Customer Reviews

Small Business Kit for Dummies

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Initially I was confused over how this book would be different from "Small Business for Dummies." Now I think I know. This book focuses on the everyday chores of starting, funding and running a small business, and gives you lots of legal forms which you can use in order to save money on attorney fees. I find the forms on the CD-ROM extremely useful and helpful.

The book does NOT talk about business ideas or marketing. It approaches the small business from a legal standpoint. For example, how do you talk to venture capitalists? How do you give employees stock options (incredible info in the book!)? How do you deal with employee discontent? How to protect your business legally? How to write a contract? And so on.

If you need to know how to get a small biz idea or how to sell your products/services, this book is not for you. But, once you get your idea off the ground, you ABSOLUTELY NEED this book to survive -- unless you've got lots of cash to afford a good attorney. This book is no substtitute for a lawyer in many situations, but I have been able to use the forms in the book and on the accompanying CD-ROM to save my company thousands of dollars. I think this is a must-have reference for every small business owner.

I wish IDG would put out an updated edition soon.

This a good book, don't get me wrong. However, having been edited back in 1998, and being -as it is- largely focused on the documents that you, as a Small Business Owner, are likely to be in need of, it now seems a bit outdated and old-fashioned when you compare if with the ease with which you can get (for free) similar formats (business plans, marketing plans, invoices, etc.) online (in office.microsoft.com > Templates, for instance). It is a good reference of what to look for, though, which is why I give it 4 stars.

It's great to see a book written by an attorney who also understands business.

Too many other books out there are written by amateur business people who's real business is in promoting and selling lousy books.

The CD-Rom will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars and time.

Also recommend "The Small Business Kit" and "How to Incorporate in any State" by J.W. Dicks, another attorney and businessman with real world knowledge.

Good luck with your business!

The book was unbelievably helpful for my small business. I found the answer to 3 questions that were really bothering me. And, I found the CD-ROM attached to the book very valuable for some employment forms and agreements. The author made some difficult concepts clear and interesting, which is the hallmark of the Dummies series. The forms alone probably will save me lots of money in legal bills.

I was toying with the idea of creating an online based business selling educational material and decided to buy this book because I wanted to learn the specifics of running a homebased business. I was searching for facts about taxation, how to get a business liscense, and a directory to web resources. These were in here but with such little detail. Also the book does not tackle small business management like I thought. It explained how to set up a larger business with a board of directors and examples of balance sheets working with millions of dollars in transactions.
I'm just a bit disenchanted because it's not what I was looking for, however, it may be good for someone who is wanting to start a larger corporation. Should be titled something else.

This book has been very useful. The author gives practical tips, advice, checklists and forms - all in an easy to read format. He makes things that seem overwhelming at first suddenly seem manageable. The CD ROM saved me a bundle in legal fees. He seems to know what it is like to have been in the trenches.

A few of the staff at [online business] have used this book to help the start previous businesses. We feature it on our site because we have found it so helpful. It is both simple and comprehensive - a great book for those starting or running a business.

This book is helpful for those wishing to start their own business but are unsure where to start. The concise writing answers most of the questions one can think of. This book, along with Guerilla PR Wired by Michael Levine, should be all that a young entrepeneur needs.

The forms and basics are essential for getting your small business off to the right start. But entrepreneurs must also be aware that even the best business plan will not be effective unless it also includes a carefully crafted marketing plan that includes publicity. There are wonderful, easy-to-do and inexpensive ways for small business owners to promote their services and to distinguish themselves from the competition. This book and a solid publicity plan are a great way to start !

I was pretty savvy about starting a business but I needed something which would remind me to do things which might not have found their way into my checklist. This book kept me on track and made it much easier to do what I needed to do and become protected where I needed protection. Parts of this book are indeed outdated and some are as fresh and enduring as can be but it is a supremely useful tool if for the documents you want on disc, boilerplates for a variety of situations, and more. Read this book and do what it says. Yes, it's a pain in the *ss to make up a business plan, just go do it. Yes, it hurts to take a cold eyed look at your finances, just go do it. Wow, I really hate to think that someone would steal my intellectual property just because I don't have a copyright, or that some nice lady would sue me for any reason at all... It can and does happen. This book helps you to protect yourself before any trouble can crash your dreams for you. How to incorporate, what sort of tax repercussions you can expect, employing others, web sites (a bit outdated but still at least the basics), it's all here.

So, get this book, read it, and do what it tells you to do and nobody will get hurt.