Start Your Own Business, Fifth Edition: The Only Start-Up Book You'll Ever Need Paperback – October 1, 2010

I bought this book for a class I was taking, and was absolutely impressed by how comprehensive and easy to read the book was. I’ve read lots of other books on starting your own business, this one by far has been the best.No book will have all the answers or be perfectly specific on your business; however, this book hits all the major points and provides actionable information to help you move the process along to success. Definitely a worthy book to read and reference as you set up, start, or manage your own business.

I read every business book I get my hands on, and this is by far the best source I have come across. It covered all of my initial questions and concerns. I now own 5 successful businesses and I STILL revert back to this book from time to time. Easy to read, to the point, and covers just enough of EVERYTHING! Yes, you may want to pick up some other books when thinking about how to advertise or deal with employee issues, or whatever; but this will get you up on your feet and running. I highly recommend!

I chose the 5 star rating because the book was well written, realistic and easy to follow and understand.This book covers every step from making the decision to become an entrepreneur to understanding sales & marketing and profitability. It addresses areas that are imperative to the success of someone new to being an entrepreneur, and it also serves as a reminder for existing entrepreneurs who want to be better entrepreneurs.I appreciated the step-by-step format used, as well as the clear and concise manner in which it was written. Reading this book gave me the courage and helped me to decide to become an entrepreneur without apprehension or fear.I strongly recommend Start Your Own Business for anyone interested in starting a small business, as well as for someone who wants to improve their existing business.

It's been a little while since I've actually read this book but I remember a great deal from it. The information that is here is wonderful and I'm not knocking what the author wrote.However, I don't feel that this is the only start-up book one would ever need (as the tagline suggests.) It feels like more of a preparation to start looking into the idea of starting your own business. There are things that are missing in depth discussion that really needs to be there to cover all the bases. But on the other hand in order to cover all the information needed for ever individual who read this book you would need thousands of pages. My point is that this is a great jumping off point but expect to do lots of research into some of the aspects it discusses and probably read a few more books more specific to your ideas for a business.Everybody has different ideas for their business. But the one thing that I recommend you do if you are serious about starting a business is get a good book about marketing/branding/advertising. The information covered here is nothing more than an overview of what those words mean, when compared to books devoted to the subject. If you don't have the skills to do these things your business will never make it.To sum it up, it's a good book with lots of general information. If you are considering starting your own business this will give you an idea of what you need to learn about, but does not give all the knowledge there is to be had about starting a business. The only reason for four stars instead of five is the misleading tagline on the book. Otherwise it's five stars.

This is an excellent book. My husband and I are contemplating starting our own business and this book has really helped us to determine if that is the best decision for us. It is very clear and to the point about the positives and negatives of beginning a business and gives great insight into this. I really like the scenarios of successful businesses that were started with people just like us. Thanks for a great book.

Very comprehensive and written by professionals. I highly recommend reading it and then using it as a reference guide as needed. Also, take all of the SBA courses online that are free and they pair extremely well. This book is a little old-school so you could just use one of the new websites that do everything for you, but have this book with you so you have some control and understanding of what you're doing. Very sound fundamentals and examples.

This book is okay... It is full of information if you know nothing about business and is a good beginners book.Barely got halfway through and I couldn't take the basic information overload anymore.I am sure that some people will find it useful, but having worked in the business world for several years it is all just too basic.I suggest the e-myth as a better book for beginning a business.

Great Product. Gave as a gift to my son who is looking into starting his own business. It is a great, easy read, and the book's contents are easy to find, and read, and will be an excellent resource to refer to time and time again. Libraries should have this as one of their reference or resource books for their patrons to check out.