The Small Business Start-Up Kit: A Step-by-Step Legal Guide [Paperback]

Peri H. Pakroo J.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 2008

The best step-by-step guide to starting a business available!

Many people dream of running a business of their own -- but often don't know how to start. Sound familiar? This book can help.

User-friendly and loaded with tips, The Small Business Start-Up Kit shows you how to launch a business quickly, easily and with confidence. It explains in plain English how to:

choose the best business structure

write an effective business plan

file the right forms in the right place

price, bid and bill your projects

draft and use contracts, online and off

manage your finances

be prepared for, and file, required taxes

reach customers online

The Small Business Start-Up Kit also includes all the forms and instructions you need both as tear-outs and on CD-ROM.

The 5th edition is completely updated to reflect the latest legal and tax changes. It includes a new chapter on marketing and promoting a new business as well as new information on SEO and hiring and managing employees. (20090101)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Very strongly recommended... simply outstanding business instructional guide... (The Bookwatch 20090101)

You explain things in a clear, concise and complete manner. (Kim K. K., Rochester, NY 20090101)

Shows how to set up a business in any state, quickly and easily... A big timesaver. (Daniel Kehrer BizBest 20090101)

Step-by-step legal guide that covers a wide range of topics... (Kansas City Star 20090101)

Covers a wide range of topics, from selecting a marketable name to small business laws, taxes and contracts. (Miami Herald )

Answers important questions, including whether to incorporate and how to price merchandise. (Real Simple Magazine )

About the Author

Peri Pakroo is a business and communications consultant, specializing in legal and start-up issues for businesses and nonprofits. She has started, participated in, and consulted with start-up businesses for 20 years. She owns and runs P-Brain Media (www.pbrainmedia.com), a strategic consulting and communications firm that develops information-rich media for web, print, video and other formats. Peri received her law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law. She is the author of The Women's Small Business Start-Up Kit, The Small Business Start-Up Kit (national and California editions) and Starting and Building a Nonprofit ( all from Nolo), and has been featured in numerous national publications including Entrepreneur, Real Simple, Investors Business Daily, and BusinessWeek. She is active in supporting local, independent businesses and is a co-founder of the Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance. Visit Peri's blog at www.peripakroo.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: NOLO; 5th edition (January 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413307566
• ISBN-13: 978-1413307566
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #352,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Business & Investing > Small Business & Entrepreneurship > Legal Guides

More About the Author

Peri Pakroo is a business and communications consultant, specializing in legal and start-up issues for businesses and nonprofits. She has started, participated in, and consulted with start-up businesses for 20 years. She owns and runs P-Brain Media (www.pbrainmedia.com), a strategic consulting and communications firm that develops information-rich media for web, print, video and other formats.

Peri received her law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1995, and a year later began editing and writing for Nolo, specializing in small business and intellectual property issues. She is the author of the top-selling Nolo titles The Small Business Start-Up Kit (national and California editions) and Starting and Building a Nonprofit, and has been featured in numerous national and local publications including Entrepreneur, Real Simple, Investors Business Daily, and BusinessWeek.

Peri teaches adult education courses at WESST (www.wesst.org) in Albuquerque, a nonprofit whose mission is to fight poverty by facilitating entrepreneurship among women and minorities in the state of New Mexico. She is active in supporting local, independent businesses and is a co-founder of the Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance (www.keepitquerque.org).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is awesome. EVERYTHING you need to know to start a business. Tons of questions are answered., June 21, 2008

By 

Alyce In Wonderland "The Looking Glass" (Over the hill or underland, or just behind a tree) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Small Business Start-Up Kit: A Step-by-Step Legal Guide (Paperback)

I've looked up a lot of resources on the net. You can do so many things for free on your own, don't pay the services on the web to do it for you. This book will help a lot. I've found answers to all of my questions here, in simple plain English:

Naming your business

Trademarks/servicemarks

Pricing your work or goods

Taxation (including some great ways to save money on your taxes)

Web domain registration

Choosing the type of business you want to own (sole proprietorship, LLC, etc.)

Web sites and e-business

Location (working from home, leasing a commercial site, etc.)

Writing contracts

Hiring workers if you choose to

Changing ownership in the future

Marketing

And a lot more...

The book also includes many of the legal forms you will need both in tear-out page form and on a CD-ROM so you can print out more copies on your computer. This book is easy to follow and thorough. I highly recommend it.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the Best Resource Available, October 10, 2008

By 

Andrew Shaffer "Author, Blogger" (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Small Business Start-Up Kit: A Step-by-Step Legal Guide (Paperback)

Skip the Small Business Administration or state small business websites. Forget the "For Dummies" or "Idiots" guides. This is the one book you need to read if you're serious about starting a business.

From taxes to finances to planning entry into a market, Nolo's book covers the gamut. Starting a business sounds intimidating, but it's really not...if you have this book by your side. The CD-ROM has a couple of useful files, but to really get the most out of the book you may have to follow their recommendations for further reading. It's a great place to start, however.

And be sure to order the latest edition, as laws change! [I reviewed the 5th edition.]

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resource, January 9, 2009

By 

NiHa "NiHa" (NiHa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Small Business Start-Up Kit: A Step-by-Step Legal Guide (Paperback)

When I started reading this book I had an above average background in the ideas of business, although I still considered myself a beginner. I picked up the book because I am looking to start a business and wanted to make sure that I didn't make any fatal mistake when doing so.

This book is as good as I could ask for.

1. It is well written, it is easy to read through and does not get too wordy or complicated.

2. While I read it cover to cover, it is also written in a way that makes it useful as a reference book. If you, for example, skipped to the partnership section, within that section it refers to where to find points explained elsewhere in the book, so that you are not lost just jumping in.

3. It not only explains the basics but also tells you were to go to learn more about everything. There many many references within the book along the lines of, "If you want to know more about this, consider reading _____'s book _____".

4. Uses many examples (if anything, more examples than you need) in order to demonstrate what they are talking about.