by Dr. Joachim Behrendt

2. INTRODUCTION
StartNowHow
• Open seminar series for active and prospective entrepreneurs
• 10 sessions on monthly basis until summer 2016
• Covers relevant theoretical and practical aspects of entrepreneurship
• Based on lecture „entrepreneurship“ @Bogazici University
• Based on experiences of entrepreneurs, investors, mentors and consultants
• Each session with guest speaker (entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, etc.)
• Language: English / Turkish
• Thursdays 17.15h – 19.30h
• Next session: Thu 12.November 2015
• Guest Speaker: Sina Afra, Girisimcilik Vakfi / Markafoni
• Certificate provided for participants joining at least 70% of the sessions
• Early registration for each session required (eventbrite), limited capacity!
• Priority for regular participants
Startnowhow – Seminar 215.10.2015 2

3. INTRODUCTION
StartNowHow - Seminar Topics (preliminary)
1. Thu 1.10.15: The entrepreneurial ecosystem in Turkey
2. Thu 15.10.15. Entrepreneurship as a profession
3. Thu 12.11.15: Opportunity recognition and evaluation
4. Thu 10.12.15: Planning, developing and testing a business model
5. Thu 7.1.16: Market and competitor research
6. Thu 11.2.16 (tbc): Financial planning for startups
7. Thu 10.3.16 (tbc): Digital Marketing planning and control
8. Thu 14.4.16 (tbc): Funding the startup – stage financing for ventures
9. Thu 12.5.16 (tbc): The investment process – pitching, negotiations and termsheet
10. Thu 9.6.16 (tbc): Success and failure as an entrepreneur
Startnowhow – Seminar 215.10.2015 3

4. ENTREPRENEURSHIPASPROFESSION
Definitions: Entrepreneur
• Schumpeter (1942): An entrepreneur is a person who is willing and able to convert a new
idea or invention into a successful innovation
 Theory of „creative destruction“
(Schumpeter, Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy, 1942)
• Drucker (1985) – some quotes:
• NOT: Someone who starts his own, new and small business
• NOT: “Der Unternehmer” (Owner-manager) – the person who owns and runs a business
• NOT: A personality trait – “in thirty years I have seen people of the most diverse
personalities and temperaments”
• “Everyone who can face up to decision making can learn to be an entrepreneur”
• “Entrepreneurship .. is behavior rather than personality trait”
• “Entrepreneurs see change as the norm and as healthy”
(Drucker, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, pp.1-10)
• Hisrich / Peters / Shepherd: An entrepreneur is an individual who takes initiative to
bundle resources in innovative ways and is willing to bear the risk and / or uncertainty to
act.
(Hisrich / Peters / Shepherd, Entrepreneurship, p.6)
15.10.2015 4Startnowhow – Seminar 2

5. ENTREPRENEURSHIPASPROFESSION
The Entrepreneur – from the Entrepreneur‘s Perspective
• (from: Scott Mitchell, Founder of Core Electronics, UK;
taken from Stokes / Wilson, Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship, p. 34)
• “It went something like this: One day this guy woke up in the morning and said to himself
„I‘m going to become an entrepreneur“. So he went to the best programmer in the
company where he was working and whispered, „Would you like to join my company?
Then, be there... My place... Ten o‘clock Saturday – and bring some bagels.“ Then he goes
to the best guy in the finance department and says, „bring some coffees“. And then he
goes to the best marketing guy and the best IP lawyer with the same invitation.
Ten o‘clock Saturday comes around. They ask, „Hey, what is your company going to do?“
The guy replies, „Build a new computer program.“
An hour later, and the business plan is done. The finance guy says he knows where he can
get some money. Then they say to their host, „So what have you done?“
What indeed? He didn‘t provide the coffee. It wasn‘t him who brought the bagels. He
didn‘t even provide the idea. But he was the entrepreneur. He made it happen.“
15.10.2015 5Startnowhow – Seminar 2

6. ENTREPRENEURSHIPASPROFESSION
Myths about Entrepreneurship
• Myth 1: Entrepreneurs are born, not made
• Myth 2: Entrepreneurship cannot be taught
• Myth 3: I will be my own boss
• Myth 4: Most new ventures fail
• Myth 5: I can always start my own business
• Myth 6: I can be an entrepreneur because I have
been successful in the corporate world
• (all taken from Harper, Extraordinary Entrepre-
neurship, pp. I-13 – I-21)
• ... And some more...
• Myth 7: Entrepreneurs are doers, not thinkers
• Myth 8: Entrepreneurs are always inventors
• Myth 9: Entrepreneurs are academic and social misfits
• Myth 10: All entrepreneurs need is money
• Myth 11: All entrepreneurs need is luck
• Myth 12: Entrepreneurship is unstructured and chaotic
• Myth 13: Entrepreneurs are extreme risk takers ... or gamblers
• (Adopted from Kuratko, Entrepreneurship – Theory, Process, Practice, pp. 5-8)
15.10.2015 6Startnowhow – Seminar 2

7. ENTREPRENEURSHIPASPROFESSION
Characteristics of Entrepreneurs?
• Endless research and ever-growing lists of „characteristics“ of entrepreneurs
• Supported by textbooks / online questionnaires „to find out if you are an entrepreneur“
• Useful example (taken from Timmons / Spinelli, New Venture Creation, p.47):
• Commitment and determination
• Courage
• Leadership
• Opportunity obsession
• Tolerance of risk, ambiguity, and uncertainty
• Creativity, self-reliance, and adaptability
• Motivation to excel
• Longer example (from: Kuratko, Entrepreneurship – Theory, Process, Practice, pp.30-36)
• Initial list: 11 characteristics
• Followed by table with 42 characteristics
• Followed by explanations about 17 characteristics, partly linked to initial 11
characteristics
• ....????
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8. ENTREPRENEURSHIPASPROFESSION
Longlist of Characteristics?
15.10.2015 8Startnowhow – Seminar 2
Taken from: Kuratko, Entrepreneurship – Theory, Process, Practice, p.31

9. ENTREPRENEURSHIPASPROFESSION
Empirical Findings
Bowers, 8 Patterns of Highly Effective Entrepreneurs
1. Seizing opportunities: Entrepreneurs notice things
2. Running your own show: Entrepreneurs want to be in charge (or: Entrepreneurs have a
fierce aversion to the very thought of reporting to a boss)
3. Nurture vs. nature: Is there an entrepreneurial gene?
4. Turning on a dime: Entrepreneurs are nimble
5. Tenacity: Entrepreneurs never give up
6. Delusions of grandeur: You gotta believe
7. Wait a minute: Will this work?
„It is tempting to view entrepreneurs as somehow stuck in adolescence, bursting with
energy and driven by grandiose dreams the way we all were once upon a time. In
truth, their lofty ambitions are often accompanied by a firm pragmatism that keeps
them grounded in reality.“
8. Failing upward
„... Entrepreneurs spot opportunities almost everywhere they cast their restless eyes
and move quickly to seize them. And occasionally, these traits cause them to fumble.
But there the paradox kicks in: The missteps and occasional fiascoes are key
ingredients in the entrepreneur‘s recipe for success. Successful entrepreneurs analyze
what went wrong and figure out how to leverage their mistakes to their purposes.
They fail upward.“
15.10.2015 9Startnowhow – Seminar 2

10. ENTREPRENEURSHIPASPROFESSION
Empirical Findings: Age
15.10.2015 10Startnowhow – Seminar 2
Source: Kelly / Bosma / Amoros, GEM Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 2010 Global Report, 2010, p. 34

11. ENTREPRENEURSHIPASPROFESSION
A More Useful Approach
15.10.2015 11Startnowhow – Seminar 2
Source: Stokes / Wilson, Small Business Management, p. 51

12. ENTREPRENEURSHIPASPROFESSION
The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship
15.10.2015 12Startnowhow – Seminar 2
Source: Shane, Ihe Illusions of Entrepre-
neurship, New Haven / London 2008
US study UK studies
Source: Stokes / Wilson, Small Business
Management, p. 87

13. ENTREPRENEURSHIPASPROFESSION
The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship
• Confrontation with risk
• In its deepest sense, entrepreneurs are willing to accept risk for what they believe in
• Entrepreneurs have ability to cope with ambiguity, and a consistent lack of clarity
• Have a drive to put their imprint on whatever they are creating, ego is wrapped up in
the enterprise
• Financial risk
• Career risk
• Family and social risk
• Psychic risk
• Negative effects from the entrepreneurial ego
• Overbearing need for control
• Sense of distrust, paranoia
• Overriding desire for success
• Sometimes „uncoachable“, overestimating themselves and their abilities
• ... But all these characteristics are, to a certain extent, needed to succeed as an
entrepreneur  careful balancing needed
• (taken from Kuratko, Entrepreneurship – Theory, Process, Practice, pp. 42-44)
15.10.2015 13Startnowhow – Seminar 2

14. ENTREPRENEURSHIPASPROFESSION
The Dark Side of Entrepreneurship
• Stress
• Entrepreneurs are prone to stress
• Continous discrepancies between (self-)expectations and realitiy / personality
• Entrepreneurs are often „type A personalities“ – prone to stress
• Chronic and severe sense of time urgency
• Constant involvement in multiple projects subject to deadlines
• Neglect of all aspects of life except work
• Tendency to take on excessive responsibility, „only I am capable of taking care of it“
• Explosiveness of speech, speaking faster than most people, swearing when upset
• Typical sources of entrepreneurial stress
• Loneliness, inner feelings of isolation
• Immersion in business
• Problems with people
• Need to achieve
• Implications
• Back problems, indigestion, insomnia, headaches
• Type A behaviour related to coronary heart disease, stress is contributor to heart disease
• .....
• (taken from Kuratko, Entrepreneurship – Theory, Process, Practice, pp. 39-42)
15.10.2015 14Startnowhow – Seminar 2

15. OUTLOOK
StartNowHow - Outlook
• Today‘s materials will be made available to participants for downloading
• Next Seminar: „Opportunity Recognition and Evaluation“
• Guest Speaker: Sina Afra, Girisimcilik Vakfi / Markafoni
• Thursday, 12.11.2015, 17.15 – 19.30h
• Don‘t forget to register early (eventbrite) - capacity 50 people!
• Priority for participants / registrants from today‘s session
• General rule: Allocation of seats according to participation
• Regular participation = certificate (70% participation)
Startnowhow – Seminar 215.10.2015 15

16. OUTLOOK
StartNowHow - Literature
• Bowers, Brent, 8 Patterns of Highly Effective Entrepreneurs, Doubleday, New York, NY 2008
• Bygrave, William D. / Zacharaiks, Andrew, The Portable MBA in Entrepreneurship, 4th ed., Wiley,
Hoboken, NJ 2010
• Drucker, Peter F., Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 1st ed. 1985, reprinted 2010, Elsevier, Kiddlington,
2010
• Harper, Stephen C., Extraordinary Entrepreneurship: The Professional’s Guide to Starting an Exceptional
Enterprise, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ 2005
• Hirshberg, Meg Cadoux, For Better or for Work, All Inc., New York, NY 2012
• Hisrich, Robert D. / Peters, Michael P. / Shepherd, Dean A., Entrepreneurship, 9th ed., McGraw-Hill, New
York, NY 2012
• Kuratko, Donald F., Entrepreneurship: Theory, Process, Practice, 8th ed., South-Western, Mason, OH 2009
• Leach, J. Chris / Melicher, Ronald W., Entrepreneurial Finance, International Edition, 4th ed., South-
Western, Hampshire 2012
• Osterwalder, Alexander / Pigneur, Yves, Business Model Generation, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ 2010
• Ries, Eric, The Lean Startup, Crown Business, New York, NY 2011
• Smith, Janet Kiholm / Smith, Richard L. / Bliss, Richard T.,Entrepreneurial Finance – Strategy, Valuation,
and Deal Structure, Standford University Press, Stanford, CA 2011
• Stokes, David / Wilson, Nick, Small Business Management and Entrepreneurship, 6th ed., South-Western,
Hampshire 2010
• Taleb, Nassim Nicholas, The Black Swan – The Impact of the Highly Improbable, revised ed., Penguin,
London 2010
• Timmons, Jeffry A. / Spinelli, Stephen, New Venture Creation – Entrepreneurship for the 21st Century, 9th
ed., McGraw-Hill, New York, NY 2011
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17. SUPPORT
StartNowHow – Looking for Help
Startnowhow – Seminar 215.10.2015 17

18. BIC ANGEL INVESTMENTS
Dr. Joachim Behrendt
Phone: +90 212 328 1939
Fax: +90 212 328 1933
www.bicangels.com
http:/twitter.com/joachimbehrendt
http://tr.linkedin.com/pub/joachim-behrendt/18/706/a7a
Email: j.behrendt@bicangels.com