This story appears in the
June 2001 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Back in the '80s, when Prince exhorted us to "party
like it's 1999," who knew he was predicting the future of
business? For entrepreneurs, 1999 was one big party. You could
announce plans to sell anything online-galoshes, light bulbs,
coffins-and be toasted for your brilliance. You could go
public and watch money rain down like confetti. Thanks to a roaring
economy, even non-dotcoms saw unprecedented growth and profits.
But now it's 2001, and as you stumble through the trampled
confetti and broken martini glasses, it looks as though the
party's over.
But wait: If you stop and listen, there's still something in
the air. You can hear the beat and excited voices of a new thing
stirring, and you're on to the fact that the night's not
over, not by far; it's just time for the squares to go home.
What happens next is smaller and more exclusive, but it's the
party with the payoff-this is the room the sun rises on.
And how can you get invited? As with any hot event, it's all
about who and what you know-so keep reading. In
"Get
a Grip," Mark Henricks examines how dotcoms can stay in
the in crowd. In "Take My IPO . . .
Please!", Chris Penttila talks to three entrepreneurs who
put their IPOs on hold, but not their companies. And in
"What
Now?", Chris Sandlund explains why fast growth is still
possible-and why corporate America may become your unexpected
ally.
Don't worry about the line. You're with
Entrepreneur. You can get in.