What No One Ever Tells You about Starting Your Own Business

by Jan Norman

Book Overview

What No One Ever Tells You About Starting Your Own Business offers an 'insider's' approach to small business start up, by compiling more than 100 successful entrepreneurs' insights, suggestions,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0793185963
• ISBN13: 9780793185962
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Dearborn Trade
• Length: 221 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Details Details Details

This book should be a must read before someone starts planning a company and then again right before they implement the plan. Many of the mistakes outlined apply to businesses of all sizes, but these mistakes could easily kill a small business. I have seen many of these topics in other books, but this is the most comprehensive. I have introduced this book to a friend who recently had to close his business and he wishes he had this before he ever started. A MUST READ

You'd better read it before taking the big leap.

I've been in business for myself for over 14 years now. Started with basically nothing and had to learn the hard lessons. My immediate advice...learn from the lessons of others. This book is a good place to start.Author Norman asks 101 entrepreneurs what they wish they had known prior to business startup and, if known, what would they have done differently. As with most startup or troubled businesses, capital, cash flow and knowledge of the marketplace are the heinous leaders of failure. Each of the 101 short stories tells a tale tantamount to each entrepreneur's greatest challenge and/or fear. If this depicts an accurate picture of each entrepreneur's greatest burden in creating success, listen up. This is where you will pick up the absolute BEST advice. New and experienced entrepreneurs alike will take something away from this book.The author provides and plethora of resources including reading material, associations, societies and other pertinent information. Further, Ms. Norman suggest that readers contact her with their stories presumably to begin "Book II." A great primer or refresher.

Great read for entrepreneurs and all business people

"What No One Ever Tells You About Starting Your Own Business" is an excellent read for entrepreneurs. Norman asks 101 entrepreneurs what they wish they had known when starting their businesses and what they would have done differently, if they had it to do over again. Norman questions what might have made them successful faster.Most of the big failure traps are covered such as cash flow problems and the danger of undercharging for your product. Each of the 101 short chapters tells you a little bit about each of the entrepreneurs profiled, their business, and what they learned while building a business. The depth of each entrepreneur's insight and appropriateness to your own business will vary, but a new entrepreneur will certainly learn something. Experienced business people will enjoy reading about the variety of businesses other people run.The companies profiled range from one-person endeavors to Lillian Vernon Corporation with its 20 million mail-order customers. We learn that a young and pregnant Lillian Vernon was a housewife looking for extra income when she placed her first mail-order ad and invested about $2,000 in her new mail-order business. Within three months, the company was raking in tens of thousands of dollars in profitable orders. Lillian's advice? Learn to read and interpret financial statements. Lillian said that would have helped her grow her business better. Hmm... it seems being in the right place, maybe, having the right product for the time, or luck, didn't hurt her either!Other entrepreneurs' success came far less easily, and Norman covers the possibility of failure and the difficulties that other entrepreneurs faced. There is some really down-to-earth and grounded business advice. It is interesting to read about the variety of companies which range from video production companies to Wisconsin growers of ginseng. We learn that even with ginseng going for $65 a pound (obviously not the too-low-product-price problem!), growing it creates a cash flow problem, as the weed, root, or whatever, takes four years to harvest. And, then, the plant can only be grown once in any area. That's not because the cops are after the growers or any such thing. It's legal. I checked.An aside for wannabe Jeopardy-like game show contestants: Ginseng is an herb highly-valued, especially in Asia, for its medicinal purposes and is exported from the U.S. Not to be confused with ganja, which is illegal. Norman doesn't profile any ganja growers. As I read the profile, I thought to myself, "Gosh, this must be a *really* small company." Hsu's Ginseng Enterprises, the featured company, has $20 million in annual sales.But, before you run out to grow ginseng or start a mail-order company, or start any other business for that matter, be sure you pick up a copy of "What No One Ever Tells You About Starting Your Own Business." You will certainly learn something about small business. Plus, it's a fun read. Peter Hupalo, a

An invaluable resource for starting or continuing a business

How much is it worth to you to know in advance how to avoid costly mistakes when starting or running a business?Multiply that by 101.This book contains 101 lessons learned the hard way by 101 successful entrepreneurs. That's 101 lessons we readers get to learn the easy way.Ms. Norman's book is invaluable not only for the brave souls considering starting their own business, but also for those who have been in business for years.In fact business veterans probably can appreciate even more than novices the value of avoiding costly mistakes.In a highly readable, anecdotal format, Ms. Norman relates the stories of 101 successful entrepreneurs who learned business lessons the hard way.The value of these insights is immeasurable.The bottom line is there are 101 potential mistakes that you can avoid by learning from the experiences of successful business owners. It's like having 101 free consultants, each expert in his or her field.Ms. Norman also provides a handy list of resources, including internet, association and corporate contacts.She also encourages readers to contact her with their stories so she may continue the good work, perhaps in a sequel or in her newspaper column published nationally.