Description
Book SynopsisWill America''s entrepreneurial spirit continue to define its destiny? What can the rest of the world learn from America''s experience?
In Launchpad Republic: America''s Entrepreneurial Edge and Why it Matters to All of Us, Howard Wolk and John Landry provide an insightful and thought-provoking history of entrepreneurship in the United States, with a focus on the political, legal, and cultural forces that have sustained creative destruction and propelled the country forward for more than 200 years. In telling this story, the book highlights the critical features that have set America apart from other countries and identifies the key attributes necessary for it to maintain leadership for years to come.
Entrepreneurship is a rebellious act, and America''s democratic system is unique in enabling new companies to challenge established ones. As a result, the country enjoys not just more robust start-up activity, but also a dynamism that forces big companies to improve
Table of Contents
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xxi
About the Authors xxiii
1 Bigger, Better, Faster, Cheaper 1
Why Entrepreneurship Is More Vibrant and Sustained in the United States Than Elsewhere
2 Gorillas and Guerillas 23
How Start-ups and Established Companies Make Each Other Better
3 European and Colonial Foundations 43
Where America Got Its Crazy Ideas About Property Rights and the Right to Compete
4 Upstart Nation 63
How the Bickering New States Created a Constitution of Competing Interests
5 Building the Entrepreneurial Republic 81
How America Balanced the Race to Get Ahead with the Desire to Stay There
6 The Evolution from Small Business to Big 103
How Upstarts Challenged Incumbents to Create the First Unicorns
7 The Age and Aging of Incumbents 125
What Happens When Giants Fall Asleep
8 The Entrepreneurial Revolution 147
It’s Cool to Get Rich, Man
9 The Inflection Point? 169
Avoiding Pitfalls in Tackling Social Issues
10 Maintaining the Entrepreneurial Advantage 189
Pursuing Shared Prosperity Without Killing the Goose
Index 207
