The Startup Garden: How Growing a Business Grows You
by Tom Ehrenfeld
Category: Business & Economics

You have what it takes to start a business...but only if it's the right business for you. At the startup stage, before all of the marketing studies and prototypes, your most important source of competitive advantage is how well you understand yourself and can harness the passion inside you. The Startup Garden walks you through the process of determining what type of business best fits your hopes, dreams, and experiences. Unique among books of its type, it helps you take an honest look at yourself to determine who you are, what you care about, and what you are good at­­before you engage in the nuts-and-bolts tasks of starting your business and controlling your own destiny. From there, each chapter focuses on a particular skill you will need to operate your enterprise, providing a step-by-step examination of the business, financial, managerial, and marketing skills required to make your dream business a reality. Dozens of interviews with now-successful entrepreneurs, along with case studies and examples, show you how others have set their businesses up­­from financial reporting necessities to tips on handling employees to techniques for expansion­­and illustrate how to handle the inevitable difficulties along the way. Filled with worksheets and practical advice from those who came before you, and have made their way down the same path you're now considering, this no-nonsense guidebook discusses: How to determine what truly matters to you and what you are good at, then combine the two into a career Where to find the money to fuel your new business, from personal assets to investors to business loans 10 Classic Bootstrapping Tips­­From using college interns to haggling, proven ways to stretch your limited cash When you start an enterprise, you are the enterprise. As the enterprise grows and develops, so will you. Wherever you are in the process of launching a business, from the initial idea to the eventual need for growth and diversification, The Startup Garden will help you to ensure that your new business has the proper foundation for survival, success and growth­­by first helping you ensure that the business is right for you.