Developed by Authenticity Consulting, LLC
How to Start a Business -- Guidelines and Resources for Entrepreneurs
Assembled by Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD; Authenticity Consulting, LLC; Applies to for-profits unless otherwise noted.
Sections of This Topic Include
Should You Really Start a New Business?
Want to Start a New Product or Service,
Rather Than a New Organization?
Want to Expand a Current Organization,
Rather Than Start a New Organization?
Guidelines and Checklists for Starting
Your New Business
Business Incubators
Buying a Business
Buying and Financing a Franchise
Selling a Business
Financing a New Business
Laws and Regulations Regarding Your New
Business
Useful Resources
Also see
Related Library Topics
Also See the Library's Blogs Related to Starting a Business
In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have posts related to Starting a Business. Scan down the blog's page to see various posts. Also see the section "Recent Blog Posts" in the sidebar of the blog or click on "next" near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.
Library's
Business Planning Blog
Library's
Building a Business Blog
Library's
Consulting and Organizational Development Blog
Library's
Leadership Blog
Library's
Strategic Planning Blog
Library's
Supervision Blog
"Should I Really Start a New Business?"
If you're the type of person that conventional wisdom calls
the "entrepreneur", then you might be very eager to
"roll up your sleeves and just get started". However,
conventional wisdom also suggests that most new businesses fail
within the first five years. If you truly want to start a business
that will succeed for the long term, then there really is some
preliminary thinking that you really should do. If you have not
read the following document, then do so now. The following will
help you think about:
- Whether you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur
- What alternatives exist to starting a new business
- If your finances are ready for starting a new business
- Whether there is really a need for your new service/product
- What type of business are you starting?
- What skills and resources do you need?
You don't have to decide these matters in detail at
this time. But you should be aware of them and "plant them
in your head" to think on as you have time.
Entrepreneurs
-- Are You Really Ready to Start a New Organization?
10 Reasons to Start a Business
Why
Businesses Succeed and Fail
Want to Start a New Product or Service, Rather Than a New Organization?
If you already have an organization in which you want to start
a new product or service, then see
Product
Development
Want to Expand a Current Organization, Rather Than Start a New Organization?
If you already have an organization that you want to grow or
expand, then see
Business
Development
Guidelines and Checklists for Starting Your New Business
The following links provide a variety of perspectives on the activities involved in starting a new for-profit business. All links are to rather basic information that you could review in a timely fashion.
Basic Checklists and Considerations to Start Your Planning
Start-Up To Do List
FAQ for
Success in Entrepreneurship and Starting a Small Business
Preparing for a Small Business
30 Do's and 20 Don'ts in Starting a Small Business
What
Kills Startups?
Creating a New Business: The Old Way or the Smart
Way
8 Tips for Entrepreneurs from CEOs Who Have Created
Huge Enterprises
What Are The Key Challenges Faced By Start-Ups
In The Launch Stage?
How
to Pick a Co-Founder
Why You Should Register Your Business Name with
Your State
Common Small Business Startup Mistakes
How
to Start a Small Business | Inc.com's Start-up Guide
Why So Many Startups Fail
Low-Cost Startups and Business Plans
The Business Plan
More Comprehensive Sources of Information to Round Out Your Planning
SBA
- 20 Questions Before Starting a Business
Before
You Start Your Business (also includes well-designed subtopics)
How To Start a Small Business (covers business
ideas, plans, facilities, financing and legal forms)
Starting a Small Business -- 101
Start
a Business FAQ
Starting
a Small Business Steps
Business Incubators
Business incubators are usually facilities that help businesses
share resources as low-cost means to getting started.
What
is business incubation?
Business
Incubator Development Program
Buying a Business
There are certain advantages to buying an already established
business. See
Buying
a For-Profit Business
Buying a Business: The Safer Alternative
Top 10 Mistakes Made When Buying a Business
Questions to Ask When Buying a Business
Buying a Business: What You Need to Know
Process of Buying a Business
Buying a Business: Due Diligence Checklist
The ABCs of Buying a Business
Funds for Buying a Business
Setting up a Buy Sell Agreement
How
to Find a Business Broker
What to Look For in a Seller
How to Negotiate When Buying a Business
Buying and Financing a Franchise
Franchises - Pros and Cons
pros and cons
many articles and other resources from www.franchise.org
many other articles and resources from franchisedirect.com
About Franchising Guide
The Franchise Agreement - 7 Points To Be Crystal
Clear On
Can You Sell a Franchise?
A Fresh Take on a Franchise Start-up
Franchising
Selling a Business
When
You're Ready to Sell the Business
Entrepreneurial Exit Strategies
Financing a New Business
About
Financing for For-Profit Organizations
Financing Your Business Part I
Getting Bank Financing Part II
Obtaining Debt Capital
Obtaining Venture Capital and Growth Capital
Laws and Regulations Regarding Your Business
The laws and regulations that your business must follow depend very much on what state you live, the legal form of your business and the nature of your product or service. Consequently, there is no comprehensive, up-to-date checklist of laws and regulations that you can "walk through". However, the following links will give you a good sense of what laws and regulations to find out more about. To identify the laws and regulations your business will have to follow, contact your state's Attorney General's office.
Law-related topics in the library
As noted above, the laws and regulations that your business
must follow depend very much on what state you live, the legal
form of your business and the nature of your product or service.
Advertising
/ Marketing Laws ("truth in advertising", etc.)
Basic
About U.S. Law
Basics
(basic introduction to the legal system)
Business
Contracts (if you enter into a contract with suppliers, lawyers,
etc.)
Employee
Law (major topics and laws, employee contracts, at-will, noncompete,
etc.)
General
Resources (sites with multiple areas of legal information)
Lawyers
(getting, using, power of attorney, etc.)
Nonprofits
(additional information for nonprofit organizations)
Intellectual
Property (patents, trademarks, copyrights)
Enterprise
Law (starting organizations, legal forms of organizations, etc.)
Telecommunications
Laws
Useful Resources
There are many online resources that provide free materials
and information for entrepreneurs. The following link is to many
other links that will help you get started.
Megalist
of Resources for For-Profits
Basic
Guide to Management and Supervision
Basics
for New Managers and Supervisors to Manage Themselves
Business Start-Up Articles
Franchise
Gator: Thousands of Franchise Opportunities
Franchising
Articles and FAQs
List of documents pertaining to Entrepreneurship
Management
helpful links Starting A Small Business
Starting
a Small Business - BusinessTown Small Business Assistance
Starting a Business Tips and Advice from AllBusiness.com
America's 10 Most Helpful SBDCs
Also see
Supersites
For the Category of Entrepreneurship (For-Profit):
To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may
want to review some related topics, available from the link below.
Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.
Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been
selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
Related Library Topics
Recommended Books
Starting a For-Profit Business
Starting a Nonprofit Organization
Starting a For-Profit Business
The following books are recommended because of their highly practical nature and often because they include a wide range of information about this Library topic. To get more information about each book, just click on the image of the book. Also, a "bubble" of information might be displayed. You can click on the title of the book in that bubble to get more information, too.
Also see
Strategic Planning -- Recommended Books
Business Development -- Recommended books
Financing Your Business -- Recommended Books
Product Development -- Recommended books
Planning and Project Management -- Recommended Books
Starting a New Nonprofit
Strategic Planning -- Recommended Books
Business Development -- Recommended books
Financing Your Business -- Recommended Books
Product Development -- Recommended books
Planning and Project Management -- Recommended Books
Starting a New Nonprofit
The following books are recommended because of their highly practical nature and often because they include a wide range of information about this Library topic. To get more information about each book, just click on the image of the book. Also, a "bubble" of information might be displayed. You can click on the title of the book in that bubble to get more information, too.
