Book Description
So you want to own your own business, be your own boss, set your own hours, and make real money. If you’re comfortable with computers and have a marketable idea, service, or product, this guide will help you become an ontrepreneur (online entrepreneur). It covers everything you need to know to set up shop in cyberspace. You’ll find out about using established storefronts as a shortcut (sort of like setting up shop in a huge, established cybermall) or building your own Web site from scratch. You’ll explore:
- Doing research, defining your niche and target market, and putting it together in a practical business plan
- Getting the hardware and software you’ll need to get going
- Creating your own Web site with good organization, useful content, and eye-catching design, including ten must-have features and info on clip art and photos
- Selecting a Web hosting service (with info on free Web site homesteading)
- Setting up for handling business online, including building in security, accepting charge cards, creating shopping carts, and more
- Managing your goods and services, including sourcing goods, handling returns, adding shipping fees, and maintaining inventory
- Taking advantage of successful online business models, including storefronts such as Amazon.com, Yahoo!, CafePress, PayPal, or Microsoft that already have all the tools and systems, plus great traffic
- Running a business on eBay
- Marketing your business and the secrets to search engine success
- Keeping good business records and staying on the right side of the law, including everything from trademarks , copyrights, and licensing to taxes, with info on accounting tools and software
Written by e-biz whiz Greg Holden, Starting an Online Business For Dummies, Fourth Edition has all kinds of case studies of successful cyber businesses, including a woman who sells her own insect repellent, a mapmaker, a housewife who sells sweetener and coffee on eBay, a sculptor and painter, and more. Packed with inspiration and information, it includes:
- Lots of Web sites that will give you good ideas
- A companion Web site that includes an online directory of Internet business resources
- A list of legal and business requirements
Get going, and build a booming business right at home. The only people you’ll have to take orders from are customers, and those are the kind of orders you’ll like!
Customer Reviews:
Buy the latest version.......2007-09-16
This book is useful when you are just starting an online business. Just make sure you buy the latest version so that some information is not outdated by the time you are ready to set up your online business.
Worth it's weight in gold if you're going online!.......2007-08-18
I just got this book last week and I'm not even done with it and have gotten so many 'nuggets' that it has more than paid for itself already! It's well written, easy to understand, organized extremely well for easy reference and full of helpful resources.
The section on 'Keeping it legal' saved me great error already (I was going to buy a domain name that could've infringed on a copyright) and I have found several free web builders online that are 10x's better than what I had been using. There's so much practical information in this book that I no longer feel guilty for buying it new.
This book is zero fluff, tons of examples and free or very reasonable resources, and lots of food for thought. The table of contents is so detailed that it makes for a quick reference (does anyone read a book like this cover to cover?) Greg Holden's writing style is personable and to the point and very easy to understand.
I truly don't understand all the reviews that say this book is no good, not sure what they have been reading, but I have no less than a dozen books of this nature, and this is one of the few that isn't 75% fluff. I'm somewhat of a website newbie, starting about a year ago trying to do my own website. It's alot harder (for me)than I originally thought and have tried no less than 6 different hosting accounts, 4 different online web builders, and 6 different web editing software trials (Expressions, dreamweaver, publisher, coffee cup, page spinner and frontpage). One of the best discoveries in this book was that Firefox offered a FREE...quality...web editor!
This is the 2007 edition, maybe people were referring to the earlier version of the same title. I have gotten way more out of this book than I thought I would. I guess I must be a true "Dummie". It's definitely worth your time checking it out if you are new to the online business world, you can always resell it on Amazon and recover your moola.
this one really is for dummies.......2007-08-05
One of the worst "For Dummies" books I've ever read. Normally, I'd rate for dummies books a 3 or 4.
Not worth it.......2007-04-19
You could do an online search and find more information than this book gives you. I did not enjoy and I returned it. It is broad and never really gives you step by step instrucions on how the webite actually works and how to create it.
very rudimentary, broad overview.......2007-04-14
People who use the internet regularly will not get much out of this book--it's no joke when it says "for dummies". Greg Holden does give a broad overview of the many aspects to starting an online business but even then the information is outdated and at some points, simply not accurate making you wonder where this guy gets his facts.
In an environment that is not only competitive but also changes rapidly it is important that you are equipped with the most up to date information. This book however, still proclaims AOL king and web sites using tables and frame "advanced". Although the book was published in 2006 (and in its 4th revision), it feels more like it belongs to the 90's.
So even if you are new to the internet and need a place to start I recommend you find yourself a different book.
Book Description
Want to pick up extra cash? Explore opening an eBay store? Unload your dusty disco albums or the collection of antlers in the basement? Hey, those poor, dead deer could lead to a rich, lively career. Whether you want to build an eBay business from scratch or just want to make sure you’re up on eBay’s policy changes and taking advantage of new automation tools, this guide will have you selling successfully on eBay faster than you can say, “going…going…”Starting an eBay Business For Dummies 2
nd Edition gets you organized and in virtual business fast with step-by-step guidance on:
- Setting up basic auctions
- Pricing items or setting minimums strategically
- Using the About Me page to begin creating a professional identity
- Finding sources of merchandise (once you exhaust your basement, attic, and relatives)
- Managing your business with online auction management services and software, including a list of 16 popular sites with their prices
- Writing tempting descriptions and taking good photographs of merchandise
- Selecting payment systems (and why shipping C.O.D. is a no-no)
- Handling inventory and keeping records
Written by Marsha Collier, author of eBay For Dummies and eBay Bargain Shopping For Dummies, an eBay PowerSeller, columnist, and teacher at eBay University, this book is packed with time-saving, money-saving tips plus secret eBay hints to help you compete with the pros from the get go. It gives you inside information on:
- eBay motors, real estate, and other unusual areas
- Dutch auctions, reserve price auctions, and private auctions
- Using an eBay fee calculator to check your final value fees
- Shipping and insuring merchandise efficiently and economically
- Printing shipping labels and postage
Complete with a glossary and index, Starting an eBay Business For Dummies 2
nd Edition is just what you need to get started selling on eBay, to graduate from occasional seller to PowerSeller, or to become a genuine eBay entrepreneur like the ten whose success stories are featured in this book!
Customer Reviews:
Very Happy.......2007-07-22
The book was a lifesaver. It was in good condition and came in a timely manner.
eBay Overview.......2007-03-31
Beginners will find many useful tidbits to help them get a sucessful eBay business started. This book is a good starting point.
Useful.......2007-03-10
Some useful information on ebay. Not all ideas work for all items being sold, but gives you ideas.
Very surprised.......2007-02-07
Its a great first and reference book for beginners or if your thinking of selling anything on Ebay.
General Overview for eBay begginers.......2007-01-10
Overall this book was an easy read. The information is marginally useful. I would not say it is the best book on ebay selling, but there are bits of advice that I found useful. What I think lacked attention was the section on getting inventory, there just wasn't enough sources.
However the book does give advice on going legite and all the paper work you need to complete.
It is a good general book for starting, but not the only one you will need to run an eBay business.
Book Description
This book answers all questions about getting started in a home-based medical billing business
Customer Reviews:
Allied Medical Management Services.......2007-10-19
This book is exactly what new medical billing business owners need! I obtained extensive training through medical billing and coding courses, however nothing in those courses touched on all the all-important aspects of running the business like this book, and others by Mr. Coslick. This book is a necessity if you are thinking of starting a business in medical billing. It is thorough, easy to understand and will really help you take that final step to actually start your business!
WORTH THE INVESTMENT.......2007-09-21
I TOOK AN ONLINE MEDICAL BILLING COURSE. WHEN I COMPLETED THE COURSE I WONDERED WHERE I WOULD FIND ALL THE TOOLS NEEDED TO START MY IN-HOME BUSINESS. THIS BOOKS CONTAINS ALL THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO START YOUR OWN MEDICAL BILLING BUSINESS, FROM START TO FINISH. IT IS QUIT RESOURCEFUL AND SHOULD ALWAYS BE KEPT IN ARMS REACH. IF USED CORRECTLY, THE INFORMATION CONTAINED INSIDE THIS BOOK CAN BE USED AS A CHECKLIST IN STARTING UP, AS WELL AS OPERATING YOUR BUSINESS. I FEEL THE AUTHOR WAS QUIT THOROUGH. THERE IS ALSO A LIST OF ASSOCIATION'S THAT WILL BE NEEDED THROUGHOUT YOUR OPERATION.
Plain Language.......2005-09-29
Author does a very good job of approaching this business from a real-life standpoint, as opposed to over-hyping it. This leads to a better understanding of what it will take to be successful.
Setting Up Your Medical Billing Business.......2004-10-06
After completing another home course on Medical Billing and scoring well but feeling desperately alone, I came across Mr. Coslick's book Setting Up Your Medical Billing Business. I found the book to be very practical and so very helpful. After having read his book twice in the same month,I was challenged and ready to go. His book is filled with good old common sense and hard work along with a great sense of humor, a rare find on such a technical subject. I highly recommend it to anyone considering this business and I look forward to reading other books he has written on this subject.
setting up your medical billing business.......2004-03-17
Merlin Coslick's book on Setting Up Your Medical Billing Business is written in a clear, no nonsense, step by step approach to the do's and don'ts of starting your own Electronic Medical Billing business. Everything you need to know to get started is included and delivered to the reader with both humor and an easy to follow format. I've read it three times, refer to it often, always gaining new insite or a jump-start on what I've already learned. It has proven to be a very important business tool to us. I recommend this treasure to all entrepeneurs looking to start a business. Thanks Merl for all the time you have saved me.
Sincerely, KKH&A MEDICAL BILLING SOLUTIONS
Book Description
It's payday on eBay®!
You may have been making some money on the side with eBay®, but if you've done much business at all, you know that it's not always as easy as it seems. Whether you want to be a full- time seller or make money on the side, this book will guide you step-by-step through creating the eBay® business you've dreamed of. It covers the basics of an eBay® business including record keeping, taxes, legal issues, sourcing, promotion, fraud protection, fulfillment, and other details entrepreneurs need to know. It also helps you determine what to sell, how to price it, and the details of working with services like PayPal.
Customer Reviews:
Very satisfied with book and the seller.......2005-10-03
I am pretty satisfied with the book. It was in very good condition and a great buy. The seller was prompt, efficient and did a great job.
Covers all the basics of starting an online ebay business.......2005-05-10
Covers all the basics of starting an online ebay business, from insurance coverage and handling sales tax quirks between states to advertising, promotion, accepting and pursuing payments and more. Those who recall the old ebay auction-only model will find much changed: you can now set up a shop with fixed prices on ebay and Starting An eBay Business covers both stores and auction formats.
Book Description
- Eleven minibooks comprising nearly 800 pages offer would-be online entrepreneurs all the information they need to launch an e-business and succeed in today's marketplace
- Unlike competing guides, this book explains how to redesign a site, retool marketing strategies, and run a nonprofit site as well as offering in-depth coverage of how to secure a site and move from retail to e-tail
- Minibooks cover online business basics, legal and accounting matters, Web site design, operational issues once a business is up and running, Internet security, how to boost sales, taking a brick-and-mortar business online, storefront selling at eBay and elsewhere, fundraising at a nonprofit site, running a niche e-business, and advanced e-commerce techniques and strategies
Customer Reviews:
Even experienced sellers will learn something.......2007-07-08
I have bought and sold stuff online for years and this book still had useful information in it. It gives useful, specific sources for many different categories of eCommerce.
I have paid much more for courses and books from so called marketing experts that didn't have near as much information.
So often you will read or hear that you need to do this or that, but they never tell you the specific places that you can go to get it done.
The many different categories of selling advice would at first make you think that it just glosses over them but once you start to read you see that they are one of the strengths of this book... you just keep finding good advice to tweak and improve your online business.
From web site design and boosting traffic to credit card acceptance to keeping your customers happy or even legal advice for people just starting out, it's hard to name just one part that would be considered the best part of this book. Site security to even the basics of chosing a business name are covered.
It doesn't matter if you are only thinking about starting an online business or if you have various web sites and are an experienced eBay user, there will be something in here that will make you glad you bought it.
Excellent- From Basic info to More Advanced all in One!.......2007-06-18
This book was a real surprise. I fully expected to use it as a resource for new Ebay/Web commerce users that we help teach but found it excelled not only in the basics but in pretty much the whole plan of where you would want to be online in the long run. I am particulary fond of books that discuss legal and accounting set up and this one covers a lot of good info like type of organization, record keeping, copyrights and trademarks, a tax overview etc. A great foundation for the new online business. There is a lot of information regarding web site design, internet security and boosting your sales. Usually many books would leave off in this area but not this one. It has information on taking your retail business online , selling from a storefront and covers some important ideas like affiliate marketing and finding a niche. Whether deciding to operate on Ebay or with your own website this book is jam packed with information. Even as an experienced online user I found myself making notes from many of the sections in the book including those with suggestions on what to do to expand sales, deal with changes and other customer issues. Just as a note this is one huge book. Over 800 pages including the index and for the price a bargain. For Ebayers I would recommend this book and a general Ebay book as a package to buy. If working directly on your own e-commerce site I would recommend this book with with a web 2.0 or social marketing book.
A Great Reference!.......2007-01-12
A wonderful reference to have at your desk. It truly is like having lots of books in 1 - 800+ pages!
Book Description
Turn browsers into buyers, boost traffic, and more
Build your store from scratch, or make the one you have more profitable
His online business has been paying his mortgage for years. Now Rob Snell is sharing his Yahoo! Store secrets for planning, building, and managing an online store that delivers the goods! Here's how to profit from keywords, handle credit-card payments, find out what's hot in other stores, maximize your marketing efforts, and much more.
Discover how to
- Use the Yahoo! Store Editor and Manager
- Plan effective store navigation
- Use better images to sell more products
- Build successful advertising strategies
- Generate more traffic from search engines
Download Description
Turn browsers into buyers, boost traffic, and more Build your store from scratch, or make the one you have more profitable His online business has been paying his mortgage for years. Now Rob Snell is sharing his Yahoo! Store secrets for planning, building, and managing an online store that delivers the goods! Here's how to profit from keywords, handle credit-card payments, find out what's hot in other stores, maximize your marketing efforts, and much more. Discover how to Use the Yahoo! Store Editor and Manager Plan effective store navigation Use better images to sell more products Build successful advertising strategies Generate more traffic from search engines
Customer Reviews:
Disappointment.......2007-10-14
Usually Dummies books are helpful but this one didn't cut it. Not sure if it's the auther or just that Yahoo stores is too complicated. I thought I could avoid hiring a 3500 dollar store designer but this book wasn't detailed enough. It only covers the store editor, the author isn't supportive of designing your store with straight html or another tool. Yahoo's support isn't very helpful either. If you want a website to sell your goods on, Yahoo and this book is not the way to go. Good Luck.
I was so lost 'till I found this book!.......2007-09-18
I have been working with websites since 1994. But when I came to edit my first Yahoo store I thought I had gone back in time. I didn't recognize anything, it all looked foreign and I needed to find help quick. Online proved fruitless so I grabbed my keys and heads to the bookstore for "research".
There were a few books there on Yahoo Selling but I found the Index of "Starting a Yahoo! Business for Dummies" easiest to navigate to exactly what I needed. As I scanned the book though I found more areas in which I could benefit. Much more areas than I had realized I could even do with Yahoo! Stores.
If you are lost with Yahoo Stores you will find all of your answers and more in "Starting a Yahoo! Business for Dummies"!
WONDERFUL!!.......2007-08-07
The book is absoultely the best "How To" for Yahoo Small Business on the market! Very clever and quick witted, Rob Snell is amazing. He not only has mounds of information regarding all aspects Yahoo! Stores, he has also helped me a lot personally in emails!
The book gives ideas, and points out common mistakes that i really needed help fixing. This book has helped sales, customer marketing and so much more.
A definate must-buy for any Yahoo! Stores owner.
a great book for any yahoo business owner.......2007-07-28
This book has been a great help in opening my business i still got a lot to learn, but this book gave me a jump start in my knowledge of the monster that is yahoo business. I love the book and recommend it to any one looking for some help, you will find alot in the book and at rob snell web site.
if you need help buy it
A must have for small business owners!.......2007-07-04
After reading this book, I no longer have to guess how to edit my own store! It breaks things down clearly with examples, and pictures.
Book Description
One of the best-known futures traders explains how to trade for profit in today's global futures marketplace
Look into the bookcase of any successful futures trader, and odds are you’ll find a worn, well-used copy of Mark Powers’s Starting Out In Futures Trading. In this new edition—the best-selling book’s first update since 1993—Powers reflects on the many new forces that are shaping the industry. From new rules and regulations to the emergence of electronic trading and the Internet, Powers’s unquestioned knowledge and experience cover all the key basics in the world of futures trading—and show traders from novice to veteran how to profit in that world.
The perfect starting point for a new trader, and a valuable refresher for anyone, Starting Out In Futures Trading, Sixth Edition, covers:
- How to choose a broker and place an order
- The increased importance of stock indices
- New research, rules, and regulations
Customer Reviews:
Buy the updated version!!.......2001-05-12
It is a well written book, but this edition is plagued with print errors, and mistakes in at least one chart. Don't make the same mistake I did; buy the last edition (I bought mine on the store with very little time ...) Anyway, I guess the last version is corrected and updated. I like the fact that mixes personal experience with academic and corporate studies about the market!
Good Content / Great Value.......1999-07-02
For the price this is a great book to learn and help understand the specifics that make up all the basics in trading commodity-futures. After reading this book, I felt as if I had taken a formal college course on the subject of Futures and understood it much better from various angles now. There's no "hype" in the book, no agendas, no further products or services to buy being pitched to you, just plain vanilla (ok, french vanilla) basics being laid out for you in textbook fashion for you to digest in your own terms. I like that - it's refreshing in a way. It is probably like this because it was really written 20+ years ago (don't worry, it's been revised many times to be modernized - 5th edition, 1993). The book was originally written and printed in "Commodities" magazine as a popular mini-course series (before the magazine changed it's name to the modern "Futures" magazine we know it as today). Even though I knew much of the content from personal experience (the most costly way) or from other readings, my CTA, etc, I did not always understand the "why" behind the rules I was following & how the markets work the way they do from both a technical and fundmental perspective (dynamics). Of the some 28 chapters, I really took interest in almost every one. I can't say that about most of the other trading books I've read. Put it this way... if I could keep only 5 trading books, this would be one of them. You'll likely dump more than that on the commissions for 1 trade - or, worse yet, even more than that on 1 bad trade. ** Beginners, I recommend the following: If your goal is to have deeper pockets from trading - then you must first go deeper in your understanding of futures markets & trading them (i.e. Read the book).
Book Description
Starting Out with Java: From Control Structures through Data Structures is designed to be used in a 2 or 3 semester/quarter sequence for beginning programmers. Tony Gaddis emphasizes problem-solving and program design by teaching the Java programming language through a step-by-step detailed presentation. He introduces procedural programming early and covers control structures and methods before objects. Students are engaged and have plenty of opportunity to practice using programming concepts through practical tools that include end-of-section and chapter exercises, case studies and programming projects.
Customer Reviews:
The best Java textbook. Good for beginners........2007-06-27
If you're new to programming and are considering which book to buy, it is essential to consider that many good books (such as Head First Java, Core Java, Just Java, and The Java Tutorial) are meant for experienced programmers who need insight into Java's more complicated concepts. These aren't textbooks for students. But Tony Gaddis's books are, and this book is no exception; in fact, it is the best Java textbook I have ever bought. This book is loaded with examples, exercises, case studies, and projects. It has everything from loops to linked lists, and it does not neglect GUIs by placing GUI topics to an optional section at the end of the chapter or in the last chapters of the book. This book will also serve you well as a reference book and as preparation for the SCJP certificate. I have also bought Gaddis's Starting Out with C++ From Control Structures through Objects, 5th Edition, and I am quite willing to recommend, sight unseen, any book that Gaddis writes.
Amazon.com
In an era when venture capital for a proposed Net startup is about as forthcoming as a politician caught in a sex scandal, Under the Radar by economist-turned-entrepreneur Arnold Kling offers timely advice on opening a new cyber-business without such big-time outside money. Combining experiences gleaned from his own self-funded Homefair.com (which he eventually sold for $85 million) along with examples of 25 other online enterprises also financed that way, Kling presents a practical how-to that readers with real ideas and realistic expectations could use to build viable Internet concerns, even in less-than-optimal times. Kling says there are still feasible niches for online businesses aiming between the $5 million entry level and the $1 billion minimum that satisfies venture capitalists--the "under the radar" zone of opportunity of his title--and outlines a route similar to those he and his other sources have used to fill them. One core suggestion does away with the traditional, time-consuming, and usually unproductive process of preparing and continually revising an extensive business plan; instead, he details a more effective program of 12 initial steps (developing the proper team, identifying a personal commitment threshold, recognizing operational milestones that will take you to the next level) that "netstrappers" can combine with internal and more modest funding sources to build a business that outlasts the next shakeout. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
Forget everything you've ever read about starting an Internet business. Forget the moon-shot IPO's. Forget Silicon Valley and venture capital. Above all, forget about fundraising. "Fundraising is not for businesses. Fundraising is for charities," warns this tough-minded, eye-opening portrait of successful Internet entrepreneurship.
Under the Radar tells the story of Web companies that bear little resemblance to the cash-burning businesses that were the media darlings before the NASDAQ bubble burst. In this distinctive and timely book, Arnold Kling, an experienced "Netstrapper" who sold his Internet start-up for $85 million, introduces the reader to over two dozen business founders whose stories will inspire and instruct every aspiring and seasoned entrepreneur alike. You will meet Mike Covel, whose Homepharmacy.com earned profits while venture-backed competitors wasted millions of dollars; Michaela Conley, who used her knowledge of the health care promotions field to make hpcareer.net a successful niche employment site; Trevor Cornwell, whose Skyjet.com aggregated the fragmented charter jet industry into a virtual "on-demand" airline. These are some of the "millionaires next door" of the Internet industry. They did not hire public relations firms to concoct front-page stories for the business media. They did not waste time trying to woo venture capitalists, who have their eye on billion-dollar jackpots. Instead, they combined low-cost Internet technology with proven business strategies, and successfully launched grounded and profitable companies.
In Under the Radar, Kling shares with you their success stories. Along the way he provides practical coaching on every important aspect of launching a solid Internet enterprise-from evaluating business ideas to finding the most suitable partners and making the best use of technology. His step-by-step plan will help you to confront the most common challenges that you face and guide you to building solid Internet businesses of lasting value.
Customer Reviews:
Gentlemen, start your businesses!.......2003-04-08
As a business owner, I am quite pleased with the information I was able to extract from this book.
It will not make you rich overnight, but it will explain patiently the unique challenges of starting and operating an Internet-based business.
Not all ideas are VC-worthy and this book describes the basic VC premises.
The case studies are quite in-depth and definitely will help you avoid same mistakes. The author does not shy away from early failures and fatal choices of wrong business partners.
In short, you'll enjoy the book and learn many things. I highly recommend it to any enterpreneur.
Don't buy this book.......2002-03-19
This book should be titled - "I got lucky with a web site in the '90s"
His title suggests that he has insight into how one could use true bootstrap techniques to get a company started. Yet, in one of his ten or fifeteen bullets about how to start a business successfully, he discusses the topic "when to line up funding". How under the radar is that?!
I would have been more impressed to learn that Mr Kling understood and articulated how to start a business using founding customers or how he worked the corporate banking system to gain access to lines of credit. I think Homefair was a great idea, but 99% of most net businesses today can not be started that cheaply. Same goes for the dozens of Web Design Firms he cites as success stories (Most were bought by companies like IXL, USWeb (Which became MarchFirst), Homestore and where all know where these have ended up.
I could continue about the lack of flow or organization in the book itself but I feel the description of lack of useful content is plenty for this review. I was truly disappointed with this book.
Wish I had this when I started my first net business.......2001-11-30
Twenty-five case studies of businesses that started without venture capital on the Internet, how they grew and what sorts of problems they ran into along the way.(Case no. 19 is about MSEN, the ISP I was involved in in 1991-1995, and I was interviewed for the book.) A well-researched book on lots of issues facing the small internet business, made even more relevant by the drying up of venture capital.
Mandatory startup business reading.......2001-11-23
Arnold Kling is right on.
The examples and suggestions provide business guideposts to starting and growing an innovative company on the Internet. Under the radar is that vast space of million and multi-million dollar niches that don't qualify for the VC or IPO. This is the space where we can do well for others, make money, and not get trampled by the elephants. The area that Arnold Kling describes is even riper since the dot com bubble broke.
Buy this book for the chapter about the economics of VC financing alone. It is a clear short demonstration of why VC financing is unsuitable for the majority of startups (and perhaps is a quick way ruin a good thing).
Get some experience without having to live through it all.
I'm biased, but..........2001-11-22
I am one of the featured case studies in "Under the Radar," so you could say I'm biased. That said, I *really* wish this book had been available when I started my first Internet company. It has lots of great "from the trenches" advice, from developing your strategy to recruiting the right people to courting investors to designing your web site to... you get the picture.
The only quibble I have is at the very end, when the author suggests that technology and statistics may open up the investment pool to "Under the Radar" companies by allowing investors to better manage risk (i.e. make investment decision on more than just "gut feel"). That may be so, but his examples -- a computer that can beat the world's best Othello player, automated underwriting of consumer loans -- are less than persuasive because they deal with relatively simple problem sets (winning a game based on probability, making a loan based on a few easily defined credit characteristics). The profile of a successful startup contains many, many hard-to-quantify attributes (including luck) and they are often mutually exclusive. For example, as an investor do you look for a charismatic CEO like Steve Jobs or a reclusive techno-genius like Seymour Cray? The answer is both. I suspect we're a long way away from a reasonably reliable system for predicting startup success. (Witness the stock market, where the majority of professional fund managers fail to outperform the averages even though they have a wealth of data and modeling technologies at their disposal.)
But this is just a quibble, and an irrelevant one at that. The focus of this book is how to start a successful business, not picking winners and losers. Whether you're already on your third Internet business or just thinking about making the leap for the first time, this book is a must read.
Book Description
Starting Out with Visual Basic.NET teaches Visual Basic.NET from the ground up and assumes no prior background in programming.
This book provides an introduction to Visual Basic .NET, using slow-paced discussion to help readers with no previous programming experience master the concepts that lead to success with VB.NET
This book is designed for readers with little or no background in programming.
Books:
- Stop Telling, Start Selling: How to Use Customer-Focused Dialogue to Close Sales
- Student Achievement Through Staff Development (3rd Edition)
- System Identification: Theory for the User (2nd Edition)
- The Big Idea: Focus the Message-multiply the Impact (The Leadership Network Innovation Series)
- The Digital Filmmaking Handbook (Digital Filmmaking Series)
- The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (Oprah's Book Club)
- The Organic Chem Lab Survival Manual: A Student's Guide to Techniques
- The Toyota Product Development System: Integrating People, Process And Technology
- The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- People of the Deer
- Clouds of Witness
- Schaum's Outline of Structural Steel Design
- The Persecution and Trial of Gaston Naessens: The True Story of the Efforts to Suppress an Alternati
- Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them
- Cost Management: Measuring, Monitoring, and Motivating Performance
- A Stained White Radiance
- Rendering in Pen and Ink: The Classic Book on Pen and Ink Techniques for Artists, Illustrators, Arch
- The Cohousing Handbook: Building A Place For Community
- The Mushroom Trail Guide
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
E-Commerce for Dummies
Internet Riches: The Simple Money-making Secrets of Online Millionaires
How to Use the Internet to Advertise, Promote and Market Your Business or Website with Little or No Money
Building a Web Site For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))
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