Starting on a Shoestring: Building a Business Without a Bankroll (Paperback)

~ (Author) "What is it really like to take an idea and fashion it into a successful business?..." (more)
Key Phrases: shoestring marketing, shoestring entrepreneur, starting smart, Discount City, New York, Cape Cod (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Live your entrepreneurial dream with no–or little–money down

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Even if you don’t have start-up money in the bank, you can get your new business on its feet with ingenuity and knowledge. Starting on a Shoestring is the key to your success. Now in its Fourth Edition, this perennial bestseller has helped thousands of people live out their dreams; it provides the knowledge and the confidence you need to get your business off the ground and up and running. Authoritative, step-by-step guidance will answer your questions, help you plan your strategy, and get you started. In the new Fourth Edition, an all-new chapter covers everything you need to know about the Internet, from creating an online presence for your business to understanding all the tech jargon.

And there’s more:

• Make sure your business idea is right for you–before you take the risk
• Find sources of capital and approach them confidently
• Six common myths: avoid the traps and misconceptions of starting up
• Should you take on a partner?
• Setting up: bargains on equipment, dealing with suppliers, the advantages of leasing, value of consignments
• Marketing and advertising on a shoestring: free publicity, word-of-mouth, creating a prestige image cheaply
• Examples of businesses like yours that maximized their success on the Internet

Now better than ever, Starting on a Shoestring gives you a wealth of vital information you’ll find in no other book–it’s your first step to entrepreneurial success.

From the Publisher

If your goal is entrepreneurial success but capital is in short supply, this is the book for you. This updated edition contains even more information, practical tips and strategies that proved so successful in the past. Features new chapters on the Small Business Administration and venture capital sources. Includes numerous case histories. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 4 edition (August 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471232882
• ISBN-13: 978-0471232889
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #651,512 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, an author that takes a stand!, August 29, 2000

By	"jillm" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starting on a Shoestring: Building a Business Without a Bankroll (Wiley Small Business Edition) (Paperback)

Unlike the reader from Alaska I was happy to finally find a small business book that took a stand and gave specific advice (i.e., incorporate! don't buy new fixtures! etc.) rather than just information on all the different ways one can do something.

In addition to having much practical advice about how to start a business with limited funds, Starting on a Shoestring's matter-of-fact tone and plentitude of rags-to-riches examples make this a great motivational book as well.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Indispensible Practical Gem!, November 28, 2002

By	Ron (North York, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starting on a Shoestring: Building a Business Without a Bankroll (Wiley Small Business Edition) (Paperback)

This book was far beyond my expectation. It is not simply just a book on giving advice of how to start small, it is a book that teaches you all facets of how to build a business from the ground up! Not only that, it does so systematically, pointing out the advantages and disadvantages in a straight forward manner. No sound bytes, no big words, and no hype. This book is like having a no-nonsense advisor by your side every step of the way. Please browse through the table of contents. There aren't a lot of books that tell a beginner what to look out for if you are looking for a partner or what to look out for when you are paying your creditors, to name only a couple. For a budding entrepreneur who wants sound and practical advice, this book is a must read.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique, comprehensive, motivational gem, March 20, 2004

By	m rosenblog - See all my reviews

This review is from: Starting on a Shoestring: Building a Business Without a Bankroll (Paperback)

"Starting on a Shoestring" is an entirely non-bs, straight-to-the-point primer on all the possibilities available to the entrepreneurial dreamer, many of which he or she would not even have imagined possible. In short, there's a lifetime's worth of knowledge and wisdom in here. You don't need to learn the hard way though;read this book, expand your horizons,and gain a new outlook on the world of business.There is no such thing as a how-to guide for business sucess, but this book is as close as you'll likely get to it.