The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting Your Own Business, 5th Edition [Paperback]

Edward Paulson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2, 2007 | Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide

Added value CD-ROM included!

Newly revised for the ever-changing world of business, this book offers stress-free guidance for anyone who wants to turn a good idea into a good living. This edition also includes a CD-ROM featuring 100 commonly requested forms and documents essential to business start-ups.
--Completely revised and updated 10th anniversary edition of this top-selling title
--CD-ROM included, featuring 100 commonly requested forms and documents and three bonus chapters on related topics

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edward Paulson is a successful entrepreneur, business consultant, college professor, and author with more than 25 years experience in setting up and running businesses. He is the author of ten books and numerous articles and frequently lectures throughout the United States.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 5th edition (January 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592575846
• ISBN-13: 978-1592575848
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,116 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I have a personal mission - to improve business and personal lives. Concepts are useful and powerful but only as they can be applied to improve the quality of life. My most basic talent is the ability to simplify the complicated so that it becomes useful to people (especially my readers) in their everyday life. My advanced technology and business management education (too many degrees according to my family and friends) combined with years of practical experience (yes - gray hair is involved) in a wide variety of fields enable me to speak science, technology, finance, entrepreneurship, management, engineering, sales and marketing "geek" (partial listing) while always trying to answer the question, "Why would anyone care about this?"

As a college professor, I learn from my students about new ways to explain things. As a writer I learn from other authors about ways to improve my craft (watch for fiction some time in the future). As a person, I am insatiably curious - learning every chance I can. And I really cannot control where that curiosity will lead me. Insatiable curiosity tied in with a focus challenge is sort of like that. :-)

It is my honor to serve my readers, clients, students, colleagues and friends in the successful pursuit of their own best lives. I promise to keep reinventing myself and hope that you occasionally invite me into your life along the way.

My latest book (coming in early 2012) is the Sixth Edition of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting Your Own Busness" which in prior editions has sold over 250,000 copies. This edition has been substantially revised to address the questions that readers have told me they need to answer today. Feedback from prior readers who have started their own succcessful businesses let me know if I am on the right track in my mission. I hope to hear from you.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Basic Rules for the Beginner, March 10, 2007

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting Your Own Business, 5th Edition (Paperback)

This is a quite complete guide to what it takes to start and operate a successful business in the United States. It's broken down into three major parts that cover the three big aspects of being in business.

Part One is on the general concepts of being in business, being your own boss, the money you will need, other kinds of businesses like franchises. You need to be very honest with youself here. There are some people who just are not suited for self employment. Then there the rest of who are just not suited to work for someone else.

Part Two has two areas I recommend you read and then don't exactly do what he says.

First, he starts off with how to write a business plan. I realize that people say they don't need one, but I recommend you write one anyway. It forces you to think about aspects of your business that you might otherwise ignore, and it's better to think of them before they become problems. On the other hand, I wouldn't follow his advice on how to write the plan. Go buy one of the business plan writing software packages. They are cheap ($30 or so on eBay) will guide you through the writing process and have a bunch of pre-written plans to use as examples. I've used a couple of different packages, they were both about the same, get the one that looks best to you.

Also in Part Two is a discussion on accounting. Read what he says, but then go buy a small computer accounting system. Setting up your own system is a pain, and if you start with a computer based system, you'll not have to convert later. Indeed, the first entries you make in the system can be the purchase of the software packages, and writing off of your computer system.

Part Three kind of goes back to the general concepts of part one. Chapters include comments on things like cash, banks, credit cards, etc.

All in all, a good introductory book.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good basic info, July 15, 2008

By 

Adrienne (Appleton, WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting Your Own Business, 5th Edition (Paperback)

The book provides good basic information, but anyone starting a business would definitely need more detail. The content would probably provide an overview that would bring to your attention what you need to do further research on. It was too basic/broad for my purposes.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good synopsis, August 18, 2010

By 

Coriv - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting Your Own Business, 5th Edition (Paperback)

I thought this book was a pretty good overall starting point. Seems to address the major issues one may encounter when starting a business. Then one can do more research into whatever issue they run into from here .