Veechi Curtis - Getting Started in Small Business for Dummies

Getting Started in Small Business For Dummies, 4th Australian Edition

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Wiley Publishing Australia Pty Ltd

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ISBN: 978-0-730-38485-4

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1. Chapter 1
2. Chapter 2
3. Chapter 3
4. Chapter 4
5. Chapter 5
6. Chapter 6
7. Chapter 7

1. Chapter 3
2. Chapter 4
3. Chapter 5
4. Chapter 7

I believe that pretty much anyone is capable of running their own business. You dont need to be a qualified accountant in order to understand your own finances, nor do you need to be a marketing guru in order to sell your wares to unsuspecting victims. Instead, all you need is a bit of cash, a willingness to work hard and lots of straightforward advice. This book provides the straightforward advice bit, along with a pinch of humour every now and again.

Most people have lots of questions when starting out in small business: Are you best to stick with a tried-and-tested model, or instead should you seek to innovate? Should you trade as a sole trader, or incorporate as a company? How do you go about taking on your first employee? What about financial reports, budgets and tax? I try to answer all these questions, and more.

Getting started in your new venture is probably one of the most exciting and creative stages in your life. You get more control over your own life and a chance to create something that really belongs to you. Although small business can be stressful at times, Ive met few businesspeople who have regretted the decision to leave the security of their day job.

I hope you enjoy this journey and wish you the very best of luck.

This book is designed so you can skim through it quickly, find the answer to whatever you want to know, and then set aside the book until next time. You can also pick the book up at any point and just start reading.

However, if youre new to business and youre just getting yourself on the road, I suggest you read before doing much else. Thats because some of the decisions you make when getting started affect everything else that follows, and if you can get off to a good, clean start, your chances of success are going to be that much higher.

On the other hands, perhaps you want to know about hiring your first employee (). Thats fine just skip the first six chapters and start off from where you want to be.

Each chapter covers a specific part of running your own business, including business set-up and planning, marketing and people management, money stuff and bookkeeping. I mix advice and explanations with anecdotes about my own experiences in small business, as well as some of the experiences of clients and colleagues.

When you work with small business, you learn to assume nothing. I see everything from clients who time all strategic decisions to fit with the stars (no kidding!), to multimillion-dollar enterprises that have grown out of nothing in a matter of months. So, in this book I try to assume very little about you.

You dont need to know anything about bookkeeping, marketing, tax or computers, and I try to explain all concepts in the simplest possible way. I focus on the kinds of things I reckon most small businesses are concerned about, combining positive advice about promoting your business and planning for success with practical guidance about the really tricky stuff such as becoming an employer or working with GST.

Want to be streets ahead of the competition? Look for this handy icon.

Get out your calculator and start doing those sums. This icon flags money stuff, highlighting vital information for anyone with an eye for making a dollar or two.

Tie a knot in your hankie, pin an eggtimer to your shirt but, whatever you do, dont forget

This icon indicates handy advice or insights into how to improve your business or make life easier.