Intro
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1 Getting Started with Small Business
Chapter 1 Is Small Business for You?
Defining Small Business
Small (and large) business basics
Financial basics: The same whether you're big or small
Small business: Role model for big business
Different people and businesses, similar issues
Our definition of a small-business owner
Do You Have the Right Stuff?
Getting started with the instructions
Answering the questions Scoring the testAnalyzing your results
Identifying the Pros and Cons of Owning a Small Business
The reasons to own
The reasons not to own
Exploring Alternatives to Starting a Business
Chapter 2 Laying Your Personal Financial Foundation
Getting Your Financial Ducks in a Row
Cutting the umbilical cord
Improving your business survival odds
Maintaining harmony on the home front
Creating Your Money To-Do List
Assess your financial position and goals
Shrink your spending
Build up your cash reserves
Stabilize income with part time work
Assessing and Replacing Benefits Retirement savings plans and pensionsHealth insurance
Disability insurance
Life insurance
Dental, vision, and other insurance
Social Security taxes
Time off
Managing Your Personal Finances Post-Launch
Chapter 3 Finding Your Niche
Why You Don't Need a New Idea to Be Successful
Choosing Your Business
Consider your category
Take advantage of accidental opportunities
Inventory your skills, interests, and job history
Narrow your choices
Go in search of fast growth
Take advantage of government resources
Inventing Something New
Say yes to useful invention resources Run away from invention promotion firmsRecognizing Your Number One Asset --
You
Chapter 4 First Things First: Crafting Your Business Plan
Your Mission: Impossible If You Fail to Define It
Writing your mission statement
Keeping your mission in people's minds
Your Business Plan: Don't Start Up without It
Using your business plan as a road map
Finding financing with your business plan
Writing Your Business Plan
Part 1: Business description
Part 2: Management
Part 3: Marketing plan
Part 4: Operations
Part 5: Risks
Part 6: Financial management plan
Keeping Your Plan Current Chapter 5 Making Financing, Ownership, and Organizational DecisionsDetermining Your Start-Up Cash Needs
Using Your Own Money: Bootstrapping
Profiling bootstrappers
Tapping into bootstrapping sources
Outsourcing Your Capital Needs
Banking on banks
Getting money from nonbanks
Exploring Ownership Options
You as the sole owner
Sharing ownership with partners or minority shareholders
Deciding between sole and shared ownership
Going public: Cashing in
Deciding Whether to Incorporate
Weighing unincorporated options
Considering incorporated business entities