The Essential Business Guide
Julie Stanford
Julie Stanford ran a successful design studio for many years, but it had grown organically around her. So when she decided to start another completely different type of business, she found that, despite all her experience, there were many areas she hadn't a clue about - or where to start looking for advice.
Thus was born the idea of the Essential Business Guide. The result is one of the best designed and useful small business resources you could hope to find.
This book is intended to be a starting point - each of the eight sections has one-page introductions to the main issues covering hundreds of topics. They list the essential resources and contacts, plus numerous cross-references. And there are many inspiring case studies to illustrate the realities of small business.
Though this guide would be invaluable to a new start-up, its real strength is to help those a bit further down the line to secure their business and grow it successfully. It's worth every penny. If you are stuck for a present for yourself or any friends running their own business, look no further.
Andrew James
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£20.85
The Essential Business Guide Ltd
ISBN: 0954689011
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Confessions of an Economic Hit Man:
How the US uses globalisation to cheat poor countries out of trillions
By John Perkins
One of the more depressing aspects of the world today is how some politicians cannot see that what is good for them (or their cronies) is not necessarily in the best interests of everyone else.
In the same way, it's frightening how many in America cannot understand that 'world leadership' is not the same as world domination.
A fascinating new book exposes a sinister side to this global economic dominance. John Perkins was for many years a self-confessed 'economic hit man' with a major US consultancy, and he gives a graphic insight into who rules the world economy - and for whom.
Why do countries that can't even afford to feed their poor still build huge projects? And why is the World Bank so keen to lend them money in the first place? Perkins lays bare the reasons for so many strange goings-on in Saudi Arabia, Panama, Colombia, Iraq and elsewhere. And he knows what he is talking about, having been an insider for many years.
'Our role was to build up the American empire - to create situations where as many resources as possible flow into this country, to our corporations, and our government,' he writes.
'My real job was deal-making - justifying huge loans, say $1 billion, to a country like Indonesia or Ecuador. One of the conditions was that 90% of the loan would have to go back to US companies. Those companies, like Halliburton or Bechtel, would then go in to build infrastructure such as ports or highways.
'These would basically serve just a few of the very wealthiest families in those countries. The poor people in those countries would be stuck with this amazing debt that they couldn't possibly repay.' The US would then use this as a lever to gain access to other key economic assets.
As Pulitzer Prize winner Prof. John Mack wrote, 'This is a work of great insight, moral courage and transformational depth. It is one of those unusual books that it is a gripping page-turner and at the same time essential reading for those who want to understand the ruthlessness with which the United States uses economic manipulation and political coercion to extend its power and control over other nations without regard to their true needs.'
Andrew James
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£14.99
Spiro Press
ISBN: 1576753018 |
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Exit Strategy Planning
John Hawkey
There's one thing that almost every entrepreneur wants to know more than anything else - how much their business is worth.
The next most important thing they probably want to know is how to go about selling it when the time comes to realise the fruits of their hard work.
Exit Strategy Planning is an indispensable guide to anyone wanting to either value their business or plan a successful and profitable exit. Written from the owner's point of view, author John Hawkey brings together in one place all the facts you need to know about planning for this key event.
The author emphasises the need to place exit planning on a firm foundation, with taxation planning and business continuity planning providing the basis to ensure a smooth transition that will yield the maximum return. The first three parts of the book, Laying the Foundations, Choosing your Exit Strategy, and Preparing and Implementing your Plans, present a best-practice approach to this complex subject.
The need to plan, often several years in advance, is highlighted, as is the need to make the business 'investor ready' by identifying and removing impediments to sale.
The final part concludes with a step-by- step guide to producing your Master Exit Strategy Plan.
A recent serialisation of parts of this book in Better Business proved highly popular with readers - it may not be cheap, but if you're thinking of selling up, you can't afford to be without it.
Richard Reed
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£55.00
Gower Publishing
ISBN: 0566084988
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Why innovation fails
Carl Franklin
Innovation is the lifeblood of any successful business - or country. Most new businesses probably start up to exploit an innovation - either their own or an external one.
Yet most innovations, maybe 80%, fail. Why? How can you avoid it happening to you?
Why Innovation Fails is a fascinating and instructive study of innovation and why it so often dies. It is not a recipe of how-to-do-it. Instead it explores the many reasons for success and failure and what future innovators can learn.
It analyses the many types of innovation, their contexts and their timescales - some are quick like mp3; some take centuries like sewers; and some still haven't quite made it, like metrication in the US, which led to the loss of the Mars probe. The book is illustrated throughout by case studies, research results and anecdotes, which add immeasurably to its value and excitement.
The British pride themselves as inventors, but also seem to take a perverse pride in seeing other nations reap the benefit, whether it be jet engines or tennis.
We obsess about 'building a better mousetrap' bringing success, whether or not existing mousetraps work, are cheap, and modern houses have fewer mice anyway. We have not understood clearly the difference between invention and innovation - researching, marketing, communicating and selling it successfully.
Time and again it seems the root of failure comes down to 'bad thinking', which leads to other fatal mistakes. So if you are planning any innovation, or investing in one - whether technical, marketing, a service or delivery mechanism - be sure to read this book first. Then you might be among the few winners rather than the 80% who crash and burn.
Andrew James
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£16.99
Spiro Press
ISBN: 1904298087
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Teleworking in the Countryside
Michael Antony Clark
Since the 1970s there has been widespread debate on the impact of communication technologies on the organisation of work and the creation of teleworking.
However, despite the cultural, social and economic implications, much of the debate has been blurred by media hype surrounding what is often misleadingly referred to as 'downshifting'.
This book analyses the scale, nature and experience of teleworking in the countryside. It examines how, and by whom, teleworking is set up, and what policy and social changes are taking place to facilitate it in rural areas.
Its conclusions suggest that teleworking may not yet be the solution to the many rural problems such as unemployment and depopulation, and that new strategies need to be developed to allow teleworking to reach its potential.
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£57.50
Ashgate
ISBN: 0754610616 |
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Kick-Start Your Business 100 Days to a Leaner, Fitter Organisation
Robert Craven
Too much to do, too little time. It is often easy to get caught up in the day-to-day running of a business and its problems, and not allow time to take stock and plan ahead. Every business can benefit from an MOT from time to time.
Robert Craven offers a range of fast, proven techniques to evaluate the position of a business, identify the options and help make decisions for moving forward. The book offers a hands-on approach with case studies, worksheets and practical exercises. Much more than a book, it is a programme helping to pinpoint a company's strengths and weaknesses, assess its potential and lead to a clearer future.
Craven is a mentor and consultant who has helped grow more than 1,000 companies, showing small businesses how to develop and making larger companies more effective. He is a regular contributor to the Independent, and an Associate Fellow at the Warwick Business School.
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£9.99
Virgin Books
ISBN: 0753505320 |
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The 80/20 Principle: The Secret of Achieving More With Less
Richard Koch
80% of results flow from just 20% of causes - this principle applies in almost every aspect of life. So how do you harness it to make your business more productive?
This readable and clear book shows you how to concentrate on that all-important 20%. It illustrates how to analyse your business to find what you should be working on but highlights the danger of why applying the 80/20 rule in a linear way can be dangerous.
Koch's philosophy is all embracing. For instance, he urges you also to look at your own lifestyle and career, from the forming of personal relationships to the use of strategic alliances. He forces you to question everything and by the end of the you'll end up changing the way you think, work and live - for the better.
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£12.99
Nicholas Brealey
ISBN: 1857881680 |
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Bad Company
Richard Milton
Bad Company makes a great read. It analyses the main reasons why supposedly rational, sophisticated organisations seem to dig enormous, disastrous holes for themselves.
These include hubris, paranoia, complacency, contempt for their customers and self-delusion. In the process the book reveals lessons - and opportunities - for us all.
Each chapter is illustrated with glorious examples such as McDonald's bullying attempt to silence critics with a libel suit that led to them admitting they sold junk food; how Coca Cola threw away 100 years of branding by changing its core product; why Shell's misguided attempt to sink the Brent Spar cost them many customers forever and unravelled 30 years of environmental image building; how the government, Civil Service, and MI6 were revealed in the glare of world publicity to be duplicitous and 'economical with the truth' - all for the sake of one old man's pension rights; and why when Intel went into denial about a bug in a new chip, it destroyed its credibility.
There are many more examples of bizarre - even suicidal - behaviour. But why do the foibles of the huge affect small business? The answer is the opportunities they present. Large organisations are now suspect. The bigger the bureaucracy, the more scope for incompetence, scapegoating and buck-passing. Small is beautiful, and there is a distinct trend towards smaller, more flexible organisations and even single individuals, offering specialist services such as marketing, PR, graphic design, and bespoke software. Here, even the largest corporations look for and expect better service than from someone like themselves.
Finally, the book offers a useful checklist to help people avoid dealing with, or investing in, a bad company.
Andrew James
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£10.99
House of Stratus
ISBN: 0755101510
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How to Sell Your Business and Live Happily Ever After
Gary Morley
Selling a business is full of pitfalls for the unwary. Chartered accountant Gary Morley has had extensive experience in advising owners of small and medium-sized enterprises on how to achieve the maximum price for their business. He gives you straightforward, practical advice from how to market it, choosing the best purchaser and dealing with them, to minimising tax.
Just as useful, the book has comprehensive appendices showing samples of typical paperwork including a prospectus, financial projections, a confidentiality agreement, and sale and purchase agreement.
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£12.99
Management Books 2000
ISBN: 1852522739
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Your business: make it work for YOU
Mike Shaw
Many people go into business with a great idea, but with little idea of how business finance works.
This book will show you how to improve your business in a planned and practical way. So instead of working in your business, this book teaches you to work on it, whether by making more money, working less hard or growing it.
It contains many ready-made practical tools to help you diagnose the weakest areas and find solutions.
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£14.99
Kogan Page
ISBN: 0749420618
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The complete guide to selling your business
Paul S Sperry & Beatrice H Mitchell
This book offers commonsense advice based on the authors' experiences in helping many business owners sell. It covers everything from valuing your business, and working with intermediaries, to negotiating and structuring a deal. While the case study at the end is of a big company, there are lessons there for small businesses too. Appendices contain sample documentation and a useful due diligence checklist.
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£22.95
Kogan Page
ISBN: 0749429046
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How to leverage more business from major customers
Chris Steward
Businesses that form symbiotic relationships with others often outstrip their competitors far faster than they would otherwise. This is why strategic alliances are being seen as the way forward for business today. They allow two separate enterprises to combine resources in certain key areas for mutual benefit.
Each can contribute and concentrate on its own special skills or strengths while sharing common expenses. This form of alliance is particularly appropriate for small firms with limited resources and focussed strengths. However, it is vital for a healthy long-term alliance that you start on the right terms with the best partner.
This practical guide shows you how to get beyond ordinary business relationships and use co-operation to achieve better profits. It describes the steps to create long term partnerships, for example, with your most valued customers.
Steward first helps you identify the most promising potential alliances, then he shows you how to establish a relationship based on trust. He covers every aspect of the relationship from setting out a partnership contract and what should go in it, to the pitfalls and how to overcome them.
To bring the theory to life, there are several case studies showing how strategic alliances work in practice. This could be the key to your future growth.
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£55.00
Gower
ISBN: 0566081016
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