From
one of the best business books: Small business owner's guidebook
New business owners have many fears. One of the biggest fears is
the lack of knowledge about the entire process. This coupled with
the uncertainty of their future makes starting a business a dicey
prospect. Some lucky people may have a mentor to guide them through
their entire business startup, but most new business owners will
rely on the internet and books to get their information. But what
books are out there? How do you identify a good one?
Too Many Startup Business Books, Not Enough Time . . .
You will find tens of thousands of books on how to start a business.
If you go to the public library, you will find many that are no longer
in print. Do you want a book that’s out-of-date? Why is the
publisher no longer making it available? A search through Amazon
will show that new ones are coming out every day. How do you know
which of these are good enough to stand the test of time? You need
a concise guide that tells you step-by-step what to do.
So you decide to buy ten new comprehensive startup business books.
But you find that none of them tell you what to do! The sad fact
is that many of the startup books out there are full of "fluff." Once
you read them, you no little more than when you started. It may have
told you to buy your business cards, but did it talk about financing
and how to get a good deal on a lease? Then there is the other category
of startup business books. These are so academic that you need a
Ph.D. to read them. Such books explain the theory of niche marketing,
but they don't tell you how to figure it out for a small business.
Do you need detailed procedures for venture capital financing when
you are opening an auto repair business? These books just are not
practical enough for your current needs.
How to Identify Books That Meet Your Needs
To solve your problem, you must compare many books on this topic.
Look for books that cover items like legal matters, tax advice, business
plan writing, getting financing, marketing, customer service, bookkeeping,
cash flow, setting prices, and many more topics. Try to find ones
that specifically cover small businesses. And make sure they are
in an easy-to-read style. Most importantly, identify those written
by authors will practical experience. The best books have real life
situations in them to prepare a business owner for the many problems
that can come up during a business startup.
Anyone who has been in business knows the first couple of years
have some rough waters. It is always good for those to hear those "war" stories
from those who have already been through it. That's not to say the
new business owner will not go through it but at least when you are
in the middle of the storm you can get inspiration from someone else
by reading their experiences. A good startup business book should
have these experiences.
So take the time to compare before investing in startup business
books. The internet is full of book reviews and is a valuable resource.
You can find out anything you need to know about a popular book.
Our
recommended business start-up training manual
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