Go It Alone! : THE SECRET TO BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS ON YOUR OWN

From Publishers Weekly
This engaging, if optimistic, primer insists that you don’t need much capital, or much risk-taking, to start a business. Indeed, according to Yale School of Management professor Judson, author of Netmarketing and himself the founder of several allegedly successful small firms, the time has never been better for startups. With the Internet now offering every business service under the sun through online companies, solo entrepreneurs can—and must—outsource almost every aspect of their business and concentrate on leveraging their "unique skills." Judson lays out a number of useful rules of thumb (chief among them: don’t give up your day job until your business is profitable) illustrated by case studies of successful businesses, from which readers can glean enlightening tips on marketing, fee structures and customer management. Less helpful are his recommendations for figuring out what an entrepreneur’s unique skills actually are, as he relies on fuzzy introspective koans like "Find Your Source of Personal Energy." Interspersed is much motivational material on taking the first step, finding a way around obstacles, following your passion and facing down your fear. The book is not a step-by-step how-to, and its assurance that readers can beat the daunting odds against small business start-up success by avoiding typical mistakes is rather rose-colored, but those determined to take the plunge will find a good deal of easily digestible food for thought.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From Booklist
Using the success of his own two start-up companies as formulas for success, Judson offers sound, cogent advice for budding entrepreneurs. A well-known marketer himself, Judson explains how "going it alone" is different from being a typical small-business owner, the key being that the former is able to garner bigger profits despite a lack of resources, whereas the latter's revenue is tied to her own billed hours. So much potential exists, Judson argues, because in today's economy so many aspects of running a business can be outsourced, leaving the business owner to concentrate exclusively on what she does best. No great idea at the ready? Not to worry, Judson says, as he offers tips for finding a niche in an area where a person might prosper. Rounding out this handy, readable how-to are case studies that examine both successes and failures of go-it-aloners nationwide. An added bonus is a Web site that will feature discussions with the author, other resources, and updated case studies. Highly recommended for general business collections. Mary Frances Wilkens
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Booklist
"Judson offers sound, cogent advice for budding entrepreneurs...handy, readable how-to...Highly recommended for general business collections."


Book Description

There is an epidemic of unhappiness in the American workplace. A full 70 percent of workers in the United States report that they are disengaged from their jobs. When asked, "Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?" only 20 percent of nearly 2 million employees said yes. It is no wonder that 56 percent of all Americans dream of starting their own business. So why don't they do so? Because starting one's own business is seen as difficult, expensive, and risky.

In this extraordinary book, successful Go It Alone! entrepreneur Bruce Judson explains that the conventional wisdom about starting your own business is stunningly wrong. Using the leverage of technology -- e-mail, the World Wide Web, and the remarkable array of off-the-shelf business services now available -- it is dramatically easier to start your own business. Magnified by these new services, it is also possible to create, for the first time, a highly focused business.

Bruce Judson shows you the practical steps that will allow nearly any individual to create a business, often using job skills that seem to require an entire corporation for support. It is no longer necessary to spend time on the tasks that don't add value. It is now possible to stay small but reap big profits. Go-it-alone businesses allow the individual the freedom to concentrate on their greatest skills. After reading this book, your motto will be "Do What You Do Best, Let Others Do the Rest."


Download Description
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There is an epidemic of unhappiness in the American workplace. A full 70 percent of workers in the United States report that they are disengaged from their jobs. When asked, ""Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?"" only 20 percent of nearly 2 million employees said yes. It is no wonder that 56 percent of all Americans dream of starting their own business. So why don't they do so? Because starting one's own business is seen as difficult, expensive, and risky.

In this extraordinary book, successful Go It Alone! entrepreneur Bruce Judson explains that the conventional wisdom about starting your own business is stunningly wrong. Using the leverage of technology -- e-mail, the World Wide Web, and the remarkable array of off-the-shelf business services now available -- it is dramatically easier to start your own business. Magnified by these new services, it is also possible to create, for the first time, a highly focused business.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

There is an epidemic of unhappiness in the American workplace. A full 70 percent of workers in the United States report that they are disengaged from their jobs. When asked, "Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?" only 20 percent of nearly 2 million employees said yes. It is no wonder that 56 percent of all Americans dream of starting their own business. So why don't they do so? Because starting one's own business is seen as difficult, expensive, and risky.

In this extraordinary book, successful Go It Alone! entrepreneur Bruce Judson explains that the conventional wisdom about starting your own business is stunningly wrong. Using the leverage of technology—e-mail, the World Wide Web, and the remarkable array of off-the-shelf business services now available—it is dramatically easier to start your own business. Magnified by these new services, it is also possible to create, for the first time, a highly focused business.

Bruce Judson shows you the practical steps that will allow nearly any individual to create a business, often using job skills that seem to require an entire corporation for support. It is no longer necessary to spend time on the tasks that don't add value. It is now possible to stay small but reap big profits. Go-it-alone businesses allow the individual the freedom to concentrate on their greatest skills. After reading this book, your motto will be "Do What You Do Best, Let Others Do the Rest."

About the Author:

Bruce Judson is one of the nation's leading experts on marketing and entrepreneurship. The founder of several successful go-it-alone businesses, he is a Faculty Fellow at the YaleSchool of Management and was named by Advertising Age as one of the nation's top interactive marketers in the magazine's first-ever list. Judson's views on business success are frequently quoted in the national media, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Entrepreneur, and BusinessWeek. Judson holds advanced degrees from both Yale Law School and the Yale School of Management. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

FROM THE CRITICS

Soundview Executive Book Summaries

Do What You Do Best and Let Others Do the Rest
Starting your own business and doing what you do best is easier than ever, according to Faculty Fellow at Yale and entrepreneurial wizard Bruce Judson. Even though only 20 percent of the 1.7 million employees polled by the Gallup Organization said they had the opportunity to do what they do best every day at work, and over 70 percent of U.S. workers are "disengaged" from their jobs, most do not set out on their own and start their own business. In Go It Alone!, Judson provides the practical steps that can help nearly any person create his or her own business.

Judson starts Go It Alone! by dismissing conventional wisdom and explaining that you do not need to build endless financial resources and a team of employees before starting a substantial business. He writes that his tips and suggestions can substantially limit the risk of failure associated with a new venture, and describes the specific steps that should be taken before launching a business.

Keep Your Day Job
Although entrepreneurs are often seen as risk takers, Judson points out that this is only partially true. Sure, they are not afraid of risk, but as one successful CEO explains, "they do everything they can to limit the costs of failure."

To actively manage risk, Judson writes, entrepreneurs often find a way to test the validity of their business idea before making it a full-time effort. He describes two important tactics of go-it-alone entrepreneurs, "While they are still refining their business concept (1) they reduce risk by gaining as much experience as possible with paying customers, and (2) they avoid putting pressure on the business for fast financial success by keeping their day jobs." Describing his own experiences as the founder of a few companies as well as the experiences of dozens of other entrepreneurs and business leaders who were able to turn their personal ambitions into business success, Judson demonstrates how good ideas can be made profitable using the technology and resources that are now available.

Along with all the usual advice about performing market research and capitalizing on strengths, Judson also defines important concepts that can improve a company's chances for success. For example, Judson describes the importance of businesses that scale, and explains that "scale" refers to businesses that can grow relatively easily without the need to hire many additional people, and can handle an increased volume of business without losing quality or overwhelming itself with increased complexity.

Go It Alone! addresses many of the central questions facing would-be entrepreneurs with detailed answers that come from his own experiences and those of others who have also gone it alone. For example, Judson spends a chapter describing how extreme outsourcing can be used to build a go-it-alone business. He writes, "The ability to delegate everything except what you do best is an essential attribute for anyone who wants to be a successful go-it-alone entrepreneur." He explains that the best way to consider what activities can be outsourced is to start with a bias that you want to outsource every possible function that is involved in your anticipated business system. Then you must determine whether you trust the third-party business that will be handling the outsourced function and whether outsourcing the function makes it easier for you to coordinate your overall business system.

Judson also presents several examples of the benefits of outsourcing and a bias toward getting up and moving as quickly as possible; firms, such as TheraSense, the Synapse Group, and eMachines, for example, were able to succeed in highly competitive industries using strategic invention and relatively few employees.

Sudden Adjustment
The sudden adjustment from working for a large company to running a solo startup is also addressed by Judson. Here are some of the guidelines he offers: Know that nothing happens unless you make it happen. An infrastructure with resulting activities exists only after you have created it. It's essential to recognize that there is no "A" for effort. After you've built in as much protection from risk as possible, whatever risk that remains is something you must own completely. Be prepared to sell. You must be ready to convince people that your initiative has merit, and convince them to buy your product. Be prepared to demonstrate credibility. A confident attitude will go a long way toward doing this.