Provides a framework for understanding entrepreneurship. Examining many successful ventures, this book finds that the typical business has humble, improvised origins. It is useful for those who want to start a business, and for entrepreneurs or executives who want to grow a company.

In a field dominated by anecdote and folklore, this landmark study integrates more than ten years of intensive research and modern theories of business and economics. The result is a comprehensive framework for understanding entrepreneurship that provides new and penetrating insights. This clearly and concisely written book is essential for anyone who wants to start a business, for the entrepreneur or executive who wants to grow a company, and for the scholar who wants to understand this crucial economic activity.

"This groundbreaking work shows the complementary roles held by innovative startup companies in areas with high uncertainty and little financial investment and by more established companies, which focus on large-scale projects with more certain payoffs....Offering a wealth of avenues for future research as well as insights for potential entrepreneurs, this book is sure to be cited for years to come."--Library Journal