Starting From Scratch: Secrets from 21 Ordinary People Who Made the Entrepreneurial Leap [Hardcover]

Wes Moss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

Do you ever get that sick feeling on Sunday night as you think about the daily grind awaiting you on Monday? Do you daydream about the joys of being your own boss? Do you sketch out plans for your own business, one that actually excites and inspires you? If so, congratulations! You’ve reached the tipping point—that critical moment when you know you’re ready to flee your job for the freedom of your own enterprise.

In Starting from Scratch, Wes Moss shares with you the passion, values, and inspiration that led people just like you to exit Corporate Street and merge onto Entrepreneurial Avenue. Successful entrepreneurs from 21 different industries and business concepts—a lawyer turned gourmet baker, a paralegal turned yoga studio owner, a saleswoman turned designer shoe retailer, to name a few—reveal secrets guaranteed to put you on the road to independence.

In this fully updated and revised edition, Wes Moss offers the latest on the entrepreneurs featured and lessons from those who didn't make it. Plus, a new introduction features the latest trends in entrepreneurship and discusses how he's applied the book's advice to his own business and watched his business grow four times its original size.

Whether you’re new to the workforce or in the midst of a major midlife career change, Starting from Scratch will leave you with hefty doses of practical advice and inspiration—everything you need to turn a passion into a viable, fulfilling business.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“ Wes Moss has learned the power and value of entrepreneurship firsthand. These stories are compelling and valuable examples for anyone interested in finding and doing what they love to do. Wes has provided us with a motivating and well-written book.” —Donald J. Trump --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

In 2004, Americans established more than one million small businesses. Many of these enterprising individuals simply grew tired of working for other people and decided to launch their own businesses.

In Starting from Scratch, author Wes Moss has assembled an eclectic group of 21 entrepreneurs from different industries and businesses who tell you exactly how and why they transformed their careers. Meet Warren, a government employee with a big idea about homemade cakes that became Cake Love Bakery; Dany, a former editor who turned her passion for fashion into the bestselling publication Daily Candy; and Sara, a disenchanted salesperson whose company Spanx now supplies the high-end ladies’ undergarments to the stars.

Moss has identified four common steps that all 21 entrepreneurs mastered on their way to entrepreneurial success. He calls these steps the HUNT:

Harness what you have. Identify your inherent skills and figure out something tangible you love—a product or trade you are proud to be associated with. Underestimate your obstacles. Define a vision and mentally bypass the multitude of things that can go wrong or stand in your way. Notice your network. Find those around you who can assist you in realizing your vision and utilize the leverage that others provide in reaching your goal. Take the first step. Develop a bias toward action.

What’s more, he shows you how each individual courted investors, developed new products, found partners, and struggled with finances in their drive to create self-sustaining businesses. These aren’t billionaires with get-rich-quick schemes but rather ordinary people who once had mediocre salaries and now have net worths between $5 and $20 million.

Vital statistics about each industry—the size, demographics, and ages of entrepreneurs entering the field and their backgrounds—complement the unique voices of these wise and successful businesspeople. Their tales from the trenches will empower you to get out of a rut, build wealth and security through your own business, and find a career that you love.

If you’re thinking about changing careers or working for yourself, learn from the counsel of these savvy mentors, then turn your entrepreneurial dream into reality.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Kaplan Publishing (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419521063
• ISBN-13: 978-1419521065
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,356,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a book about real people, November 22, 2005

By 

Michael D. Hartl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starting From Scratch: Secrets from 21 Ordinary People Who Made the Entrepreneurial Leap (Hardcover)

Wes Moss has produced a remarkable book that both informs and inspires. One reason that "Starting From Scratch" is so valuable is that the stories are both inspiring and *real*. Books about Sam Walton, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and, yes, even Donald Trump are great, but let's be honest---how many of us are really going to end up with financial success on that scale? People like Dave Helfrich and Alan Thompson, who are profiled in the book, are enormously successful, but on a scale that makes their success plausible. I found myself saying, "Hey, I could do that!" Well done!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Anyone in Sales or Business., December 20, 2005

By 

John Hollner "Business Development Consultant" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Starting From Scratch: Secrets from 21 Ordinary People Who Made the Entrepreneurial Leap (Hardcover)

There are a lot of great things about this book:

Get great business insights in short 5-15 minute stories.

Review what the companies did to overcome and underestimate their obstacles that can be applied to your work.

Get a reality check about making the entrepreneurial leap from successful business people.

If you are in sales or are already running a business, you'll want to read this to get inspiration, guidance and a greater view of the potential road ahead. It also addresses challenges you might face in your business or will help you get a better understanding of what your B2B customers are facing so you can possibly help them more with your products/services.

I've given copies to my clients, that's how much I liked it.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not What You Might Expect -- Enjoy!, November 26, 2005

By 

Sherri Caldwell "RebelHousewifedotcom" (Atlanta, GA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Starting From Scratch: Secrets from 21 Ordinary People Who Made the Entrepreneurial Leap (Hardcover)

Do you notice anything? About the book cover above, I mean. It's more in what is missing, from a book by a former Apprentice contestant: No big picture of said-Reality TV contender splayed all over the cover, no bright, bold proclamation, "AS SEEN ON NBC'S THE APPRENTICE WITH DONALD TRUMP!"

There <u>is</u> a very nice review blurb from The Donald himself, which is well-deserved, not because Wes Moss was on TV, but because he's written a really good book, which (surprisingly?) has nothing to do with The Apprentice, Donald Trump, reality TV, or, really, Wes Moss - a 28-year-old Atlanta entrepreneur and former contestant on The Apprentice (Season Two).

After reading STARTING FROM SCRATCH, I have to tell you, Wes Moss may not have won The Apprentice competition, but he may well be the bestseller: This is a great book for a general audience, well-written and interesting, appropriate to the day and age we live in, as more and more people consider the entrepreneurial leap. I went from pleasantly surprised to genuinely impressed--inspired, too.

If you are ready to consider the adventure of becoming your own boss, or know someone who is, buy this book!

-- Sherri Caldwell, Co-Author - The Rebel Housewife Rules: To Heck With Domestic Bliss!