About the Author -- Contents at a Glance -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- Why You Need This Book -- How to Use This Book -- How This Book Is Organised -- Icons Used in This Book -- Where to Go From Here -- Part I: Getting Started -- Chapter 1: Preparing for Business -- Understanding the Enduring Rules of Business Strategy -- Getting in Shape to Start Up -- Confirming Viability -- Going for Growth -- Chapter 2: Doing the Groundwork -- Understanding the Small Business Environment -- Defining Small Business -- Looking at the Types of People Who Start Businesses -- Coming Up with a Winning Idea -- Banning Bad Reasons to Start a Business -- Recognising that the Economy Matters -- Preparing to Recognise Success -- Chapter 3: Can You Do the Business? -- Deciding What You Want From a Business -- Exploring Different Types of Business -- Working from Home -- Assessing Yourself -- Chapter 4: Testing Feasibility -- Finding Enough Product or People -- Sizing Up the Market -- Working Out Whether You Can Make Money -- Part II: Making and Funding Your Plan -- Chapter 5: Structuring Your Business -- Choosing the Right Structure -- Going into Business by Yourself -- Building up to Network Marketing -- Working with a Limited Number of Other People -- Finding Your Way to Franchising -- Founding a Larger Company -- Looking at Legal Issues in Marketing -- Chapter 6: Preparing the Business Plan -- Finding a Reason to Write a Business Plan -- Writing Up Your Business Plan -- Using Business Planning Software -- Presenting Your Plan -- Chapter 7: Getting Help -- Connecting with Government services -- Linking to Local Enterprise Agencies (LEAs) -- Choosing Small Business Associations -- Universities and Colleges -- Entering an Incubator -- Assisting Inventors -- Helping Young Entrepreneurs -- Chapter 8: Finding the Money -- Assessing How Much Money You Need.

Reviewing Your Financing Options -- Determining the Best Source of Finance for You -- Going for Debt -- Sharing Out the Spoils -- Finding Free Money -- Chapter 9: Considering Your Mission -- Developing Your Concept -- Composing Your Mission Statement -- Seeing the Vision Thing -- Setting Objectives and Goals -- Chapter 10: Marketing Your Wares -- Making Up the Marketing Mix -- Defining Your Product or Service Parameters -- Using Advertising to Tell Your Story -- Getting in the News -- Pricing for Profit -- Pondering Place and Distribution -- Part III: Staying in Business -- Chapter 11: Employing People -- Finding Great Employees -- Exploring Other Ways of Recruiting -- Motivating and Rewarding Employees -- Staying on the Right Side of Employment Law -- Chapter 12: Operating Effectively -- Proposing Premises -- Taking the Make-or-Buy Decision -- Choosing a Supplier -- Minimising Risk and Assessing Liability -- Dissecting Directors -- Finding and Choosing Business Advisers -- Chapter 13: Keeping Track of Finances -- Keeping the Books -- Understanding Your Accounts -- Forecasting Cash Flow -- Reporting Your Profits -- Accounting for Pricing -- Balancing the Books -- Analysing Performance -- Keeping on the Right Side of the Law -- Managing Your Accountant -- Chapter 14: Managing Your Tax Position -- Tackling Taxes for Different Types of Businesses -- Paying Taxes -- Handling Employment Taxes -- Part IV: Making the Business Grow -- Chapter 15: Doing Business Online -- Appreciating the Power of the Internet -- What You Can Do Online -- Establishing an Internet Presence -- Selling Goods and Services -- Gaining Visibility -- Chapter 16: Improving Performance -- Checking Your Internal Systems -- Retaining Customers -- Improving Productivity -- Budgeting for Beginners -- Chapter 17: Exploring Strategies for Growth -- Understanding the Importance of Growth.

Increasing Sales -- Forming Alliances -- Franchising Your Way to Growth -- Chapter 18: Becoming a Great Manager -- Building a Team -- Founding principles -- Coaching and Training -- Appraising Performance -- Developing a Leadership Style -- Measuring Morale -- Part V: The Part of Tens -- Chapter 19: Ten Pitfalls to Avoid -- Knowing Too Little -- Being Overly Optimistic about the Market -- Underestimating Start-up Time -- Spending Too Much at the Start -- Mistaking Cash for Profit -- Choosing the Wrong Partner -- Ignoring Accounting -- Forgetting Working Capital -- Having No Clear Competitive Advantage -- Choosing the Wrong Location -- Chapter 20: Ten People to Talk to Before You Start -- Speaking with Your Spouse -- Making Use of Your Professional Network -- Benefiting from Entrepreneurs Who Started a Similar Business -- Spending Time with a Friendly Banker -- Tapping into Your Local Enterprise Agency Director -- Communicating with Your Current Boss -- Calling Your Colleagues -- Bringing in Your Best Friend -- Reporting to an Accountant -- Plugging into a Business Angel Network -- Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Cut Costs -- Using a Suggestion Scheme -- Forming Smart Circles -- Going Green -- Using Less Utilities -- Stripping Out Waste -- Reducing Shrinkage -- Negotiating with Suppliers -- Going In for Benchmarking -- Getting Kitted Out for Less -- Setting Cost-cutting Priorities -- Chapter 22: Ten Steps to Prepare to Move On -- Monitoring Market Prices -- Valuing Your Business -- Figuring Out Who to Sell To -- Dressing to Kill -- Finding Advisers -- Doing Due Diligence -- Earning Out Your Profits -- Starting Up Again -- Becoming a Business Angel -- Winding Up -- Index.