Learning Objective #1: describe the process of developing an international nurse-owned business from start-up to acquisition.

Learning Objective #2: analyze the case study presented in terms of the business successes and failures and use this analysis to outline strategies for developing a nurse-owned business.

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HESI: From Start-up to Acquisition—A Case Study for Nurse Entrepreneurs Just as schools of nursing effectively use the case study method to teach critical thinking skills in nursing, schools of business use the case study method to analyze business concepts and develop business skills. This presentation will use the case study method to describe the process of conceptualizing a nursing business and developing a business plan to implement this concept. Such a business plan should include a one-year, 5-year, and 10-year plan, as well as an exit strategy. Concepts related to developing a start-up business, implementing strategies for growth, and devising an exit strategy will be presented. Health Education Systems, Inc. (HESI) was incorporated in 1990 to provide testing and remediation products to schools of nursing and student nurses throughout the United States, as well as internationally. HESI was acquired by Elsevier in 2006 and is currently being re-branded as Evolve-Reach. The process of developing this start-up company, growing it into a successful international business, and selling the company to a multi-national, publicly traded company will be described. This presentation will summarize the HESI case study by describing the following topics: what went right, what went wrong, what could have been done better, and recommendations for other nurse entrepreneurs and future nurse entrepreneurs. Although resources are becoming more available for nurse entrepreneurs, the idea of a nurse as a business owner is relatively new to the international nursing community. It is imperative therefore that nurses who are entrepreneurs or those who are considering becoming entrepreneurs look to the business community, as well as to those few nurses who have experienced this process, for exemplary cases to analyze. This presentation provides the data for such an analysis.