Enhancing the managerial DNA of your small business

While the desire to start a business has long been a pillar of the American dream, the reality is that many entrepreneurs begin their businesses with no business training; and, sadly, many fall victim to barely being able to make the business work (or even business failure) due to a lack of business knowledge and skills. Of course, knowing business basics before starting the business would be the best approach, but what about those business owners who have already begun their ventures? For those wanting to start businesses as well as those who already have, this book will seek to serve as an executive guide that will concisely fill in the gaps in business knowledge that are essential to making a business successful. The book will focus on five key areas that a business owner needs to understand, in order to effectively manage the venture. Those areas are: strategic planning, entrepreneurial finance, entrepreneurial marketing, cash flow management, and cost control. The book will also include brief bonus coverage of important topics such as break-even analysis, legal structures, and intellectual property Most people who start businesses do so with little or no formal education in business or management training and experience. This book has been written expressly for these people, as well as for others with similar backgrounds who aspire to start their own businesses. The aim is to help fill in some critical gaps in managerial knowledge that cause many of the problems that small business owners face as they try to navigate the business world with inadequate knowledge of how to manage a business. With no attempt to compete with conventional small business textbooks or catchy "how to" books on small business management, this book is deliberately focused on five core topics: strategic planning, financing, marketing, managing cash flow, and managing costs. The authors believe these to be the essential building blocks for enhancing the managerial DNA of a small business. Equipped with this enhanced DNA, the small business owner is postured to think about and take actions on behalf of his or her business that will lead to optimal success. In addition, the book incorporates as appendices three topics that are very important to small businesses: break-even analysis, legal business structures, and intellectual property protection Most people who start businesses do so with little or no experience and no formal education in business or management training. If this sounds familiar, this book has been written expressly for you and anyone who aspires to create a business. This book fills some critical gaps in managerial knowledge that cause many of the problems that small business owners face as they try to navigate the business world with inadequate knowledge of how to manage a business. Inside, you will learn five core topics that will make the difference between success and failure: strategic planning, financing, marketing, managing cash flow, and managing costs. This book also incorporates three topics that are very important to small businesses: break-even analysis, legal business structures, and intellectual property protection. Content: 1. Introduction -- 2. Strategic planning -- 3. Financing -- 4. Marketing -- 5. Managing cash flow -- 6. Managing costs -- Appendix A. Break-even analysis -- Appendix B. Legal business structures -- Appendix C. Intellectual property protection -- Notes -- References -- Index.