The Entrepreneurial Code

Lessons from an 

Ivy League Entrepreneur

Introduction

“Anyone [can be an entrepreneur] who wants to experience the deep, dark canyons of uncertainty and ambiguity; and who wants to walk the breathtaking highlands of success.  But I caution, do not plan to walk the latter, until you have experienced the former.” 

-- An Entrepreneur

The Entrepreneurial Code is a case story about a group of students from an Ivy League university that enjoy grassroots success with their start-up, but face unanticipated challenges expanding their business.  The Company's main product begins as an off-campus meal plan for students utilizing local restaurants and ultimately expands to a national scale offering a restaurant meal plan, discount card, and online bookstore for college students.  It takes the reader through all of the stages of an entrepreneurial venture from its inception, through the unforeseen problems, right to the company’s spectacular demise and the lessons learned.  At each stage, the founders reinvent their business, while always struggling with whether or not to stay the course.  In its essence, the Entrepreneurial Code explores the never ending question, “Is my thesis still intact or am I blinded?” 

The Entrepreneurial Code was written to help students who are thinking about taking the plunge into self-employment.  The story goes beyond the rigid limitations of the 10-page “case study” used in business programs across the country.  Its flow is meant to demonstrate how erratically events unfold.  It also fulfills a niche because it’s about a group of college students managing a small company.  While it may sound impressive to read about the founder of Staples, it’s just as important for students to hear from the experiences of younger entrepreneurs. 

The story fulfills a need in classrooms, where students are often given an imbalanced portrayal of entrepreneurship.  Since most failed entrepreneurs choose to lick their wounds out of the spotlight, lectures are mostly given by the few who succeeded. It would be unheard of for a business program to invite 19 failed entrepreneurs to speak for every one success, but it would be more reflective of the true odds.

This case story was written by someone who lived through the experiences, so it adds insight that can’t be found in a generic case study by an independent researcher.   Although based on real events, the Entrepreneurial Code is not the author's memoirs.  By telling the story in the third person with fictional characters, he is more able to present an unbiased account of what happened.  The final chapter is a summary of his lessons learned after years of reflection.    

The author is not trying to preach to anyone about entrepreneurship.  He made his mistakes, and you’ll make yours. This story is meant to be a learning tool to help students think more deeply about what it means to be a business owner.  By no means is he trying to discourage entrepreneurs from taking calculated risks.  Rather, it is his hope that the Entrepreneurial Code will help young people develop the frame of mind necessary to build long term value for their stakeholders.

The author has reviewed notes, records, and newspaper stories, interviewed some of the participants, and relied heavily on his own recollections.  If you talk to other people involved with the events described, they may recount the story differently, and, ultimately, may have been affected in completely different ways.  He is just recounting the story as he remembers it through the eyes of the characters he has created.

 

Copyright  2005 by Chris Cononico
All rights reserved. No part of this manuscript may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.