Small Business Counseling for SW OH, N KY and SE IN

SUGGESTED SMALL BUSINESS BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS*

STARTING UP / SMALL BUSINESS

  How to Start a Business in Ohio How to Start a Business in Ohio is your roadmap to avoid planning, legal and financial pitfalls and direct you through the bureaucratic red tape that often entangles fledgling entrepreneurs.

  The Business Planning Guide by David Bangs was named by Forbes magazine as its "favorite, most useful small business book"! For anyone considering venturing into the unknown waters of starting a business, having a voice of experience at hand can mean the difference between a safe journey and shipwreck.

  The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber dispels the myths surrounding starting your own business and shows how commonplace assumptions can get in the way of running a business.

 The A B C's of SITE SELECTION: How to Pick Winners and Avoid Losers The A B C s of Site Selection by Frank Raeon is about helping you succeed. It provides you with the tools you need to make smart location decisions the kind that will enable you to consistently pick home run locations for your retail or restaurant business. Readers will especially benefi t from learning about the importance of the Six Keys and why using a Site Selection Scorecard is highly recommended opportunities.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP / WEALTH

The Next Millionaires by Paul Z. Pilzer   Paul shows why he is ahead of the crowd in predicting the 4 areas that have the greatest potential for creating wealth for all. A must read for those who are looking to create financial prosperity for themselves and their families.

The New Wellness Revolution: How to Make a Fortune in the Next Trillion Dollar Industry by Paul Z. Pilzer  The New Wellness Revolution shows that even though millions of people have embraced wellness, the need for wellness has actually expanded due to declining health trends, particularly the rising obesity rate in the United States and other developed nations. Medical costs now exceed profits for most large employers, and corporations are beginning to recognize that wellness and disease prevention are the only viable solutions to rising healthcare costs that threaten their very existence.

Unlimited Wealth: The Theory and Practice of Economic Alchemy by Paul Z. Pilzer A fresh alternative to economic theory that is insightful and thought provoking. His take on "economic alchemy" gives specific references to the state of the USA and how it reached the point where it is in the global arena.

Rich Dad Poor Dad  by Robert Kiyosaki This book has changed everything. How we look at money, how we decide to spend and on what. it gives Purpose and goals to work towards - Get out of the Race! It has great ideas on how to think about taxes, and money management in general. I'm already a go-getter, but I lacked some basic the tax and basic accounting knowledge.

Cashflow Quadrant: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom by Robert Kiyosaki The Cash Flow Quadrant takes the excellent thinking in Rich Dad, Poor Dad and builds to another level of detail. This information will increase what you learned in Rich Dad, Poor Dad and help you begin the transformation from a salaried or self-employed person into a business owner and investor.

Think and Grow Rich! by Napoleon Hill This all-time bestseller in the personal success field -- offers a life-altering experience. It teaches thousands of people the practical steps to high achievement and financial independence every year.

MARKETING

  Revolutionary Retailing: The Complete "Wise Guys" Guide to Small Business Management and Marketing by Robert Kramer Bob offers practical and innovative ideas in a easy to read book. His creative use of business formulas is powerful and easy to retain. Highly recommended to anyone starting up a new business or wanting to take their existing business to a new level.

  Guerilla Marketing on the Internet: The Definitive Guide from the Father of Guerilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson This book shows you how to beat the odds by combining the unconventional, take-no-prisoners Guerrilla Marketing approach with today's ultimate marketing weapon-the Internet. Learn how to use the internet Guerrilla style. Level the playing field, and achieve greater online visibility. Boost traffic to your website. Convert visitors into paying clients. Capture and keep your market share, and create multiple income streams-all while saving time and money!

  The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing, and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly (Your Coach in a Box) by David Meerman Scott
The book provides an easy to understand yet comprehensive view of the new online marketplace--a landscape that can appear quite bewildering, even to marketing specialists.

  The Ultimate Marketing Plan: Find Your Hook. Communicate Your Message. Make Your Mark. by Dan S. Kennedy The Ultimate Marketing Plan is all you need to find your unique selling proposition and deliver it to the right prospects. You can benefit from the easy step-by-step system that has already helped more than 5 million business owners! This guide shows you how to put together the most promotable message possible for any product or service including: Getting free advertising, Fueling word-of-mouth, & Communicating effectively

 Crash Course In Marketing David Bangs' Crash Course in Marketing will streamline your efforts. It serves as a complete how-to for beginners, and a succinct refresher those who want to stay on track.

LEADERSHIP

  Leader Effectiveness Training - L.E.T. - Proven Skills for Leading Today's Business Into Tomorrow Participant Workbook by Dr. Thomas Gordon L.E.T. has changed countless corporations and private businesses-including many Fortune 500 companies-with its down-to-earth communication and conflict resolution skills. Now, this indispensable source has been newly revised with updated research and timely case studies. "The skill-building aspect is why L.E.T. training is a high priority for our managers and supervisors.

  The Leadership Challenge, 4th Edition An inspirational and practical handbook, this expanded revision of a bestselling manual originally published in 1987 offers sound advice to corporate leaders and entrepreneurs, to managers and employees and to aspiring leaders in retail, manufacturing, government, community, church and school settings.

  Developing the Leader Within You by John Maxwell examines the differences between leadership styles, outlines principles for inspiring, motivating, and influencing others. These principles can be used in any organization to foster integrity and self-discipline and bring a positive change. This book shows you how to be effective in the highest calling of leadership by understanding the five characteristics that set "leader managers" apart from "run-of-the-mill managers."

  Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins and his team of researchers began their quest by sorting through a list of 1,435 companies, looking for those that made substantial improvements in their performance over time. They finally settled on 11--including Fannie Mae, Gillette, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo--and discovered common traits that challenged many of the conventional notions of corporate success.

  Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin This book is filled with BIG IDEAS that are down-to-earth and fundamentally true. Every page for me was an AHA... I think I already knew that, but not in such clear terms and words. Seth Godin has a way of spelling things out that is concise and to the point. Entertaining and insightful and a MUST READ for anyone with a vision of how our lives can be better and HAS THE COURAGE to do what it takes to create a movement and lead a tribe for positive change.

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher  We're constantly negotiating in our lives, whether it's convincing the kids to do their homework or settling million-dollar lawsuits. For those who need help winning these battles, Roger Fisher has developed a simple and straightforward five-step system for how to behave in negotiations.

  The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell The thrust of the book is that there are three things that can converge to bring about dramatic and perhaps unexpectedly fast changes in our society. These are the context (the situational environment - especially when it's near the balance or 'tipping point'), the idea, and the people involved.

FINANCE

  Accounting and Finance for Your Small Business by Steven Bragg and E. James Burton This book provides tips to maximize your efforts in: Budgeting for operations, Tracking cash flows, Understanding performance measurement systems, Investing in long-term assets and capital budgeting, Conducting analyses, Analyzing key financial information, & Determining insurance requirements.

NETWORKING

  Make Your Contacts Count: Networking Know-how for Business And Career Success by Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon "Networking is now the critical strategy for business development. Professionals and entrepreneurs need to know how to gain visibility and credibility in their target markets, and how to build and maintain relationships for long-term growth."

  Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Kieth Ferrazzi  The author says, "People who instinctively establish a strong network of relationships have always created great businesses." kieth's well-articulated steps for getting access, getting close and staying close make for a substantial leg up. highlights a specific technique or concept, from "Warming the Cold Call" and "Managing the Gatekeeper" to following up, making small talk, "pinging" (or sending "quick, casual" greetings) and defining oneself to the point where one's missives become "the e-mail you always read because of who it's from."

CREATIVITY / INNOVATION

  Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath Blend of case studies and startling research, the Heath brothers lay out the critical elements of a sticky idea. They are-- 1. Simplicity 2. Unexpectedness 3. Concreteness 4. Credibility 5. Emotions 6. Stories

  Jump Start Your Business Brain: The Scientific Way To Make More Money by Doug Hall The author shares data-proven methods that can make sales, marketing, and business development measurably more effective. Mr. Hall has distilled a lifetime of marketing research into this one book with the essentials on what a successful marketing campaign should contain. He does this with a dynamic use of statistics to supports his points and ancedotal evidence from his experiences in the helping businesses.  

CUSTOMER

  Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and Achieve Astounding Results by Jack Mitchell is a great book for entrepreneurs who operate service businesses and, especially, for business owners who operate retail operations.

  Satisfaction: How Every Great Company Listens to the Voice of the Customer by Chris Denove
"If you can find a better book on customer satisfaction, buy it." -- Lee Iacocca
"In Satisfaction, the customer’s experience is broken down into bite-sized, logical components that managers can use to develop practical business strategies. A truly valuable book." -- Ken Blanchard, coauthor, The One Minute Manager

INTERNET AND WEBSITE

Website Owner's Manual by Paul Boag   Many of the people responsible for a website don't have a clue what's required to build one and keep it up and running. The job of planning, launching, and managing a site often falls to people who have little or no experience in web design or development. Website Owner's Manual is for the thousands of marketers, IT managers, project leaders, and business owners who need to put a website in place and keep it running with a minimum of trouble.

HUMAN RESOURCES

  People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflicts by Robert Bolton People Skills is a communication-skills handbook that can help you eliminate these and other communication problems. Author Robert Bolton describes the twelve most common communication barriers, showing how these "roadblocks" damage relationships by increasing defensiveness, aggressiveness, or dependency. He explains how to acquire the ability to listen, assert yourself, resolve conflicts, and work out problems with others.

  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey ON THE TOP 100 BOOKS SOLD BY AMAZON
John Pepper President, Procter and Gamble I've never known any teacher or mentor on improving personal effectiveness to generate such an overwhelmingly positive reaction....This book captures beautifully Stephen's philosophy of principles. I think anyone reading it will quickly understand the enormous reaction I and others have had to Dr. Covey's teachings

  1001 Ways to Reward Employees by Bob Nelson and Ken Blanchard Why is 1001 Ways to Reward Employees, with over 1.4 million copies in print, such an extraordinary bestseller? Because a little over ten years ago Bob Nelson took the seeds of an idea and turned it into something indispensable for business.

ECONOMICS

The World Is Flat 3.0: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas Friedman   Thomas states, "It is now possible for more people than ever to collaborate and compete in real time with more people on more different kinds of work from more different corners of the planet and on a more equal footing than at any previous time in the history of the world."

CAREER /RETIREMENT

  What Color Is Your Parachute? 2010: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard Bolles There is no book that is more vital to job-hunting in this economy than WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? It has been honored and celebrated for nearly 40 years, but in our current global recession, the reason why it is so popular becomes painfully apparent: It works! People buy the book because it really, really works!

  Retire with a Mission: Planning and Purpose for the Second Half of Life by Richard Wendel Retirement is not an ending: It's the beginning of an entirely new phase of life, one that requires new activities, renewed relationships, and, most important, a way to find value and worth without going to work every day. Saving tons of money does not guarantee a happy retirement - you also need to know how you want to live the rest of your life. Writing a mission statement can help you craft an action plan for spending your time and money in the most fulfilling and joyful ways possible.

NON-PROFIT

Winning Grants Step by Step   by Mim Carlson Winning Grants Step by Step is the definitive guide to writing persuasive and successful proposals. In easy-to-understand terms, Mim Carlson leads you through creating a proposal." In addition to an excellent introduction which gives an overview of the proposal writing process, the book includes a special resource section on how to research funders, how to write a letter of intent, and how to evaluate a proposal through the funder's eyes."

  Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High-Impact Nonprofits by Leslie Crutchfield and McLeod Grant The authors make a significant contribution with a Very Big Idea–the shift in focus from building an organization to building a movement. Inspired and inspiring, this book can change the way the world works by changing how leaders think."

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