<p></p> <p>This September at the CorePurpose Business Blog, I am highlighting some great business <a href="http://jkw.typepad.com/corepurpose_joan_koerberw/2010/08/learning-is-not-just-for-kids-1.html" target="_blank">books we grown ups can take advantage of as the kids head back to school</a>.&nbsp; At the beginning of the month I shared a peek into Amilya Antonetti's <a href="http://jkw.typepad.com/corepurpose_joan_koerberw/2010/09/the-secret-to-building-a-great-team-get-the-recipe.html" target="_blank">The Recipe: A fable for leaders and teams</a> and Professor Robert Sutton's <a href="http://jkw.typepad.com/corepurpose_joan_koerberw/2010/09/good-boss-bad-boss-learning-from-leaders.html" target="_blank">Good Boss, Bad Boss</a> two books that share great stories about leadership in their own unique way.&nbsp; </p> <p>Now it's time to change classes and move into the study of entrepreneurship with a look at a new book by my good friend <a href="http://littlelifestories.wordpress.com/2009/12/13/making-a-difference-by-mentoring-others-an-interview-with-marty-zwilling/" target="_blank">Marty Zwilling</a>, who just happens to be a friend to hundreds of thousands as <a href="http://twiiter.com/startuppro" target="_blank">@startuppro</a> on Twitter.&nbsp;&nbsp; Every day - yes EVERY day, Marty posts a new blog post for entrepreneurs at his very popular <a href="http://blog.startupprofessionals.com/" target="_blank">Startup Professionals Musings</a> blog.&nbsp; He even finds time to share wisdom at the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marty-zwilling" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a>, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/author/martin-zwilling" target="_blank">Business Insider</a>, <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/06/investor_due_diligence_is_not.html" target="_blank">Harvard Business Review</a>, <a href="http://search.forbes.com/search/colArchiveSearch?author=martin+and+zwilling&amp;aname=Martin+Zwilling" target="_blank">Forbes.com</a> and many other sites.&nbsp; It's amazing that he can find the time in between his activities as an angel investor, executive in residence at <a href="http://callamanventures.com/" target="_blank">Callaman Ventures</a>, <a href="http://www.caycon.com/consultant-Marty-Zwilling.php" target="_blank">chief knowledge officer</a> at Cayenne Consulting&nbsp; and as a very active participant in our local start up community here in AZ.&nbsp; If you have not gotten the message - I am very impressed with the sheer volume of what Marty gets done. </p> <p>Earlier this Spring over lunch, Marty shared with me that he was thinking about taking his most popular posts for start ups and weaving them into a book.&nbsp; We brainstormed some ideas and I shared a little bit of my past experiences in the world of publishing.&nbsp; By Summer, Marty's idea had&nbsp; moved from concept to reality.&nbsp; One day the postman delivered a beautiful hardcover book <a href="http://www.startupprofessionals.com/Do-You-Have-What-It-Takes.html" target="_blank">Do You have What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur</a> by Martin Zwilling along with a really kind inscription.&nbsp; (Like I said, when it comes to getting it done, my hat is off to Marty!&nbsp; He even has a great little video that explains why he wrote the book that highlights some of the ideas he shared with me over lunch last Spring.&nbsp; Take a minute to watch the video and&nbsp; then I will share a few of my own take-aways.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA3PkPEdUHE&fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6&border=1]  <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Bridging the Gap</strong></p> <p>Obviously Marty's book was not around in 2002 when I made my own leap from the Fortune 500 to the land of the entrepreneur.&nbsp; I wish it had been.&nbsp; Back then I had all the big business experience, a relatively fresh MBA, and lots of ideas.&nbsp; What I did not have was ANY experience as an&nbsp; entrepreneur.&nbsp; And, Marty is sooo right.&nbsp; What you need to know is not taught in your average class room or in a Fortune 500 board room.&nbsp; Lucky for me, a number of experienced entrepreneurs including <a href="http://www.ednusbaum.com/" target="_blank">Ed Nusbaum</a> and <a href="http://blog.stealthmode.com/work-with-francine/about/" target="_blank">Francine Hardaway</a> from <a href="http://www.stealthmode.com" target="_blank">Stealthmode Partners</a> took pity on me and gave me some tips so that I&nbsp; did not blunder too badly, but as an avid reader, Marty's book would have been REALLY helpful.&nbsp; Actually it still is. Even 8 years later, I still have lots to learn.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p>&nbsp;<a href="http://new.corepurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/do-you-have-what-it-takes.jpg"><img style="border-width:0;margin:5px 10px 5px 5px;" border="0" alt="Do you have what it takes" align="left" src="http://new.corepurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/do-you-have-what-it-takes_thumb.jpg" width="172" height="244"></a> </p> <p><strong>Building the Bridge</strong></p> <p>If you had the time to hunt through literally hundreds of Marty's blogs, you could find this information, but as entrepreneurs who can spare the time.&nbsp; That is the great part about this book.&nbsp; From the forward by best selling author <a href="http://www.slechter.com/" target="_blank">Sharon Lechter</a> (co-author of <em>Think and Grow Rich</em>, <em>Three Feet from Gold</em>, and <em>Rich Dad Poor Dad</em>) through sections&nbsp; ranging from "Why Entrepreneurs are Special"&nbsp; to&nbsp; "How Social Media Is Changing the Landscape" all of the information is in well organized, easily actionable, easy to read form.&nbsp;&nbsp; When my college freshman son told me he wants to study entrepreneurship, I handed him my copy of <em>Do You have What It Takes to Be and Entrepreneur</em> and told him to read it.&nbsp; You could say this book is kid tested and Mom approved. </p> <p>So if you are an entrepreneur, or considering making the leap, check out Marty's book.&nbsp; You'll be glad you did.</p> <p>Thanks for reading along this September.&nbsp; Next up in this series will be a brand new book releasing September 14th - <em>Defy Gravity</em> by Rebel Brown. You won't want to miss it.&nbsp; </p> <p>Thanks for stopping by.&nbsp; Stay tuned...</p> <blockquote> <p>Joan Koerber-Walker</p></blockquote> <div style="display:inline;margin:0;padding:0;" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:8fbd4bdb-1798-472e-8485-5e7a1c8a4aa6" class="wlWriterSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Do%20You%20Have%20What%20It%20Takes%20To%20Be%20An%20Entrepreneur" rel="tag">Do You Have What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Matry%20Zwilling" rel="tag">Matry Zwilling</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Martin%20Zwilling" rel="tag">Martin Zwilling</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Business%20Books%202010" rel="tag">Business Books 2010</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Entrepreneurship%20Books" rel="tag">Entrepreneurship Books</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/The%20Recipe%20a%20fable%20for%20leaders%20and%20teams" rel="tag">The Recipe a fable for leaders and teams</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Amilya%20Antonetti" rel="tag">Amilya Antonetti</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Good%20Boss%20Bad%20Boss" rel="tag">Good Boss Bad Boss</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Robert%20I%20Sutton" rel="tag">Robert I Sutton</a></div>