Tory Johnson - Spark & Hustle: Launch and Grow Your Small Business Now

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Copyright 2012 by Tory Johnson

Cover design by Diana Kolsky

Author photo by Allyson Lubow

Book design by Kristin del Rosario

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PUBLISHING HISTORY

Berkley trade paperback edition: June 2012

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Johnson, Tory.

Spark & hustle : launch and grow your small business now / Tory Johnson.1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN: 978-1-101-58091-2

1. New business enterprises. 2. Small businessManagement.
I. Title. II. Title: Spark and hustle.

HD62.5.J646 2012

658.11dc23

2011050901

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ALWAYS LEARNING

PEARSON

To every woman who dreams of creating a better life
Im rooting for you.

Im a college dropout. I happily left school for a chance to begin my career at a young age. While I love books, I know you cant and shouldnt learn everything about lifeespecially the ins and outs of entrepreneurshipfrom them. That includes this one. On the following pages, Ive given you my best advice, whether youre thinking about starting a business, have dipped your toes in the water, or are up and running. While I cover a lot, based on stuff Ive learned along my own journey, its up to you to pick and choose what you find useful. I dont pretend to be the definitive expert on how to start a businessjust someone who loves this line of work. Ive built two multimillion-dollar businesses, but nothing here is a substitute for legal or financial advice from professionals who can address your specific needs. If I could thrive as a small business ownerusing the principles Ive outlined hereyou can, too.

We both know why youre here.

You were downsized. Your hours were cut. Your employer went bust. You need to make more money to get by. Youve graduated from college without a job and your career path isnt clear. You want to use your own smarts and creativity to take control of your working life.

You are like (and perhaps among) the thousands of people I meet at my Spark & Hustle conferences for current and aspiring entrepreneurs. While the ages span generations, and backgrounds are diverse at these events, one thing is clear: people are eager to make a change. Twentysomethings who abandoned job searches in favor of becoming their own boss. New moms who shudder at the thought of being beholden to a boss instead of their baby. Seasoned professionals who want to take the knowledge they gained on someone elses payroll to build their own venture. Employees who saw colleagues being fired and are determined to create a side business of their own. Retirees who dipped into savings to stay afloat and now must replace that income in their golden years.

Weve all learned hard lessons in this new economy. The days of spending an entire career at one company, of a guaranteed paycheck with a pension to match are long gone. Job security, no matter how good you are at what you do, no longer exists. Many of us are still recovering from the downturn and anxious that storm clouds could gather again.

Thats the end of the negativity youll find in this book: being a naysayer wont get you far. Brighter days are most definitely ahead.

If the recession hit you hard or you were awakened by a reality check as peers were affected by a rough economy, its time to strike back. Thats the driving theme behind Diane Sawyers ongoing Made in America series on ABCs World News, which has challenged ordinary people to renew their pride in all things American, to help keep jobs right here at home and revive our economy. Im convinced that one of the best ways to do that is the old-fashioned American way: start your own business and produce goods and services right here in the USA.

Were entering a small business revival. The number of jobs may be stagnant, but the opportunities to launch a small business are not. In fact, small businesses drive most of the growth in our economy. By starting one, you can be part of the countrys economic solution and, more importantly, your own.

Small business is booming because the barriers to starting one have never been lower. Its not a complicated or mysterious process to get going. Your computer can be your research and marketing department, even your storefront. Technology enables your corporate headquarters to be your kitchen table or corner coffee shop. A high-speed Web connection can be your road to success.

In July 2010, I held my first Spark & Hustle conferencespark for the ideas, passion and expertise that so many women have, hustle for what it takes to turn that into cash. For three scorching summer days in Atlanta, two hundred smart, savvy women shared their vision and dreams, while soaking up all kinds of tips and tactics from our roster of handpicked speakerswomen who had started with nothing but guts and created successful businesses. They built their destinies brick by brick and shared their hard-won wisdom with others who wanted to do the same.