My goal is to make sure everyone understands the benefits of entrepreneurship and the process of creating and developing a new idea for a product/service….as well as to understand how an entrepreneurship mindset can assist all organizations, including governments and universities, to establish an environment for creative thinking and learning.
Questions & Answers
Why did you decide to pursue your field of research?
In between my BA and MBA degrees, I worked in marketing positions for Procter & Gamble and Ford Motor Companies, which I really enjoyed. During my last semester of my MBA program, I had the opportunity to teach an undergraduate course in Marketing and do research with a professor, both of which I also enjoyed. When offered a full scholarship to obtain my Ph.D degree and work for a professor's consulting company, it was an offer that I could not resist. After completion of the degree, I accepted a position as an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Boston College where I enjoyed teaching some undergraduate but mainly graduate courses, as well as doing research in marketing and specifically in product /service planning and development and marketing new products/services. When Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) offered me a position in their innovation center to research and assist entrepreneurs in taking their products and services to the market, I shifted my focus to entrepreneurship and started researching this topic, which has resulted in the publication of 48 books or editions of books and over 300 articles in various journals. I still enjoy giving seminars, teaching courses and writing on the various aspects of entrepreneurship and venture formation all over the world. I have also been a Fulbright Professor in Hungary on two occasions and received a Doctor Honoris Causa from both Chuvash State University(Russia) and University of Miskolc (Hungary) and been a member of the faculty at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), The Technical University of Vienna (Austria), Donau University (Austria), and Jilin University(China).
What would you tell a student at the beginning of their academic career?
Be sure to be open to various subject areas until you find the one that you are passionate about and enjoy.
Tell us a little about your research:
My research first focused on product/service planning and development and other areas of marketing, but shifted to various aspects of entrepreneurship and new venture creation and international business. I really enjoy researching how entrepreneurship varies in different cultures and countries and the institutional support mechanisms that occur in different countries. My entrepreneurship book will be in its 14th edition in 2022 and is available in 12 languages.
What are you hoping to accomplish?
My goal is to make sure everyone understands the benefits of entrepreneurship and the process of creating and developing a new idea for a product/service and creating a new venture to take that idea to the market, both internal and external to an organization, as well as to understand how an entrepreneurship mindset can assist all organizations, including governments and universities, to establish an environment for creative thinking and learning.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Find something that you love and are really passionate about and be the best you can be in that area.
Who is someone you admire, and why?
One person I really admire is Mother Teresa as she focuses on everyone but herself and gives of herself, helping each individual have the best life possible.
Do you have any skills or talents most people don’t know about?
I was a good baseball player and played in a rock and roll band, though I am not sure about the degree of talent.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
I really enjoy the beach and all the activities there including snorkeling and scuba diving, as well as traveling and being in many different cultures and countries.
What does it mean to you to be included in the top 2% in your field?
This is a great honor for me as I truly enjoy my career in entrepreneurship and new venture creation; doing research and teaching in the area; being an entrepreneur; and helping others understand the topic and be successful in starting a new venture if they so desire.