Starting and Growing a Business from Scratch - Is the Entrepreneurial Itch Pushing Your Start-up?
Add comment November 4th, 2007
Often new entrant entrepreneurs start out as relatively small businesses and there are certainly a lot of good recent books on the subject, such as the “Art of the Start” by Guy Kawasaki and some really worthy classics like “The E-Myth” by Gerber. Still, it pays to read some of the older books on the subject as well. Thus, I would like to recommend two very worthy books for you to read, before you go for it:
“The Start-up Entrepreneur - How You Can Succeed in Building Your Own Company into a Major Enterprise Starting from Scratch” by James R. Cook - 1987. The book starts with a great quote from Napoleon Hill “No great enterprise can start if you wait until everything is perfect.” So, right off the bat the author is telling us that much of entrepreneurship is just going for it, which indeed is true, yet he spend much time also explaining the planning and thought that must go into the pre-opening phase and setting up the business.
Cook explains that starting is a struggle and not easy, you need a good location and some knowledge of how to get it going and develop it as it grows. He does not stop there, then he gets into key steps for a successful start-up, ways to keep it going, managing the enterprise, as well as government regulations and the IRS. He explains how to diversify your offerings and home in on niches for maximum profits and what to do when things are on the decline. Lastly, he explains what it takes to go to the next step, sell the company or take it public.
“Growing A Business” by Paul Hawken - 1987. Paul is also the author of “The Next Economy” and this work is a book, which goes with the TV series by the same name. Hawken speaks first to the realization that many folks want to be self-employed as part of their American Dream, but warns that there are very high failure rates in small businesses. He warns that just because you have a great idea, does not guarantee success and sometimes having a small business is better than growing one into an enterprise with lots of employees, as there is a certain enjoyment in keeping it small.
The writer discusses capital, cash flow, vendors, reputation, marketing, branding, importance of sales, and how to step out of the business, sell it or grow it even bigger. He warns throughout the book as well he should that business is no walk in the park. I recommend these two books for your business library. Yes, they are 20-years old, but the information is just as applicable today as it was then, making these books even more valuable.
L. Winslow is an Economic, Political and Technology Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entrepreneur http://www.worldthinktank.net . Currently Mr. Winslow is planning a bicycle ride from Canada to Mexico and in Spring across the US from San Diego to Virginia Beach to raise money for charity. Previously he was a track star athlete, private pilot, involved in politics, community volunteerism and a Franchising Founder. Mr. Winslow has choosen 100 titles of Books he wishes to write and has completed ten thus far. The subjects include; Community Planning, Future Tech, Franchising, Small Business, and Third World Issues.
