The inside scoop . . .for when you want more than the official line Want to be your own boss but aren't quite sure how to make it happen? This savvy guide will show you the way. Now revised and updated to cover the latest regulations, techniques, and trends, it walks you step by step through the entire start-up process, from coming up with a business plan and lining up financing to setting up shop, marketing to your customer base, and dealing with accounting, taxes, insurance, and licenses. Packed with real-world tips and tricks that you won't find anywhere else, it delivers all the know-how you need to declare independence from the 9-to-5 world, launch your business--and watch the profits grow! * Vital Information on real-world entrepreneurship that other sources don't reveal. * Insider Secrets on how to secure financing and choose a winning location. * Money-Saving Techniques, including low-cost ways to market your business. * Time-Saving Tips for creating a business plan and handling legal and accounting basics. * The Latest Trends, including how to launch a profitable home- or Web-based business. * Handy Checklists and Charts to help you plan your start-up and succeed in the marketplace.

From the author of the successful The Unofficial Guide to Marketing Your Small Business, this handy guide provides detailed information on low-budget, high-impact marketing techniques that produce near-immediate results. Small businesses need a quick return on their marketing investments, and this book shows the best ways to achieve it. Small business expert Marcia Layton Turner puts her wealth of business knowledge to work for business owners who need results now. The Unofficial Guide to Marketing Your Small Business provides comprehensive, straightforward coverage of everything small and large businesses need to know about the vital basics of effective marketing. Marcia Layton Turner (Rochester, NY) is the founder of her own marketing consulting firm and a small business expert who has been profiled or quoted in such publications as Money, Entrepreneur, and USA Weekend. She is also the author of The Unofficial Guide to Starting a Small Business (0-7645-7285-7), from Wiley.

The inside scoop... for when you want more than the official line! If you have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to capitalize on the fastest growing marketplace ever, the Web, this is the book for you. From choosing the product or service you offer to designing your website to marketing and managing your online venture, this guide gives you step-by-step guidance and helps you avoid common pitfalls. You don't have to be a computer guru or programmer, and you don't have to invest big bucks, thanks to the unbiased recommendations, practical guidance, and insider savvy this book puts at your fingertips. Updated with advice from experts, current statistics, new tips and strategies, and information about hundreds of resources, this guide gets you in business online with: Vital Information on choosing a unique product or service and targeting a specific niche market Insider Secrets from entrepreneurs who have launched successful online businesses Money-Saving Techniques, including using services from Yahoo!, Microsoft, eBay, and others to create a small-business website Time-Saving Tips for obtaining prominent listing placement on search engines and in Web directories and information portals The Latest Trends in online advertising, marketing, and branding, plus the online auction phenomenon Handy Checklists to help you create and operate your online business

The inside scoop...for when you want more than the official line! More than 430,000 people run full- or part-time businesses on eBay. Whether you want to become a PowerSeller yourself, supplement an established bricks-and-mortar business, or just make some extra money by cleaning out your garage and attic, this guide will help you get your merchandise going?going?gone! It tells you how to do everything from opening your seller's account and listing your items to collecting the payments. Chockfull of tips, techniques, and expert advice from "The Queen of Auctions," Lynn Dralle, it includes: Vital Information for maximizing your sales, including the top ten eBay categories Insider Secrets on acquiring merchandise, creating effective listings, earning positive feedback, and more Money-Saving Techniques, including the best ways to ship various types of merchandise Money-Making Techniques, such as selling collectibles individually rather than as a set Time-Saving Tips, such as setting up efficient areas for staging, storage, and shipping The Scoop on the latest trends, including Buy It Now sales and eBay drop-off stores

The inside scoop... for when you want more than the official line! So you dream of escaping the 9-to-5 rat race, starting your own business, and becoming your own boss, but you don't have a clue where to start. Opening a franchise-based business can lower your start-up costs and reduce the time, hassle, and risk associated with getting a new business operational. A franchise offers training, support, a proven business model, and the closest thing possible to a turnkey solution for achieving success. There are more than 3,000 different franchise opportunities in more than seventy-five industries, including packaging and shipping, tax preparation, maid service, fitness, car care, and more. Featuring exclusive, in-depth interviews with a wide range of franchising experts, this book gives you a first-hand perspective plus valuable tips and strategies for success. It provides the guidance you need to choose the right franchise, select a prime location, market your business, and get it up and running efficiently. You'll learn all about financing, essential business skills, hiring and managing employees, working with suppliers, and even preparing for your grand opening. This guide includes: Vital Information on things to look for when evaluating franchise opportunities--and where to look Insider Secrets from successful franchisors, franchisees, and franchise consultants Money-Saving Techniques such as using a franchise attorney to help you review the UFOC (Uniform Franchise Offering Circular) and finalize your Franchise Agreement The Scoop on the latest trends, plus profiles of the top twenty-five franchises in America Handy Worksheets to help you examine your goals and opportunities, evaluate financing options, develop a realistic business plan, and more

For both beginners and existing home business owners, this guidebook offers expert advice on creating a business plan, financing, managing licenses and permits, marketing and publicity, and more.

A manual for researchers writers, editors, lecturers, and Librarians.

Through real-world case studies, master the business of interior design practice Whether you hope to own your own company, grow your company, or rise high in the managerial ranks of a larger practice, you must have a tight grasp of business basics in order to succeed as an interior designer. Interior Design in Practice provides the vital business education an interior designer needs. It describes in detail how to plan and launch an interior design business, and how to grow that business towards success. Through real-world case studies, you'll learn the essentials of building a design practice, including: Deciding how and when to use business planning, strategic planning, and financial planning to your benefit Techniques to build teams and motivate team members Ways to avoid costly mistakes Advice on branding and marketing your firm and yourself Methods to integrate new technology into your day-to-day practice, marketing, and networking Coauthored by a former ASID national president and an experienced design writer and editor, Interior Design in Practice assists interior designers with practical, from-the-field advice, along with enlightening case studies throughout the book. Both budding entrepreneurs and seasoned design practitioners will find this comprehensive, real-world guide a welcome stepping-stone to success.

A menu of today's hottest business opportunities--each with a startup cost of less than $5,000

Satisfy Your Appetite for Success Choose from 55 of today's hottest food-related businesses-all under $5,000! Leading you all the way, the experts at Entrepreneur take you into the flourishing food industry and present you with just the right ingredients for success. Choose from a menu of fresh, low-cost business opportunities, learn essential business basics, grasp industry need-to-knows and so much more! Choose from a diverse list of 55 surefire food-related businesses Quickly and efficiently get your business up and running for less than $5,000 Master industry mandated standards including food safety, packaging and licensing Build a marketing plan that captures new and repeat customers Access top industry resources to stay on the cutting-edge Plan for expansion And more You're on target for success-let us help you build your five-star future!