The Entrepreneur's Identity Standard: What entrepreneurs think about themselves and how this influences their entrepreneurial actions by Tatiana Kukova, Ph.D. is based on enlightening research conducted at a UK technology start-up incubator. The study identifies three types of entrepreneurs based on their identity. Identity, in this case, is based on how an entrepreneur sees themselves in a social situation, as an individual and according to their role. High fliers are described as ambitious entrepreneurs, the innovators are described as creative, while lifestyle entrepreneurs are defined as those who pursue strategies that suit their lifestyle. Through this lens, the work moves ahead to examine how these three types of entrepreneurs make decisions within and outside their start-ups.

The sample included in The Entrepreneur's Identity Standard draws from the responses and experiences of entrepreneurs from different industries and backgrounds, hence offering a broad understanding of the topic. The language used in the book is also easy to understand. Each response provided by the entrepreneurs is examined and explained. Before delving into the findings of the study, the work begins by providing the background of each entrepreneur, which makes it easy to follow and understand the study. It also contains informative information about types of entrepreneurs and how their identity affects how they make strategic decisions. The work is also brief and gets straight to the point. I also loved that it is based on the answers of entrepreneurs and offers a first-hand account of their experiences and how they identify themselves. The Entrepreneur's Identity Standard by Tatiana Kukova, Ph.D. is an educative study of entrepreneurs’ identity and decision-making strategies.

The Entrepreneur's Identity Standard by Tatiana Kukova, Ph.D. is a peek inside the minds of those who have started and run businesses. The subtitle: “What Entrepreneurs Think About Themselves and How It Influences Their Entrepreneurial Actions” explains the method the author used for her research–she interviewed digital technology entrepreneurs. Kukova’s research was done as part of her Ph.D. program at Aston Business School in Birmingham in the United Kingdom. Kukova’s contention is that tech founders make their decisions based on their own self-assessment. She identifies three types of tech start-up founders—the high-flyers, the innovators, and the lifestyle. Kukova’s goal is for her readers to acquire “a better understanding of the role of the entrepreneur in a start-up."

I enjoyed the author’s unique method of doing her research. Inquiring about how entrepreneurs assessed themselves and how those assessments affected business decisions was an insightful way to gain knowledge. Because it was originally Ph.D. research, the book could have become bogged down in graduate-level minutiae, but it did not. Kukova wisely wrote in everyday language in order to reach as many readers as possible. To further assist in reaching that goal, the book is replete with examples taken from the entrepreneurs' lives and businesses. Potential business founders could learn and gain from reading The Entrepreneur's Identity Standard. Furthermore, because Kukova identifies an entrepreneur as someone who “realizes there is an opportunity . . . and takes action despite possible risks,” her book could be useful for anyone.

The Entrepreneur's Identity Standard by Dr. Tatiana Kukova is an engaging book that gives interesting insights into how to make the right decisions that are unique, beneficial, and innovative to a start-up. The book reaches out to readers who are keen to know more about start-ups, and that applies to students, those who invest in start-ups, just about anyone, and encourages them to be introspective when it comes to their actions. The tools and tactics shared in the book are a good way to make readers perceive others with a novel outlook, and that includes the start-up employees, the investors, the rest of the team all the way up to the founders.

The Entrepreneur's Identity Standard is educational and informative, and the insights are what entrepreneurs think about themselves, and their strategic choices and actions. It is a good book for anyone who wants to start a business, and there are excerpts from interviews that will give glimpses of what is required to become an excellent business leader. Dr. Kukova's words are useful to readers who want to become entrepreneurs and become successful in their businesses. It is quite interesting to learn about the three types of entrepreneurs, and their standards of success, optimism, motivations, and discoveries. Reading this book is a rewarding experience; the author's ideas are thought-provoking and exciting. The author handles the topic with expertise, and will also help readers find their own personality traits within themselves to become successful entrepreneurs.