The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting Your Own Business

When most entrepreneurs first get the yen to start a business, they realize that there must be a lot that they don't know. The legal, accounting and tax choices often seem particularly daunting . . . and there's often no money to retain an attorney. Not knowing where to turn, many take local adult education classes (like the kind I teach). In those classes, these strivers often find out that what they didn't know that they didn't know is even more dangerous than what that they do know that they don't know. The fourth edition of Starting Your Own Business is a good resource for such new entrepreneurs. You will learn many of the fundamentals of picking a business to start, preparing a business plan, selecting a legal structure, organizing for success and operating the business once you start it. Based on my experiences with new entrepreneurs, this book will answer about 80% of the questions that they usually have . . . and about 60% of the questions they should be asking. One of the book's strengths is the CD-ROM that has sample forms and form letters for handling routine matters. While these won't substitute for having an attorney (I am one, so I know), they will allow you to work with an attorney in more effective and less expensive ways. The areas where the book is weakest are as follows: 1. Doesn't spell out how the choice of business type affects your chances of success and the difficulty of raising money. 2. Doesn't do enough about the pros and cons of being a franchisee and how to pursue that opportunity. 3. Doesn't teach you how to create an advantaged business model and improve upon it. 4. Doesn't provide enough perspective on how to establish a management team. One of the things I did like about the book is that it considers manufacturing businesses as well as service and professional service companies. Most resources about starting up businesses ignore the opportunity of manufacturing. This book won't make or break your business, but it will speed your process of getting ready to launch if you don't have any background in this area.

I'm about halfway through this book and it's exactly what I was looking for. Over the years I've considered going out on my own but had no idea how to start. I needed an introductory guide to the setting up and running of a small business from the legal, financial & business side and that's exactly what this book does. It's a great overview of what any entrepreneur will face when they take the plunge. On top of that, it's not a bad read, for a non-fiction book.

I am using this book to help my friend's painting business get organized and focused. Bids and jobs take up much of his time, so this is a great tool to understand some of the "bigger" picture without having to take a bunch of business classes. The CD also has useful general forms.

This book was very easy to read and understand. If you are thinking of starting your own business and need to know how to go about doing it, this book is the only book you will need. The book comes complete with a CD containing forms and helpful resources and information.

This easy reading book, guides you through all of the considerations and steps that you need in order to start your own business. Every new entrepreneur will benefit from reading this book.