Starting Up in Business Networks: Why Relationships Matter in Entrepreneurship

by Lise Aaboen (Editor), Antonella La Rocca (Editor), Frida Lind (Editor)

This book offers a novel perspective on starting-up new business ventures through examining the process by which they become part of the existing business environment. The book highlights the importance of inter-organizational business relationships. Asserting that new ventures need to interact and connect with customers and suppliers, alongside policy actors and universities, Starting up in Business Networks demonstrates how beginning a new venture demands initiating and developing business relationships. Noting a lack of prior research into the process by which start-ups embed into an existing business network, this book presents examples from countries such as Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands and China to analyse the emergence and evolution of start-up business networks.

336 pages, Hardcover

Published November 30, 2016

Reviews

[Temi Adefioye · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a compilation of research studies on the importance of relationships and networking for entrepreneurship. It covered several topics such as how startups can initiate relationships, third actors in a business relationship, and the role of policy makers and universities in the lifetime of startups.

Key lessons I picked up include:
-Developing new business relationships is critical for startups
-New business relationships can be formed with several actors including customers, suppliers, ambassadors and policy makers
-When startups initiate business relationships early, it helps them save time in processes such as product design and development
-Ambassadors are important for startups
-Relationships provide a sense of direction with regard to which products and relationships should be further developed

I like that the book used examples of startups taken from different parts of the world such as Italy, Sweden and China.

I'll recommend the book to entrepreneurs especially those who are just starting out and are willing to learn the rudiments of business relationships and who might me important to their business. I'll also recommend this book to policy makers and university professors as it will help them understand their unique roles in the life of any startup.