Contents: Introduction -- Orientation: Small business in America -- How big are you thinking -- The new style of entrepreneur -- Employed vs. Self-employed -- The Path to successful start-up -- Motivation analysis -- The Profit path -- Combining business and family -- Overcoming fear -- What goes wrong with businesses -- Gauging your readiness -- Setting goals -- Start-up checklist -- Getting started: Finding a business that's right for you -- Comparing ways to start -- How to know if you have the right business -- Sources of information -- Business owner interview -- Describing your business -- Start-up checklist -- Planning the business: Introduction to business planning -- Setting up shop -- Selecting a business name and address -- Business structure -- Registering with the government -- Start-up checklist -- Marketing: The key ingredient for success -- Getting started in marketing -- Market research -- Demographics - tracking trends -- Creating a marketing strategy -- The Marketing plan -- The Five P's of marketing -- Finding the right people -- Designing the right product -- Choosing the correct location -- Setting your price -- Pricing calculations -- Promotional planning -- The promotional toolkit -- Sales planning -- Customer service -- Start-up checklist -- Financial planning: Collecting on your promises -- Financial estimates -- Finding money -- Managing money -- How to find an accountant -- Tax planning -- Start-up checklist -- Mastering management: Management - protecting the profit -- Becoming a self-organizer -- Time-saving techniques -- Organizing your office -- Hiring employees -- Finding suppliers -- Protecting now and the future -- Start-up checklist --