Kick Start Your Dream Business [Paperback]

Romanus Wolter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2001

This innovative, hands-on guide demystifies the start-up process and puts small-business power in your hands. Author Romanus Wolter, a contagiously enthusiastic leader in the small-business community, offers cutting-edge strategies and proven formulas for taking a business idea from inception to launch to profitability. With Wolter in your corner, you’ll:

U GET MOTIVATED! Develop the drive you need to make your dream come true;
U MINIMIZE RISK! Explore your business idea and determine its viability in the marketplace;
U GET FUNDED! Learn creative hints for obtaining financing and publicizing your business to the right audiences; and
U BECOME A MARKETER! Stand out from the competition by creating marketing campaigns within your budget.

Filled with inspirational stories from real entrepreneurs, time-tested tools, and out-of-the-box techniques, KICK START YOUR DREAM BUSINESS will offer you the encouragement—and equip you with the know-how— to transform your dream business into a reality.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

No more excuses! It's okay if you don't have an MBA or $50,000—or if you've never done it before. To get your business off the ground and into the marketplace, all you need is passion, support, and some small-business know-how. Fortunately, with Kick Start Your Dream Business in hand, you've already got all three.

In this equally informational and inspiring start-up guide, Romanus Wolter, a contagiously enthusiastic leader in small-business development, walks you each step of the way to both business and personal success. Wisely, your first stop is an assessment of your motivation and its compatibility with your business idea. Then, from brainstorming to bookkeeping, prototyping to patenting, Wolter thoroughly and energetically guides you the rest of the way to getting your business started . . . and keeping it and you going. Filled with empowering stories from real entrepreneurs and ready-to-implement techniques, Kick Start Your Dream Business gives you the encouragement and the knowledge to transform your dream business into a reality.

"Loaded with practical advice, helpful worksheets, and inspiring stories—this book is a must for the would-be entrepreneur."—Laurence Boldt, author of Zen and the Art of Making a Living

"Every day a thousand people invent the next big thing in the morning shower, and 999 of them forget all about it before they go out the door to work for somebody else. If you want to be that one in a thousand who makes a dream into reality, you can't afford not to use this book!"—Donald Asher, Career Guru, author of The Overnight Resume

About the Author

ROMANUS WOLTER holds an M.A. in international marketing. As the director of the San Francisco Small Business Development Center, Romanus provided the proven tools and real-life information people need to be successful in a variety of industries. He currently leads "Kick Start" workshops to inspire people to bring their ideas into reality, to help business owners boost their sales, and to energize teams to achieve business goals. He is also a consultant to numerous economic development organizations. Romanus lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580082513
• ISBN-13: 978-1580082518
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #498,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough but product-focused, March 23, 2004

By 

bluemoon1972 (St. Paul, MN (United States)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kick Start Your Dream Business (Paperback)

This book is exceptionally thorough; detailed and practical, with tons of worksheets and exercises to perform. However, it seems very focused on product-based business, versus service businesses. The author does include service businesses in his examples, but the exercises and worksheets seem to me to be very helpful for those people providing an actual product, with suppliers and vendors and product margins and the like. Overall a recommended book, especially if you're looking for an exceptionally detailed blueprint for moving from idea to execution.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for entrepreneurs, December 2, 2004

By 

Christian Buckley (Washington State, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kick Start Your Dream Business (Paperback)

The vast majority of books on business and entrepreneurship focus heavily on theory and case study, and lack practical, easy-to-follow steps to help you get started. This book helps you to identify what you're passionate about, and how to go about creating a dream business around whatever it is that you enjoy.

Romanus takes his years of experience working with literally hundreds of individuals and companies and boils it down to the essentials.

This isn't your average business book - it is a series of worksheets and activities to help you define, refine, and act. If you've never owned a business, but have always dreamed of breaking out on your own - this book is for you. If you've been in a startup before, and are thinking about trying it again regardless of your previous success, you'll still find a lot of helpful information to help you avoid the mistakes and pitfalls of too many startups.

Also -- if you get a chance, I highly recommend attending one of Romanus' events. He is energetic and provides great information. Its not just a rah-rah, motivational session -- you'll find it very valuable.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for any business owner, May 8, 2002

By 

"clearlyprofit" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kick Start Your Dream Business (Paperback)

Whether you are a new business or established company, this book is for you. I have started a company and wish I had read this book at the very beginning. It is great reading with very good out-of-the-box tips that helped me move past the competition. It is also a workbook so I am able to chart my progress while opening up a second company. "Kick Start" also served as a practical guide to help me further define my vision, products, branding, market, and competition. You don't need an MBA to understand this book. Anyone can use it kick start their dream.