More Testimonials
Allon has called upon his network in business and academia and received more than seventeen top-notch endorsements:
“Filled with engaging real-life stories, astute observations on what it takes to launch a business, and just the right amount of encouragement, Launching the Entrepreneur Ship sails right along. Let Allon Lefever captain your entrepreneurial effort.”
—Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life and pastor of Saddleback Church
“In Launching the Entrepreneur Ship, Allon Lefever shares his entrepreneurial experience, which will give you good, solid advice as you contemplate moving forward with your own ideas. As he states in his book, ‘There is always room for entrepreneurs in this crazy world in which we live.’ His advice comes with authority and clarity that any budding entrepreneur desperately looks for. If you have a desire to be an entrepreneur, this book will help you find your way through passion and perseverance.”
—Annie Beiler, founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels
“Allon Lefever is a rare breed. He is an academic with a library to show for it, an entrepreneur with a string of successful business ventures, a philanthropist who has shared his money and experience with numerous worthy organizations, a respected professor, and now a published author. He draws from all these disciplines to write a readable and practical book. Anyone interested and gifted in the field of entrepreneurship will do well to read Launching the Entrepreneur Ship. It covers all the bases.”
—Edgar Stoesz, author of Doing Good Better and former chairman of the board for Habitat for Humanity
“The valuable business and life lessons expressed in these pages need to be shared. For those of us who have been on the receiving end of Allon Lefever’s wisdom and leadership, we are certain that many will benefit from Launching the Entrepreneur Ship.”
—Marlene Wall, president of LCC International University in Klaipėda, Lithuania
“Where most people only see change, the entrepreneur sees opportunity. Most of us lived wide-eyed through the technological revolutions of the 1980s and 1990s—the invention of the PC, the Internet, and the World Wide Web. Allon Lefever and his son Rod saw opportunity. They started an ISP in 1993 and reaped the benefits. Allon distilled his hard-earned business lessons for a generation of college students, and now he’s summarized those lessons in the highly readable Launching the Entrepreneur Ship, so you, too, can launch your ship!”
—Ken Yoder Reed, novelist and recruiting businessman
“Like a seasoned ship captain, Allon Lefever knows both the thrill of the launch and the ride over the rough seas of entrepreneurship. He gives great advice to young and old, to those just thinking about a new business and those who have started many. The book reads fast, but its wisdom will last.”
—Shirley Showalter, former president of Goshen College
“If you’re looking for a practical and motivating guide to entrepreneurship, Allon Lefever’s book is for you. Packed with captivating personal examples, values, and advice from his lifetime of practicing and teaching entrepreneurship, this highly readable book delivers what it promises.”
—James M. Harder, Ph.D., president of Bluffton University in Bluffton, Ohio
“You wouldn’t launch a voyage without a nautical chart—and don’t launch a business without Launching the Entrepreneur Ship on deck. Engaging, entertaining, and, most importantly, educational, this book will guide you past the shoals to success. You couldn’t find a better captain than Allon Lefever.”
—David Snell, president and co-founder of The Fuller Center for Housing
“All those ready to take the leap into a new business should check in with Allon Lefever and his new book Launching the Entrepreneur Ship. He is encouraging but realistic as to what it takes to overcome start-up headwinds, gain strategic speed, and ultimately build a successful enterprise. These pages are filled with ‘been there, done that’ wisdom gleaned from decades in the business trenches.”
—Robert L. Briggs, American Bible Society senior vice president
“Launching the Entrepreneur Ship is a playbook that every entrepreneur needs to have. If you’re wondering if you have what it takes to become an entrepreneur, you’ll know what to do after you finish Allon Lefever’s excellent book.”
—Cary Summers, president of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.
“An entrepreneur with heart, Allon Lefever shares his fascinating entrepreneurial journey with a delightful blend of historical context, personal experience, and sage business advice. Read Launching the Entrepreneur Ship and set sail on your own adventure.”
—Carol W. Hamilton, former director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at James Madison University
“The Bible’s first page shows God at work—creating and innovating—just like today’s entrepreneurs, who still build enterprises to help sustain creation. Open Allon Lefever’s toolkit, and you’ll find not only traditional topics like capital, risk, and business plans but also values, ethics, and other spiritual metrics of the divine image. His sprightly style is a delight to read with its blend of exuberance, reality checks, and riveting illustrations from his rich career. Every entrepreneur, whether start-up or seasoned, will benefit from this book.”
—Wally Kroeker, former editor of The Marketplace magazine, a MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates) publication
“I especially liked the way Allon Lefever placed great significance on the importance of every entrepreneur preparing a Values Statement, which is instrumental in developing your business culture.”
—Michael A. Stoltzfus, president and CEO of Dynamic Aviation
“Allon Lefever delivers with precision the laser-like essentials of entrepreneurship, concentrating on right-side-up leadership, deep curiosity, and a passion for excellence. Launching the Entrepreneur Ship exudes conversational warmth, like heart-to-heart advice over coffee. Allon’s narrative is seasoned with the breadth of wisdom that only comes from long immersion in business, education and philanthropy. Yes, he knows whereof he speaks. Not only did Allon personally share his insights with our start-up tech company, but he also helped us pilot our ‘entrepreneur ship’ through a rewarding exit, with skill and enthusiasm. Then, Allon modeled values-centered leadership—paying it forward and encouraging us to reinvest our time, talent, and treasure. Not just in our start-ups, but outwardly, for the global village.”
—Sid Burkey, president of Burkey Farms in Milford, Nebraska
“When an author has sat on more than sixty boards of directors, it’s worth sitting to read his reflections. It’s refreshing whenever business theory is painted on a rich canvas of experience.”
—Jerry Pattengale, Ph.D., author and University Professor at Indiana Wesleyan University
Allon Lefever delivers comprehensive and essential fundamentals for launching and growing a business or a nonprofit. The helpful real-life examples and personal stories not only make for enjoyable reading, but also validates Allon as an authority on entrepreneurism. A must read.
—Ben E. Sprunger, past president of the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges and past president of MEDA
This book on entrepreneurship book sails because it is filled with riveting memorable and practical stories. Forget the “self-help” books with the predictable boilerplate lists but short on well-crafted illustrations. Lefever astutely recognizes that life’s greatest lessons come to us in engaging stories, not bulleted points. Enter Lefever’s story, and you will be transported to a dock near you to catch the entrepreneurial wave without losing your anchoring values!
—Susan Schultz Huxman, Ph.D., president of Eastern Mennonite University