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Entrepreneurship Lessons for Success (Collection)
- By Bruce R. Barringer, Edward D. Hess, Charles F. Goetz, R. Duane Ireland
- Published Feb 21, 2012 by FT Press.
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Description
- Copyright 2009
- Edition: 1st
- eBook
- ISBN-10: 0-13-303893-9
- ISBN-13: 978-0-13-303893-4
3 indispensable insider’s guides to entrepreneurship: powerful skills, insights, and confidence-builders you won’t find anywhere else!
Three books bring together today’s most indispensable lessons for entrepreneurs: specific guidance you can use right now to beat the odds and launch a high-profit, high-growth business that lasts! The Truth About Starting a Business reveals 53 bite-size, easy-to-use techniques for choosing the right business, location, and entry strategy… planning, funding, hiring, and executing a successful launch… implementing effective financial management and marketing… doing all that, and still maintaining a healthy personal life! So, You Want to Start a Business?: 8 Steps to Take Before Making the Leap gives you all the knowledge, tools, and hands-on advice you need to avoid 8 “killer mistakes” that cause most business failures. Unlike most books for entrepreneurs, this one focuses on the most crucial operational issues associated with consistent profitability – from product/service design to pricing, finding and keeping great employees to managing growth. Nothing theoretical here: this is fast-paced, 100% practical advice you can use right now. Finally, What’s Stopping You?: Shatter the 9 Most Common Myths Keeping You from Starting Your Own Business helps you get past the myths that keep potential entrepreneurs from making the leap, and gain all the practical skills and confidence you need to succeed. This book’s packed with case studies of “ordinary” people building great businesses – and practical techniques you can use, too – every step of the way!
From world-renowned leaders and experts, including Bruce Barringer, Edward D. Hess, Charles D. Goetz, and R. Duane Ireland
Extras
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Table of Contents
The Truth About Starting a Business
Part I The Truth About What It Takes to Be a Business Owner
Truth 1 Why people start businesses 1
Truth 2 The right business for you 5
Truth 3 Questions to ask before you quit your job 9
Truth 4 Key characteristics of successful business owners 13
Truth 5 You may not need “prior business experience” 17
Part II The Truth About Generating and Testing Business Ideas
Truth 6 The most common sources of new business ideas 21
Truth 7 Want several alternatives? Techniques for generating new business ideas 25
Truth 8 A make-it or break-it issue: Selecting an idea that can be sold into a niche market 29
Truth 9 Screening and testing business ideas 33
Truth 10 Writing a business plan: Still as important as ever 37
Part III The Truth About Entry Strategies
Truth 11 Starting from scratch: Developing your own product or service 41
Truth 12 Franchising: Buying into someone else’s formula for success 45
Truth 13 Believe it or not: There are legitimate opportunities in direct sales 49
Truth 14 Buying a business 54
Truth 15 Internet businesses: The sky does seem to be the limit 58
Part IV The Truth About Getting Up and Running
Truth 16 Choosing a location for your business 61
Truth 17 Something you’ll say a million times: Your business’s name 65
Truth 18 The paper chase: Obtaining business licenses and permits 69
Truth 19 Choosing a form of business ownership 73
Truth 20 Creating a Web site: An absolute necessity 79
Part V The Truth About Raising Money
Truth 21 How to think about money as it relates to starting a business 83
Truth 22 Calculating your initial start-up costs 87
Truth 23 Personal funds, loans from friends and family, and bootstrapping 91
Truth 24 Debt financing 95
Truth 25 Equity funding 99
Truth 26 Grants: It takes the right fit 103
Truth 27 Persistence pays off: Finding alternative sources of startup funds 107
Part VI The Truth About Building a New Business Team
Truth 28 How to approach the task of building a “new business” team 111
Truth 29 Starting a business as a team rather than an individual 115
Truth 30 Recruiting and hiring employees 119
Truth 31 Board of directors 123
Truth 32 Board of advisors 127
Part VII The Truth About Intellectual Property
Truth 33 Intellectual property: What is it, and how is it protected? 131
Truth 34 To patent or not to patent? 135
Truth 35 Trademarks: An essential form of protection 139
Truth 36 Copyright laws: A surprising breadth of protection 143
Truth 37 Trade secrets: Guard them carefully 147
Part VIII The Truth About Marketing
Truth 38 How to approach marketing in a new business 151
Truth 39 Segmenting the market and selecting a target market 155
Truth 40 Establishing a brand 159
Truth 41 Selling benefits rather than features 163
Truth 42 Pricing: The most dicey element of the marketing mix 165
Truth 43 It’s okay to advertise, but think through your choices carefully 169
Truth 44 Public relations: More important than ever 173
Truth 45 Distribution and sales: More choices than ever 177
Part IX The Truth About Financial Management
Truth 46 Managing a business’s finances 181
Truth 47 Financial objectives of a business 185
Truth 48 The nitty-gritty: Forecasts, budgets, and financial statements 189
Part X The Truth About Growing a Business
Truth 49 Preparing for growth 193
Truth 50 Stages of growth: More opportunities, more challenges 197
Truth 51 Strategies for growth 201
Part XI The Truth About Starting a Business and Maintaining a Healthy Personal Life
Truth 52 Work life balance: Practical tips 205
Truth 53 Starting a business as a means of achieving a healthy personal life 209
References 213
About the Author 221
So, You Want to Start a Business?: 8 Steps to Take Before Making the Leap
Acknowledgments xvii
About the Authors xix
Introduction xx
Chapter 1 Can You Be a Successful Entrepreneur? 1
Chapter 2 Basic Rules of Business Success 9
Chapter 3 What Is a Good Business Opportunity? 21
Chapter 4 How Do You Choose the Right Customers? 41
Chapter 5 How Do You Design Your Product or Service? 59
Chapter 6 What Is the Right Price for Your Product or Service? 77
Chapter 7 How Can You Overcome Customer Inertia? 97
Chapter 8 How to Manage Your Business 97
Chapter 9 How Do You Find and Keep Good Employees? 119
Chapter 10 How Do You Manage Growth? 131
Conclusion 147
Bibliography and Resources 169
Index 187
What's Stopping You?: Shatter the 9 Most Common Myths Keeping You from Starting Your Own Business
Preface ix
Part I: Getting Started–It May Not Be as Hard as You Think 1
Chapter 1: Myth No. 1: It Takes an Extraordinary Person to Start a Business;
Truth No. 1: You Can Do It! 3
Chapter 2: Myth No. 2: Starting a Business Involves Lots of Risk;
Truth No. 2: It May Not Be as Risky as You Think 23
Chapter 3: Myth No. 3: It Takes a Lot of Money to Start a Business;
Truth No. 3: It Might Not Cost as Much as You Think 43
Chapter 4: Myth No. 4: It Takes a Great Deal of Business Experience to Start a Successful Business;
Truth No. 4: Successful Businesses Are Started by People with All Levels of Business Experience 67
Chapter 5: Myth No. 5: The Best Business Ideas Are Already Taken;
Truth No. 5: There Are an Infinite Number of Possibilities for Good Business Ideas 87
Part II: Running and Growing a Business–Don't Underestimate Your Chances 111
Chapter 6: Myth No. 6: No One Can Compete Against Wal-Mart and the Other Big-Box Retailers;
Truth No. 6: You Can Compete Against the Big-Box Retailers if You Have the Right Plan 113
Chapter 7: Myth No. 7: It’s Almost Impossible for a New Business to Get Noticed;
Truth No. 7: There Are Many Ways for New Businesses to Get Noticed and Recognized 133
Chapter 8: Myth No. 8: The Internet Isn’t What It Was All Hyped Up to Be;
Truth No. 8: The Are Many Legitimate and Enjoyable Ways to Make Money Online 157
Chapter 9: Myth No. 9: It’s Easy to Start a Business, But It’s Difficult and Stressful to Grow One;
Truth No. 9: Businesses Can Be Grown Profitably and Enjoyably 179
Index 205