The Small Business Start Up Workbook

In this practical and comprehensive workbook, Cheryl Rickman, offers a modern approach to self-employment and business start-up. Packed with real-life case studies and practical exercises, checklists and worksheets, it provides a step-by-step guide to researching and formulating your business ideas, planning the right marketing strategies, and managing a team that will drive your vision forward with you. You'll discover what, with hindsight, well-known entrepreneurs would have done differently, what their biggest mistakes have been and what they've learnt: Dame Anita Roddick, Julie Meyer, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Simon Woodroffe and others reveal their best and worst decisions and contribute their wisdom and tips for succeeding in business. You'll learn how to: develop, research and plan "the idea"; design and create the right products and services; define and understand your customers and target audience; secure finance and manage cash flow and accounts; create a winning brand and marketing message; gain and retain customers; achieve competitive advantage; plan, create, launch and promote your website; and manage your business and time. This fresh approach to small business start-up also includes information and recommendations on making your business ethical and socially responsible, along with exercises to help build self-confidence and visualize success.

How do I know if my idea will work? How do I decide on the business model? How do I find my audience? Your digital business start-up journey begins here. From the bestselling author of The Small Business Start-up Workbook, Cheryl Rickman brings you a thoroughly practical guide to starting up a digital business, covering the full journey from idea to exit, with easy-to-implement strategies to make your online venture an ongoing success. With a combination of tips, exercises, checklists, anecdotes, case studies and lessons learned by business leaders, this workbook will guide you through each step of digital business. Learn how to: • Assess whether your business idea will work online/digitally • Choose the right business model for your proposition and avoid wasting time • Assess demand, viability and uncover untapped needs and gaps in the market • Build a usable, engaging website and mobile app • Create a buzz using social networking • Drive high quality traffic to your site and convert visitors into paying customers • Use search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing (SEM) tools effectively • Raise finance and protect your business • Build and maintain a strong brand • Recruit and retain a strong team • Sell the business or find a suitable successor. Reviews for the book: “If you want advice on starting your own internet business, don’t ask me, read this book instead. It is more up-to-date and costs far less than a good lunch.” Nick Jenkins, Founder of Moonpig.com “This book excels in providing practical guidance on how to create a successful digital business which exceeds customer expectations and keeps customers happy each step of the way.” Scott Weavers-Wright, CEO of Kiddicare.com, and MD of Morrison.com (non-food) “If you read just one book on digital business, make it this one... It is inspirational, informative and interactive in equal measure. Highly recommended!” Rowan Gormley, Founder and CEO of NakedWines.com “Interspersed with inspiring and useful stories from successful entrepreneurs, this book can help aspiring business owners through a step-by-step process of refining their start-up ideas and building a solid business.” Elizabeth Varley, Founder and CEO of TechHub

The Business Startup Workbook is the ultimate tool to help you organize the business startup planning process. This workbook includes worksheets, outlines, planning tips, and resources to get your new business off to the right start. Worksheets Included: Task Checklist Idea Journal Market Research Evaluate Competition Business Owner Interviews Name Your Business Evaluate Insurance Policies Plan Your Newsletter Commercial Real Estate Assessment Wholesale Supplier Assessment Personal Budget Locate Financing Startup Supplies List Cash Flow Forecast/Performance Report Design Your Website Grand Opening Event Checklist Outlines Included: Business Plan Marketing Plan Press Release Operations Manual Employee Manual This one of a kind guide was compiled by Stephanie Chandler, author of The Business Startup Checklist and Planning Guide (trade paperback and e-book) and founder of www.BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of resources for entrepreneurs.

So, you want to start a small business? • Have you ever thought you could run a business better than your boss does?• Is it your dream to be self-employed?• Do you wish for the day when you can call all the shots?• Do you need the freedom and flexibility of business ownership to accommodate your lifestyle? • Do you believe business ownership will provide you a better quality of life?• Is business ownership the answer for how to support your family?The Small Business Start-Up Workbook is designed to thoroughly equip you to launch and run a successful business. What this book does not do is try to impress you with a few hundred additional and unnecessary pages of information which will not contribute to your success. My goal is not trying to impress you with everything I know. This book is a portion of what I know; it is the portion I believe you will need and appreciate when making the decision to start your own small business. I have worked very hard to keep this book direct, pertinent, and valuable. I believe it is enough and not too much. I hope you agree.The Small Business Start-Up Workbook is designed to provide you with a road-map to starting your business and save you thousands of dollars in consulting fees. In business, mistakes can be quite costly and lead to priceless “now-I-know” moments. This Step-by-Step guide will provide you with practical input that you can use immediately, from applying for your first business license and setting up an office, to creating your business name and logo, branding your business, and opening the doors. The Small Business Start-Up Workbook is a great place to help you prepare for the nuances of business ownership and decide if becoming an entrepreneur is your next move.Starting a business is a daunting task, regardless of your previous experience. Many people become paralyzed at the thought of business ownership. Prospective business owners may feel lost and confused by the questions: Who?, What?, Where?, When?, Why?, And how? Many people find themselves doing nothing rather than following their dream of becoming a successful business owner. Being prepared with what to expect will help you navigate the land mines along the way.America rose to greatness through the efforts of visionaries, hard workers, and risk takers. The greatest achievers in history created their legacies. They did not wait for opportunity to come seek them. As a business owner, I feel I have discovered one of life's greatest secrets: Business ownership is the very embodiment of the American Dream. I hope this book helps you dream big and helps make those dreams come true.~ Mark Torr, Author of The Small Business Start-Up Workbook

How do I know if my idea will work? How do I decide on the business model? How do I find my audience? Your digital business start-up journey begins here. From the bestselling author of The Small Business Start-up Workbook, Cheryl Rickman brings you a thoroughly practical guide to starting up a digital business, covering the full journey from idea to exit, with easy-to-implement strategies to make your online venture an ongoing success. With a combination of tips, exercises, checklists, anecdotes, case studies and lessons learned by business leaders, this workbook will guide you through each step of digital business. Learn how to: • Assess whether your business idea will work online/digitally • Choose the right business model for your proposition and avoid wasting time • Assess demand, viability and uncover untapped needs and gaps in the market • Build a usable, engaging website and mobile app • Create a buzz using social networking • Drive high quality traffic to your site and convert visitors into paying customers • Use search engine optimization (SEO) and marketing (SEM) tools effectively • Raise finance and protect your business • Build and maintain a strong brand • Recruit and retain a strong team • Sell the business or find a suitable successor. Reviews for the book: “If you want advice on starting your own internet business, don’t ask me, read this book instead. It is more up-to-date and costs far less than a good lunch.” Nick Jenkins, Founder of Moonpig.com “This book excels in providing practical guidance on how to create a successful digital business which exceeds customer expectations and keeps customers happy each step of the way.” Scott Weavers-Wright, CEO of Kiddicare.com, and MD of Morrison.com (non-food) “If you read just one book on digital business, make it this one... It is inspirational, informative and interactive in equal measure. Highly recommended!” Rowan Gormley, Founder and CEO of NakedWines.com “Interspersed with inspiring and useful stories from successful entrepreneurs, this book can help aspiring business owners through a step-by-step process of refining their start-up ideas and building a solid business.” Elizabeth Varley, Founder and CEO of TechHub

Got an idea for a new business? Take it through the test to make sure it works. No matter how talented you are, no matter how hard you work, no matter how much capital you have, if you haven't give your idea a rigorous test before startup, you could be heading towards a disaster. Whether you are an entrepreneur starting your own business or an executive developing a new product or service for your company, this is the ultimate guide you need for your success. Start a Business is a startup owner's manual every entrepreneur or small business owner should have to guarantee success in business. Download your copy now! Read on your PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. Tags: how to start a business, starting your own business, how to start your own business, new business ideas, how to start a business, how to start your own business, how to start a small business, starting a business, starting a small business, starting a business book, business books, startup owners manual, small business ideas, starting a business book, starting a small business book, starting business books, start up books, start up, business plan, business planning, business plan template, how to write a business plan, business plan workbook, business plan books, business plan manual

Want to start your own business, but not sure where to begin? Mind Your Business is the ONLY book that teaches you everything you need to know about how to build a successful business from scratch. From developing your brand to designing products to identifying your legal and tax needs, this comprehensive guide will take you through every step of the process and help you create a unique and customized roadmap for your business. Mind Your Business is for aspiring entrepreneurs who are driven, ambitious, creative, and determined to build a business and life they love. Author Ilana Griffo shares the formula that turned her creative hobby into a six-figure design studio. From initial planning to long-term business strategy, Mind Your Business includes: • Insider tips from successful entrepreneurs • Advice to identify your ideal market and customer • Legal guidelines to protect your ass(ets) • Budget and forecast tools • How to avoid the pitfalls that doom most startups • Guidance on how to scale and grow • Suggestions on how to dominate online platforms • Tips to beat your competitors with SEO and social media Mind Your Business puts you in the driver’s seat. It will help you navigate the journey of starting your first business and take your ambitions and ideas from wishful thinking to successful reality.

Most startups fail. But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched. Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. This is just as true for one person in a garage or a group of seasoned professionals in a Fortune 500 boardroom. What they have in common is a mission to penetrate that fog of uncertainty to discover a successful path to a sustainable business. The Lean Startup approach fosters companies that are both more capital efficient and that leverage human creativity more effectively. Inspired by lessons from lean manufacturing, it relies on “validated learning,” rapid scientific experimentation, as well as a number of counter-intuitive practices that shorten product development cycles, measure actual progress without resorting to vanity metrics, and learn what customers really want. It enables a company to shift directions with agility, altering plans inch by inch, minute by minute. Rather than wasting time creating elaborate business plans, The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs—in companies of all sizes—a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust before it’s too late. Ries provides a scientific approach to creating and managing successful startups in a age when companies need to innovate more than ever.