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Changing the Game

By William A. Sahlman - Stanford
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Lecture Description

After discussing the four key elements of any entrepreneurial venture (people, opportunity, context and deal), William Sahlman, professor at Harvard Business School, argues that the greatest value can be achieved by "changing the game," that is changing the relationship of the core elements to one another. Sahlman illustrates this strategy with the example of John Osher and the spin toothbrush. To change the game, Osher brought in the most relevant people for the job, experimented to find a great opportunity, and reshaped the context in which he, his team and his partner operated to quickly capture the new market.

Course Index

  1. The Best Money Comes from Customers
  2. Choose Venture Investors Carefully
  3. Opportunity Recognition and Leveraging One's Experience
  4. Four Key Elements of an Entrepreneurial Venture
  5. Changing the Game
  6. Three Factors to Improve Entrepreneurial Success
  7. Characteristics of Entrepreneurs
  8. Opportunity Driven Entrepreneurship
  9. New Ventures Must Adapt
  10. Managing the Risk / Reward Tradeoff
  11. Four Qualities to Look for When Hiring
  12. Challenges of Hiring Good People
  13. Three Most Critical Elements of Venture Success: People, Customers and Sales
  14. Teams Are More Important than Individuals