Second Edition Starting a Collection Agency, How to make money collecting money [Paperback]

Michelle Dunn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2006

Do you want to start your own debt collection business? Don't know where to start? This book can help you start and run your own successful collection agency. When I started my business I did all my own research, read a lot of books, networked online and offline and took many classes. I started my business with nothing and built it up to a successful home based business that I sold after eight profitable years. Because I have researched, done all the legwork and know what mistakes you will make and can help you avoid them, I am confident my book can help you start and run your own home based debt collection business. I have many success stories from people who have used my book and my consulting that have successful collection agencies today! It worked for me, for them and can work for you. The advantages of using my book when you start your agency are many. Something that would take you 20 hours to research, may have already been done and the answers are in my book. When you use the resources I share with you you will have support while you work, you will be inspired to do your best, you can overcome challenges that might seem overwhelming to you alone and you can make your dream a reality. My book will help you get information on any licenses or permits you may need, marketing, pricing, setting up your home office, dealing with interruptions, time and distractions, growing your business, increased sales, income and any questions you may have. I make recommendations to you on how you can save money while growing your business, cheap to free marketing ideas, and ways to promote yourself online and off. Hiring a consultant to help you in the beginning stages of building your business will help you achieve success twice as quickly than if you tried to do it alone. If you do not wish to utilize my consulting, you can use this book as a guide and successfully start, run and grow your own debt collection business. If you are serious about starting your own collection agency, this is the book you need. I wrote the first edition of this book because of the demand for it and now offer you a Second Edition filled with even more details and resources to help you be successful and be your own boss.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Dunn gives us a well laid out book in both design and content. The samples are effective and easily understood. --Writers Digest

Michelle Dunn has done what so many dream of accomplishing -starting a business, making it blossom & grow, and selling it. --Paul Edwards, Author, Broadcaster, Columnist

Michelle has helped many business owners with her advice and expertise, giving readers inspiration and tools to build their businesses. --Dan Smith, Know More Media

From the Publisher

Starting a Collection Agency?

Then you need the Second Edition of Starting a Collection Agency by Industry Expert Michelle Dunn!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Never Dunn Publishing LLC; 2 edition (June 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970664559
• ISBN-13: 978-0970664556
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,539,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In 1998, when Michelle was getting a divorce and had 2 small children, she started a collection agency from home leaving her full time job as a credit manager 6 months later. Her agency did very well and grew over the next 8 years until Michelle sold it to write full time. Michelle knew what business owners needed and had already written a couple of books that were selling well. "But it was still a huge leap", she says, "I was a single mom with two sons." I started putting together my ideas, set up a office in my home, and used the income from book sales to fund publishing more books.

That same year Michelle self published 4 books and e-books before landing her first book contract with Entrepreneur Press to write The Ultimate Credit and Collections Handbook, the check IS in the mail. She then self published a couple more business books before getting a book deal with John Wiley & Sons Publishing, for her first hardcover book, The Guide to Getting Paid, weed out bad paying customers, collect on past due balances, and avoid bad debt.

Today Michelle Dunn continues to write columns and books and presents webinars sharing how business owners can limit credit risk in this economy as well as learn how they can prevent some bad debt, and collect from past due customers. To learn more, visit www.MichelleDunn.com and www.Credit-and-Collections.com

An internationally-known expert on the topic of credit and collections Michelle Dunn is a leading authority on collecting money to businesses everywhere.

Michelle is often quoted in the Wall Street Journal and has been featured in Forbes.com, Smart Money Magazine, on CNN, MSNBC, Home Business Magazine, Entrepreneur magazine, Professional Collector, Credit & Collections Risk, the NH Business Review, and in many books and publications worldwide. Michelle has been a featured guest on (NPR) National Public Radio, the Jim Bohannon show and many other radio programs as well as being a repeat guest on television shows such as The Book Authority and Process for Profit.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Weak, October 25, 2007

By 

A reader (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Second Edition Starting a Collection Agency, How to make money collecting money (Paperback)

This book is supposed to combine two subjects: collecting and starting a small business. I was looking for more information about collecting and I suspect some viewers may be more interested in information about starting a small business.

The author's style is conversational, but maybe too much so; the book is riddled with errors that indicate that it was not professionally edited, but that alone isn't too bad. I actually like the folksy tone of the book, but the author confuses the issue by switching between being your friend and selling you other goods and services from her consultancy. Indeed, she is shameless about failing to cover a subject, instead referring you to her other works...at an additional fee. It is also very self-congratulatory without the substance to back it up, which is a real turn-off for me.

This book was not very helpful to me in learning more about collections; in fact, I have since read two other books that were less than half the price and many times superior to this one in that regard. If you don't know collections, get a collections book for much less money.

As an accountant and small business consultant, I can say that if you looking for more information about starting a small business this is not your book. It is very weak, and chapters are often one or two pages, sometimes merely listings of information (such as the respective secretaries of state) that a two-minute Google research stint could unearth. If you want to learn more about starting a small business, many books with real coverage of that topic could be had much cheaper.

All in all, this book was extremely weak on covering either topic. Its information should have been condensed into a single chapter for one of her other books, or else the information from the other books should have been included in this volume. You can imagine how badly I wish I had my forty dollars back.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rollie McCarter Investigative Services - Holyoke, MA, July 2, 2006

By 

Private Investigator (MA) "Rollie" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Second Edition Starting a Collection Agency, How to make money collecting money (Paperback)

Michelle has out*done herself with this follow-up edition. While reviewing my very own copy, I noticed that the content was very easy to understand and well written. If your setting up a collection agency, then this book is for you. Everything you need is laid out in this book : Sample Proposal Letters, Collection Letters, Demand Letters, and many many resources for skip-tracing the debtor. Keep up the good work Michelle. Thanks for the reading!

Rollie McCarter Investigative Services - Holyoke, MA

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Please Don't Waste Your Money, June 13, 2008

By 

Lawrence C. Ross "Writer" (Inglewood, Ca.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Second Edition Starting a Collection Agency, How to make money collecting money (Paperback)

I bought this book hoping to get some really good information about opening a collection agency and what I received was an incredibly simplified book. There's a chapter on "collection terms" like "pay" and "debt" etc. The font is at least 24 type and includes mostly general information that can be applied to any business. I hate trashing books, but I have to say that this was money wasted.