UTSA entrepreneurship e-textbook costs students less than $10

UTSA e-textbook cover

By KC Gonzalez
Public Affairs Specialist

(Jan. 16, 2014) -- This spring, UTSA students enrolled in any entrepreneurship course offered through the College of Business can purchase their textbook for less than $10.

Written by UTSA Department of Entrepreneurship and Technology Management professors Cory Hallam and Anita Leffel and former graduate student Matthew Gonzales, "A Commuter's Handbook to Entrepreneurship" is a step-by-step guide for starting a business. It is not exclusive to students either. Anyone with an entrepreneurial itch can benefit from this recently published book.

"Although the book focuses on technology ventures specifically, the information is applicable to most service-based companies as well," notes Leffel. "The book reflects the practical training tools and exercises we've used for years to help young entrepreneurs take an idea and turn it into a solid business enterprise."

Each chapter provides background information, exercises and resources on the various components to starting a company. By completing the exercises in each chapter, the reader will have completed a first draft of a business plan and pitch for an enterprise.

Matthew Gonzales, who graduated from UTSA in August 2013 with an M.B.A. in technology management, did much of the heavy lifting on the book while he was a graduate student.

"Working on this book was an intense but great experience," Gonzales said. "The knowledge I gained writing this book has been invaluable for my own career. It is rewarding to support the mission to educate and help others succeed in their business endeavors."

An entrepreneur himself, Gonzales owns DeadEye Markmanship, the company that won first place in the UTSA $100K Student Technology Venture Competition in December 2010 hosted by the UTSA Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship.

Hundreds of students who have participated in the $100K Student Technology Venture Competition have used the principles taught in "A Commuter's Handbook to Entrepreneurship" to help them develop successful business models. Since the competition began in 2007, 650 undergraduate students have participated, 85 company ideas have been developed and more than a dozen patent applications have been filed as a result.

The authors chose to publish an e-book because it is easy to update and to ensure the cost would remain low.

"With today's daunting textbook prices, it's refreshing to have a textbook that is not only very useful but also very affordable," said Raquel Stark, who graduated with her B.B.A. in entrepreneurship in December and used the book in her last semester of college. "Dr. Leffel and her team have provided a textbook whose value greatly exceeds the price."

The book is available on all e-book commerce websites including Amazon.com, Nook.com and the Apple iBook Store.

The UTSA Department of Entrepreneurship and Technology Management offers a portfolio of courses taught by skilled faculty and focused on innovation and the intersection of technology and entrepreneurship in today's rapidly changing world. The department houses the Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship (CITE), an interdisciplinary center that serves as a pipeline for UTSA faculty, students and surrounding business community to develop new technology ventures. Through a process of education, experiences, resources and support, CITE is focused on fostering the growth of new technology-based ventures at UTSA and beyond.