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American Entrepreneur: The Fascinating Stories of the People Who Defined Business in the United States
Ever since the first colonists landed in “The New World,” Americans have forged ahead in their quest to make good on the promises of capitalism and independence. This book vividly illustrates the history of business in the United States from the point of view of the enterprising men and women who made it happen. Weaving together vivid narrative with economic analysis, American Entrepreneur recounts fascinating successes and failures, how Eli Whitney changed the shape of the American business landscape...the impact of the Civil War on the economy and the subsequent dominance of Andrew Carnegie and J. P. Morgan...the rise of the consumer marketplace led by Asa Candler, W. K. Kellogg, Henry Ford, and J.C. Penny...and Warren Buffett’s, Michael Milken’s, and even Martha Stewart’s experience in the “New Economy” of the 1990s and into today. It is an adventure to start a business, and the greatest risk takers in that adventure are entrepreneurs. This is the epic story of America’s entrepreneurs and the economy they created.
535 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 23, 2012
It is real life examples of what Smith discusses in his legacy "Wealth of Nations" The authors point has to do with the risk takers who have made the world what it is today. The entrepreneurs who stepped up and made something of themselves without expecting undeserved help from government. As a matter of fact some of these risk takers overcame undeserved obstacles from government. Good history and anectdotal evidence of the roles entreprenuers played. I could not get into the high school textbook type structure of this writing.
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August 20, 2022Even China, a communist nation, realized that it must permit widespread operation of the free market in many sectors of its economy
Chris Gardner, whose life was captured in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness
cutting-edge managerial techniques
personally assumed none of the risk
Assume that an entrepreneur starts a hamburger stand. In doing so, he invests time, energy, and talent procuring products, facilities, and employees. Before earning a single dime, he has served others by making these investments of time, talent, and energy. The entrepreneur still has not received any personal return, which comes from meeting his customers’ culinary needs or desires. What if he provides terrible food? Or what if the food is good, but he is abusive and crabby to his customers? In either case, he will soon be out of business: He has not served his fellow man, nor has he met any need or fulfilled any desire. Note that despite working hard, he has not benefited others!
employees receive pay even if there is not enough left for the owner at the end of the week. Many small-business owners have reported not taking a paycheck for years, plowing every cent back into the business.
the number of managerial “filters” through which decisions must pass weakens and dilutes
companies recognize this barrier and take steps to encourage their employees to behave as entrepreneurs
they seem to have an innate ability to separate genuine from perceived threats, which leads them to focus always on the most important issues
issuing the biblical edict that “he who will not work will not eat,”
In September 1620, fifty or so Puritans and an equal number of other passengers embarked on the Mayflower for America.
Chris Gardner, whose life was captured in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness
cutting-edge managerial techniques
personally assumed none of the risk
Assume that an entrepreneur starts a hamburger stand. In doing so, he invests time, energy, and talent procuring products, facilities, and employees. Before earning a single dime, he has served others by making these investments of time, talent, and energy. The entrepreneur still has not received any personal return, which comes from meeting his customers’ culinary needs or desires. What if he provides terrible food? Or what if the food is good, but he is abusive and crabby to his customers? In either case, he will soon be out of business: He has not served his fellow man, nor has he met any need or fulfilled any desire. Note that despite working hard, he has not benefited others!
employees receive pay even if there is not enough left for the owner at the end of the week. Many small-business owners have reported not taking a paycheck for years, plowing every cent back into the business.
the number of managerial “filters” through which decisions must pass weakens and dilutes
companies recognize this barrier and take steps to encourage their employees to behave as entrepreneurs
they seem to have an innate ability to separate genuine from perceived threats, which leads them to focus always on the most important issues
issuing the biblical edict that “he who will not work will not eat,”
In September 1620, fifty or so Puritans and an equal number of other passengers embarked on the Mayflower for America.
May 3, 2025
This was an assigned book for a college course. I really enjoyed it. It is very thorough and helped me clearly understand much of history that never clicked for me before. Schweikart and Doti do a fantastic job writing historical facts and summaries in an easy to understand and somewhat entertaining format.
March 14, 2019
An incredibly dense and thorough textbook. Little detail is left out, which can make it a bore at times. It is however a great resource for understanding of economics in history. Also, it's from a conservative economist.
December 11, 2016
Reminded me of John Brooks Business Adventures but the author freely gave short pro free market conclusions.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews