Janet J. Kraus
MBA Class of 1954 Senior Lecturer of Business Administration
Janet Kraus is a Senior Lecturer in the Entrepreneurial Management Unit. She will be teaching Building Businesses in the Context of a Life (BBCL) and Founders' Dilemmas' both in the Winter Term of the 2012/2013 academic year. She is also Co-chair of the Executive Education Program, A New Path designed for women in transition. She is also faculty member in Executive Education Program, CrossRoads. She also runs two Women's Entrepreneurial Forums in the I-Lab.
A two time business founder, Janet has been involved in every stage of the entrepreneurial process including idea generation, product development, building teams, fund raising, identification of key strategic partners, business development and direct sales, operational scaling, crisis and recovery, buying and exiting companies.
After graduating from Yale in 1988, Janet started her career in consulting in the technology practice at Temple Barker and Sloane. In 1991 Janet spent a year in Brazil working for a non-profit educational organization before returning to attend the Stanford Graduate School of Business from 1992 to 1994. After matriculation she directed the social marketing and fair trade initiatives at The Body Shop.
In 1997, Janet co-founded Circles, a concierge and events company which grew to be a $60 million company, with nearly 1000 consultants in both Boston, MA and Burlington, Ontario. Circles was sold to Sodexo in October 2007, and has since expanded its base of operations into five countries.
In November 2007, Janet left Circles to lead Spire, a company designed to create social resource sharing platforms specializing in travel and leisure. Janet sold Spire to Perfect Escapes in 2010.
Janet is a recipient of Boston's 40 under 40 and was a finalist of Ernst and Young's Entrepreneur of the Year. Circles was awarded the Small Business of the Year Award by the Chamber of Commerce.
She and the companies she has lead have been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Fortune Small Business, the New York Times. She has been a speaker at conferences and educational institutions on the subjects of entrepreneurship, innovation, leadership, building teams, vision, values leadership, happiness and life planning
An entrepreneur's advocate, Janet sits on the board of directors of five start-up companies and the Board of TABL (The Alliance for Business Leadership). She currently lives outside of Boston with her husband and twin 5 year old daughters.
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Exercise
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2011
Working with Symbolic Intelligence: The 10 Images Exercise
Timothy Butler, Janet Kraus and David Crabbe
Citation: Butler, Timothy, Janet Kraus, and David Crabbe. "Working with Symbolic Intelligence: The 10 Images Exercise." Harvard Business School Exercise 812-063, December 2011.
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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2012
(Revised from original 2007 version)
John and Andrea Rice: Entrepreneurship and Life
Howard H. Stevenson, Janet Kraus and Shirley Spence
The case follows the professional and personal lives of John and Andrea Rice, illustrating the challenge of "juggling" the multiple aspects of life (career, family, community, self) in the pursuit of a personal vision of success. Particular attention is paid to the role of entrepreneurship. The case is set in mid 2007. John Rice, founder and CEO of Management Leadership for Tomorrow, is passionate about the nonprofit's commitment to minority leadership development, and access to opportunity. But he also is excited about launching a new for-profit venture, CareerCore, with his wife. He must decide what role to play in each of the organizations going forward.
Keywords: For-Profit Firms;
Entrepreneurship;
Work-Life Balance;
Family and Family Relationships;
Nonprofit Organizations;
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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2012
Susan Hunt Stevens and Practically Green
Janet Kraus, Shirley M. Spence and Lisa Strope
Keywords: Green Technology Industry;
Citation: Kraus, Janet, Shirley M. Spence, and Lisa Strope. "Susan Hunt Stevens and Practically Green." Harvard Business School Case 812-120, February 2012.
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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2012
(Revised from original 2012 version)
Todd Krasnow: From Startup to Corporate and Back
Janet Kraus and Myra Hart
Keywords: entrepreneurs;
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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2011
Padraig O'Ceidigh and Aer Arann: Building a Business in the Context of a Life
Janet J. Kraus and Shirley Spence
In April 2010, the eruption of a volcano wreaked havoc in the airline industry and placed Aer Arann on the bring of liquidation. For founder, sole owner and chairman Padraig O'Ceidigh, the airline has been a personal as well as business passion. The case provides a number of options for addressing the crisis. It also places the story in the context of Padraig's life journey and search for multi-dimensional success.
Keywords: Natural Disasters;
Crisis Management;
Air Transportation;
Entrepreneurship;
Management Teams;
Business or Company Management;
Success;
Decision Making;
Air Transportation Industry;
Republic of Ireland;
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Supplement
| HBS Case Collection
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2011
Padraig O'Ceidigh and Aer Arann: Building a Business in the Context of a Life - What Happened
Janet J. Kraus and Shirley Spence
Provides an epilogue to the problem posed in the companion case: what to do in the face of potential liquidation?
Keywords: Natural Disasters;
Crisis Management;
Air Transportation;
Entrepreneurship;
Management Teams;
Business or Company Management;
Success;
Decision Making;
Air Transportation Industry;
Republic of Ireland;
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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2011
Gracious Eloise: What Do Angels Want? (A)
Lena G. Goldberg, Janet Kraus and Mary Beth Findlay
Eloise Bune successfully turned an idea into a product, but could she persuade angel investors that she had a business worth investing in? The case details her interactions with the angel investors and explores the role of angel investors in providing financial capital, business experience, and other assistance to start-ups.
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Supplement
| HBS Case Collection
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2011
Gracious Eloise: What Do Angels Want? (B)
Lena G. Goldberg, Janet Kraus and Mary Beth Findlay
Having received an extensive critique of her business plan but only a small amount of financing from an angel group she pitched in 2010, Eloise Bune responds to the angels' concerns, refines her presentation, and pitches her company again.
Keywords: Business Plan;
Business Startups;
Investment;
Presentations;
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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2012
Fresh & New Cleaners (A)
Janet Kraus, Brian McIntosh and Nick Plantan
Keywords: entrepreneurial management;
entrepreneurs;
Citation: Kraus, Janet, Brian McIntosh, and Nick Plantan. " Fresh & New Cleaners (A)." Harvard Business School Case 812-165, April 2012.
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Supplement
| HBS Case Collection
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2012
Fresh & New Cleaners (B)
Janet Kraus, Brian McIntosh and Nick Plantan
Keywords: entrepreneurial management;
entrepreneurs;
Citation: Kraus, Janet, Brian McIntosh, and Nick Plantan. " Fresh & New Cleaners (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 812-166, April 2012.
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