Lessons Learned From a Failed Ivy League Entrepreneur

A "Case Story" By Christopher Cononico
 

Frequently Asked Questions

How does a business "case study" differ from a "case story?"

A business "case study" from Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, etc. is usually a 20-page snapshot of a business dilemma faced by real life professionals. It contains a synopsis of background information and presents a "what should they do?" challenge to the reader that addresses a narrow range of management topics. It's the preferred tool at most business programs to promote discussion and demonstrate how the concepts presented in the classroom can be applied in real life settings.

In their studies, business students are literally asked to read hundreds of case studies. It’s usually pretty dry reading because case studies aren’t intended to be books, so they’re not meant to be engaging. Researchers, who did not live through the experiences, summarize the information to present a management problem. While some case studies written 20 years ago are still being used in classrooms, many more are written every year to reflect current events. While the format may be limiting in many ways, professors have an enormous variety to choose from.

Like a case study, I wrote The Entrepreneurial Code to present a series of management problems that occurred in a real life corporate setting. However, I chose to write this in a story format (a “case story”) which has certain advantages. In real life, problems are seldom presented clearly and information is never summarized up front for you. So, the flow of the story format is meant to help students appreciate how erratically events can sometimes unfold. Also, by writing a case story, I was able to write as many pages as I needed to share the lessons learned. The fact that The Entrepreneurial Code is written by someone who actually lived through the experiences also adds a level of insight that can’t be had from a generic case study.

After years of reflection, I wrote The Entrepreneurial Code to help college students (like I was) to explore the idea of self-employment. Entrepreneurship is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart and I hope this manuscript can be a way for others to learn from my mistakes.

 

Copyright  2005 by Christopher 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.