t major in college, she hoped to pursue a career in art. With marriage and the birth of two children in rapid order, Allison said that she started her e-commerce site to add to the family income.
As the editors of Supervision (American entrepreneuriala., 1995) put it, U.S. entrepreneurs accept transformation as a comprehensive, ongoing process and see it as an inherent part of their organization and strategies. Entrepreneurial firms, regardless of their size or sector, tend to be optimistic about their abilities to meet business challenges with innovative products, processes, and services in order to retain a competitive edge. In interviews with both Allison and David, it became clear that each of these individuals saw change as exciting and challenging and that both were extremely optimistic about their own abilities to create, manage and grow a business of their own.
However, some critical differences between the two subjects were revealed in the course of their interviews. For example:
. David and his partner developed connections with
technology producers and suppliers as part of their
business strategy and received over $125,000 in loans
from family member sand friends to start their business.
. Allison started her business with a single home computer, used her husband's technological expertise to
create a Web site, and initially marketed only a small
selection of crafts kits that she had designed and made
with the help of other "stay-at-home moms;" she had no major financial investment, using about $1,500 of her own
savings to buy basic materials for her craft kits.
. David and his partner conducted a preliminary market analysis before they developed their own e-commerce site, and then targeted specific businesses and business sectors for a marketing campaign to gain clients.
. Allison did no "real" market research, made no initial contacts with potential suppliers or artists, and o...