Includes bibliographical references (pages 210-217).
The Truth About What It Takes to Be a Business Owner -- Why people start businesses -- The right business for you -- Questions to ask before you quit your job -- Key characteristics of successful business owners -- You may not need "prior business experience" -- The Truth About Generating and Testing Business Ideas -- The most common sources of new business ideas -- Want several alternatives? Techniques for generating new business ideas -- A make-it or break-it issue: Selecting an idea that can be sold into a niche market -- Screening and testing business ideas -- Writing a business plan: Still as important as ever -- The Truth About Entry Strategies -- Starting from scratch: Developing your own product or service -- Franchising: Buying into someone else's formula for success -- Believe it or not: There are legitimate opportunities in direct sales -- Buying a business -- Internet businesses: The sky does seem to be the limit -- The Truth About Getting Up and Running -- Choosing a location for your business -- Something you'll say a million times: Your business's name -- The paper chase: Obtaining business licenses and permits -- Choosing a form of business ownership -- Creating a Web site: An absolute necessity -- The Truth About Raising Money -- How to think about money as it relates to starting a business -- Calculating your initial start-up costs -- Personal funds, loans from friends and family, and bootstrapping -- Debt financing -- Equity funding -- Grants: It takes the right fit -- Persistence pays off: Finding alternative sources of start-up funds -- The Truth About Building a New Business Team -- How to approach the task of building a "new business" team -- Starting a business as a team rather than an individual -- Recruiting and hiring employees -- Board of directors -- Board of advisors -- The Truth About Intellectual Property -- Intellectual property: What is it, and how is it protected? -- To patent or not to patent? -- Trademarks: An essential form of protection -- Copyright laws: A surprising breadth of protection -- Trade secrets: Guard them carefully -- The Truth About Marketing -- How to approach marketing in a new business -- Segmenting the market and selcting a target market -- Establishing a brand -- Selling benefits rather than features -- Pricing: The most dicey element of the marketing mix -- It's okay to advertise, but think through your choices carefully -- Public relations: More important than ever -- Distribution and sales: More choices than ever -- The Truth About Financial Management -- Managing a business's finances -- Financial objectives of a business -- The nitty-gritty: Forecasts, budgets, and financial statements -- The Truth About Growing a Business -- Preparing for growth -- Stages of growth: More opportunities, more challenges -- Strategies for growth -- The Truth About Starting a Business and Maintaining a Healthy Personal Life -- Work life balance: Practical tips -- Starting a business as a means of achieving a healthy personal life.
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The Truth About Series offers in each book the collected and distilled knowledge on a topic and shows you how you can use this knowledge in your daily life. With an aha on every page, information is presented in a clear and accessible style that the reader can easily reference. Written in short chapters, each book aims to cover an entire field of knowledge, cut to the gist of each subject in an entertaining way, and when necessary, pull the curtain back and pop the bubble of commonly held assumptions. Each Truth is a tool to make you more successful. This book brings together 53 powerful truths about choosing, planning, launching, and growing your winning business. You'll learn how to generate and test business ideas, and pick the one that's best for you ... select the right entry strategy ... name and locate your business ... raise capital ... build your team and get expert advice ... protect your business secrets and intellectual property ... effectively brand your business and market its offerings ... handle pricing, distribution, and sales ... manage your finances to specific objectives ... prepare for growth ... and even maintain your work/life balance as an entrepreneur. This isn't someone's opinion: it's a definitive, evidence-based guide to building your own successful enterprise - a set of bedrock principles you can rely on whoever you are, wherever you are, and whatever business you choose to launch.