The New Venture Handbook

I am a consultant to business-owners, and I recommend this book to my clients. It is very practical and informative, especially if you're starting a manufacturing business.

Before reviewing this excellent book, understand your answer to the Question I pose: Are you in-it for the autonomy and good-work, or .. are you in-it for the position/money/biz/game rush?The answer to this question /defines/ your business/career commitment, so know it now.Once you've answered the question, though, then NO MATTER which answer you discovered yours to be ( and almost all business-books, including this one, assume that ONLY entrepreneurs exist, and don't consider propreneurs or our needs/motivations... )... this book you need. It gives you the what, the why, the /sense/ of startup-surviving.Excellent book. These guys have /really/ been there: when they say ( paraphrase ) "fix it right, or you're paying endlessly and /still/ not having it right" they give examples... including one where the standard chemical-engineering-textbook version of what they were doing wasn't correct! Only by having the active integrity to perceive-it-right, and fix-it-right, up-front can one survive competition ( and having one's textbooks all be incorrect on a point fundamental to one's own current endeavour, is competitive pressure from a /really/ unexpected quarter ).The rest of the book? Ah, that's for you to read, eh?I'll give you the TOC, though, since it isn't included above in the book-data listed ( and I'm including page-numbers so you get the sense of the quantity-of-information given to each area in the book )PrefaceAcknowledgements1. Preparing Yourself - 12. The Business Concept - 243. Building a Team - 534. Market Research - 845. Finding Your Niche - 1056. The Marketing Function - 1257. Sales Tactics - 1478. Production - 1719. Research and Development - 18910. Financial Planning - 20711. Management Systems - 22812. The Business Plan - 24713. Finding Capital - 259Appendix: Assorted Unavoidable Topics - 287Reading List - 297Index - 301

One of the most logical, useful books ever written. Can jump around or read from the start. Concentrates on real-world examples and less on financial abstracts. Especially good section on analyzing a field before you get in, then tells how to best enter. Recommended also by INC Magazine.