Starting Your First Business

by Verne Harnish and Jim Sapp

Packed with resources and filled with business examples, this book will shorten your learning curve by years. Case studies show you step by step how each decision is made and the results of both good... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0974878103
• ISBN13: 9780974878102
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Rylinn Publishing
• Length: 263 Pages
• Weight: 1.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.0" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive, Fact-Filled and Well-Organized

Besides being enjoyable to read, "Starting Your First Business" provides a wealth of practical advice. Perhaps the most valuable parts are the candid anecdotes from the author's own experiences as a serial entrepreneur. They include not only some great ideas that any business can adapt, but also some painful lessons learned that a less humble author would likely have left out. I only wish I had read this book before I started my own business.

A Business Start-Up Book that's On the Money

Here's a business start-up book that truly "tells it like it is." Even though it's part of The American Dream Series, author Jim Sapp "gets real" right away, urging new business starter-uppers to do some heavy soul-searching and personality assessment. Following your dreams is one thing, but owning and operating your own business certainly can't be done with a dreamy attitude. Business ownership isn't for everyone, says Sapp, especially not the indecisive, pessimistic, or otherwise faint of heart. He sprinkles the book with frank "Reality Checks" and warnings about the difficulties, stress, and need for careful research, planning and resource gathering. With suggestions like forming an advisory board, using SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), and applying for SBA (Small Business Administration) loans, Sapp is all about using available resources and assistance, including his own products -- his www.sappbizz.com website offers many helpful documents and forms, including and a free Business Plan Checklist. Fully one third of the book deals with money -- raising, managing and controlling it. And that's a good way to sum up this excellent business how-to book: It's "on the money."

Valuable Information for Starting a Business

Starting Your First Business is a great book for anyone who is thinking about starting their own business or for those who have a small business. Author Jim Sapp gives "real world" advice on what to expect so you can prepare yourself to run your own business. Sapp has operated a variety of small businesses and he has been successful, but he has also struggled. He is honest and candid about what works and what you can expect if you operate your own business. Just because you've worked for a big company or any company for that matter, it doesn't mean that you truly understand what it takes to run your own business. Sapp provides many valuable resources and real life situations that help you to know and understand what it takes to be successful in small business. Starting your own business can be rewarding, but very challenging. This book gives you solid information that can help you be successful. It is an easy read with lots of great information.

An indispensable tool for new business owners

This comprehensive, well-written book gave me the information I needed to set up my business and write my business plan. The "business plan checklist," the "personal financial statement," and the "Excel spreadsheets" that I downloaded from the author's website saved me many hours.I highly recommend "Starting Your First Business" to anyone who is considering starting his or her own company. I know I will refer to it often for help with marketing strategy, hiring, and everyday operational decisions.

A handy, practical, and all-inclusive guide

Knowledgeably written by Jim R. Sapp (a national business consultant and winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year award), Starting Your First Business: Gain Independence And Love Your Work is a handy, practical, and all-inclusive guide to the basics of starting a business, ranging from setting up; to getting the necessary initial capital; to building an effective staff; to sales and marketing for commercial success, and so much more. A straightforward, clearly presented, and no-nonsense primer, Starting Your First Business is specifically written for and recommended to the non-specialist general reader determined to become the skilled owner of a profitable business.