Starting Your First Business: Gain Independence and Love Your Work

Rating:
Summary: A Business Start-Up Book that's On the Money
Review: Here's a business start-up book that truly "tells it like it is." Even though it's part of The American Dream Series, author Jim Sapp "gets real" right away, urging new business starter-uppers to do some heavy soul-searching and personality assessment. Following your dreams is one thing, but owning and operating your own business certainly can't be done with a dreamy attitude. Business ownership isn't for everyone, says Sapp, especially not the indecisive, pessimistic, or otherwise faint of heart. He sprinkles the book with frank "Reality Checks" and warnings about the difficulties, stress, and need for careful research, planning and resource gathering. With suggestions like forming an advisory board, using SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), and applying for SBA (Small Business Administration) loans, Sapp is all about using available resources and assistance, including his own products -- his www.sappbizz.com website offers many helpful documents and forms, including and a free Business Plan Checklist. Fully one third of the book deals with money -- raising, managing and controlling it. And that's a good way to sum up this excellent business how-to book: It's "on the money."

Rating:
Summary: A handy, practical, and all-inclusive guide
Review: Knowledgeably written by Jim R. Sapp (a national business consultant and winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year award), Starting Your First Business: Gain Independence And Love Your Work is a handy, practical, and all-inclusive guide to the basics of starting a business, ranging from setting up; to getting the necessary initial capital; to building an effective staff; to sales and marketing for commercial success, and so much more. A straightforward, clearly presented, and no-nonsense primer, Starting Your First Business is specifically written for and recommended to the non-specialist general reader determined to become the skilled owner of a profitable business.

Rating:
Summary: Boring, nonsensical, garbage.
Review: Nothing special. It's no different from the billions of other start-up books, too general to be of any use to someone seriously considering starting their own business.

This book might be an excellent primer for starting your own lemonade stand, but your own business? You're better off doing it blind.

Rating:
Summary: Valuable Information for Starting a Business
Review: Starting Your First Business is a great book for anyone who is thinking about starting their own business or for those who have a small business. Author Jim Sapp gives "real world" advice on what to expect so you can prepare yourself to run your own business. Sapp has operated a variety of small businesses and he has been successful, but he has also struggled. He is honest and candid about what works and what you can expect if you operate your own business. Just because you've worked for a big company or any company for that matter, it doesn't mean that you truly understand what it takes to run your own business. Sapp provides many valuable resources and real life situations that help you to know and understand what it takes to be successful in small business. Starting your own business can be rewarding, but very challenging. This book gives you solid information that can help you be successful. It is an easy read with lots of great information.

Rating:
Summary: Valuable Information for Starting a Business
Review: Starting Your First Business is a great book for anyone who is thinking about starting their own business or for those who have a small business. Author Jim Sapp gives "real world" advice on what to expect so you can prepare yourself to run your own business. Sapp has operated a variety of small businesses and he has been successful, but he has also struggled. He is honest and candid about what works and what you can expect if you operate your own business. Just because you've worked for a big company or any company for that matter, it doesn't mean that you truly understand what it takes to run your own business. Sapp provides many valuable resources and real life situations that help you to know and understand what it takes to be successful in small business. Starting your own business can be rewarding, but very challenging. This book gives you solid information that can help you be successful. It is an easy read with lots of great information.

Rating:
Summary: An indispensable tool for new business owners
Review: This comprehensive, well-written book gave me the information I needed to set up my business and write my business plan. The "business plan checklist," the "personal financial statement," and the "Excel spreadsheets" that I downloaded from the author's website saved me many hours.

I highly recommend "Starting Your First Business" to anyone who is considering starting his or her own company. I know I will refer to it often for help with marketing strategy, hiring, and everyday operational decisions.

Rating:
Summary: An indispensable tool for new business owners
Review: This comprehensive, well-written book gave me the information I needed to set up my business and write my business plan. The "business plan checklist," the "personal financial statement," and the "Excel spreadsheets" that I downloaded from the author's website saved me many hours.

I highly recommend "Starting Your First Business" to anyone who is considering starting his or her own company. I know I will refer to it often for help with marketing strategy, hiring, and everyday operational decisions.