Running a Good Business Series

Book 2 in the series of stand-alone, hands-on guides to managing the ins and outs and ups and downs of starting and growing a small, micro or one-person business driven by personal values and offering the unique lifestyle of self-employment. This volume focuses on organizational learning and why a Good Business needs to be a "learning organization." Table of Contents The Good Business: Becoming a Learning Organization * I Have Seen The Future And The Future Is You * The Paradigm Shift: A Changing World View * The Need for Transformational Leadership * Democracy, Stewardship, and Followership * Organizational Learning - The Key Disciplines - Personal Mastery - Mental Models - Shared Visioning - Team Learning - Systems Thinking * The Heart Of Good Business Resources - Learning Organizations and Organizational Learning - Other Thought Leaders Responding to the Zeitgeist - Open Books Management - Classics - Early Writings on the Shifting Paradigm About the Author

Introduction to "Good Business." Covers the various aspect of "good" from "a good business to be in" (economically) to "doing well by doing good." Offers statistics to define small businesss and describes the characteristics of small businesses as revealed by Census Bureau and Department of Laboar data. Includes a brief overview of a the entire series of hands-on guides to managing the ins and outs and ups and downs of starting and growing a values-driven small, micro or one-person business offering the unique lifestyle of self-employment. Contents -------- Chapter 1: Do What You Love and Still Pay the Bills - Do Well By Doing Good and Manage As If People Mattered - Entrepreneurship Can Bring Both Security and Freedom - Why "Good?" * Skillful Means * Tradeskill * Market Focus - Why Now? - Too "Good" to be True? Chapter 2: Small is Beautiful - Characteristics of U.S. Businesses * Home-Based Businesses * Self-Financed Businesses * Small Businesses are Innovative * Education Level of Small Business Owners * Age of Small Business Owners * Small Businesses Create Jobs for Women, the Young and Older People * Veterans as Business Owners * Disabled as Business Owners * Owners' Income, Role and Hours Vary - Small Business By the Numbers * What's the "Unemployment Rate" for Small Businesses? * What Does the Immediate Future Hold? Resources About the Authors Backmatter ---------- Why a Series of Books? Why Smashwords? What Should You, The Reader, Do Next? Free to the Pioneers How to Give Us Feedback Why Did We Start This Project In the First Place? Who is This For? - Businesses of All Kinds What Services Are Offered? - Executive Coaching - Workshops - Business Consulting - How Do I Arrange For The Consulting? What Do People Say?

Book 4 in the series of stand-alone, hands-on guides to managing the ins and outs and ups and downs of starting and growing a small, micro or one-person business driven by personal values and offering the unique lifestyle of self-employment. This volume focuses on start-up and legal issues such as: Table of Contents -- Chapter 1 Setting The Stage -Do I have what it takes to start and run my own business? -Do I have the necessary "tradeskills?" -Will My Business Idea Work? -Are there customers? Chapter 2 Getting It Going -The Legal Form Of Your Business And Its Tax Implications. *Choose a Legal Form for Your Business **Sole Proprietorship **Partnership **Corporation (C-Corp and Subchapter S Corp) **Limited Liability Corporation **Relative Merits -Legal Obligations to "The Government." *Comply with zoning restrictions. *Register any name by which you will do business, that isn't your own legal name. *Obtain all necessary city and county licenses and permits. *Register to pay local, state, and federal taxes. -Obligations To The People You Work With. *Open A Business Bank Account. *Set Up A Basic Bookkeeping System (And Plan It For Making Tax Time Efficient). *Choose The Right Location For Your Business. *Buy Appropriate Insurance. *Create A Business Plan. *Hire Good People. Chapter 3 Keeping It Going -Market Widely. -Set the right price. Resources

You can go to the most prestigious business school in the country and you won't find anyone talking about tradeskill. Chanting mantras, practicing visualizations, or taking a workshop won't help you acquire tradeskill. Tradeskill is different from being skilled at a trade. Being a good cook does not mean you will succeed at running a restaurant. When it comes to running a business, everyone thinks they can do it. Few actually even know what "it" is. Being successful at "it" takes tradeskill. This ebook is a stand-alone self-assessment instrument for would be entrepreneurs or existing business owners who would like to determine if they have tradeskill and make a plan to strengthen the tradeskills that are weaker than you'd like them to be. Table of Contents -- - What is Tradeskill? - Do You Have Tradeskill? - What If You Don't Have Tradeskill? - Tradeskills Self-Assessment Form -Resources

Book 5 in a collection of short, hands-on guides to managing the ins and outs and ups and downs of starting and growing a small, micro or one-person business driven by personal values and offering the unique lifestyle of self-employment. In this book, we go over the planning and setting up of your business "cockpit" -- the control center of efficiency and effectiveness for the everyday management of your good business. Table of Contents -- Setting Up Shop Chapter 1: The Choice -- To Work At Home Or Away Chapter 2: Office At Home, With Family -- Special Considerations - Spillover 1. Reducing Noise. 2. Avoiding Interruptions. 3. Providing Adequate Child Care. 4. Maintaining Good Communication. Chapter 3: Office Layout Chapter 4: Rules For Organizing Your Space Chapter 5: Furniture And Fixtures - Lights * Placement * Quality - Chairs - Desks and Working Surfaces - Storage Systems * On The Wall * Knock Down Cubes Resources About the Authors What Should You, The Reader, Do Next?

Step-by-step guidance for launching your own small, micro or one-person business. For those who want to do what they love and still pay the bills. This volume is all about facility and space layout for retail stores, distribution warehouses (wholesalers) and manufacturing setups. Resource section contains long list of books about specific business types and books focused on layout and facility design. Table of Contents Designing Your Space Chapter 1: Facility Layout Design - 4 Elements and 7 Factors Chapter 2. Retail Layout - Product Merchandising - Customer Access - View of the Store - Information and Customer Service - In-Store Traffic Patterns * Rectangular Floor Plan * Diagonal Floor Plan * Cluster Floor Plan * Geometric Floor Plan * Mixed Floor Plan Chapter 3: Wholesaler Layout Chapter 4: Manufacturing Layout - Process versus Product Layout * Product Layout * Process Layout Resources - Design * Retail Design * Wholesale and Manufacturing Facilities Design - Books that Might Contain Facility Design Advice * Retail * Wholesale * Manufacturing About the Author

Book 3 in a collection of stand-alone, hands-on guides to managing the ins and outs and ups and downs of starting and growing a small, micro or one-person business driven by personal values and offering the unique lifestyle of self-employment. This volume focuses on values: clarifying personal values and exploring a values-focused approach to business management. Includes 23 different exercises. Table of Contents --- Becoming Values-Focused Opening Up to Possibility Overcoming Initial Challenges - Cultivating Relaxation - Setting the Intent - Disidentifying from Obstacles to Awareness Self Assessment - Looking at Life Right Now - Assessing Your Current Attitude - Looking at Your Own Rules of Life Overcoming Inner Obstacles - Fear and Anxiety - Looking Resistance in the Eye - Overcoming Negative Self-Talk - Overcoming Low Self Esteem - Strengthening Your Feelings of Confidence - Reprogramming the Human Biocomputer Clarifying Personal Values - Clarifying Your Vision of Life - The Five Steps to Becoming More Values-Focused 1. Open Up To Limitless Visioning 2. Practice Active Imagination - Three Questions: Active Imagination in Practice 3. Write Your Own Creative Eulogy 4. Create Your Personal Statement of Purpose 5. Determine Your Personal Goals - The Twelve Steps To Accomplishing Personal Goals Making Your Management Style True To Your Values Food For Thought - Twentieth Century Management - Twenty-First Century, Values-Focused Management - Leadership Skills Of Values-Focused Managers - Tradeskills That Characterize Values-Focused Managers - Working With Power Resources Exercises (23 in all) --- Creating a Container for the Work Setting the Intent Disidentifying from Obstacles of Awareness Opening Up to Possibility Creating a General Guide for Future Work Assessing Your Current Attitude Making a Deeper Assessment of Your Attitude Looking a Life's Rules Overcoming Negative Self-Talk The Acknowledgements List Building Confidence Through Physical and Emotional Action Building Confidence Through Rational Action Positive Affirmations 5 Questions to Clarify Your Personal Vision of Life The Three Questions Write Your Own Creative Eulogy Write a Statement of Personal Purpose What are the three most important goals in your life right now? 20th Versus 21st Century Management Leadership Skills and Tradeskills Kinds of Power Basic Good Business Values Right Livelihood: Do You Have It? About the Author

One in a collection of short, hands-on guides to managing the ins and outs and ups and downs of starting and growing a small, micro or one-person business driven by personal values and offering the unique lifestyle of self-employment. This volume offers a detailed process and specific criteria for choosing appropriate technology to make your office hum. Table of Contents for this Volume Chapter 1: When is Technology Right for Your Business? Chapter 2: Equipping the Low-Tech Office - Typewriters * Features * Costs - Phone Answering Machines * Key Features * Optional Features * Cost Chapter 3: Equipping a Higher Tech Office - How Much Of My Income Should I Spend On New Technology? - How to Choose - All-In-One Printers * Will it reduce my expenses? * Will it increase my income? * Will it save time or increase my output? * Is this a new technology, or has it been around a while? * How much will supplies and maintenance cost? * How long will it take me to learn to use it? * Will I have to continue to use the old manual system too? * What about additional costs? * What is the real life of the equipment? * So, should I buy an all-in-one printer? - Computers * Decide what you want to do. * Find the software that does that. * Buy the hardware it runs on. Chapter 5: Evaluating Your Computer Choices - Will it reduce my expenses? - Will it increase my income? - Will it save time or increase my output? - Is this a new technology, or has it been around a while? - How much will supplies and maintenance cost? - How long will it take me to learn to use it? - Will I have to continue to use the old manual system too? - What will be the additional costs? - What is the real life of the equipment? - Printers are another matter. - So, should I buy a computer? - Guidelines for buying a Computer Resources - Software - Feedback Loop Software - Time Saving Office Equipment About the Authors