It's been six months since boo.com, the online sports retailer, closed its doors. Since then the tide of dotcom failures has gathered pace, with some reports claiming that one Internet company fails every day. This book might not save your business, but it will give you a good idea of its survival chances. As Barrow explains, having a vision isn't enough to succeed online--you also need a solid business plan, strong management, effective marketing and customers who are willing to buy. Through a series of straightforward questionnaires, How to Survive the E-business Downturn enables any Internet manager to judge how well his business performs in these areas.

It's well-covered ground, and nothing here should come as a great surprise. However, completing the questionnaires at the end of each chapter is an excellent way to get a complete overview of your performance, and the action points provide advice on how to turn around problem areas before they become calamities. With comment and advice from venture capitalists, industry analysts and consultants, Barrow points out all the pitfalls that could make the difference between your becoming the next eBay and the next CDNow. His arguments are given credence by the astounding number of entertaining examples of dotcoms gone bad--many of which you will never have heard of. These are businesses destroyed by poor patents, lack of customer focus, meaningless advertising and outright stupid ideas. These are contrasted with other, often offline businesses that have followed conventional business logic to become giants in their field.

This is no panacea for businesses in trouble--there is still a high chance that most Internet ventures will fail. The book helps pinpoint whether your business falls into this category and offers some genuinely practical advice on shutting shop with dignity and starting over. When all's said and done, if you need this book to tell you that your business isn't working, then it's probably already too late. If, however, you are just starting out then it could be a valuable way of setting your company on the path to success. --Sally Whittle

Review

"The book is packed with contact details and advice on where and how to look for what you need." (Freelance Informer, 8th December 2000)

"...offers a realistic assessment of survival in the dot.com age. It is a must for the e–entrepreneur whose business is not performing as planned." (Business West Midlands, December 2000)

"This is a handy guide to addressing the problems." (Computing, 14th December 2000)

"Barrow demonstrates his experience in this field and supports his advice with numerous action plans and implementation checklists." (Freelance Informer, 26th January, 2001)

"...could prove to be something of an essential for any e–entrepreneur..." (Internet Works, February 2001)

"For casual readers, this book gives great insights into the drivers behind the real and potential failures of dotcoms. The book is littered with case studies that make interesting reading in themselves." (Supply Management, 1st February 2001)

"...a handy guide to addressing the difficulties..." (vnu.com, 19th February 2001)

"Someone setting up, or running a dot com company would not go far wrong by starting with this book...." (Free Pint Bookself, 14th March 2001

"The wealth of case studies is informative... Whether you are trying to avert a crisis or build a new business, in e–commerce or not, there are lessons here to use on our companies, our clients, or even on ourselves." (Ambassador, 19th March 2001)

"should be widely read by e–entrepreneur..." (Long Range Planning, Vol.34 2001)

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5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Guide!!, 19 Sep 2001

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How to Survive the E-Business Downturn is a must for all those internet entrepreneurs, myself included, who are running, or planning to start-up, an e-business at a time when online ventures are facing violent changes and where failure is more common than success. The book showed me how to use proven management tools and concepts, adapted in ways that suit my e-businesses in order to keep it thriving in such a fluctuating marketplace. The intro to the book explains in depth just what is currently happening in the world of e-business and gives enough background for the reader to understand the essence of the subject. Set out in 6 parts, with each part having five or six separate chapters, making it easier to follow without having to tackle large chunks of text! There is also an excellent list of references to enable readers to take on further readings on anything discussed. The author draws on a host of real-life, uptodate cases and supports his advice with numerous action plans and checklists. This book advises in a stepbystep format, the potential (or existing) e-businessperson what to do to develop a successful e-business, but also warns of what not to do!! It is interesting to read about what companies, or even individual people, have done that has made them either successful or unsuccessful in the Internet World of business.

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