It takes a certain type of person to start a small business. Among other things, you need self-confidence, a flair for innovation, the ability to work alone as well as a knack for managing others. Being your own boss isn't all about polished leather executive chairs and business lunches. It's about long hours, stress, and risk. So it's fortunate that the
Canadian Small Business Kit for Dummies begins with a small-business personality aptitude test. If it shows that you are fit for a life of entrepreneurship, then be prepared for the crash course in how to run a business. You have to know more than the expertise or product you are selling your customers; to be the owner of your own business you have to become an expert in purchasing, marketing, accounting, and many skills you thought you'd left behind in high school.
It’s all in the details, and the Small Business Kit covers all of them, leaving no eventuality to chance. "We bet you can't believe you paid money for some of this advice," the authors tell us at one point. It's true. It is common sense. But there are so many small points to consider when you're running a small business that it's vital to organize and prioritize everything to cut the risk. Each chapter ends with action items to put into your agenda, as in: "Give some thought to your distribution channels" and "Take the first steps towards calculating the break-even cost of your product or service." It's elementary, but it's essential. --Edward Trapunski
