Praise for 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
Truth 2 The right business for you
Truth 3 Questions to ask before you quit your job
Truth 4 Key characteristics of successful business owners
Truth 5 You may not need “prior business experience”
Part II The Truth About Generating and Testing Business Ideas
Truth 6 The most common sources of new business ideas
Truth 7 Want several alternatives? Techniques for generating new business ideas
Truth 8 A make-it or break-it issue: Selecting an idea that can be sold into a niche market
Truth 9 Screening and testing business ideas
Truth 10 Writing a business plan: Still as important as ever
Part III The Truth About Entry Strategies
Truth 11 Starting from scratch: Developing your own product or service
Truth 12 Franchising: Buying into someone else’s formula for success
Truth 13 Believe it or not: There are legitimate opportunities in direct sales
Truth 15 Internet businesses: The sky does seem to be the limit
Part IV The Truth About Getting Up and Running
Truth 16 Choosing a location for your business
Truth 17 Something you’ll say a million times: Your business’s name
Truth 18 The paper chase: Obtaining business licenses and permits
Truth 19 Choosing a form of business ownership
Truth 20 Creating a Web site: An absolute necessity
Part V The Truth About Raising Money
Truth 21 How to think about money as it relates to starting a business
Truth 22 Calculating your initial start-up costs
Truth 23 Personal funds, loans from friends and family, and bootstrapping
Truth 26 Grants: It takes the right fit
Truth 27 Persistence pays off: Finding alternative sources of start-up funds
Part VI The Truth About Building a New Business Team
Truth 28 How to approach the task of building a “new business” team
Truth 29 Starting a business as a team rather than an individual
Truth 30 Recruiting and hiring employees
Part VII The Truth About Intellectual Property
Truth 33 Intellectual property: What is it, and how is it protected?
Truth 34 To patent or not to patent?
Truth 35 Trademarks: An essential form of protection
Truth 36 Copyrights laws: A surprising breadth of protection
Truth 37 Trade secrets: Guard them carefully
Part VIII The Truth About Marketing
Truth 38 How to approach marketing in a new business
Truth 39 Segmenting the market and selecting a target market
Truth 41 Selling benefits rather than features
Truth 42 Pricing: The most dicey element in the marketing mix
Truth 43 It’s okay to advertise, but think through your choices carefully
Truth 44 Public relations: More important than ever
Truth 45 Distribution and sales: More choices than ever
Part IX The Truth About Financial Management
Truth 46 Managing a business’s finances
Truth 47 Financial objectives of a business
Truth 48 The nitty-gritty: Forecasts, budgets, and financial statements
Part X The Truth About Growing a Business
Truth 50 Stages of growth: More opportunities, more challenges
Truth 51 Strategies for growth
Part XI The Truth About Starting a Business and Maintaining a Healthy Personal Life
Truth 52 Work life balance: Practical tips
Truth 53 Starting a business as a means of achieving a healthy personal life