Customer Reviews

The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need To Know To Succeed In Your Small Business

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

EXCELLENT book! This book is very reader friendly, and is loaded with easy to understand information, examples, plans-of-action, and descriptions of the different types of situations that a business owner might encounter. I especially liked the fact that the book, being as comprehensive as it is, still continuously holds the reader's attention as he/she is working their way through it. The author has gone to great pains to make the book (and the examples he uses) relevant, timely, and appropriate to today's small business marketplace.

I give the book my highest recommendation. I plan on giving it as as a gift to several friends that are small business owners.

My husband and I are planning to start our own business. We've had some vague notions of what's involved in the process, but a lot of the details were fuzzy. This book helped tremendously! It's a great overview, with lots of helpful tips, advice, resources, and information. You may need to buy additional books later that have more in-depth information on specific topics, but this book will allow you to figure out just what it is you need to know more about, and is an excellent place to start. If you are thinking about, or planning to start your own business... GET THIS BOOK.

This book is for the people who don't have a clue about running a small business.(like me)It was so helpful that I had to buy one for a friend.When I receive the book I was hesitant at first to give it to him because I was thinking it was to basic for him.When I did he enjoyed it more then me.Sometime we get so deep we neglect to remember the basic is the foundation.So if you don't have a clue this book for you.(and me too)

This might make a good book for your teenage kid trying to learn about small business but other than that I dont think it would be helpful. If you really want the details of how to create and grow a real business (especialy high tech) and get funded, you should read "The Startup Company Bible for Entrepreneurs" (Stathis). It makes this book looks like preschool.

Great all-in-one guide for new entrepreneurs / small business owners. Strauss has both legal and entrepreneurial backgrounds and is able to use his experience to hit pretty much ALL of the major areas that will be of concern to start-up operations.

He begins by sharing the profile and characteristics of successful entrepreneurs; if you have never owned your own business before, it is important that you use this guide to help you honestly analyze your potential suitability as a small business owner. Truly, not everyone is cut out for entrepreneurship; take heed of the risks that Strauss points out in evaluating whether or not to proceed with your venture.

He continues by discussing the steps needed to convert your idea into reality. Much research, planning, and learning must occur to ensure that you are as prepared as possible in moving forward with your business. Strauss shares a number of great resources that are available to you in finding the information that you need.

He moves on to discuss branding, sourcing, pricing, franchising, marketing on a shoestring, financing, accounting, hiring, and compensation for your new employees. Each one of these sections is well-written and offers great insight into the level of detail that you will need to address when creating your business plan.

He shines in the next section on negotiations and legal issues. His legal background comes through, and Strauss shares some great tactics on negotiating, copyright and trademark issues, at-will employment, non-compete agreements, and other general legal matters. Many small business owners underestimate the need for legal services for their businesses; once in business, it typically doesn't take long to realize that knowing a good attorney will serve you well through the life of your business. Don't skip this section as it WILL pertain to you in some way at some point in the course of your business operations!

Technology is the focus of the next section. Strauss again provides some great resources for business owners; he recommends a variety of different software programs and websites that will assist you in building the technology backbone of your company.

Following the technology advice is a nice long section on growing your business. Strauss shares many basic advertising, marketing, and PR ideas. He dicusses both traditional and non-traditional media, strategic partnerships, and sales strategies. This section is particularly a great read for anyone who does not have a sales or marketing background. Many starting their own small businesses often neglect to recognize that sales is a professional skill, and that sales skills must be learned and developed. Don't just assume that you can sell; get training and take advantage of every sales and marketing resource available. This book is a great starting point, but realize that it is not the end-all, be-all of sales (or any of the other subjects, for that matter). This book is just detailed enough to give a fantastic high-level overview of all of the different areas that will be encompassed in running your own business. Any great entrepreneur will not only take advantage of this book, but will also supplement his reading with other specialty books regarding the other individual disciplines (marketing, advertising, SEO, etc).

Finally, Strauss wraps up the Small Business Bible with a section on selling your business. While this may sound odd to anyone who is just starting out, believe it or not, having an exit strategy from the get-go is actually a great plan. Whether or not you intend to sell it anytime soon, he suggests that you run it and develop your business like you are going to sell it. Strauss borrows some key advice from entreprenurship guru Michael Gerber and discusses the concept of systemization in all areas of your business.

All in all, this book is a great resource for anyone considering starting a small business. It's not a quick read (there are 502 pages!), but I'd still suggest reading it cover to cover nonetheless. The book provides a great round-the-bases overview of ALL of the aspects that you'll be dealing with as a small business owner. If you have no idea how many hats you will be required to wear as an entrepreneur - read this book! It will either scare you off(!) or do a great job in preparing you for what is to come in your exciting venture of entrepreneurship!

Lisa
[...]

A very thorough overview of what you need to know to start and run a small business. I see other posters suggest that the program is overly general. Not my impression at all. Nine CDs here and no filler.

This book is a must read for all, whether you're going into business, starting a nonprofit, or even some form of management. If you are someone with a dream that wants to start something but with no idea how... this book is definitely for you!!!

Most small business owners I know are very good at what they're product is but don't have a single clue on how to run a business and would greatly benefit from this book. However, it is not the answer to all small business problems. Rather, it provides a very detailed but not bogged down overview of how to make any organization run whether it is talking to customers, buying from wholesale, advertising, etc. A lot of it is also about people skills, which you can really never improve enough on.

I found this book to be well written and informative. The author is specific about everything he discusses. He goes into detail in each chapter. There isn't too much he leaves out. Well worth your money.

This book is full of good information, but it is not for a mom & pop start-up.

I LOVE THIS BOOK. EVERY PAGE IS A WORLD OF INFORMATION I DIDN'T KNOW BEFORE. I'M TRYING TO START A BEAUTY SALON AND WAS ABOUT TO GIVE UP UNTIL I READ THIS BOOK. IF YOU REALLY WANT INFORMATION YOU CAN UNDERSTAND, THIS IS DEFINETLY THE BOOK TO HAVE!!!!!