The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business, 3e

by Barbara Weltman

Book Overview

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, home-based businesses in America generate annual revenues of over $102 billion, and this market segment is expected to continue to grow. As the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159257646X
• ISBN13: 9781592576463
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Alpha Books
• Length: 364 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.4" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Great for those who are just Starting

I think this is a great book for those who are just getting started. I see so many people trying to get rich quick by going to webpage like this one [...] ** Beware of things that look scams ** and get educated!

Good Tips

This is a very valuable resource. There's plenty of information on organizing your business, such as choosing whether to incorporate. There's also advice on setting up your business, writing a business plan, and obtaining financing from a variety of possible sources. Such issues as the zoning of your home are addressed, as well as legal means to get around any potential snags in this area. The reading is made more enjoyable by an abundance of sidebars scattered throughout, with titles like "Homegrown Tip", "Home Hazard", and "Business Buzzword". And the author's wit will give you an occasional chuckle. SMALL BUSINESS-The Art of The Start -40 Successful Concepts for A Small Business Start-up - You Start, Grow And Succeed e-Marketing Intelligence - Transforming Brand and Increasing Sales - Tips and Tricks with Best Practices

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting a Home-Based Business

I enjoyed the simplicity of this book. The book helped me understand what to expect from the attorney. Thanks!

I liked it!

I found this book to be highly informative, and well put together. Like most Idiot's Guides, it was easy to read, just full of great information. I'd recommend this book to anyone.

A casual and informative presentation of a serious topic

The three (3) most important areas of any book are its content, writing style, and organization. Weltman's book is superb on all three counts. It is a detailed, succinct, point-by-point introduction to a growing and popular topic in today's fast-paced, changing society. Each chapter begins by explaining what you will learn, then explains key concepts at least twice in the middle, and finally summarizes the least you need to know about each aspect of the home business. The book itself is divided into six useful parts, plus appendices filled with helpful information. Each part focuses on a particular aspect of running a home business, such as: your reasons for wanting your own business, the types of businesses you can run (franchises, ready-made businesses, existing businesses, or your own pet project), financing the home business, setting up the home office, running the home office, and finally common personal issues unique to running the home office and scaling up.Broadly speaking, Weltman devotes an equal amount of space to each topic. However, some topics, such as taxation (any advanced student should keep a copy of that particular info very close by) receive a lot of attention, while others, such as planning and budgeting the start-up, are clearly de-emphasized. The book also includes a lot of useful information in little boxes on every other page such as entrepreneurial statistics, key business terminology, added information (based on experience) to help perform a particular aspect of your business better, and things to avoid while in business. In terms of content, the book is packed with plenty of information to get you started. Though the book is very comprehensive, more advanced readers may find it to be a bit redundant at times. Key terms, concepts, and absolutely need to know information are repeated often ( for the quick learner, ad nauseum) in each chapter. This use of repetition, however, does not weaken the book, as repetition is a proven method of learning new concepts. The book is heavily laden with useful contact information and resources. Weltman presents the essentials, the absolute bare bones structural framework for the typical home-based business. The book's major strength is its presentation of key issues in very general, easy to understand terms. You are not inundated with a lot of excess, useless resources and you are slowly and casually guided through each phase of your start-up. Weltman also thoughtfully includes good federal and state resources one can actually use. For the initiate, everything is discussed simply and clearly, as if the author is sitting right in front of you chatting over a delicious cup of Seattle's Best Coffee (sorry folks, but Starbuck's just doesn't cut it), but the more clever may find the book a slow and plodding read (this is a thick book, folks). Now, the book's major weaknesses lie in its utter lack of information on selling methods, man