Startup lessons from Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan, and the entrepreneurs who beat the odds
By Lou Shipley & Patricia Favreau
Launching February 3, 2026
“A masterful blend of academic rigor and real-world wisdom. This book doesn’t just tell you what successful entrepreneurs did—it shows you how to think like them.”
Pre-Order Now
There's never been a better time to become an entrepreneur.
What does the USA's number one online casket company, a nationally distributed sustainable sausage brand, and the company behind the editing system used by The Matrix have in common? These thriving ventures were founded by unlikely entrepreneurs whose journeys reveal what it takes to succeed in launching and growing a startup.
In Unlikely Entrepreneurs: Wins, Losses and Crucial Advice in Building Great Companies, the authors—who hail from Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management—combine expert insights, elements of the case study method, and an engaging story-telling style to take a deep dive into the key challenges that founders face. They set the stage for each profile—including those of entrepreneurs helming billion dollar companies to mom-and-pop businesses—whose colorful, unlikely stories showcase entrepreneurial best practices that readers can adopt to succeed.
Throughout the book, the authors weave in lessons from the classrooms of top-ranked business schools and expert insights from venture capitalists, investors, CEOs, business authors, and Ivy league researchers—on what it takes for startups to scale in a competitive marketplace.
What You'll Learn
✔ How to attain crucial second-hand knowledge of your target audiences' needs
✔ Building your Go To Market Playbook
✔ Why founders must become their company's 'Chief Salesperson'
✔ Fundraising best practices
✔ The crucial differences between managing and leading
✔ Leveraging AI to build your marketing campaigns
✔ Mastering the art of the pivot to ward off failure
We live in a time of rapid change, and entrepreneurial innovation is needed more now than ever before. Unlikely Entrepreneurs is a must-read for anyone considering launching a business and for those looking to scale their company and expand their offerings.
Entrepreneur Interviews
Years Combined Experience
Pages of Insights
Who This Book Is For:
Second Act Entrepreneurs
It's never too late to build the business of your dreams.
Whether you're a seasoned professional ready for a new chapter, or someone chasing a passion you've put off for years, this book shows you how to turn experience into independence. Meet unlikely founders who started later in life and built thriving, lasting companies.
Investors & Advisors
Support the next generation of unlikely entrepreneurs
VC and PE firms, accelerators, angel networks, and professional services organizations all share one goal: helping great founders succeed. Unlikely Entrepreneurs offers a deeper understanding of how entrepreneurs think, struggle, and grow. Filled with real-world stories and practical frameworks from experts at Harvard Business School and MIT Sloan, it's the perfect tool for those who invest in, advise, and champion the builders of tomorrow.
Aspiring Founders
Every great business starts with someone who wondered, Can I really do this?
If you're curious about entrepreneurship but unsure where to start, you'll find the truth here. real-world profiles (not just Silicon Valley myths) paired with lessons from Harvard and MIT give you the confidence and tools to take your first steps.
Entrepreneurship Educators & Students
Elite lessons made accessible for every student.
Whether you're learning the ropes of entrepreneurship or teaching the next generation of founders, Unlikely Entrepreneurs bridges theory and practice. Students will find diverse, real-world founder stories that make abstract concepts come alive, while professors and program directors gain teaching-ready examples and frameworks to spark discussion and drive lasting impact.
Why This Book Is Different
Real stories. Real people. Your spark.
While most business books are built on theory or frameworks alone, Unlikely Entrepreneurs brings lessons to life through storytelling. Each chapter profiles founders from every walk of life — from billion-dollar CEOs to small-town makers — revealing the human decisions, doubts, and turning points that shape lasting companies. You'll come for the business lessons, but you'll stay for the stories.
Meet the Unlikely Entrepreneurs
Insights and inspiration from the best startup stories you've never heard.
Bill Warner
Avid Technology
You wouldn’t have had The Matrix or Titantic’s groundbreaking special effects if Bill Warner hadn’t invented the Avid Media Composer. But it took breaking his back to give Bill permission to follow his heart, a journey that led to an Oscar for revolutionizing film editing.
Matthew Riley
Daisy Group
A former typewriter and fax repairman who left school at 16, Matthew launched Daisy Group—a U.K. telecom giant now valued at $3 billion— from a desk in his garage. And it all started with his embrace of sales.
Katie Couric & John Molner
Katie Couric Media
The award-winning broadcast journalist who broke gender barriers added entrepreneurship to her list of accomplishments with the launch of Katie Couric Media with her husband John Molner.
Liz Elting
Transperfect
With a net worth of approximately $450 million, Liz has secured a spot on Forbes' Richest Self-Made Women every single year since 2016 through her embrace of entrepreneurship that led to the launch of TransPerfect, the world’s largest provider of language services.
Rickey Ashenfelter & Emily Malina
Spoiler Alert
Spoiler Alert launched in 2015 with a different business model, one that initially showed great promise. But it took a smartly executed pivot by its founders to rescue it from a near-death experience and transform it into the thriving company it is today.
Cara Nicoletti
Seemore Meats & Veggies
Two weeks after launching her sausage brand, the Covid-19 shutdown upended a year’s worth of marketing plan that was counting on supermarket samples and trade shows. But Cara’s creative marketing pivot helped save the brand.
Errico Porzio
Pizzeria Errico Porzio
How do you innovate on pizza in the Italian city where it was born? For Errico Porzio, it meant launching ‘social pizza,’ an innovative social media campaign that spotlighted a creative process he calls “l’arte bianca” (white art.)
Scott Ginsberg
Titan Casket
Recognizing a $20 billion casket industry ripe for innovation, Scott launched Titan Casket, which has grown into the largest online seller of caskets and funeral products in the USA. Fueling its growth has been Scott’s ‘unconventional approach to marketing mortality.
Marvin Pierre
Eight Million Stories
Growing up surrounded by poverty, Marvin gave up the security of a hard-earned position as a Wall Street financial analyst to commit to his dream of disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline by launching a dynamic school for underserved youth.
Early Praise for Unlikely Entrepreneurs
“My husband John and I shared our story of Katie Couric Media’s “first client” with Lou’s class at Harvard, and now we’re happy to have our story appear in Unlikely Entrepreneurs, a fun and insightful book. Anyone who’s ever dreamed of starting their own business should sign up for Lou’s class. But if you don’t have time for that or can’t get into Harvard, Unlikely Entrepreneurs is the next best thing!”
“In Unlikely Entrepreneurs, Shipley and Favreau provide formulas that have worked for winning entrepreneurs—challenges and all—told through compelling stories, academic analysis, and life lessons learned.”
“Unlikely Entrepreneurs offers what most startup advice misses: real stories about how relatable founders wrestle with problems, make mistakes, and adapt. Shipley and Favreau show that entrepreneurship isn’t about flashy pitches—it’s about getting close to the problem and rigorously evaluating if it’s worth solving in the first place.”
“Unlikely Entrepreneurs captures what founders need to know right now.”
“With practical lessons from Lou’s Harvard Business School classroom and research from MIT Sloan, Unlikely Entrepreneurs is a must-read for anyone starting or running a business. It’s “What They DO Teach You at Harvard Business School.””
“Shipley and Favreau prove that entrepreneurial success isn’t reserved for the privileged few. Whether you’re a first-time founder or seasoned entrepreneur, this book delivers the practical guidance and inspiration needed to turn great ideas into lasting businesses.””
“I built my sales playbook in Prof. Shipley’s class, and it worked! Unlikely Entrepreneurs is a must-read for anyone starting a company.”
Pre-Order Packages
Get exclusive access to bonus materials and save on your copy of Unlikely Entrepreneurs
Founding Team
$84 $105
(Save $21)
✔ Everything in Solo Founder
✔ 3 hardcover copies (for you + co-founders)
✔ Team discussion guide (PDF, tailored prompts per chapter)
✔ Access to one live group Q&A session with Lou and Tricia
Solo Founder
$28 $35
(Save $7)
✔ Early access to chapter 1
✔ Join Unlikely Entrepreneurs community (invite only)
✔ Bonus case study
Executive Circle
$280 $350
(Save $70)
✔ Everything in Founding Team
✔ 10 hardcover copies (for your company or class)
✔ Custom reading group kit (digital: moderator guide, discussion questions, case study prompts)
✔ Recorded mini-masterclass: Lou on Sales & Scaling (20–30 min video)
✔ Discount for future bulk order bundles (corporate/academic)
Pre-order now and get instant access to exclusive content while you wait for the book's release.
*Physical books will ship upon release. Digital content available immediately after purchase.
How to Get Your Bonus Materials
Follow these simple steps to unlock exclusive content and join our community
Pre-Order the book
Pre-order the book on Amazon, Bookshop.org, or wherever you buy books
Email your receipt
Email a screenshot of your receipt to authors@unlikelyentrepreneurs.net
Join our launch team
Join our Launch Team slack with fellow founders and the authors
Receive bonus resources
We will send your bonus resources at launch
Questions? Email us at authors@unlikelyentrepreneurs.net
Bulk Sales & Partnerships
Transform how your organization thinks about entrepreneurship and innovation. Perfect for professional services firms, investors, and entrepreneurship educators.
Entrepreneurial Organizations
Equip your professional services teams, clients, and corporate innovators with essential entrepreneurial thinking.
Volume discounts starting at 25 copies
Tailored discussion guides for workshops and events
Executive briefings and custom sessions with the authors
VC & PE Firms
Share proven frameworks with portfolio companies and investment teams.
Special rates for portfolio-wide distribution
Co-branded materials for firm and founder communities
Exclusive webinars and workshops for portfolio support
Entrepreneurship Programs & Centers
Integrate real-world entrepreneurial insights into your curriculum.
Instructor resources and classroom guides
Bulk order discounts for student cohorts
Guest lectures, case study discussions, and workshops with the authors
Speaking & Workshops
Lou Shipley is available for both virtual and in-person keynotes, guest lectures, and interactive workshops tailored to your organization's needs.
Ready to Get Started?
Contact our team to discuss custom packages, volume pricing, and partnership opportunities. We'll work with you to create the perfect solution for your organization's needs.
Questions about bulk orders? Email us at authors@unlikelyentrepreneurs.net
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Unlikely Entrepreneurs
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This book is for second-act entrepreneurs, students and aspiring founders, entrepreneurial organizations, and educators looking for real stories and practical lessons on building lasting businesses.
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Lou Shipley is a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School and former multi-time CEO. Patricia Favreau has spent two decades in communications at MIT Sloan and is an award-winning writer. Together, they bring elite business school insights to life with engaging, real-world stories.
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Yes. Discounts are available starting at 25 copies, with custom packages for corporations, VC/PE firms, and academic programs. Contact us for details.
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Yes. An audiobook will be released alongside the hardcover and eBook editions in February 2026.
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Depending on your package, you'll get early access to Chapter 1, bonus case studies, community access, discussion guides, and more. See the Pre-Order Packages section above for details.
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Yes! Although the book releases in February, we'll provide a special placeholder gift card and chapter preview you can give during the holidays.
Still have questions? We're here to help.
About the Authors
Meet the experienced entrepreneurs and educators behind Unlikely Entrepreneurs
N. Louis Shipley
Senior Lecturer & Former CEO
Harvard Business School
Former CEO: Black Duck, Turbonomic, Reflectent
Tricia Favreau
Communications Expert & Award-Winning Writer
MIT Sloan School of Management
Mark Twain House Humor Writing Award Winner
Our Story
N. Louis Shipley is a Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School (HBS) and former CEO of Black Duck Software, Turbonomic, and Reflectent Software. His articles have been published in Harvard Business Review and The Wall Street Journal. He lives in Andover, Massachusetts with his wife and three children.
For the past two decades Tricia Favreau has worked in the Office of Communications at MIT's Sloan School of Management where she helps oversee international media relations. Prior to MIT Sloan, she served as a senior publicist at WGBH Channel 2 Boston. She began her career as a news correspondent for the Sentinel & Enterprise and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. She is the first place winner of the 2016 Mark Twain House and Museum's Royal Nonesuch Humor Writing Award whose panel of judges included a Mark Twain scholar. She lives in the Boston area with her husband, daughter and a mischievous whippet.
Together, they have spent over three years interviewing more than 50 entrepreneurs, analyzing hundreds of company case studies, and distilling the key insights that separate successful companies from those that struggle. Unlikely Entrepreneurs represents their shared commitment to making the lessons of entrepreneurship accessible to everyone, regardless of background or experience.
Academic Credentials
Harvard Business School Faculty
MIT Sloan School of Management
50+ Published Articles & Case Studies
Guest Speaker at 100+ Conferences
Industry Experience
Multiple Successful Company Exits
$500M+ in Companies Built
Advisor to 20+ Startups
Board Member & Investor