The White Ladder Diaries
Ros Jay
Anyone who has set up and run their own business knows the agonising extremes of pain and joy you encounter along the way.
Of course, no-one ever said it was going to be easy, and when things finally come together, the sheer exhilaration of reaching your final destination makes it all worthwhile.
But that journey - the maddening, exciting, frustrating, adrenaline-fuelled, white-water ride - is what The White Ladder Diaries is all about.
White Ladder Press is a new publishing company, and this is their account of how it was conceived and born.
And for all of us who have been on that journey, it's a fascinating insight into what it's like for someone else to experience.
We can share their highs and lows: the excitement as the idea begins to take hold and develop, the downers when they realize just how hard it is going to be to sell their products.
We can learn, too, from their mistakes - for this is where the book really scores. It's packed full of advice and tips along the way, drawn from the very real issues they had to tackle - from choosing a logo, to building a website and buying a phone system.
And more than that, it's great fun to read - written in diary format, with lots of amusing anecdotes. A must for Christmas.
Richard Reed
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£9.99
White Ladder Press
ISBN: 0954821971
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Start your own home-based business
Nick Daws
If you are still in the throes of setting up your business, this could give you some useful insights into how to go about it.
The book is broken down into two sections. The first gives detailed advice on a range of business basics, from market research to financial forecasting, tax and VAT, while the second part gives detailed examples of a number of different business types.
The second section is particularly useful to someone just starting out on the road of wanting their own business, but unsure of which direction to take. Profiles range from baby-sitting to computer programming, gardening to proof-reading.
Unfortunately some of the information, particularly on the technology side, is a little dated. For instance, in the desktop publishing summary, Daws mentions Aldus Pagemaker software - Adobe took over Aldus five or six years ago. It also recommends PCs over Macs because 'a wider range of software is available for them' - certainly not true in the publishing field, and anyone having to handle a multiplicity of fonts and liaise with printers would be foolish to buy anything other than a Mac.
Some profiles are also perhaps a little simplistic, since clearly in some fields (such as DTP) significant experience would be required before even thinking of setting up shop on your own.
Shortcomings not withstanding, however, there remains a wealth of simple, easy to digest advice which would be invaluable to any business beginner.
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£10.95
Otter Publications
ISBN: 1899053174
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Starting an internet business at home
Jim Green
If you are thinking of starting a new Internet business but don't know quite where to begin, then this book is definitely worth a look.
It's brim-full of ideas for creating business opportunities on the net - everything from offering an online information service to starting an Internet advertising agency.
It also contains valuable advice on subjects such as drawing up a blueprint for your business, setting up and running your own website, and developing a marketing strategy.
Author Jim Green is an experienced Internet entrepreneur, and explains the process in a clear and easily understood way, avoiding the use of jargon but explaining the necessary Internet terminology for the uninitiated.
Don't expect to find highly detailed, thoughtfully argued prose; this is very much a 'how to' book aimed firmly at beginners. But it does exactly what it sets out to accomplish, and is an excellent starting point for anyone looking both for ideas and a basic understanding of how e-commerce works.
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£9.99
Kogan Page
ISBN: 0749434848
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