Be your own boss -- 1. Getting started. Getting started: basics : A small time operator: a true story ; What kind of business? ; Business failure rate ; The successful business "triangle" ; Can you do it? ; One more key to success ; Get some help ; Your idea, and the market -- Business location : Mall businesses ; Non-retail businesses ; Business incubators ; The building ; Zoning ; The lease ; Home-based businesses ; Rural businesses -- Financing : How much do you need? ; Start-up capital: financing a new business ; Self-financing ; Debt financing (loans) ; Bank loans ; Other possible loan sources ; Small Business Administration (SBA) loans ; Grants (free money) ; Loans to yourself ; Equity financing (investors) ; Limited partnerships ; Limited liability companies (LLCs) ; Venture capital ; A final suggestion for financing your business -- Legal structure : Different legal structures ; Sole proprietorship ; Partnership ; Corporation or LLC -- Sole Proprietorship : The traditional one-person business ; Legal liability of the sole proprietorship ; Taxable profit of the sole proprietorship ; Paying yourself a wage -- Choosing a business name : Registering a business name ; DBA: doing business as (fictitious/assumed name statement) ; Trademarks and the business names -- Licenses and permits : Local business licenses ; Other local permits ; Help from local government ; State licenses ; Sales tax ; Other state regulations ; Federal identification numbers ; Federal licenses ; Federal agencies: business regulations -- Insurance : Purchasing insurance ; Self-insurance -- The business plan : Mission statement ; A basic plan ; Raising capital -- 2. Bookkeeping. Warming up to an unpopular subject : why keep a set of books? -- Setting up your books : Computer or hand-posted ledgers? ; Spreadsheets ; Accounting (bookkeeping) software ; Quickbooks ; A warning about accounting software ; Hiring a bookkeeper ; The bookkeeping -- Business bank accounts : Tax and legal requirements: bank accounts ; Bookkeeping simplified : Introduction to the single entry system ; Cash accounting vs. accrual ; Which method do you choose? ; Understanding bookkeeping ; More than one business ; Defining income -- Recording income: step one : Low volume of sales ; Medium volume of sales ; Large volume of sales ; Terms of sale -- Recording income: step two : The income ledger ; Daily posting ; Posting every few days or once a week ; How to post sales returns ; End-of-month procedure ; Year-end procedure ; Altering the ledgers ; Filing your sales receipts ; Installment sales ; Return (bounced) checks -- Credit sales : Federal laws, finance charges ; Credit ledger ; Accounts receivable ; You and your credit customers ; Posting uncollectible accounts ; Credit and debit cards ; Credit card fees ; Credit card terminals ; Credit card chargebacks ; Internet credit card transactions ; Transactions through PayPal ; Collecting personal information -- Recording expenditures : The expenditure ledger ; Credit card purchases ; Posting credit card charges ; Paying with debit cards ; Checkbook and ledger combined? ; Posting the expenditure ledger ; Uncashed checks ; Recording vehicle expenses ; Monthly totals ; Year-end procedures ; Accounts payable ; Altering the ledgers and designing your own ; Petty cash ; Calculators and adding machines -- Financial management: using your ledgers : Profit and loss statement ; Cash flow ; Inventory control ; How to keep an inventory record ; Computer inventory control programs.;3. Growing up. Business growth. Hiring help : How to save time and money by not becoming an employer ; Hiring independent (outside) contractors ; Who is an employee? ; Contracting with your contractor ; IRS forms for independent contractors ; Incorporated independent contractor ; Under-the-table/off-the-books payments ; Special situations ; Steps to becoming an employer ; Federal requirements for employers ; State requirements for employers ; Federal procedures and taxes for employers ; Family employees ; Payroll ledgers ; Payroll software -- Partnerships : General vs. limited partnerships ; Legal aspects of general partnerships ; Uniform Partnership Act ; Partnership agreements ; You and your partners ; Partnership bookkeeping ; Joint ventures ; Partnership postmortem ; And a partnership that works -- You, incorporated : A corporation primer ; "In twenty-five words or less" ; Corporate taxes ; Corporate limited liability ; Corporation change of ownership ; Owner-employees ; Some more reasons to consider inforporating ; Employee business expenses ; Corporation retained earnings ; S corporations ; Tax advantages of an S corporation ; Close corporations ; Steps to incorporating a business ; Articles of incorporation ; Corporate bylaws ; Acting like a corporation ; Incorporating an existing business -- Limited liability company (LLC) : LLC limited liability ; LLC taxation ; LLCs vs. corporations ; State laws for LLCs ; Setting up an LLC ; LLCs vs. limited partnerships ; Limited liability partnerships ; A few last words about growth -- 4. Taxes. Deep in the heart of taxes : The tax laws as they apply to you ; A warning ; Accounting period: calendar vs. fiscal year ; Who must file a tax return? ; Which tax return to file ; More than one business ; Filing dates for tax returns -- Tax calendar for business. Business expenses : Start-up expenses ; Prepaid expenses ; One hundred typical business expenses ; Inventory and cost-of-goods sold ; Manufacturer's deduction (domestic production deduction) ; Business assets ; Depreciation ; Vehicle expenses ; Repairs -- Bad debts ; Losses: casualty/theft ; Donations/charitable contributions ; Interest income ; Entertainment ; Business gifts ; Meals ; Travel ; Dues ; Freight ; Education expenses ; Insurance ; Health (medical) insurance ; Nondeductible expenses -- Self-employment tax (SECA) : Figuring the self-employment tax -- Retirement deductions : Individual retirement account (IRA) ; Simplified employee pension plan (SEP) ; SIMPLE plan ; Qualified plans: 401(k) and Keogh ; More details: all retirement plans ; More information on retirement plans -- Other small business tax issues : Estimated tax payments ; Barter ; Operating losses (NOL) ; Year-end tax strategies ; Tax credits ; Tax software -- The Internal Revenue Service : The IRS and you ; Business losses and "hobby losses" ; Notice of an audit ; IRS penalties ; Failure to fire a tax return ; Amending old tax returns -- Federal information returns. Excise taxes : Federal excise tax -- State and local taxes : State income taxes ; State gross receipts taxes ; Other state taxes ; Local taxes.;Details how to set up a small business, addressing how to get permits and licenses, secure financing, find a location, create a business plan, establish a bookkeeping system, hire employees, file taxes, and do business on the Internet.;5. Home business. Home, Inc. : Starting a home-based business ; The low-cost, low-stress business training ground ; Defining a home business ; Kind of business ; The good, the bad, and the family ; Perception is reality ; Safety first ; The well-hidden home business ; Post office boxes/PMBs ; Deliveries ; Zoning ; Landlords, condominiums, co-ops, and homeowners associations ; Setting up your office ; The business telephone ; Insurance ; Federal and state homework laws -- Income tax laws : The "home office" deduction ; Regular and exclusive use ; "Principal place of business" ; What's deductible ; Tax trap for homeowners ; Business loss ; IRS audits ; Claiming the deduction -- "This is a business" -- Outgrowing the home -- 6. Your business. How to balance a bank account. Balance sheets : Assets ; Liabilities -- Professional help : Accountants ; Bookkeepers ; Attorneys -- Husband and wife partnerships : Income taxes ; Self-employment and payroll taxes ; Some more considerations ; The easiest option ; Unemployment taxes, workers' compensation insurance, and retirement plans -- Two separate businesses -- Multiple businesses : Partnerships, corporations, and LLCs -- Importing and exporting : Importing ; Exporting -- Buying a business : Finding a business for sale -- Franchise business : How franchises work ; Investigating a franchise ; Franchise agreement ; Do your homework ; "Business opportunities" -- Freelancers : Professionals, consultants, artists, writers, photographers, and designers ; Royalties ; Advances ; Reimbursed expenses -- Operation, management, and legal issues : Filing your business records -- Pricing : Cost factors ; Profit factors ; How much can you charge? ; Federal laws on pricing -- Trademarks, patents, and copyrights : Trademarks ; Patents ; Copyrights -- Contracts : Other people's contracts -- How to avoid crooks and how to collect what you're owed : Establishing credit ; Collecting past due accounts ; Going to court -- Websites : Market research ; Legal, tax, and general business research ; Obtaining a website ; Multiple sites/multiple businesses ; Domain name syntax (rules) ; Registering a domain name ; All of your choices already taken? ; Domain renewals ; Website hosting services ; Website design ; Online ordering: shopping carts ; Credit card sales on the Internet ; E-mail ; Links -- We own it: employee-owned businesses, collectives, and cooperatives : Legal structure ; ESOPs ; Job structure and pay ; Volunteers ; Work together -- Managing and marketing your business : Marketing -- The future of small business -- Appendix. The ledgers : Income ledger ; Income year-end summary ; Credit ledger ; Expenditure ledger ; Year-end expenditure summary ; Petty cash ledger ; Inventory record ; Payroll ledger ; Partners capital ledger ; Equipment ledger and depreciation worksheet.