Small Business, Big Vision

Foreword Gary Whitehill xi
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xxi
Permissions xxii
Introduction 1
Why You Need This Book and Why You Need a Big Vision 1
Our Story 3
Chapter 1 The Importance of Having BIG Vision 9
Entrepreneurial Profile: Dan Schawbel of Millennial Branding,LLC 13
Fuel Your Fire with Passion and Perseverance 16
Entrepreneurial Profile: Siamak Taghaddos and David Hauser ofGrasshopper Group 22
Chapter 2 Rethinking Your Business Plan 25
The One-Page Business Plan 29
Entrepreneurial Profile: Brent Oxley of HostGator.com 35
The Finance-Centered Plan 38
Entrepreneurial Profile: Brock Blake of FundingUniverse 46
Chapter 3 Investors Out--Collaborators In! 51
Investors: A Question of Need versus Want 54
Entrepreneurial Profile: Gabriel Shaoolian of Blue FountainMedia 58
When Your Needs Call for Investors 62
Collaboration Is Key 63
An Advisory Board as a Replacement for Investors 65
Entrepreneurial Profile: Anita Campbell of Small Business Trendsand BizSugar.com 69
Chapter 4 Hiring Employees: The Good, the Bad, and theAlternatives 77
The Magic of Leveraging Your Time 79
The Downside of Hiring Employees 80
Entrepreneurial Profile: Ali Brown of Ali International 83
The Best of Both Worlds 89
How to Find the Best Outsourced Workers 94
Entrepreneurial Profile: Daven Michaels of 123Employee.com96
Chapter 5 Laser-Sighted Marketing through Social Media 101
The Magic of Social Media Marketing 106
Entrepreneurial Profile: Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV108
Four Keys to Social Media Marketing Success 111
Entrepreneurial Profile: Mike Roberts of SpyFu.com 123
Chapter 6 From Entrepreneur to Icon: Achieving Expert Status129
Embracing Your Expertise 132
Building Your Information Empire 133
Entrepreneurial Profile: Shama Hyder Kabani of The Marketing ZenGroup 139
Chapter 7 The Socially Responsible Entrepreneur: It's NotAlways about You 143
Social Entrepreneurship Is True Entrepreneurship 146
Entrepreneurial Profile: Adam Braun of Pencils of Promise148
Sustainability Is the New Bottom Line 151
Entrepreneurial Profile: Scott Harrison of charity: water155
Chapter 8 Pulling a 180: The Business Turnaround 159
Flexibility Allows for Transformation 162
Entrepreneurial Profile: Matt Mickiewicz of SitePoint and99designs 167
What to Do Before You Give Up 171
Entrepreneurial Profile: Mike Michalowicz of The Toilet PaperEntrepreneur 177
Afterword 183
Resources 187
Epigraph Sources 195
Index 197