Unstoppable Entrepreneurs - by Lori Rosenkopf (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Discover your own path to entrepreneurship and make your mark in the world

In a world where entrepreneurship often seems to be driven by tech prodigies and venture-backed unicorns, many aspiring entrepreneurs find themselves wondering: "What if I don't fit the stereotype of a Silicon Valley wunderkind? Is there a place for me in this landscape?"

In Unstoppable Entrepreneurs, Lori Rosenkopf, Vice Dean of Entrepreneurship at The Wharton School, shatters these limiting perceptions, revealing an array of entrepreneurial paths that are open to anyone with the drive to create value through innovation. Drawing from her thirty-year career and interactions with more than 20,000 students, Rosenkopf offers a compelling roadmap for entrepreneurial success.

From Amy Errett's disruption of the hair care industry with Madison Reed to Jarrid Tingle's mission to diversify venture funding through Harlem Capital, the book showcases a rich tapestry of founders who have carved their own unique paths. These inspiring stories reveal that entrepreneurship is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor, but a realm of possibilities limited only by one's imagination and determination.

In Unstoppable Entrepreneurs, discover:
+ 7 distinct entrepreneurial paths, from disruptors to intrapreneurs;
+ The 6 Rs of entrepreneurial success;
+ Insights for navigating the inevitable setbacks and challenges;
+ Strategies for overcoming biases and obstacles in securing funding and support; and
+ Tools for developing an entrepreneurial mindset, regardless of background or industry.

Whether you're a budding entrepreneur with a groundbreaking idea, a seasoned business owner looking to scale, or an employee seeking to drive innovation within your organization, this essential read will challenge your assumptions, unleash your entrepreneurial potential, and inspire you to make your mark in the world.

Review Quotes

"Unstoppable Entrepreneurs masterfully captures the doubts, fears, setbacks, and more importantly, the drive to overcome those challenges, which is the hallmark of entrepreneurship. In a series of vignettes and interviews, Lori Rosenkopf outlines the different and highly specific models successful entrepreneurs have used to address market failures, inefficiencies, and unmet needs. UnstoppableEntrepreneurs should be required reading for anyone dreaming about--or struggling with--being an entrepreneur."-- "Ali Velshi, Host, MSNBC's Velshi, and Author, Small Acts of Courage"

"In Unstoppable Entrepreneurs, Lori Rosenkopf looks beyond celebrity entrepreneurs to showcase a new set of role models who are pursuing different paths to create and build financial and social value. You will find inspiration in the captivating stories Rosenkopf shares of entrepreneurs finding their purpose, expanding their impact, and importantly, persisting in the face of obstacles. Better yet, the lessons Rosenkopf distills across the stories provide a checklist that can motivate innovation and entrepreneurship across the economy."-- "Vivian Wu, Managing Partner, Ventures, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative"

"Lori Rosenkopf demolishes the myth that there is one right way to launch a high-growth startup, revealing the many paths to entrepreneurial success through vivid stories and actionable frameworks. Through her deep interviews with many founders, she shows how anyone can create value through innovation. This is the book I wish every aspiring entrepreneur could read before starting out."-- "Ethan Mollick, New York Times-Bestselling Author, Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI"

"This gem cuts through all the nonsense and hollow hype about how to start and build a great company. Lori Rosenkopf's page-turner is packed with instructive stories and studies about seven different entrepreneurship adventures. Unstoppable Entrepreneurs will help you choose the right path and show you how to travel down it--whether you are starting a new organization, sparking innovation in an established firm, or funding fellow entrepreneurs."-- "Robert I. Sutton, Stanford Professor (Emeritus) and New York Times-Bestselling Author, Scaling Up Excellence and The Friction Project (with Huggy Rao)"

About the Author

Lori Rosenkopf is the Simon and Midge Palley Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. As Vice Dean for Entrepreneurship, she serves as Wharton's faculty director for Venture Lab, Penn's home for student entrepreneurs, and also their San Francisco campus. In a prior role as Vice Dean of Wharton's Undergraduate Division, she introduced a new curriculum and developed experiential classwork in the tech sector. For over thirty years, Rosenkopf has taught entrepreneurship and management of technology to more than 20,000 high schoolers, undergraduates, MBAs, and executives, connecting these learners to many of the most entrepreneurial alumni at Wharton and Penn through treks, panels, and classes.

Rosenkopf was named a Best Undergraduate Professor by Poets and Quants, and has received multiple awards for her teaching, including Wharton's prestigious David Hauck Award for Distinguished Teaching. Rosenkopf has published more than thirty articles on technological communities and social networks in top management journals, and she is a Fellow of the Academy of Management.

Rosenkopf received her PhD in Management of Organizations from Columbia University, her MS in Operations Research from Stanford University, and her BS in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering from Cornell University. She worked as a systems engineer at AT&T Bell Laboratories and Eastman Kodak between her degrees. Rosenkopf lives in Philadelphia with her partner, Allan, and their dog, Winston.