Buying a Business For Dummies

Chapter 14

Ten (or So) Ways to Learn from the Experiences of Others

IN THIS CHAPTER

Connecting with mentors and peers who can help and assembling a board of advisors

Finding a partner and tapping into trade associations and business incubators

Surveying other small-business resource options

Alack of capital, a poor location, and inadequate marketing and distribution aren’t causes of small-business failure; they’re just symptoms — symptoms of the dreaded disease Owner’s Isolation Syndrome. The symptoms of this syndrome affect every small-business owner at one time or another, but if you commit yourself to preventing the disease, you can avoid many of the symptoms.

Considering our status as charter members of the Never-Bring-Up-a-Problem-without-an-Accompanying-Solution Club, we use this chapter to present a collection of options that will help you minimize the trial-and-error method of small-business management and maximize learning from the experiences of others.

Utilize Mentors

Effective mentors are basically consultants — who usually work for free. What they have to offer is the ability to draw upon their extensive experience, always one of the best teachers of them all. You ...