Suite101 e-Book
Starting Your Own Business

Introduction

Whether you’ve lost your job, are re-entering the workforce after starting or raising a family or have retired or, even if you’re just fed up with your present job, starting out on your own is something everyone should at least look at. It is always hard work and requires a certain amount of self-discipline but the rewards are always great, even if you don’t get rich doing it.

Today, with long-term employment at one company becoming rare and most people’s jobs at risk from possible takeovers, mergers, or drastic changes in the markets, self-employment is looking better than ever. The articles in this book take you through the whole process of starting your own small business, from deciding what you want to do to finding your first customers. You don’t need a lot of money to start out and you can even start up part time but you do have to start somewhere – for example by buying this book.

Table of Contents

• Lost Your Job? It's the Best Thing That's Ever Happened to You
• Fed Up With Your Job? Before Quitting…
• You're It, A Valuable Resource
• Before Starting Your Small Business…
• Basics for Starting a Small Business
• Should Your Office be at Home?
• How to Choose a Name
• How to Develop a Vision for your Small Business
• How to Look Professional
• The Virtual Business, Taking Small Business to the Extreme
• How to Organize Your Self-Employed Life
• Small Business Bookkeeping
• Five Keys to Small Business Success
• Nine “Small Business” Competitive Advantages
• Your Small Business Needs a Web Site
• What to put on your Web Site
• Brochures
• Marketing
• Value Added
• Small Business and the Value Chain
• Price, Demand, Costs and Profitability
• Focus on your customer
• CRM – Customer Relationship Management
• Preparing Your Own Marketing Material

Review
For anyone considering starting a business of their own, this e-book is full of informative information that will help you decide if it's the right thing for you to do.

Folks might think it's easy to start up a small business, and in some ways that is true but there are so many questions to be asked before taking the plunge and Bert's book will guide you through the maze.

One of the first things the e-book starts off with is that any potential business owner should know they are a resource. Be positive at how you view yourself.

Next you're asked to list what you "can do" and what you "like to do".

Score the lists, define your markets and then correlate...more

You may download the file at any time but you will need the password to open it.