From Acorns…
How to Build Your Brilliant Business from Scratch
By Caspian Woods
Financial Times / Prentice Hall / Pearson Education
December 2003
ISBN: 0-273-68805-7
160 Pages, Illustrated, 6 ¾" x 9 ½"
$32.50 paper original
"If you're wondering whether to take the plunge, this is a great place to
start. There are other books that cover the same ground, but few that do so
in such an entertaining and inspiring way."
--Sunday Times 8th Feb 2004
"This book is great - I wish it had been around when I started in business
from my van."
--Tom Hunter, who sold his Sports Division business for £290 million.
Discover what every entrepreneur wishes they had known before they started
their business! So, you're starting a business? Or thinking about it? Chances
are you'll be full of ideas, very excited but a little bit daunted. And you'll
certainly have a hundred and one questions about what you should and shouldn't
do. Because this is important and you want to get it right. The good news
is - you're not alone - because thousands of entrepreneurs have been where
you are now. And in this book you can learn from their mistakes and discover
everything they wish they had known before they started out - so you can get
it right first time.
From Acorns is the essential 'how to' guide to starting a business
that doesn't bog you down in complex financial forecasting and the intricacies
of tax law (because we know you've got enough to worry about this week). Instead
it tells you everything you absolutely need to know to get your business off
to a fantastic start - and nothing else. Discover how to tell if you've got
a great business idea, what goes on in the mind of a bank manager, how to
price your product/service, why you need a dragon to look after your cash
flow, how to be a great guerilla marketer, plus hundreds of other tips and
pieces of practical advice that make the difference between success and failure.
From Acorns is the first book to show how simple - and fun - starting a business
can be!
Contents
Do you really want your own business? - the downside - why do it? - the upside
Do I have what it takes? - what is an entrepreneur? - born or made? Some skills
you might need... Where are you going? A simple and effective business plan
Inside the mysterious mind of a bank manager The numbers bit Your income The
dreaded legals Keep planning Guerilla marketing - Your product or service
- Is the price right? - Promoting Your Business - Keep your customers loyal
- Cross selling - The Holy Grail - word of mouth marketing - Direct marketing
Do I need a website? PR Advertising Networking Free marketing Sales - Prepare
Yourself for rejection - 7 essential sales tips Finance - In praise of bootstrapping
- Some bootstrapping techniques - Borrowing - How to get a bank to lend you
money - Cash is King - Getting People to Cough Up Staff - Delegation - How
to get the talent - How to keep it - Leadership When things go wrong...
The tool kit Useful sources of information top Reviews "Whether your planning
to build a business empire, or just fund a better way of life, this book will
be an invaluable companion for you" Tom Abraham, Managing Director, Bank of
Scotland Corporate Banking "A must read for any budding entrepreneur. Just
do it - your country needs you!" John Anderson, CEO, The Entrepreneurial Exchange
The few business guides I've read have focussed largely on the technical details
of the small business. Whilst things like taxation are obviously important
in how to run a business it not a major factor in how to successfully run
one. It is all about the entrepreneur and his skills and this book targets
that area. It is more about wisdom than information although all the relevant
technical stuff is in there. It is written in a style that is bit like discussing
the secrets with the author himself and it contains some relevant and often
very amusing anecdotes/examples to support his advice. If you pick up this
book and only read the first few pages you will have already increased your
knowledge of what it takes to be the next Richard Branson. I have based my
short review on reading the preproduction drafts and on my lifelong friendship
with the author. Having witnessed at first hand his triumphs and failures
I have to say one of his major triumphs is condensing his experiences so successfully
into this book. Basically it shows how simple it is – people are scared by
the complexity. This guide gives you what is essential. It is pithy and concise.
If you are thinking about going it alone it REALLY will make things easier
for you and at this price you can't really go wrong! Customer Review. "If
you’re wondering whether to take the plunge, this is a great place to start.
There are other books that cover the same ground, but few that do so in such
an entertaining and inspiring way." Sunday Times 8th Feb 2004
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