. Cecilia is also a regular conference speaker and regularly presents papers and new research to these key networks.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 24.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 33.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access