The Business Startup Checklist and Planning Guide: Seize Your Entrepreneurial Dreams! (Paperback)

~ (Author) "There was a lot I wasn't prepared for when I ventured into life as an entrepreneur..." (more)
Key Phrases: business startup checklist, startup budget, lifestyle requirements, Silicon Valley, Small Business Administration, Competition's Key Sales Points (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Recent studies reveal that job satisfaction rates in America are at an all time low and a whopping 58% of Americans have considered starting their own businesses. In a time when job satisfaction has become an oxymoron, it is no surprise that workers are bidding farewell to stuffy cubicles in favor of launching their own small businesses.

While there are scores of business books in the marketplace that provide high-level advice, this is the first business book to address the fear involved in launching a small business.

Readers of "The Business Startup Checklist and Planning Guide" will:

- Learn how to overcome the fear of business ownership. - Get ideas for deciding what kind of business to start. - Discover over 200 useful resources and website links. - Locate sources for funding. - Uncover ways to launch a business regardless of your financial situation. - Find out how to locate trade associations, vendors, and business license requirements for all fifty states. - Read stories of successful entrepreneurs from a variety of industries. - Get real world advice and unique ideas you won’t find anywhere else. - Utilize the ultimate business startup checklist to help you plan every step of the process. - Obtain the tools to transform your dream of business ownership into a reality.

Each chapter concludes with a profile of a successful entrepreneur. The entrepreneurs profiled in the book represent the following industries: - Retail - Specialty Foods - Online/Internet - Franchise - Real Estate - Pet Services - Child Care - Virtual Assistance - Fitness - Personal Coaching - Freelance Writing

Each of these entrepreneurs shares their own experiences, the ups and downs of the business start-up process, and their advice for success. These are real people who left their careers behind to achieve their dreams of business ownership.

Whether you want to launch a home-based business or set up shop in a commercial office, retail or warehouse location, this book provides you with the tools to transform your dreams of business ownership into reality.

About the Author

Stephanie Chandler fled a career in the Silicon Valley to pursue her entrepreneurial goals and has never looked back. She is the founder of BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of resources for entrepreneurs, and the owner of Book Lovers Bookstore in Sacramento, CA. Chandler also serves as a small business advisor for AllExperts.com, and has published hundreds of business-related articles in a variety of publications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Aventine Press (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593303009
• ISBN-13: 978-1593303006
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #188,727 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Resource for Budding Entrepreneurs, October 28, 2005

By	Warren Kelly (Southern Ohio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are a LOT of guides to starting your own business out there. In the past ten years, I've read most of them. And I have yet to start my own business, unless you consider blogging a business. Maybe non-profit?

Most of the guides I've read end up sounding like a pep rally for self employment. They talk up the positives and downplay the negatives. And I think that's the benefit of this book -- the negatives are shown. But the negatives aren't presented as problems -- they're presented as obstacles that can easily be surmounted with the proper amount of forethought and planning.

Stephanie Chandler writes as someone who has experience -- she's started her own business after what most would call a successful career in Silicon Valley. She did her research when she went out on her own (which is what most budding entrepreneurs fail to do). She found out why businesses fail, and what can be done to prevent that failure. She talks about overcoming the fear of starting a business from scratch. She speaks positively of franchising as an option for entrepreneurs (though it's not THE option).


Another strength of this book is the inclusion of "Entrepreneur Profiles" in each chapter. These profiles show what successful small business owners went through in getting their business going, and what problems they had to confront. Knowing that someone else has traveled the path already, and faced many of the same obstacles, can help to motivate potential entrepreneurs to take the final step.

58% of all Americans have at least considered starting their own business. If more of them had read this book, and adopted Chandler's policies (especially in researching available opportunities), more of them would be successful small business owners.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful!, August 30, 2005

By	jenk - See all my reviews

This was exactly the book I needed to help me start my pet sitting business. It gives very practical advice that helped me decide that starting the business was something I was ready for as well as some great advice for getting it off the ground. The books is easy to read and written so that even someone without a lot of business experience can understand it - I found myself not wanting to stop reading! The section on marketing was especially helpful and opened my eyes to consider marketing areas/tools that I wasnt even aware of. I also enjoyed the profiles at the end of each chapter. They made me feel that if that person could do it so could I. I highly recommend this book if you are considering starting your own business.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Useful, March 30, 2006

By	Kristine Paden "Kris Paden, Estate Planning A... (Southern Calilfornia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My father recommended this book to me as he has been a small business owner for over 20 years. I set a pack of flags next to me when I first started reading this book to mark any information that I could actually apply, as I went through the process of opening my own law office. There are so many flags sticking out of this book, that it looks like a beautiful bird's tail! I learned things about small business loans, free resources such as how to sign up for trade publications, and much more. The entrepreneur profiles were inspiring, and helped me to stay grounded and enthusiastic through both the exciting times and the struggles of opening my own business.