Entrepreneurship is one of the most effective ways to build the life that you want to have. By establishing your own business you are in control of your earnings, the time you spend working and how your business is run. You are in charge of every controllable aspect of your life. Don't worry if you have to start out small. Just get started because you can build and expand as you go. Countless multimillion dollar empires began on a shoestring budget. The trick is to find the best suppliers of the products or services that you intend to market. Once you have a reliable product source at prices that allow you to compete in the market, develop your business plan and get the show on the road.
From a TechCrunch founder and award-winning strategist comes the most comprehensive guide to the newest fundraising options for today’s entrepreneurs. Fundraising for startups has changed dramatically in the past decade. There was a time when VCs were rock stars and a founder with a big idea and a little drive could raise a few hundred thousand dollars to build a business. But those days are gone. In the aftermath of the Great Recession and a massive drop in tech investments, it’s become harder and harder for founders to raise money. The good news? Today’s entrepreneurs have more options than ever before—with greater opportunities to get the ball rolling, get investors excited, and Get Funded! A comprehensive, cutting-edge guide from tech journalist and entrepreneur John Biggs and communication strategist Eric Villines, Get Funded! will enable you to: Create a solid business plan and a powerful story that investors respond to Explore a wide range of funding options—and find the ones that are right for you Understand valuation and dilution Plan, prepare, and deliver the perfect pitch Raise money through grants, micro-loans, micro-donations, and crowdfunding Take advantage of the latest online resources and financial tools Filled with step-by-step strategies, ready-to-use resources, and on-the-ground insights, this is a must-read for every entrepreneur. Even if you’ve started a business before, you’ll discover a whole new funding landscape with exciting tech-driven models―including crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe and Patreon, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, IEOs (Initial Exchange Offerings), micro-loans, and micro-donations―as well as more traditional, tried-and-true methods. Beyond a road map to the current world of funding, Get Funded! provides proven strategies for pitching, marketing, bootstrapping, and more. It’s a complete 360-degree tool with easy-to-follow worksheets and online resources that will help you build a sustainable funding strategy that’s right for your business—and crucial to your success. Whether you’re starting a food truck or a biotech startup, Get Funded! has got you covered.
The final entry in this all-you-need-to-know series summarizes the best points in the previous 12 books, updates many of them, and integrates must-have knowledge into a unified, indispensable whole. Entrepreneurs need authors who will speak to them as equals, sharing the secrets they found as they built their own businesses. Crafted in that spirit, Praeger's Entrepreneur's Guide series provides practical, accessible, and authoritative advice on the major considerations in establishing and growing a new venture. Each book includes wisdom, tales from the trenches, worksheets, templates, sample documents, and resource lists to help entrepreneurs leverage their time and money. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Running a Business distills and shares the important points from each of the series' previous books, making the road to success smoother and more certain. This culmination of the professional development series takes the reader through all the important steps of starting and running an enterprise. It includes such essentials as writing the business plan, hiring the team, raising capital, managing technology, doing market research, and, of course, marketing the product. Once the business is up and running, the book can be consulted for advice on managing growth and inspiring and retaining employees, as well as for knowledge about handling crises and flourishing even during a recession.
It's one thing to come up with a good business idea, and quite another to marshal the people, money, and other resources entrepreneurs need to make the dream a successful reality. That's why most businesses fail within the first two years. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Successful Leadership helps budding moguls make it out of the toddler phase of entrepreneurship and into adolescence and adulthood with confidence. A concise and practical guide to leading smaller enterprises, the book is based on a proven, nine-step model of effective leadership developed by Dan Goldberg—the founder of the For Eyes optical chain—and entrepreneur and educator Don Martin. Step by step, readers learn what real leadership looks like and how to lead and grow the successful enterprise. Creating a vibrant business starts with understanding who you are, say the authors, and then coming up with a vision, mission, and strategy. That's the easy part. The hard part is to execute the strategy in line with your dreams, while using effective, ethical tactics to establish the business and prosper. Seasoned hands, the authors make that job easier, while helping entrepreneurs understand what makes employees tick and helping them become their productive best. The hard work not only gets easier, say the authors—it pays off as entrepreneurs watch their fledgling businesses take graceful flight. This book is a treasure chest that provides key insights and methods in the form of real-life stories, humor, strategies, techniques, exercises, checklists, templates, and other resources. Each illustrates in a unique way how good leaders achieve powerful results. Many books on leadership are gimmicky. The Entrepreneur's Guide to Successful Leadership focuses—in clear, simple, and direct terms—on the essential fundamentals, the blocking and tackling, required for business success.
Let me tell you a secret. The million-dollar idea? That's overrated. Look, I've built businesses from the ground up, seen some soar, and watched others flame out. What separates the dreamers from the doers? It's all in your head. This book isn't some dusty textbook. It's hard-won wisdom from the trenches. I'll show you how to cultivate the entrepreneurial mindset that separates the wannabes from the real game-changers. We'll tackle the demons that hold you back: the fear of failure, the crippling self-doubt, the endless what-ifs. You'll learn to build rock-solid resilience, a relentless drive, and the crystal-clear focus to make smart decisions that get results. This isn't just about chasing money (though, let's be honest, that's pretty sweet too). It's about building something you can be proud of, something that leaves a mark. It's about the freedom, the challenge, the pure thrill of taking an idea and turning it into reality. Sound good? Then ditch the motivational posters and pick up this book. It's packed with actionable strategies, battle-tested tactics, and the kind of no-nonsense advice you only get from someone who's been there, done that, and lived to tell the tale. Ready to stop dreaming and start building your empire? Grab your copy now and unleash the unstoppable entrepreneur within.
Hello, This book has been prepared to be a guide for entrepreneurs who are interested in entrepreneurship, who want to step into the world of entrepreneurship, or for existing entrepreneurs. The narration of the book is enriched with examples of real-life entrepreneurs and their stories. In this way, readers will have the opportunity to see how the issues work in real life and visualize them in their minds. The book will explain to you the realities and challenges of the key stages of the entrepreneurial journey. Readers will gain insight into the steps they will need to bring their ideas to life and help them overcome any obstacles they may encounter in their entrepreneurial journey and achieve their dreams. In particular, topics such as how startup ideas are created, how they are tested, how they are financed and how they are marketed and managed will be addressed. Entrepreneurship is a challenging and grueling journey. This book will guide you on that journey by providing you with the necessary knowledge and skills.
Becoming a successful entrepreneur is impossible without accepting risk - the question is which risk to take and at what time. This guide offers practical, no-nonsense advice for marketing and financing your business, bringing on partners and employees, and launching your business as inexpensively and aggressively as possible.
Part narrative, part business book; Architect + Entrepreneur is filled with contemporary, relevant, fresh tips and advice, from a seasoned professional architect building a new business. The guide advocates novel strategies and tools that merge entrepreneurship with the practice of architecture and interior design. The Problem:Embarking on a new business venture is intimidating; you have questions. But many of the resources available to help entrepreneur architects and interior designers start their design business lack timeliness and relevance. Most are geared toward building colossal firms like SOM and Gensler using outdated methods and old business models. If you're an individual or small team contemplating starting a design business, this is your field guide; crafted to inspire action. The Solution:Using the lean startup methodology to create a minimum viable product, the handbook encourages successive small wins that support a broader vision enabling one to, "think big, start small, and learn fast." It's a unique take on design practice viewed through the lens of entrepreneurship and is designed to answer the questions all new business owners face, from the rote to the existential. Questions about: - Startup costs - Business models (old and new) - Marriage of business and design - Mindset - Branding & naming (exercises and ideas) - Internet marketing strategies - Passive income ideas - Setting your fee - Taxes - Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) - Securing the work - Client relations - Software - Billing rates - Contracts Building a business isn't a singular act; it's a series of small steps. Using the outline found in Architect + Entrepreneur you can start today. The chapters are organized to guide you from idea to action. Rather than write a business plan you'll be challenged to craft a brand and you'll sell it using new technologies. Follow the guide sequentially and you'll have both the tools and a profitable small business.
An all-in-one guide to helping you buy and own your own business. Are you looking for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own start-up seem too risky? There is a radical third path open to you: You can buy a small business and run it as CEO. Purchasing a small company offers significant financial rewards—as well as personal and professional fulfillment. Leading a firm means you can be your own boss, put your executive skills to work, fashion a company environment that meets your own needs, and profit directly from your success. But finding the right business to buy and closing the deal isn't always easy. In the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business, Harvard Business School professors Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff help you: Determine if this path is right for you Raise capital for your acquisition Find and evaluate the right prospects Avoid the pitfalls that could derail your search Understand why a "dull" business might be the best investment Negotiate a potential deal with the seller Avoid deals that fall through at the last minute Arm yourself with the advice you need to succeed on the job, with the most trusted brand in business. Packed with how-to essentials from leading experts, the HBR Guides provide smart answers to your most pressing work challenges.
The secrets behind creating compelling and successful business plans that are sure to attract financial backers and help business owners stay on track are revealed step-by-step in this invaluable guide. Containing clear, detailed explanations of the guidelines that banks, venture capital firms, and the Small Business Administration (SBA) use to grant loans and other financial support to businesses, this crucial resource equips potential business owners with a wealth of knowledge on lending procedures.& This guide includes hundreds of useful ideas for developing, operating, marketing, and building a profitable business. Also included are copious examples and resources for further study. By demonstrating how to make each business plan uniquely suited to a particular endeavor—such as home-based businesses, sole proprietorships, and franchise operations—this comprehensive handbook ensures that anyone can embark on a new business venture with confidence and clarity. The newly updated Third Edition includes: Increased focus on Social Entrepreneurship or Social Ventures.Updated examples, including ventures that apply the latest technology. An expanded section that presents eight fundamental thinking tools that underlie entrepreneurial success and creativity. These include how to nurture your creativity and develop and test ideas without spending a penny. A new and expanded section on establishing feasibility before creating a full business plan. Expanded tools for researching business ideas, interviewing potential customers, and developing a competitive analysis to judge your ideas against potential competitors. A simple and direct Venture Assessment Tool to specify the issues that are essential for success and enables you to evaluate the potential of your venture.
