Tara Acosta - The Street-Smart Side of Business: A Behind-the-Scenes Guide to Inspire Forward Thinking

The Street-Smart Side of Business

The Street-Smart Side of Business

A Behind-the-Scenes Guide to Inspire Forward Thinking

Tara Acosta

The Street-Smart Side of Business: A Behind-the-Scenes Guide to Inspire Forward Thinking

Copyright Business Expert Press, LLC, 2022.

Cover design by Chris Redman

Interior design by Exeter Premedia Services Private Ltd., Chennai, India

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations, not to exceed 400 words, without the prior permission of the publisher.

First published in 2021 by

Business Expert Press, LLC

222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017

www.businessexpertpress.com

ISBN-13: 978-1-63742-131-4 (paperback)

ISBN-13: 978-1-63742-132-1 (e-book)

Business Expert Press Business Career Development Collection

Collection ISSN: 2642-2123 (print)

Collection ISSN: 2642-2131 (electronic)

First edition: 2021

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This book is dedicated to my husband who is an excellent representation of all the positive, optimistic, and extremely hard working entrepreneurs out there.

Description

This book is for all the spirited entrepreneurs out there who want to learn about the inner workings of starting up or investing in an established business. Get ready to peek behind the curtain and see what really happens from behind the scenes. Within these pages, you will read about stories of business successes and business failures. I hope to teach you what to look for and think about before entering any business venture.

For any business, the fundamental goal is to be different and to be better than those with whom you are competing. So as you read, get ready to absorb some of the most useful information you will ever hear. Its not really available anywhere else.

The content of this book is designed to motivate and prepare those who have an interest in being a business owner and to give them realistic insight so that they can be prepared for all aspects of business. It explains through examples of why it is critical to make informed and educated decisions and to go beyond the obvious, and to be in tune with the motives and emotions of all parties involved. When poor decisions are made, there are explanations given of what led to the emerging problems: poor information, poor analysis, a lack of asking the right questions to those individuals under consideration. The point is to understand exactly what youre getting into and not be blinded by the appearance of a good opportunity.

This book was written during the COVID-19 pandemic, which was one of the most uncertain times in our worlds history. Some businesses were devastated and some businesses thrived. I am sending you all positive energy and encouraging you to find the courage to open yourself up and step out of your comfort zone and get down to business. After reading The Street-Smart Side of Business you will have all the tools you need in your business arsenal.

Keywords

entrepreneurs; ethics; integrity; ownership; attitudes; career success; organization; customer service; promotion; business plan; leadership; loyalty; managing; personal experience

Contents

When I started out as a small business owner, I wish someone had prepared me for certain possibilities. I hope to teach you what to look for and think about before entering any business venture.

You know the old phrase, Every lesson learned is the hard lesson learned. There is so much truth to that, but if we open ourselves up to listening, really listening and absorbing information presented to us, it doesnt have to be. You just have to use your smarts. Your book smarts are important, but your street-smarts are necessary. So, as you read on, get ready to absorb some of the most useful information you will ever hear, and put it to use.

Many established business owners have journeyed through the successes and the hardships of running a business. It is unfortunate that most of them have to learn the hard way that in both solo-run businesses and in partnerships, not everything goes according to plan. All parties involved may start out on the same page, but it is not often that everyone stays there. It takes work and constant communication in order to avoid unnecessary drama. When going into business you are taking a chance. There is always risk involved. The grit and grind that is needed for success, isnt for just anyone. And even for those that have an extremely strong work ethic, stuff happens and things can go wrong. So, it is important to prepare for the worst while working toward the best.

This book is meant to clue you in on what to look for in a potentially successful business opportunity. More importantly, it focuses on what red flags you should not ignore. Through examples and short stories, you are going to learn how to use your intuition, listen to your gut feelings, and utilize your street-smarts.

Businesses do not run themselves; people run a business. Make sure you understand how to know exactly who youre dealing with before going into business with them.

COVID-19 shook our world as we knew it. The examples cited in The Street-Smart Side of Business were written before the pandemic but their messages are timeless and will be as applicable in the future as when they took place. This may be the time to start giving serious thought about the career possibility you always wondered about: to have your own business. It is the creative space that has been living inside you. Now may well be the time to analyze the options that will best serve you and your talents going forward. It is never too late for something new, if you want it to happen.

So before you take a leap of faith and start that business, make sure you prepare yourself and read this book thoroughly to get an understanding of whats on the other side of a business venture. Trust me, you want to know about business from the surface and from behind the scenes. Its not meant to scare you, its meant to bring awareness.

I cant talk to each of you in person, so consider this book as your stand-in mentor to help you achieve important personal and business goals.

Tara Acosta

Figure 1 What do you want to be when you grow up?

Photo: Fergregory/iStock by Getty Images

What do you want to be when you grow up? We all know that to be an infamous question at all ages and stages of life. Many adults are still trying to figure it out.

There are a small percentage of people who know the answer to that question early on. Teachers, police officers, and medical providers may possibly be a few. A survey says that most people in these professions have wanted to do what they are doing from early on. For those of us who dont know exactly what we want to be, we have a harder time trying to figure that out. Most people have no idea what their career path is going to be when they enter into college.

Our society as a whole has set up something that I cant quite wrap my mind around. We have a very important decision to make and at a very young age. Its crazy to me that we expect kids to make one of the potentially largest financial investments of their life at 17 or 18 years old, with literally no experience in what they are about to invest in.