Small Business For Dummies, 5th Edition

Chapter 10

The Owner’s Responsibilities in the Start-Up and Beyond

IN THIS CHAPTER

Handling the details of a start-up

Determining which tasks you want to outsource

Establishing a bookkeeping system that works for you

Managing your expenses

Maintaining relationships with vendors and other people outside your business

In the beginning, you as the owner will perform all your start-up’s chores, or at least you will personally see to it that they get done. Well, you’ll personally take care of all the important tasks at least — those responsibilities that will, down the road, either make or break your enterprise if they aren’t done correctly.

Often, however, many of those early-stage duties fall under the category of grunt work — the not-so-exciting-to-entrepreneurs stuff that doesn’t involve dealing with customers, creating new products, or generating much-needed cash. Instead, the duties are often yawn-inducing things like appeasing the government, developing a bookkeeping system, and ...