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Table of Contents

Who This Book Is For

About Rhonda Abrams

Introduction

1. Thinking Like an Entrepreneur

Feature: Common Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs

What Inspires You?

Do You Have What It Takes?

Your Chance of Success

Your Entrepreneurial Type

From Employee to Entrepreneur

It’s the Little Things

Feature: Status Symbols for the Self-Employed

Facing Our Fears

Learning Courage

Succeeding in Your First Business

Feature: Keys to a “Training-Wheel Business”

2. Your Business Concept

Your Business Concept

Feature: Discovering Your Business Concept

How Good Is Your Business Idea?

Choosing the Right Business

Follow Your Passion?

Yes, but Is It a Business?

3. Turning Dreams into Reality

Turning Dreams into Reality

Goals versus Tasks

Commit Yourself to the Turn

Feature: Guidelines for Goals

Seizing Opportunities

4. Embracing Change

Things Are About to Change

Feature: Types of Changes Your Company May Face

Is It Time to Throw in the Towel?

Feature: Change Takes Time

Turning Failure into Success

Feature: The Promise of Change

Get Over It!

5. Strategy

Focusing on Your Focus

Feature: Your Mission Statement

Developing Your Strategic Position

Finding Your Niche

Feature: How Do You Find Your Niche?

Paranoia Can Save Your Business

Feature: Steps to Diversify Your Business

Who’s Your Competition?

Checking Out the Competition

Competing with the Big Guys

What Does Winning Mean?

The Art of Setting Prices

Competing on Price Alone

Don’t Nickel & Dime Your Customers

Feature: Rule of Thumb for Extra Charges:

Give It Away to Grow Your Business

Preparing Your Businessto Go On without You

Develop Your Exit Strategy

Feature: A Story about Setting Professional Fees

6. Growth

Feature: Rhonda’s Rules for Growth

Committing to Growth

How Does Your Business Grow?

How Do I Make More Money?

Annual Plan for Success

Feature: Keys to Annual Planning

Feature: One Big New Thing

A Virtual Approach to Growth

Feature: Is It Time for Your Business to Leave Home?

7. Marketing

Finding New Customers

Feature: Marketing Techniques

Best Business Name Ever

Make the Most of Your Business Card

Get the Word Out about Your Business

Telling Customers What to Think about You

How to Manipulate the Media

Deliver Your Message to Your Customers

Advertising That Stays Around

Getting Your Ads Right

Feature: Create a One-Page Sales Sheet

8. The Face of Your Business

Feature: Networking Basics

Develop Your Elevator Pitch

How to Have a Business Lunch

Feature: Do’s and Don’ts for Business Lunches

Powerful Presentations

Getting Comfortable When All Eyes Are on You

Feature: Don’t Get Barbecue Sauce on Your Business Card

Dress for Success in Your Business

What Kind of Website Is Right for Your Business?

Feature: Increasing Website Traffic

Gold by Association

9. Customers and Sales

Who’s Your Customer?

Getting to Know Your Customers

How to Get Your First Customer

Make More from Each Customer

Turn One-Timers into Lifetimers

Sales Are the Heart of Business

Responding to Prospects

Writing Winning Proposals

Landing Big Accounts

Sometimes the Best Word Is “No”

Making Cold Calls

Dealing with Difficult Customers

Getting Rid of Your Best Customers

Encouraging Customer Complaints

Feature: Keys to Successful Sales

10. Leading Your Team

Who Do I Want to Work With?

Going from Doing to Leading

A Field Guide to Advisors

I Get By with a Little Help from My Friends

Feature: Partnership Tips

Feature: Working with Friends

All in the Family?

Getting Ready to Hire Others

Feature: Building a Virtual Staff

Feature: Are Two Better Than One?

Hiring Your First Employee

Learning to Be a Boss

Attracting, Hiring, and Retaining Great Employees

Feature: Who Do You Want on Your Team?

Making the Most of Employees

Getting Employees to Use Initiative

Avoiding BADD Boss Syndrome

Feature: Inexpensive Ways to Reward Employees

11. Money and Financing

Feature: Money Lingo

The Bottom Line of Business

Feature: Money Management Tips

Where Do Numbers Come From?

Finding Money for Your Business

Start-up Money from Banks?

Prepare to Get Your Loan

Show Me the Money?

Using Credit Cards to Finance Your Business

Feature: Tax Tips

Buy or Lease?

Say Charge It!

Do I Need to Collect Sales Tax?

Feature: Sales Tax Information Resource

Spring into Savings

12. Details, Details, Details

Feature: Nine Ways to Ensure Your Company’s Survival

Tips and Tricks for Business Life

Overwhelmed by Too Many Choices

How to Get More Hours in a Day

Would It Kill You to See a Lawyer?

Feature: All Those Little Government Things

Remember the Independent Contractor Deadline

Home Office Issues

Working from a Distance

Preparing for the Unexpected

Go Outside and Play

Feature: Vacation Planning Tips

Feature: Business Lessons from Baseball

Feature: A Dog’s View of Business

Doing Well by Doing Good

Great Faith. Great Doubt. Great Effort

Index

Acknowledgments