Mike Foster - Author: The financial times guide to starting a business
Are you looking to start a business? Build your entrepreneurial mindset?
Helping you from start to finish, this comprehensive, practical and user-friendly book contains everything you need to know about starting a business. As well as assessing and finessing your idea, you’ll learn about marketing, sales, finance, legal structures, and operations. You’ll also discover how to build your entrepreneurial mindset, confidence and avoid common pitfalls.
- Discover a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to starting a business.
- Assess your business ideas, refine them, and develop a solid business plan.
- Understand how marketing, sales, finance, legal structures, and operations work, and what you need to do.
- Learn from success stories, case studies, and frameworks from other entrepreneurs.
- Build your confidence and entrepreneurial mindset and avoid the common pitfalls to save time, money, and frustration.
The Financial Times Guide to Starting a Business is your blueprint for starting a successful business
With case studies and content based on years of conversations and observations, you’ll feel equipped to make your start-up a success.
Table of Contents
A complete, practical guide to help you every step of the way.
Author acknowledgements viii
About the author ix
Introduction x
- How to build your entrepreneurial mindset p1
- Are you ready to start up? p35
- Planning your business p65
- How to understand your numbers p125
- How to market your business p159
- How to boost sales p219
- How to maximise profit and price right p237
- How to build the right team p253
- How to exceed your customers’ expectations p283
- Scaling your start-up for growth p311
- What to do next p333
From shaping your idea to marketing, finance, legal structures, and operations – this book helps you build the mindset, skills and confidence to succeed.
endorsements
“A must-read for anyone starting a business. Mike’s straight-talking approach is refreshing – and so bloody useful. He has so much experience to share…” Nigel Botterill, Founder, Entrepreneurs Circle
“All start-ups need a bit of help as they embark on their entrepreneurial journey. This guide is a great addition to a founder’s support suitcase.” Emma Jones CBE, Founder, Enterprise Nation
“His knowledge is broad, unfailing and generously shared, in fact I’ve found working with him so helpful that I take him with me when I move from job to job! For those of you who can’t access Mike in person then get this book and have a little bit (or quite a lot) of his business wisdom right there on your shelf. It really will prove invaluable as you navigate your start up journey.” Elizabeth J. Cameron – Senior Enterprise Advisor, University of Bristol
“Mike covers all the essential considerations (even the ones entrepreneurs often find dull!) in a way that’s both insightful and thoroughly enjoyable. He presents the reality of starting a business without ever losing the excitement that comes with it.” Andy Pringle, Start Your Own Business (syob.net)
“Mike brings a wealth of experience which means he’s able to look at the bigger picture and ask the right questions of the owner, so that they can clearly understand their strategic direction, as well as the actionable steps they need to undertake to get there. I’ve read thousands of business books, but what makes this Guide so valuable and unique is how Mike balances the importance of you as the Owner and Leader from Mindset, Vision and Purpose, with the practical how-to advice on all aspects of setting up a business from insurance and taxation through to legal considerations and premises. Mike openly shares all his experience and knowledge so that the reader comes away with complete confidence, inspiration and invigoration.” Martin Norbury, Scale Expert & Author of I don’t work Fridays.
Available to buy from
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