Welcome!

Starting a business can be a daunting prospect, but it  doesn ’ t have to be as bad as some people make out. In fact, it ’ s a hugely exciting time. Big plans can be inspir-ing, but doing the simple stuff well makes a huge differ-ence. Some people try to overcomplicate matters, and this often leads to unnecessary delay, and can reduce confidence in the early days. We take a positive approach. Practical matters are kept straightforward, and there is plenty of advice on keeping in the right frame of mind. There is inspiration from people who have been there before, and plenty of back - up ideas for when things don ’ t go quite as planned.

Millions of small businesses launch every year so you are  not alone when it comes to thinking of starting one. Picking up this book is the fi rst step on an adventurous and challenging road. From the beginning, the knack is to investigate the possible approaches for your business  calmly and simply. Too many people flap around with hundreds of spreadsheets and lose their bearings in the process. So we ’ ll take it gently so as to keep you saner in the crucial start - up phase.

In the early days, it is crucial to scrutinize the original idea very carefully. Of course, some are dead on arrival, and others need crafting before they make sense and can prove their value. Few are brilliant immedi-ately, so you need patience and an open mind. Ideas  are nothing if they cannot be enacted effectively, so we will be as clear as possible about this from the very beginning.

We will of course be examining the dreaded business  plan . There is a skill to good business planning  and anyone can learn it. Doing something is the first step.

Too many businesses fail to get under way because they  are still in the planning phase and never come out of it. It ’ s a great feeling to discover that in fact you may be able to complete this in a matter of days.

Not surprisingly, there is always some boring stuff to cover, but when it ’ s your own business somehow the moti-vation is that bit easier because you are the one to benefi t. Knowing what you need to run an effective business is vital, and that means having a good working knowledge of the law , and appropriate systems to enable you to report business performance accurately.

The money bit may sound nasty but you can ’ t run a business without it – it ’s actually what business is all about.  So good budding entrepreneurs need to learn how to confront pricing, cash flow, supplier payment, and many other financial matters in a cheerful and pragmatic manner.

Nor can you run a business without some form of sales  and marketing , so you need to let people know who you are, where you are, and what you do. You need to know where to fi nd your customers , and how to communicate with them in a charming and positive way. People who start businesses often have a gift for this, but if it doesn ’ t come naturally, don ’ t worry, because there are simple things that anyone can do to promote their business.

You will soon discover that starting a business is a highly  personal matter, and as such it is quite hard to take the emotion out of it. So in fact a lot of what at fi rst appears to be factual ends up being emotional. The main reasons for this are that the original idea will be yours, pretty much all the decisions are yours, and the success of the venture is yours. So it is almost impossible to divorce the fortunes of the business from those of the owner, and that ’ s you.

So it ’ s all about you, which may seem rather scary at this stage, but in fact it turns out to be brilliant, because the rewards are all yours, and it ’ s great to see a direct link between the effort you put in and the satisfaction you get back.

Starting a business is all about taking action. Careful  thought and planning is vital of course, but there ’ s no substitute for getting on and doing something. That is very much a theme of the book, and it is intentionally
organized in such a way as to encourage you to get out  there and do it.