Starting a Business All-in-One For Dummies

Paul Tiffany, PhD, is a professor at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, where he teaches courses on public policy and management. He is an expert in business strategy and management. Prior to beginning his career in academia, Tiffany worked as a business consultant and continues to lead his own consulting agency. Eric Tyson, MBA, has been a personal finance writer, lecturer, and counselor for the past 25+ years. He is the author or coauthor of numerous For Dummies bestsellers on personal finance, investing, and home buying.

• Introduction 1Book 1: Moving from Idea to Reality 5Chapter 1: Your Business in Context 7Chapter 2: Refining and Defining Your Business Idea 31Chapter 3: Creating a Business Model 51Chapter 4: Finding Your Target Market 69Chapter 5: Considering a Franchise 87Book 2: Planning for Your Business 111Chapter 1: Writing a Business Plan 113Chapter 2: Finding the Funding 129Chapter 3: Setting Your Franchise’s Wheels in Motion 145Chapter 4: Starting a Home-Based Business 177Chapter 5: Creating an Online Presence for Your Business 205Chapter 6: Starting with the Right Legal Structure 225Book 3: Handling Your Finances 243Chapter 1: Setting Up the Books 245Chapter 2: Reporting Profit or Loss in the Income Statement 273Chapter 3: Reporting Financial Condition in the Balance Sheet 297Chapter 4: Reporting Cash Sources and Uses in the Statement of Cash Flows 321Chapter 5: Controlling Costs and Budgeting 343Chapter 6: Satisfying the Tax Man 379Book 4: Managing Your Business 397Chapter 1: Tackling the Hiring Process 399Chapter 2: Setting Goals 419Chapter 3: Embracing Corporate Social Responsibility 433Chapter 4: Managing with Technology 443Chapter 5: Delegating to Get Things Done 455Book 5: Marketing and Promotion 469Chapter 1: Creating Value for Your Customer. 471Chapter 2: Building a Winning Marketing Plan 489Chapter 3: Content Marketing and Marketing Content 525Chapter 4: Creative That Engages the Mind 547Chapter 5: Boosting Sales to Achieve Your Growth Targets 575Chapter 6: Optimizing Digital and Social Tools and Tactics 593Book 6: Staying in Business 619Chapter 1: Developing Employees through Coaching and Mentoring 621Chapter 2: Enhancing Customer Service 637Chapter 3: Cultivating a Growing Business 653Chapter 4: Generating Opportunities with AI, ChatGPT, and More 677Index 691