The Entrepreneur's Information Sourcebook

CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATIONS
INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1 ARE YOU AN ENTREPRENEUR?
WHAT IS AN ENTREPRENEUR?
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS NEEDED?
A NOTE OF CAUTION
SELF-ASSESSMENT
OTHER RESOURCES TO EXPLORE
TALK ABOUT IT!

CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH, STATISTICS, AND INFORMATION GATHERING
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STATISTICS
THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
THE NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
FEDSTATS
STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
COMMERCIAL PUBLISHERS
BASIC STATISTICAL CONCEPTS

CHAPTER 3 START UP
SELECT YOUR BUSINESS
A CAUTIONARY NOTE
RESEARCH YOUR BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
FIND TRADE ASSOCIATIONS
FIND NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE ARTICLES, TRADE PUBLICATIONS, AND NEWSLETTERS
DETERMINE YOUR BUSINESS STRUCTURE
ESTABLISH YOUR BUSINESS IDENTITY
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS
BUSINESS LICENSES AND PERMITS
BUSINESS LOCATION
INSURANCE

CHAPTER 4 YOUR BUSINESS PLAN
WHAT IS A BUSINESS PLAN?
SAMPLE PLANS: WHERE TO FIND AND HOW TO USE
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A BUSINESS PLAN
FORMAT YOUR PLAN
REVIEW, UPDATE, AND CHANGE YOUR BUSINESS PLAN
THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

CHAPTER 5 FRANCHISING OPTIONS
TYPES OF FRANCHISES
UNIFORM FRANCHISE OFFERING CIRCULAR
RESEARCHING FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
FRANCHISING AND YOU!
VISIT A FRANCHISE TRADE SHOW
A FINAL CAUTIONARY NOTE

CHAPTER 6 RAISING CAPITAL
WHAT WILL IT COST?
SOURCES OF SEED CAPITAL
TRADITIONAL SOURCES OF LOANS
A CAUTIONARY NOTE ABOUT SBA LOAN GUARANTEES
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CHAPTER 7 MARKETING AND ADVERTISING
YOUR MARKETING PLAN
FOUR PS OF MARKETING
WHERE TO FIND MARKET RESEARCH
WRITE YOUR MARKETING PLAN
MARKETING ACTIVITIES

CHAPTER 8 THE INTERNET AND SELLING GLOBALLY
GETTING STARTED
QUICK CHECKLIST FOR MAKING THE E-COMMERCE DECISION
INVESTIGATE MORE POSSIBILITIES
OTHER TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
THE LANGUAGE BARRIER
EXPANDING YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE
E-COMMERCE PITFALLS

CHAPTER 9 MANAGEMENT
PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT
ACTION PLANS
STRUCTURING YOUR ORGANIZATION
ORGANIZATION CHART
ACCOUNTING/BOOKKEEPING
TECHNOLOGY
TIME MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION

CHAPTER 10 PERSONNEL / HUMAN RESOURCES
DETERMINING WHAT YOUR NEEDS ARE
HIRING EMPLOYEES
GOOD HIRING PRACTICES
UNSATISFACTORY EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE
KEEPING GOOD EMPLOYEES
EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT INCOME SECURITY ACT (ERISA)
FIRING AN EMPLOYEE

CHAPTER 11 LEGAL AND TAX ISSUES
KNOW THE LAW
COMPLYING WITH THE LAW
LEGALITIES OF BUSINESS NAMES
TAX BASICS
HOW AND WHEN TO USE A LAWYER
FINDING AN ACCOUNTANT AND/OR A LAWYER

CHAPTER 12 WORKING WITH THE GOVERNMENT
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
FEDBIZOPPS.GOV
CENTRAL CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION
NETWORKING
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS OR NEGOTIATED PROCUREMENT
WRITING BIDS AND PROPOSALS
STATE GOVERNMENTS

CHAPTER 13 COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
IDENTIFY YOUR COMPETITORS
DATA GATHERING
MONITOR THE COMPETITION CONSTANTLY
ANALYZE COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE
SWOT ANALYSIS
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

CHAPTER 14 GROWING YOUR BUSINESS AND MOVING ON
GROWING YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
EXIT STRATEGIES TO CONSIDER
ALTERNATIVES TO SELLING
SELLING STRATEGY FOR YOUR BUSINESS
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
EMPLOYEE STOCK OWNERSHIP PLANS
CLOSING
INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
FAMILY SUCCESSION
RETIREMENT

GLOSSARY
INDEX