How To Make Your Business Run Without You [Paperback]

Susan M. Carter (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0967029104 | ISBN-13: 978-0967029108 | Publication Date: June 24, 1999 | Edition: 1st

How To Make Your Business Run Without You is a how-to resource for small business owners and entrepreneurs to effectively streamline operations that will pave the way for more business, bigger profits and a business that virtually runs itself. Through step-by-step chapters, Author Susan Carter advances readers from the high-risk potential of 'owning their own jobs' to the freedom and control of 'owning their own businesses.' A must read for any owner or self-employed professional who is eager to move from start-up status to ongoing success.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Are you: indispensable to your own business? Spending too much time working IN your business rather than ON your business? Reaching a profit plateau and don't know how to move it forward? Unable to objectively assess your operations to develop a viable growth plan for your business? Realizing you don't own your business, your business owns you? Finding it increasingly difficult to give your customers the consistent quality of product and service (and personal attention) they deserve?

If the answer to any of these questions is 'yes' then you have reached a critical point in your business development-and you're not alone. Statistics from the Small Business Administration show that only one in three new businesses stay in business beyond their third year of operation. Two-thirds close their doors forever!

The difference between those that succeed and those that fail is often determined by how well owners make the transition from being a start-up company to being a mature, ongoing-and growing-company. How To Make Your Business Run Without You will show you how to: detect the profit-eaters of your business and transform them into profit-enhancers; stop the destructive cycle of putting out fires that waste time, cost money and compromise your credibility; objectively evaluate what's working for your business, what's not, and what to do about it; spend more time working ON your business instead of working IN your business; eliminate the destructive results of high employee turnover, procedural redundancy and lost opportunities; streamline your business operations to pave the way for more new business and increased repeat business; do more with less-increase efficiency (and profit potential) without adding staff or investment capital, and; develop a turnkey business that virtually runs itself!

Gain a new perspective on your current and future business. Use this business-building formula to make your business run without you!

About the Author

Susan Carter has over ten years experience as a freelance writer, editor and small business consultant. Her expertise in strategic plan development to fit small marketing budgets led her to form Nasus Publishing, a company dedicated to developing information materials and resources of success-building ideas and practices for best use of the small business owner's time and money.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Nasus Pub; 1st edition (June 24, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967029104
• ISBN-13: 978-0967029108
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #370,354 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Paid $165 per hour to have someone do this for me!, April 10, 2002

By 

David S. Geller "Retail Consultant" (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How To Make Your Business Run Without You (Paperback)

After owning a jewelry store for 20 years with 16 employees I had a consulting company come into my store. 30% of what they did is exactly what this book shows you what to do.

I have since sold my store and am a consultant in the jewelry industry helping people run a better buisness. I MAKE the stores I visit get two books:

How to make a business run without you by Susan Carter and
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber.

Both books are about why small businesses fail and what to do about it. The E-Myth is the phsychology of how to run a business so it runs without you but Susan Carters book is a step by stpe on how to actually do it.

In a snapshot, it's this: If you can't leave your business because you're "the only one who can do it", think again. Take bank depsoits. Write down exactly how to make the depsoit, where to get the forms, which bank to take it to, where to enter the data.

If you did this on your job, coulsn't soemone else take over?

After doing this, for the last few years of owning my store, I didn't have a job. The employees ran the store.

The best part of this book is the center section, Susan lays out exactly what each chapter of your store operations manual should look like.

Did you know that MOSt McDonals franchises do 100% of their potential after only being open 30 days? Why? because of the operations manual for that franchise.

$[money] for a lifetime of knowledge? Worth it? Buy it and let it sit on a shelf and it's worthless.

Buy it and use it and you get ONLY 5 hours more with your family per week (that's 250 hours per year), is that worth $[money]?

i think so. For me I sold my store and am doing what I love, helping others have their store run without them...

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST how-to business book on my bookshelf!, June 6, 2000

By 

Janna White (Nevada, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How To Make Your Business Run Without You (Paperback)

An associate of mine recommended this book to me and it completely changed my perspective on how to successfully run my small business. It quickly gets to the point about why systemizing your business is important to future growth. It does take work to implement the "repeatable systems" Carter outlines that are used by thousands of successful franchises (I don't have a franchise), but by taking the time to do it, I now have more time to focus on building my business (and a LOT more time to spend with my family!) instead of getting bogged down in doing all the work. This book gave me the "common sense" approach for growth that I SHOULD have had when I first started my own business. Maybe it's elementary stuff for some people, but not for me. I became a Carter fan and signed up for the e-zine she offers, too... I like that this book is short and easy to get through -- a book with more pages doesn't mean it will have more value! I also used one of the employee motivator exercises in the addendum -- it's really made a difference in my small staff's performance. I would recommend it without hesitation to any small business owner.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I wasted my money on this one :(, August 25, 2004

By 

TMB Luis (Central Florida, United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How To Make Your Business Run Without You (Paperback)

I hate to leave such a negative review, but it seems all this author did was take the information presented in "The E-Myth" by Michael Gerber, and make it her own (and in an amateurish way to boot!).

If you are a business owner who really wants to learn how to create systems so your company runs without you, then get the latest edition of "The E-Myth Revisited" and let a true pro show you the way.