Starting a Business For Dummies®, 3rd Edition	1
	About the Author	5
	Author’s Acknowledgments	5
	Contents at a Glance	7
	Table of Contents	9
	Introduction	21
	Why You Need This Book	22
	How to Use This Book	23
	How This Book Is Organised	24
	Icons Used in This Book	25
	Where to Go From Here	26
	Part I: Getting Started	27
	Chapter 1: Preparing for Business	29
	Understanding the Enduring Rules of Business Strategy	29
	Getting in Shape to Start Up	34
	Confirming Viability	37
	Going for Growth	42
	Chapter 2: Doing the Groundwork	45
	Understanding the Small Business Environment	45
	Defining Small Business	46
	Looking at the Types of People Who Start Businesses	47
	Coming Up with a Winning Idea	49
	Banning Bad Reasons to Start a Business	57
	Recognising that the Economy Matters	59
	Preparing to Recognise Success	62
	Chapter 3: Can You Do the Business?	65
	Deciding What You Want From a Business	65
	Exploring Different Types of Business	68
	Working from Home	70
	Assessing Yourself	78
	Chapter 4: Testing Feasibility	85
	Finding Enough Product or People	85
	Sizing Up the Market	87
	Working Out Whether You Can Make Money	99
	Part II: Making and Funding Your Plan	103
	Chapter 5: Structuring Your Business	105
	Choosing the Right Structure	106
	Going into Business by Yourself	108
	Building up to Network Marketing	110
	Working with a Limited Number of Other People	113
	Finding Your Way to Franchising	117
	Founding a Larger Company	120
	Looking at Legal Issues in Marketing	122
	Chapter 6: Preparing the Business Plan	129
	Finding a Reason to Write a Business Plan	130
	Writing Up Your Business Plan	133
	Using Business Planning Software	138
	Presenting Your Plan	141
	Chapter 7: Getting Help	143
	Connecting with Government services	144
	Linking to Local Enterprise Agencies (LEAs)	145
	Choosing Small Business Associations	146
	Universities and Colleges	149
	Entering an Incubator	151
	Assisting Inventors	152
	Helping Young Entrepreneurs	153
	Chapter 8: Finding the Money	157
	Assessing How Much Money You Need	158
	Reviewing Your Financing Options	161
	Determining the Best Source of Finance for You	164
	Going for Debt	167
	Sharing Out the Spoils	174
	Finding Free Money	179
	Chapter 9: Considering Your Mission	181
	Developing Your Concept	182
	Composing Your Mission Statement	182
	Seeing the Vision Thing	183
	Setting Objectives and Goals	184
	Chapter 10: Marketing Your Wares	187
	Making Up the Marketing Mix	187
	Defining Your Product or Service Parameters	188
	Using Advertising to Tell Your Story	189
	Getting in the News	197
	Pricing for Profit	204
	Pondering Place and Distribution	206
	Part III: Staying in Business	209
	Chapter 11: Employing People	211
	Finding Great Employees	211
	Exploring Other Ways of Recruiting	217
	Motivating and Rewarding Employees	219
	Staying on the Right Side of Employment Law	226
	Chapter 12: Operating Effectively	233
	Proposing Premises	234
	Taking the Make-or-Buy Decision	236
	Choosing a Supplier	238
	Minimising Risk and Assessing Liability	242
	Dissecting Directors	247
	Finding and Choosing Business Advisers	248
	Chapter 13: Keeping Track of Finances	253
	Keeping the Books	253
	Understanding Your Accounts	258
	Forecasting Cash Flow	258
	Reporting Your Profits	258
	Accounting for Pricing	264
	Balancing the Books	268
	Analysing Performance	271
	Keeping on the Right Side of the Law	275
	Managing Your Accountant	277
	Chapter 14: Managing Your Tax Position	279
	Tackling Taxes for Different Types of Businesses	280
	Paying Taxes	283
	Handling Employment Taxes	288
	Part IV: Making the Business Grow	293
	Chapter 15: Doing Business Online	295
	Appreciating the Power of the Internet	296
	What You Can Do Online	299
	Establishing an Internet Presence	302
	Selling Goods and Services	307
	Gaining Visibility	311
	Chapter 16: Improving Performance	317
	Checking Your Internal Systems	317
	Retaining Customers	320
	Improving Productivity	327
	Budgeting for Beginners	330
	Chapter 17: Exploring Strategies for Growth	335
	Understanding the Importance of Growth	335
	Increasing Sales	338
	Forming Alliances	343
	Franchising Your Way to Growth	346
	Chapter 18: Becoming a Great Manager	351
	Building a Team	351
	Founding principles	352
	Coaching and Training	354
	Appraising Performance	356
	Developing a Leadership Style	357
	Measuring Morale	364
	Part V: The Part of Tens	367
	Chapter 19: Ten Pitfalls to Avoid	369
	Knowing Too Little	369
	Being Overly Optimistic about the Market	370
	Underestimating Start-up Time	371
	Spending Too Much at the Start	371
	Mistaking Cash for Profit	372
	Choosing the Wrong Partner	372
	Ignoring Accounting	373
	Forgetting Working Capital	373
	Having No Clear Competitive Advantage	374
	Choosing the Wrong Location	374
	Chapter 20: Ten People to Talk to Before You Start	375
	Speaking with Your Spouse	375
	Making Use of Your Professional Network	376
	Benefiting from Entrepreneurs Who Started a Similar Business	376
	Spending Time with a Friendly Banker	378
	Tapping into Your Local Enterprise Agency Director	378
	Communicating with Your Current Boss	378
	Calling Your Colleagues	379
	Bringing in Your Best Friend	379
	Reporting to an Accountant	379
	Plugging into a Business Angel Network	380
	Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Cut Costs	381
	Using a Suggestion Scheme	381
	Forming Smart Circles	382
	Going Green	383
	Using Less Utilities	384
	Stripping Out Waste	384
	Reducing Shrinkage	386
	Negotiating with Suppliers	387
	Going In for Benchmarking	388
	Getting Kitted Out for Less	389
	Setting Cost-cutting Priorities	390
	Chapter 22: Ten Steps to Prepare to Move On	391
	Monitoring Market Prices	391
	Valuing Your Business	392
	Figuring Out Who to Sell To	393
	Dressing to Kill	395
	Finding Advisers	396
	Doing Due Diligence	397
	Earning Out Your Profits	397
	Starting Up Again	398
	Becoming a Business Angel	398
	Winding Up	399
	Index	401