Inspiration and Wisdom for Entrepreneurs, Visionaries, Innovators & Startup Teams Whether you are already an entrepreneur or seeking to launch a startup, read this book for insight and encouragement you will not find elsewhere. John Shen is unique among American entrepreneurs. He founded five startups and currently leads four of them simultaneously, with yet another new one on the way. He is a “parallel entrepreneur,” going far beyond the usual model of being a solo or serial entrepreneur. He is a first-generation entrepreneur who came to the US at the age of 23 and achieved the American Dream. Moreover, he has experienced total business collapse and knows what it is like to come back from failure, to “cross the swamp.” John recounts his dramatic life story and his entrepreneurial journey. The book details the eight personal and business qualities that entrepreneurs must develop in order to achieve their highest goals. John’s focus is especially on explaining the significant advantages of being a parallel entrepreneur—benefits that solo and serial entrepreneurs lose out on, limiting your potential. John has a strong passion to support grassroots entrepreneurs and small businesses, especially minority and women-owned micro-businesses. His American Lending Center had made over 25,000 loans to minority- and women-owned small businesses in all 50 states by the end of 2022. He is a co-founder of the Long Beach Accelerator™ and his company, Sunstone Management, funds many pitch competitions and demo days to reward innovative startups. This is the book to read if you are seeking to succeed in your entrepreneurial journey. “From its gripping start to its motivating finish, “Crossing the Swamp” is a must read for entrepreneurs at any stage. John Shen shares his 20 years of business experience to help us overcome the challenges business (and life) will surely throw our way! Whether you are a veteran or a novice, you will find the tools you need and the inspiration to use them.” – Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, Founders of Barefoot Wines, and New York Times Bestselling Authors of The Barefoot Spirit A well-constructed memoir/business guide with a special focus on first-generation immigrants...Many business writings are framed as cutthroat; impressively, the opposite is true here, as the book focuses instead on the inspirational, often emphasizing aiding others who seek to become entrepreneurs and giving back to the community. — Kirkus Reviews What sets Crossing the Swamp apart from other books on entrepreneurship are its clear strategies for adapting to challenges and change, based on Shen's real-life business experience... Businesses, libraries and entrepreneurs seeking concrete advice on common obstacles to entrepreneuring and how to overcome them must have Crossing the Swamp in their collections." — D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review I highly recommend Crossing the Swamp . It's a must-read for any startup founder who seeks inspiration and valuable insights into entrepreneurial success. John Shen provides clear, actionable advice that proves he knows the inner life of an entrepreneur. Even more, no other book about entrepreneurship better captures the challenges of being an immigrant in the US who seeks the American Dream. If you want to ensure your startup is successful, this is the book to read. — Simon Pang, Co-founder, Royal Business Bank, 1st generation immigrant entrepreneur From its gripping start to its motivating finish, Crossing the Swamp is a must-read for entrepreneurs at any stage. John Shen shares his 20 years of business experience to help us overcome the challenges business (and life) will surely throw our way! Whether you are a veteran or a novice, you will find the tools you need and the inspiration to use them. — Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, Founders of Barefoot Wines, and New York Times Bestselling Authors of The Barefoot Spirit In Crossing the Swamp , John Shen shares the story of his own successful parallel ventures while presenting a roadmap of eight key elements which are vital for any parallel entrepreneur to adopt to avoid pitfalls and achieve success. John outlines these points while sharing the ups and downs of his personal journey with brutal honesty and clarity. This approach is why I believe Crossing the Swamp is not only critical for the parallel entrepreneur, but greatly beneficial to any modern entrepreneur or student of business. — Bruce Thompson, California politician John Shen offers down-to-earth, practical, insightful, and comprehensive lessons learned along his fascinating twenty-year journey from a Chinese immigrant to a multiple national award-winning parallel entrepreneur of five companies in this must-read book for entrepreneurs...the lessons learned are not just based on John's successful ventures but his failures and darkest hours, the insights from which are simply unparalleled. —Imran Currim, Executive Director, B