The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Your Small Business, 3rd Edition

The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Your Small Business, 3rd Edition

by Steven D. Strauss
Released March 2012
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781118135945

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Book description

An updated third edition of the most comprehensive guide to small business success

Whether you're a novice entrepreneur or a seasoned pro, The Small Business Bible offers you everything you need to know to build and grow your dream business. It shows you what really works (and what doesn't!) and includes scores of tips, insider information, stories, and proven secrets of success. Even if you've run your own business for years, this handy guide keeps you up to date on the latest business and tech trends. This Third Edition includes entirely new chapters devoted to social media, mobility and apps, and new trends in online discounting and group buying that are vital to small business owners everywhere.

New chapters include:

  • How to use Facebook, Twitter, and other social media tools to engage customers and potential stakeholders

  • How to generate leads and win strategic partnerships with LinkedIn

  • How to employ videos and YouTube to further your brand

  • What you need to know about Groupon and group discount buying

  • What mobile marketing can do for your business

Give your small business its best shot by understanding the best and latest small business strategies, especially in this transformative and volatile period. The Small Business Bible offers every bit of information you'll need to know to succeed.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Praise for The Small Business Bible
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. About the Author
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Preface
  8. Section I: Starting Your Business
    1. Part I: Genesis
      1. Chapter 1: In the Beginning
        1. Assessing Your Strengths
        2. Risk Tolerance
        3. The Next Step
      2. Chapter 2: Choosing the Right Business
        1. If You Do What You Love, Will the Money Really Follow?
        2. In Love with Entrepreneurship
      3. Chapter 3: Buying an Existing Business
        1. First Steps
        2. How Much Can You Expect to Make?
        3. Business Valuation 101
        4. Getting Ready to Close
      4. Chapter 4: Understanding Your Potential Market
        1. The Need for Market Research
        2. Find a Need and Solve It
        3. Is Your Idea Feasible?
        4. Where to Find the Information You Need to Know
        5. Putting It All Together
      5. Chapter 5: Calculating Your Start-up Costs
        1. Assumptions
        2. Finding the Money
      6. Chapter 6: Writing a Winning Business Plan
        1. The Road Map
        2. Business Plan Elements
        3. The Bottom Line
      7. Chapter 7: Structuring Your Business
        1. Sole Proprietorships
        2. Partnerships and Limited Partnerships
        3. Corporations and the Limited Liability Company (LLC)
      8. Chapter 8: Get Your Business Funded
        1. The Usual Suspects
        2. Credit Cards
        3. The Friends and Family Plan
        4. Banks and Credit Unions
        5. The Four Cs
        6. SBA Loans
        7. Equity Financing
        8. Angel Investors
        9. Venture Capital
        10. Dealing with Investors
        11. Creative Financing
      9. Chapter 9: Getting Help
        1. Small Business Administration (SBA)
        2. SCORE
        3. Small Business Development Centers
        4. Mentors
        5. MrAllBiz.com, TheSelfEmployed.com, and Other Websites
        6. Magazines and Television
    2. Part II: Opening Up Shop
      1. Chapter 10: Location, Location, Location
        1. Not All Locations Are Created Equal
        2. Negotiating the Lease
        3. Important Lease Issues
      2. Chapter 11: Branding 101
        1. Brand New
        2. Creating a Brand They'll Remember
        3. Extending Your Brand
        4. Branding Secrets
      3. Chapter 12: Products and Inventory
        1. It's All in the Buying
        2. Finding the Right Suppliers
        3. Meet the Reps
        4. Inventory Control
      4. Chapter 13: Savvy Pricing Strategies
        1. The Psychology of Price
        2. Gas War!
        3. The Loss Leader
    3. Part III: Franchises
      1. Chapter 14: Selecting the Right Franchise
        1. Franchise Basics
        2. Researching the Franchise
        3. Narrowing Your Choices
        4. Fees
        5. The Final Decision
      2. Chapter 15: Secrets of Franchise Success
        1. Survey Says
        2. Other Factors
    4. Part IV: Home-Based Businesses
      1. Chapter 16: The Home-Based Business
        1. Making the Decision
        2. Taking the Plunge
      2. Chapter 17: Successful Home-Based Business Strategies
        1. Balancing Act
        2. Growth Strategies
        3. Get Paid What You Are Worth
    5. Part V: Business on a Shoestring
      1. Chapter 18: The Shoestring Entrepreneur
        1. The Right Stuff
        2. Other People's Money
        3. Grand Opening
        4. Inventory
        5. Buying a Business with No Money Down
      2. Chapter 19: Marketing on a Shoestring
        1. The Shoestring Ground Rules
        2. Major Media Methods
        3. Print Techniques
        4. Actions
        5. Examples
  9. Section II: Running Your Business
    1. Part I: Small Business in the Twenty-First Century
      1. Chapter 20: Our Flat World
        1. Globalization and Small Business
        2. The World Is Flat
        3. Risks and Rewards in the New World
        4. The World Entrepreneurship Forum
        5. Succeeding in a Flat World
      2. Chapter 21: The Green Business
        1. Green Business Overview
        2. Greening Your Business
        3. Reduce Your Paper Consumption
        4. Tapping the Green Marketplace
        5. The Green Consumer
      3. Chapter 22: The New Consumer
        1. The Aging Boomer Consumer
        2. Generations X and Y
    2. Part II: Money
      1. Chapter 23: Accounting Ease
        1. Accounting Basics
        2. Budgeting
        3. Cash Flow
        4. Hiring an Accountant
      2. Chapter 24: Making a Profit
        1. Computing Your Profitability
        2. Pricing
        3. Increasing Your Profit
        4. Paying Yourself
      3. Chapter 25: Insurance
        1. Types of Insurance
        2. Buying Insurance
        3. Exclusions
        4. Making a Claim
      4. Chapter 26: Get a Handle on Taxes
        1. Tax Basics
        2. Tax Tips
        3. Surviving an Audit
    3. Part III: Management
      1. Chapter 27: Hiring and Firing
        1. Employee or Independent Contractor?
        2. Hiring Employees
        3. New Employees
        4. Learning from New Employees
        5. “It Just Isn't Working Out”
      2. Chapter 28: Pay and Benefits
        1. What Is Required?
        2. Bonuses
        3. Stock Options and Ownership
        4. Other Retirement Plans
        5. Health Insurance
        6. Holidays, Sick Leave, and Vacation
      3. Chapter 29: Training and Motivating Your Staff
        1. Training
        2. Motivation
        3. Creating an Exceptional Culture
      4. Chapter 30: Exemplary Customer Service
        1. Customer Service
        2. Dealing with Bad Customers
      5. Chapter 31: Negotiate Like a Lawyer
        1. Negotiation Strategies
        2. Negotiation Tactics
      6. Chapter 32: Legal-ase I
        1. Contracts
        2. Negligence and Liability
        3. Product Liability
        4. Intellectual Property
      7. Chapter 33: Legal-ase II
        1. Employment Discrimination
        2. Sexual Harassment
        3. Unfair Trade Practices
        4. Finding a Good Attorney
    4. Part IV: Technology
      1. Chapter 34: Managing Your Technology
        1. Top Tech Terms
        2. Adopting New Technology
        3. Security
        4. Tech Support
        5. Top Five Tech Mistakes
      2. Chapter 35: Mobility I: Small Office Mobility
        1. Mobility Basics
        2. Your Wireless Network
        3. Mobility Tools
      3. Chapter 36: Mobility II: Mobile Mania
        1. Getting Started
        2. Running Your Business with Your Smartphone
        3. Creating an App for Your Business
        4. Mobile Marketing Campaigns
      4. Chapter 37: Small Business Software
        1. Office Suites
        2. Business Contact Management Software
        3. Tax Software
        4. Accounting Software
        5. Business Planning Software
        6. Antivirus, Antispam, and Antispyware Software
        7. Blogging Software
        8. E-Commerce Solutions
  10. Section III: Growing Your Business
    1. Part I: Advertising and Marketing
      1. Chapter 38: Basic Advertising Strategies
        1. The Process
        2. Brainstorming
        3. Choosing the Right Medium
        4. Creating a Winning Ad
        5. Testing the Ad
        6. Rolling It Out
      2. Chapter 39: Marketing Muscle
        1. Marketing Overview
        2. The Marketing Plan
        3. Tools You Can Use
      3. Chapter 40: Advanced Marketing and Advertising
        1. Advanced Marketing
        2. Successful Advertising
        3. Newspapers
        4. Magazines
        5. Radio
        6. Television
        7. Direct Mail
        8. Creative Ad Placement
    2. Part II: Your Website
      1. Chapter 41: Creating Your Website
        1. Preliminary Considerations
        2. Creating your Site
        3. A Few Last Tips
      2. Chapter 42: E-Business Essentials
        1. Search Engine Optimization
        2. Understanding SEO
        3. E-commerce Essentials
        4. Drop Shipping
        5. eBay
      3. Chapter 43: Advanced E-Marketing
        1. What Works Online?
        2. Growth Strategies
    3. Part III: Social Media
      1. Chapter 44: Social Media Overview
        1. Social Media Overview
        2. Social Media Marketing
      2. Chapter 45: Facebook for Business
        1. Getting Started
        2. How to Engage
        3. Advertising on Facebook
      3. Chapter 46: Twitter and You
        1. Twitter 101
      4. Chapter 47: Link in with LinkedIn
      5. Chapter 48: Videos and YouTube
        1. Six Ways to Use Video in Your Business and on Your Website
        2. How to Create a Great Small Business Video
        3. Video, YouTube, and Your Business
        4. Videos and Search Engine Optimization
      6. Chapter 49: Groupon and Other Deal-of-the-Day Websites
        1. Overview
        2. The Good News
        3. The Bad News
    4. Part IV: Growth Strategies
      1. Chapter 50: Developing New Channels and Multiple Profit Centers
        1. Preliminary Considerations
        2. Multiple Profit Centers
        3. Selling Your Product to Big Stores
        4. Selling Your Service to Big Business
      2. Chapter 51: Secrets of Sales Superstars
        1. Sales Secrets
        2. Even More Sales Secrets
      3. Chapter 52: Small to Big
        1. First, a Caveat
        2. Going Big
      4. Chapter 53: Exodus
        1. Succession Planning
        2. Selling Your Business
        3. Bankruptcy
    5. Part V: Strategies for Small Business Success
      1. Chapter 54: Small Business Success Secrets
        1. Swimming with the Big Fish
        2. Breakthrough Companies
        3. The System
        4. Yes
      2. Chapter 55: The Visionary Small Business
        1. The Best Businesses
        2. The Competitor Is You
  11. Appendix A: How I Became an Entrepreneur
    1. To Peter Clevenger, Wherever You Are
  12. Appendix B: Sample Business Plan
  13. Index

Product information

  • Title: The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Your Small Business, 3rd Edition
  • Author(s): Steven D. Strauss
  • Release date: March 2012
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781118135945