Six-Week Start-Up: A Step-By-Step Program for Starting Your Business, Making Money, and Achieving Your Goals!
- Book Review,
by Rhonda Abrams
Book Description
Six-Week Start-Up offers entrepreneurs a fast, proven formula for organizing the difficult details of a new business and getting it up-and-running. Designed by America's foremost small-business advice guru Rhonda Abrams as a personal workbook filled with worksheets, checklists, and planning tools, this handy guide takes the reader week-by-week through the entire process of getting a business started - from figuring out a business concept to dealing with red tape to finding and keeping customers. In just six weeks, readers learn to identify their competitive edge, determine how much money they'll need and where to get it, choose effective marketing techniques, and much more. Unlike other books that merely provide advice, Six-Week Start-Up is a true business planning program that allows readers to succeed, step-by-step, in whatever business they choose.
From the Publisher
Is This Book for You? This book is a step-by-step guide for getting a successful business up and running fast. It covers all aspects of launching a business, from licenses, to bookkeeping to marketing to setting up shop. Everything is presented in a step-by-step format with checklists, worksheets, and top-notch advice from one of America’s most highly regarded business writers. This book is for you if: * You’re currently in the process of starting your own business and want to get things done as efficiently as possible, yet still do them right. * You want to make certain you take care of all the details of getting a business underway, organize the process, and get some good advice. * You’re going to start a business soon and need a plan on how to go about it. * You have an idea for a business but don’t know where to start. * You already run a business but would like to improve operations, marketing, and/or take care of essential aspects of growing a company. * You’re a student in an entrepreneurship or small business class and need to launch a complete business in a limited time period. You probably do not need this book if: * You’ve been in business many years, and you’re not expanding or changing your business significantly. * You’ve started many businesses successfully before and are starting another one; while this book may be a good organizing tool, it’s likely to cover information you’ve already learned from experience. * You have no idea whatsoever of what business you want to start. If that’s the case, consider "What Business Should I Start?" also published by The Planning Shop.
From the Inside Flap
You have a great idea for a business--but now comes the tough part: making it happen. From licenses to bookeeping to marketing to setting up shop, Six-Week Start-Up guides you through every step of getting your business up and running successfully--and fast! For many would-be business owners, coming up with a great business idea is easy; it's getting the business up and running that's overwhelming! If you're ready to start your business, but have no idea where to begin, this new book by best-selling author and nationally-syndicated columnist Rhonda Abrams is for you! Rhonda breaks down the entire process of launching a business into a six week process. Each week, you'll address specific goals and tasks, such as developing your company brand (name, logo, etc.), analyzing your competition, or finding an office or retail location. And at every step of the way, Rhonda will be there to provide specific instructions, tips, advice, and resources. Features include: Week-by-Week Checklists. See exactly what you need to do on a weekly basis. Each checklist item corresponds to detailed information about getting that task done quickly. Dozens of Worksheets. These carefully designed tools help you work through important issues and decisions. "Questions to Ask." Before you meet with an accountant, lawyer, investor, graphic designer, potential employees, or others, make sure you're armed with these lists of important questions for them. "Red Tape Alerts." Stay out of trouble in areas related to taxes, laws, employment rules, and more. Comparison Shopping Charts. Make smart purchasing decisions on everything from computers to office space. Comprehensive Resource Links. Find the key information you need quickly and accurately. Expert Advice. Rhonda's books have helped literally thousands of businesses get off the ground—she can help you, too! Covers in-depth: Clarifying your business concept and defining meaningful goals Conducting market research and developing your strategic position Handling government requirements: licenses, permits, taxes Managing your money: bookeeping, budgets, credit cards, investors Developing an effective marketing and sales campaign Hiring and leading great employees Setting up your office/store/plant effectively Getting and staying organized
About the Author
A syndicated columnist, best-selling author, and popular public speaker, Rhonda Abrams has spent more than 15 years advising, mentoring and consulting entrepreneurs and small business owners. Her knowledge of the small business market and her passion for entrepreneurship have made her one of the nation’s most recognized advocates for small business. Rhonda’s weekly newspaper column, "Successful Business Strategies," is the nation’s most widely-read column about entrepreneurship, reaching more than 20 million readers through 130 newspapers, USATODAY.com, Inc.com, and Costco Connection magazine. Rhonda’s first book, "The Successful Business Plan: Secrets & Strategies," was acclaimed by Forbes magazine as one of the two best books for small business and by Inc. magazine as one of the six best books for start-ups. Now in its fourth edition, it is used as the primary text for business plan classes by more than 100 business schools. In her second book, "Wear Clean Underwear: Business Wisdom from Mom," Rhonda illuminates how incorporating strong values into running a business can also benefit the bottom line. She examines the business practices of several outstanding companies, including Southwest Airlines, Kinko’s, and 3M. "Wear Clean Underwear" was a selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club. It has been translated into Japanese, Dutch, and Korean. An experienced entrepreneur, Rhonda has started three successful companies, including a small business planning consulting firm. Her experience gives her a strong real-life understanding of the challenges facing entrepreneurs. Currently, she is the founder and CEO of The Planning Shop, a company focused on providing entrepreneurs with high quality information and tools for developing successful businesses. Rhonda was educated at Harvard University and UCLA. She lives in Palo Alto, California.
Excerpted from Six-Week Start-Up: A Step-By-Step Program for Starting Your Business, Making Money, and Achieving Your Goals by Rhonda Abrams. Copyright © 2004. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Introduction Where are you going to be six weeks from today? Six weeks from today, you can have your own business up-and-running, and you can be on the road to success. You’ve had the dream of owning your business for some time; you even have an idea for your business concept. Now, I’m giving you the blueprint. I’m going to help you get all the nitty-gritty details of starting a business out of the way so you can spend your time on things you really want to do—make your products, provide your service, be creative, make money, have fun! With checklists and very specific advice, this book walks you through the process of starting your business, step-by-step. I’ve detailed the critical components of getting a business—a successful business—underway and created an easy-to-follow program for dealing with those components. Starting a business can seem overwhelming—there’s so much to do, so much to figure out. How do you set prices? What licenses do you need? How do you choose a location? Where do you find customers? Where do you get the money? All these details seem paralyzing. I know, because I’ve been there. I’ve started and built three successful companies. I still remember my first weeks in business—deciding on a business name, getting my first business card designed, figuring out a way to land my first customer. I was flustered by buying my first computer and struggled to learn my first computer program. I wanted to make it easier—much easier—for you. And I wanted to not only deal with all those details, but I wanted to make sure you had some fun along the way—staying motivated and getting energized. So, in this book, I’ve organized the start-up process into a comprehensive program. Each week, you’ll see your: * Major accomplishments: You’ll be able to track your progress as you handle major components of starting a business * Tasks: Each accomplishment is broken down into specific steps, making it easier and faster for you to achieve those accomplishments. * Appointments to make: You’ll quickly see what experts or authorities you need to make appointments with, speeding your startup process. Using it: * You’ll understand and learn how to deal with the nitty-gritty details of starting a business. * You’ll be given the questions when you meet with others, such as lawyers, accountants, even prospective partners or investors. * You’ll discover additional sources and resources of business information, making your business start-up process less expensive and more effective. * You’ll learn which stuff you don’t have to do—at least now—saving you valuable time. * You’ll get real-life advice. This book covers everything from taxes to trade shows, accounting to advertising, customers to computers. Of course, you might want to--or need to--take more than six weeks to get your own business underway. That’s okay. Set your own pace. This book still serves as a plan--a "cookbook"--outlining the steps to launching your business--whether you take six weeks or six months. Can I guarantee that in six weeks you’ll be sitting on a beach counting your money? No. This isn’t some late-night infomercial. Instead, this is a realistic, do-able, guide to getting your own business up-and-running. If what’s been holding you back from getting your business started is that you don’t know where to start, or you’re overwhelmed by the details, or you’re afraid you don’t have the money to pay for the advice you need, then this book is for you. Where are you going to be six weeks from now?
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