Synopses & Reviews
Starting a business is one of the most rewarding and satisfying career moves you could make, and its not as difficult as you might think - if you have the right advice.
There's so much to think about and do in order to turn your idea into reality - and with so much at stake it's important to get it right.
That's why Start Your Business Week by Week has the unique approach of breaking everything down into manageable steps. Each week, it explains what to consider and decide, and what action to take.
In this book, Steve Parks distils a huge wealth experience, from his own business start ups and from interviews with dozens of leading entrepreneurs. The result is a structured and insightful book that guides you skilfully through one of the biggest adventures in your life.
Youll discover how to:
+ come up with a great business idea, or refine the one you have
+ get started as cheaply as possible to reduce your reliance on external finance
+ decide on suppliers and plan cash flow
+ find customers and make sure youre offering them what they really want
+ make the business admin as simple as possible
+ avoid the pitfalls most start ups make
+ grow your sales and make your business a success
New to this second edition:
+ How to run experiments to test and improve your business idea
+ Tips for great online services to help you start and run your business more cheaply and easily
Synopsis
So, you want to start your own business? Brilliant! Youre going to have the time of your life. By turns exciting, exhilarating and exhausting, starting a business is one of the most rewarding things youll ever do. And its not as difficult as you may think.
In this book, experienced entrepreneur Steve Parks takes you step by step through the first 26 weeks of your business. From the first daydream to seeing those sales come rolling in, it covers absolutely everything you need to know, do and think about.
It gives you fast access to all the resources and sources of information that can help you along the way, as well as invaluable hints, insights and shortcuts. Youll also hear from other entrepreneurs who have been where you are today and now offer their pearls of wisdom to help you realise your dreams.
Everything in this book has been tried and tested so that you know you are doing the right things, in the right order and that youre on your way to creating a successful, growing business.
Synopsis
In 26 weekly steps, this unique and cleverly structured book will walk any budding entrepreneur through everything you need to know and do, in the exact order you need to do it, to get your new business up and running. Each step contains a to-do list, an explanation of what needs to be done, useful hints and shortcuts and the contact information you need.
Written by an experienced entrepreneur and updated for a new global economy, this book contains the most up to date, fresh thinking and ideas, so you can overcome the challenges of a new business start-up and turn your entrepreneurial dreams into reality.
About the Author
Steve Parks began his career as a journalist and presenter for BBC Radio. His work has been broadcast on Radio 4, Radio 5-Live, Radio 1, Radio 2, BBC TV and the Today programme. Steve has recently set up a new business, Code Enigma, building complex websites using the Drupal platform. Steve's is also the author of How to be an Entrepreneur, Small Business Handbook, and How to Fund Your Business.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Week 1:The Beginning
Week 2: The Future
Week 3: Where Are You Now?
Week 4: Start Learning
Week 5: The Founders
Week 6: The Idea
Week 7: Idea to Opportunity
Week 8: Testing and Refining the Opportunity
Week 9: Pitching your Opportunity
Week 10: Customers
Week 11: Competitors
Week 12: Branding
Week 13: Sales
Week 14: Premises and Equipment
Week 15: People and Technology
Week 16: Suppliers
Week 17: Planning for Problems
Week 18: Profit Forecast
Week 19: Cash Flow Forecast
Week 20: The Business Plan
Week 21: Banks and Advisers
Week 22: Start Selling
Week 23: Pitching for Funding
Week 24: The Big Leap
Week 25: Making it Official
Week 26: Launch!
Epilogue
Acknowledgements