The Small Business Survival Guide, 3rd Ed. (The Small Business Sourcebooks) (Paperback)

~ Fleury (Author) "The Small Business Survival Guide deals with existing businesses as well as those about to be started..." (more)
Key Phrases: cash analysis form, permanent storage box, cash analysis statement, No-Entry Accounting, Cycle of Demise, Business Successful (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The Small Business Survival Guide has improved the navigational skills of many small businesses, and it can do the same for you. It combines taxes, accounting, profitability analysis, cash management and risk management into a practical, easily understood presentation. Using the innovative concept of "No-Entry Accounting," you will learn how to effectively and economically prepare for taxes, anticipate financial needs and understand that gray area between you and your accountant.

--Avoid "cash traps" that cause businesses to fail
--Simplify your record-keeping
--Interpret your financial information accurately
--Plan for payroll and payroll tax filings
--Learn how to value your business

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.; 3 Rev Sub edition (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570710457
• ISBN-13: 978-1570710452
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #697,232 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, concise and eye-opening information., May 22, 1999

By A Customer

Of the many books that profess to help one start and run a business, this book provides eye-opening and thought provoking content that will give the budding entrepreneur a solid grasp on cash management and the realities of traditional accounting. An absolute 'must-read'!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The single most important business book I have read, June 13, 2004

By	Terry Kahn - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Robert E. Fleury's The Small Business Survival Guide presents a system for organizing your paperwork and staying on top of the financial condition of your company. The system is at once simple, convenient, and perpetually audit-ready. Best of all, it allows you to accurately understand your cash flow so that you're able to make sound business decisions.

Think you can delegate all this to your accountant? Not so. Standard reports don't forecast actual cash requirements, so you see only half the picture. Example: paying down debt doesn't show on a Profit and Loss statement; the statement may show a healthy profit, but the profit may have all gone toward paying off a bank note, so you can't assume that the money is available to spend.

Though the system is great, the writing is in places terribly obscure. The book also appears to be victim to a major, half-finished revision. One symptom is that the reader is asked to do a cash analysis for a case study in chapter 10, but cash analysis is not introduced until chapter 13. Revision errors abound, such as several discrepancies between dollar amounts shown in the case study's cancelled checks and those shown in the finished reports and the text explanation. It's extra work for the reader to figure out what the author meant, versus what he said. Ironically, though, arguing with the author can increase the depth of your understanding of the material, so it's not all bad. Nevertheless, let's hope that a future edition will correct these faults.

In spite of the writing, the system is so powerful that I'll only deduct one star. Yes, it's that good.

(I reviewed the third edition.)

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scared me silly. . but probably saved my business, November 30, 2000

By	"owltrack" (Stevenson, WA USA) - See all my reviews

. . yikes. The "Cycle of Demise" is a phrase that will ring in my ears every time I make a mistake but this book is the first one I have read on the subject that ended up empowering me to write my business proposal . . after reading the whole thing I am anxious to begin and not afraid of the accounting.