Far too many people, when motivated to start a new business, plunge in without appreciating or understanding the ramifications of doing so. These pages highlight many of these ramifications, not to put anyone off, but to help them avoid some of the pitfalls that so often stand in the way of success. The characteristic of entrepreneurship that lurks in the breast of so many of our citizens means that at the grass roots there are many opportunities for the enterprising. In a population of sixty million, and rising, there is room for every kind of new business. The core problems that face any new business are the need to apply Professional Selling Skills and to rely on their own resources financially at the start. The former requires skilful, dedicated and enthusiastic application. The latter comes from redundancy money or other savings and support - NOT mortgaging one's home, and NOT borrowing from the Bank. A small number of new businesses require little Capital and can be run as a one man band. Most however, are best started in co-operation with one or two others who can contribute to the finances and share the work involved. For those who have the potential, but have been fearful of contemplating striking out on their own, it is hoped this work will encourage and inform them, and open the door to a long term and bright future.

This important book considers the ways in which small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can thrive in the age of big data. To address this central issue from multiple viewpoints, the editors introduce a collection of experiences, insights, and guidelines from a variety of expert researchers, each of whom provides a piece to solve this puzzle. Contributions address the limitations faced by SMEs in their access to data and demonstrate that the key to overcoming this issue is to be aware of these limitations, to work within them, and to use them to think creatively about how to overcome obstacles in new ways. They discuss Artificial Intelligence, revenue blueprinting, GDPR compliance, and other key topics related to the relationships between SMEs and data. Offering ideas to inspire big data-driven success by SMEs making smaller investments, the book argues that there must be a place for "ordinary" data-driven journeys that are available to firms of any size. Stimulating further thought and action, Big Data in Small Business will be of great interest to academics, researchers, and practitioners in areas such as strategic management, organizational and innovation studies, marketing, and sales. The ideas and information in this book will help fill knowledge gaps related to important aspects of capabilities, functions, and transformations of big data that drive business growth.

Entrepreneurial Personality and Small Business Management offers a comprehensive analysis with theoretical and empirical grounding for understanding how entrepreneurial personality shapes small business outcomes. It explores why entrepreneurs act differently when facing similar situations and why some are more successful than others. Simona Leonelli and Francesca Masciarelli provide detailed quantitative and qualitative analyses based on original datasets, identifying the main personality traits of an entrepreneur. They particularly focus on how entrepreneurial narcissism affects small businesses and influences habitual entrepreneurship. Chapters draw on research techniques from a wide variety of disciplines including strategic management, entrepreneurial finance and innovation studies to reveal the importance and role of personality traits in shaping firm outcomes. This book represents an important step towards the development of a more complete understanding of the entrepreneur's role in a small firm. It will be a valuable resource for scholars and researchers interested in entrepreneurial behavior and SMEs, in particular how personality affects business outcomes. The focus on how personal characteristics, traits and qualities can lead to success will also be of interest to entrepreneurs and business advisors.

Most entrepreneurship and small business textbooks contain few, if any, cases that an instructor can use with students and illustrate important theories or topics from the course. This book contains cutting-edge case studies that illustrate key problems confronting contemporary entrepreneurs. Set in familiar business environments, this original set of cases provides useful insights into the experiences of real-world entrepreneurs for classroom environments. Key features include: Innovative and exciting cases that present common business scenarios, offering practical perspectives for up-and-coming entrepreneurs A theory-based online Instructor's Manual, featuring topic summaries, learning objectives, teaching suggestions and key questions to aid classroom discussion Exceptional coverage of critical entrepreneurship issues, including opportunity recognition, funding a new business, sustaining ventures, social entrepreneurship and challenges faced by collegiate entrepreneurs. An ideal companion for instructors and students, this book is essential reading for MBA courses in entrepreneurship, non-profit management and social entrepreneurship, as well as undergraduate and postgraduate courses in business and management that specialize in entrepreneurship

Have you recently started working as an independent coach, or are you considering doing so? Perhaps you are moving into coaching from a human resources or learning and development background, from a line management role or from another area altogether. Perhaps you are just setting up your coaching business, or have already done so. If so, this book is for you. Starting and Running a Coaching Business guides you through a comprehensive, practical and personalised process as you negotiate the pitfalls and reap the rewards of: - Working alone. - Selling and marketing your business. - Taking sole responsibility for decision-making and problem-solving. This book will help you establish and develop your coaching practice by identifying how you will handle each of ten key aspects of your business. The book will enable you to decide how to: - Define your coaching offer. - Find and approach potential clients. - Sell your services to them. - Handle your relationships with your clients. - Manage your business's finances. - Manage yourself and your ethical responsibilities. - Stay on top of your ongoing professional development. and much more. Contents: The book will enable you to decide how to:; Define your coaching offer.; Find and approach potential clients.; Sell your services to them.; Handle your relationships with your clients.; Manage your business's finances.; Manage yourself and your ethical responsibilities.; Stay on top of your ongoing professional development. and much more.

This timely book comprises detailed personal narratives of entrepreneurs who have worked towards peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It begins by offering an innovative framework of analysis based on scientific knowledge about social entrepreneurs, defining 'peace entrepreneurship' and mapping its unique characteristics. It also explains the narrative methodology used, and provides a short history of the conflict in the region. The book focuses on 11 life stories of Israeli and Palestinian entrepreneurs who have strived for peace through social ventures. Chapters discuss the various forms of social activism that peace entrepreneurs have pursued, the challenges that they have faced and the motivations behind their ventures. The editors conclude by considering the similarities and differences across the stories, offering insights into what drives people to act as peace entrepreneurs and what sustains their activities in the face of ongoing conflict. Documenting rousing and inspirational life narratives, this book is crucial for scholars and researchers of social entrepreneurship who are searching for new avenues of inquiry into ventures in a conflict context. It will also provide motivational reading for other practitioners of peace entrepreneurship, as well as policymakers working with social entrepreneurs in conflict zones.

One key for success of an entrepreneur is to obtain sales (revenue) and profits as quickly as possible upon launching the venture. Entrepreneurial Marketing focuses on the essential elements of success in order to achieve these needed sales and revenues and to grow the company. The authors build a comprehensive, state-of-the-art picture of entrepreneurial marketing issues, providing major theoretical and empirical evidence that offers a clear, concise view of entrepreneurial marketing. Through an international approach that combines both theoretical and empirical knowledge of entrepreneurship and marketing, this book informs and enhances the entrepreneurs' creativity, their ability to bring innovations to the market, and their willingness to face risk that changes the world. Key components addressed include: identifying and selecting the market; determining the consumer needs cost-effectively; executing the basic elements of the marketing mix (product, price, distribution, and promotion); and competing successfully in the domestic and global markets through implementing a sound marketing plan. Numerous illustrative examples throughout the book bring the content to life. The mix of theoretical content, examples, empirical analyses, and case studies make this book an excellent resource for students, professors, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers all over the world.

Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy. They are the biggest job creators and offer a path to the American Dream. But for many, it is difficult to get the capital they need to operate and succeed. In the Great Recession, access to capital for small businesses froze, and in the aftermath, many community banks shuttered their doors and other lenders that had weathered the storm turned to more profitable avenues. For years after the financial crisis, the outlook for many small businesses was bleak. But then a new dawn of financial technology, or "fintech," emerged. Beginning in 2010, new fintech entrepreneurs recognized the gaps in the small business lending market and revolutionized the customer experience for small business owners. Instead of Xeroxing a pile of paperwork and waiting weeks for an answer, small businesses filled out applications online and heard back within hours, sometimes even minutes. Banks scrambled to catch up. Technology companies like Amazon, PayPal, and Square entered the market, and new possibilities for even more transformative products and services began to appear. In Fintech, Small Business & the American Dream, former U.S. Small Business Administrator and Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School, Karen G. Mills, focuses on the needs of small businesses for capital and how technology will transform the small business lending market. This is a market that has been plagued by frictions: it is hard for a lender to figure out which small businesses are creditworthy, and borrowers often don't know how much money or what kind of loan they need. New streams of data have the power to illuminate the opaque nature of a small business's finances, making it easier for them to weather bumpy cash flows and providing more transparency to potential lenders. Mills charts how fintech has changed and will continue to change small business lending, and how financial innovation and wise regulation can restore a path to the American Dream. An ambitious book grappling with the broad significance of small business to the economy, the historical role of credit markets, the dynamics of innovation cycles, and the policy implications for regulation, Fintech, Small Business & the American Dream is relevant to bankers, fintech investors, and regulators; in fact, to anyone who is interested in the future of small business in America.

UPDATED & EXPANDED EDITION of the NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, including A full-color, sixteen-page insert with photos that capture Syd & Shea's journey An epilogue about life and business post-pandemic and the success of the hit Netflix show Dream Home Makeover Make Life Beautiful is the autobiography from Syd and Shea McGee, which offers fans a new and intimate look into how they built their business. Want to live the best version of your life? Read this book and learn how Syd and Shea prioritized their values, defined their goals, and put their dreams into action--going from flat broke to design superstars--all while following their motto to "make life beautiful." Most importantly, discover how you can do the same! For the one million-plus followers who turn to Syd and Shea McGee for advice on building a beautiful home and life, Make Life Beautiful is a behind-the-scenes look into how the couple transformed Shea's small room of fabric samples and big dream of becoming a designer into one of the most successful and fastest-growing interior design businesses in the country. Both longtime and new fans will not only gain insight into how the McGees built such a successful company but also be inspired to build an authentic life by applying design principles such as Embrace the process Get to the next level Find balance Elevate the everyday This is an essential book for Entrepreneurs Interior designers Working parents Couples building family and career Self-starters Anyone chasing their dreams

Harvard Law-graduate authors Yussuf Aleem and Jake Slowik built a multi-million dollar law practice before they were 30 years old using a novel strategy of business niche specialization. They have now written the story behind their success so that other attorneys can learn from their methods and grow their own successful practices. Drawing on the authors'? own experiences and lessons with illustrative examples and real-life applications, the book teaches how they used a novel strategy of business niche specialization to quickly grow their law practice amidst a rapidly changing global economy. The book illustrates why business niche specialization worked for the authors, the characteristics of a business niche that make it right for a law practice, and how the authors adopted specific business tactics that aligned with their strategy and maximized their chances for success. Its innovative, tried and true methods have been broken down into applicable steps so that a strategy can be developed and executed in a way that works for the reader and their specific skill set. From new lawyers who are looking to jumpstart their legal career to established attorneys who need to revitalize their practice and boost their marketability, this book presents an opportunity to anyone who is struggling to succeed in the legal marketplace.

Stuck in a job that’s boring you to tears? Slogging away at a business that’s never quite taken off? Still can’t decide what you’d rather do? It’s time to say ‘enough’.

The world has changed. It’s now possible for anyone to make a living from doing the things they love. The only problem is that no one has shown you how. Until now.

Based on life-changing ideas and tools proven with tens of thousands of people over the last decade, F**k Work Let’s Play is your blueprint to create a work-life full of fun, freedom and creativity; something more like play than work.

Packed full of stories from people who turned a passion into a living – or even a multi-million-pound business – you’ll discover 10 secrets to transform your working life, starting today.

There’s no need to suffer unfulfilling work a moment longer. Whether you want to start a business, create your ideal job, or change the world, F**k Work, Let’s Play is your guide to doing what you love and getting paid for it.

Most family business owners and wealth creators share an important vision: perpetuating family and wealth for many generations to come. To ensure wealth continuity, many families put into place various structures, plans, and processes, including estate plans (which may include multiple trusts), ownership succession plans, governance structures/strategies, and others. These sometimes-elaborate plans are aimed at preserving family wealth. In reality, for many families, they don't. In fact, it has been estimated that a majority of estate plans in place fail, largely as a result of family conflict or communication problems. Author David Lansky reveals here that too many one-size-fits-all and elaborate continuity plans fail to take into account the idiosyncratic family factors that can interfere with continuity planning. Lansky details further how building the right foundation will help families implement the best continuity plans. Addressing that foundation effectively includes understanding the building blocks that make it up, assessing their strengths, and developing strategies to improve them. The specific building blocks include:* Learning Capacity * Familyness * Safe Communication Culture * Commitment to Personal Development* Effective Leadership of Change While richly informative, this book is not intended as a training manual, but rather as a starting point for important ideas and conversations. In fact, the goal of this book is to help families consider several related factors that go into a foundation for continuity, and to build more effective continuity plans and strategies based on their assessments.

"Getting the best employees on board and weeding out the worst--without getting slapped with expensive lawsuits--are two of the most crucial and difficult jobs of human resources professionals and general managers. Now there's quick, reliable information on how to do it right. Written by employment expert Paul Falcone, "The Hiring and Firing Question and Answer Book" contains over 100 commonly asked questions ranging from basic to sophisticated, including: * Does my company need an Affirmative Action plan? * Why should I conduct an exit interview? * How do I find the best Web sites for recruiting employees? * How do I protect my company from negligent hiring claims? * How do I terminate a long-term employee with a history of positive performance evaluations? Each question is followed by a short answer and a longer ""Tell Me More"" section, making the book perfect both as a concise overview and as a practical reference." 'Paul Falcone (Valencia, CA) is Director of Human Resources at Platinum Equity in Beverly Hills, and was previously Director of Employment and Development for Paramount Pictures in Hollywood. He is the author of several best-selling books, including: 96 Great Interview Questions to Ask Before You Hire, 2600 Phrases for Effective Performance Reviews, and 101 Sample Write-Ups for Documenting Employee Performance Problems.

Harvard Law-graduate authors Yussuf Aleem and Jake Slowik built a multi-million dollar law practice before they were 30 years old using a novel strategy of business niche specialization. They have now written the story behind their success so that other attorneys can learn from their methods and grow their own successful practices. Drawing on the authors'? own experiences and lessons with illustrative examples and real-life applications, the book teaches how they used a novel strategy of business niche specialization to quickly grow their law practice amidst a rapidly changing global economy. The book illustrates why business niche specialization worked for the authors, the characteristics of a business niche that make it right for a law practice, and how the authors adopted specific business tactics that aligned with their strategy and maximized their chances for success. Its innovative, tried and true methods have been broken down into applicable steps so that a strategy can be developed and executed in a way that works for the reader and their specific skill set. From new lawyers who are looking to jumpstart their legal career to established attorneys who need to revitalize their practice and boost their marketability, this book presents an opportunity to anyone who is struggling to succeed in the legal marketplace.

This book, the fourth volume in the McGill International Entrepreneurship Series, brings together 27 top scholars to explore the structural complexities, evolving relations and dynamic forces that are shaping a new system of multi-polar, multi-level international business relations. It examines entrepreneurial efforts and relations in different national and corporate cultures, each embedded in and also constrained by country-specific socio-economic structures and each vying for consumer attentions in competitive global markets.The new millennium has experienced much rapid change, much of it implicit, intangible and not covered by the headlines of the popular press. The bipolar business system of the 20th century that prioritized the relationship between firms and consumers of developed countries is giving way to an emerging multi-polar and multi-level international system that considers consumers and companies in developing economies as well. In this book, scholars from around the world analyze the nascent architecture and relations in this quickly evolving system. They explore the structural complexities, evolving relations, and dynamic forces that are shaping and re-shaping the new system and examine entrepreneurial efforts and relations that cement its structure. The chapters in this volume portray the operating conditions of firms across 14 emerging country environments and industries ranging from basic foods and information technology to complex business processes. Students and professors of international business, entrepreneurship, marketing and management studies will find this volume an indispensable addition to the literature. Contributors: C.F. Agapito, D. Bek, T. Binns, K. Brydon, W. Coyle, L.-P. Dana, E. Dmitrienko, U. Dornberger, H. Etemad, C. Felzensztein, T. Galkina, F. Ghanatabadi, C. Keen, D. Khanduja, K.K. Leung, R.B. McNaughton, V. Minina, M.N.U. Nabi, E. Nel, J. Olavarria, C. Richardson, A. Shatalov, G. Shirokova, R. Singh, J.A. Sy-Changco, T. Vissak, M. Yamin

How to make change happen in business.

A practical and revealing guide for anyone dealing with transformation, whatever their business or sector. Understand how to deliver digital change at the coalface, alongside the relevant management theory. With case studies detailing the successes and challenges they have overcome, you’ll learn from the experiences from managers, academics and relevant stakeholders in each chapter, including the FT.

'This is exactly the kind of book, and collection of essays that we need.' - From the Foreword by R. Edward Freeman Ideas like corporate social responsibility (CSR) and stakeholder value creation are becoming second nature to businesses across the globe. Addressing the weakness of current CSR research, this Research Handbook provides a unique perspective on small business social responsibility in both the developed and developing world. Bringing together leading international experts, and including a foreword by R. Edward Freeman, this Research Handbook defines and contextualizes CSR in small businesses across the globe. It explores issues surrounding supply chains, responsible finance, and social enterprise, offering both practitioner insights and succinct case studies to go beyond the usual Western perspective and enable a globally relevant understanding of small business social responsibility. This Research Handbook will be an invaluable tool for researchers and educators, as well as for students of business and CSR, social enterprise, development and management. Contributors: A. Al Faruq, C. Ball, M. Beckmann, E. Benjamin, R.K. Blundel, G. Buchenrieder, D. Dore, R.E. Freeman, J.G. Frynas, R. Gapp, M. Gulati, M. Handley-Schachler, B. Hatipoglu, N. Hermes, P. Hind, D. Holt, S. Jeppesen, R. Lensink, D. Littlewood, P. Lund-Thomsen, F. Lyon, E. Maduekwe, A. Meesters, J.N. Muthuri, J. Navare, I. Patsch, M. Punt, S. Sahasranamam, R. Sanwal, A. Schaefer, A. Smit, V. Soundararajan, L.J. Spence, H. Stewart, S. Suresh, A.N. Tran, D. Vazquez-Brust, A.I. Wahga, A. Zeyen

Throughout the book, the authors offer a conceptual framework supported by original case study data to explain how and why a small firm should approach strategic planning, the forces influencing the planning process, and the nexus between innovation and planning. The majority of all businesses throughout the world are small firms, which play a crucial role in the growth of the world's economies. Tim Mazzarol and Sophie Reboud address questions such as: what is the value of planning for small firms, and how should these firms approach strategic planning? This book provides an in-depth analysis of the theory and conceptual frameworks associated with planning and strategy in small firms. It also explores key issues linked with why and how small firms should plan and the benefits they gain. This timely book will be invaluable to academics, postgraduate research students and professional advisors working in the field of small business management and entrepreneurship. Supported by original research and comprehensive key theories, entrepreneurs and practicing managers with an interest in understanding the foundations of planning and strategy will find this book of great importance to them.

In recent years entrepreneurship has become one of the most popular fields of research in management studies. As the subject has broadened, increasing attention has been paid to the behavioural aspects of different practices to identify and pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. This timely book analyses three key strands of contemporary research into entrepreneurial behaviour: intention, education and orientation. It offers novel insights that can be applied to foster entrepreneurial activities in different settings. The chapters in the book are divided into three parts. The contributors first focus on the entrepreneur as an individual and offer three innovative yet complementary approaches to entrepreneurial intentions. They go on to consider how entrepreneurial behaviour can be trained and learned, providing a much-needed theoretical anchor to pedagogical approaches in entrepreneurship. Finally, they cover entrepreneurial behaviour at the organizational level. They expertly tackle the popular topic of entrepreneurial orientation through novel empirical studies with diverse methodologies and multiple levels of analysis. Researchers and advanced students in management and entrepreneurship will benefit from the state-of-the-art analysis and innovative approaches presented. Entrepreneurship educators and policymakers will also find this book to be stimulating reading, where they can find suggestions for an evidence-based practice. Contributors include: R.F. Belchior, A. Benedito de Oliveira Junior, R.C. Bernardes, A. Caetano, S.F. Costa, M.J. de Oliveira, A.J. Frederiks, A. Garofano, G. Hagg, I. Jaen, I. Kozlinska, F. Linan, T. Lynn, R. Lyons, C. Mac an Bhaird, T. Mets, R. Mohd, X. Neumeyer, D. Politis, A. Riviezzo, K. Roigas, S.C. Santos

This fourth volume in the Studies of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in East Asia series focuses on regional and sectoral dimensions in a number of regional economies and economic sectors. The contributors place special emphasis on the importance of SME networking and clustering initiatives and activities. They argue that these initiatives support and nurture the global competitiveness of local SMEs in various economic sectors across the East Asian region. The book goes on to illustrate the increasing recognition that important local, regional and sectoral dimensions of SMEs, activities require their own specific micro policy measures. This is significant as the vitality of many local regional economies depends upon the activities of these local SMEs. The importance and inherent potential of SMEs as small but significant players in national economies and industries is increasingly recognised by policymakers and scholars around the world. Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in East Asia will therefore strongly appeal to both academics and practitioners involved with business and management, Asian studies, industrial organization and entrepreneurship.

Growing your business sustainably and successfully isn't just about systems, visions and values. The secret to a thriving business? It's in the team - the people part.

Learn how to develop a standout, successful business by putting people at the heart. Top-tier business consultant Annie Hyman Pratt knows that the key to a successful business is the team behind it. Most business books on shelves today focus on either the structure part (processes) or the culture part (values). What's missing? The all-important 'people part' - the often hidden, often misunderstood area of a business where team members and team leaders interact and have their greatest impact.

As Annie reveals the power and promise of this missing link, you'll discover:

• the secret of self-leadership - the way you show up as an individual in your work and how to perform effectively in the face of pressure or stress
• the key to effective teamwork - the way team members interact, especially in times of challenge or change
• how these two abilities together create the conditions for a business to perform at its best - and for leaders to have the positive impact they desire
• a wealth of practical tools and techniques for creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, negotiating and more

In a world where the rate of change is increasing exponentially, with burnout and overwhelm at epidemic levels, it's more essential than ever to get this part right.