I know the Internet is a go-to place to search for all kinds of info to start and run a small business, but sometimes you just want to have a book you can sit down and read. You want a permanent reference, something that has been vetted and edited and used by plenty of other people. Something with a pedigree, criticisms and endorsements.

Over the years I built my own library of books that I’ve reviewed and used or just read for entertainment and enlightenment.  In this new series of articles called Small Business Library I want to share some of the great titles I’ve come across and that you can use to build your own small business library, covering all aspects of planning, starting, marketing and managing a small or micro business. Let’s get started with finding ideas for starting your business.

Ideas for Your Biz

Here are some books to help you come up with an idea for starting your business based on what you know or like, or what you think others will like. You can rely on tried and true ideas for a start-up or go for something wacky.  The sky’s the limit!

Small Business Ideas: 400 Latest & Greatest Small Business Ideas by Terry Kyle gives you 400 ready-to-go businesses as well as some basic business advice.

IdeaSpotting: How to Find Your Next Great Idea by Sam Harrison is a quick read to help get your creative juices flowing.

What Business Should I Start?: 7 Steps to Discovering the Ideal Business for You by Rhonda Abrams has some of everything: self-analysis tests, a list of 400 business ideas and in depth looks at 23 specific businesses.

Best Home Businesses for People 50+ by Paul and Sarah Edwards is an easy to read look at why to start a home business and what kinds of businesses to consider. It’s not just for the over 50 crowd. It can help anyone looking to supplement income or change their career path by starting their own business.

The Million-Dollar Idea in Everyone: Easy New Ways to Make Money from Your Interests, Insights and Inventions by Mike Collins is geared more for inventors but has ideas for anyone who has an idea and wants to run with it.

Watch for more great titles for your own small business library.

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You can always contact me at MicroBizMadeSimple.

A Great Resource for Starting an Online Business

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I recently came across a wonderful resource for anyone involved with or contemplating starting a small business. It is called MyWifeQuitHerJob.com. The background story is that the site tells the journey of a couple, Steve and Jennifer, who started an online business with the goal of making over $100K in their first year.
Steve and Jennifer [...]

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Hiring Employees: Is There a Better Way?

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Hiring people can be a big pain in the butt. You’ve got to look for people, weed through all the applicants, interview prospects, check references… and then you’re still never quite sure what you are going to get. There has to be a better way!
The Better Way?
Some companies think they have found a short cut, [...]

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Learning to Think Like A Consultant

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One of the easiest businesses to start is to become a consultant. Take special knowledge and expertise that you already have and sell it to others.
Consultants can work in all kinds of fields, serving large customers and small. The potential here is huge. The hitch is that people with subject matter skills don’t always have [...]

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Do’s and Don’ts of Bank Borrowing

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If you are considering getting a bank loan for your small business, especially one through the SBA, you should be aware that these loans come with some strong strings attached that add unexpected risks to business borrowing. For example, business loans are often secured by personal assets, meaning if you default on your business banks [...]

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Sources for Small Business Loans

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One of the most popular searches on the internet is to find small business loans. Unfortunately, the results aren’t all that helpful, mainly because money is just tight when it comes to small and microbusiness lending.
I came across a new article on this subject by Karin Price Mueller at Entrepreneur.com. It doesn’t have any new exciting revelations, [...]

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Eat a Live Frog Every Morning?

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There is common sense to the notion that the tasks  you most dread doing are the ones you should probably be doing first.  We don’t want to do the jobs that are hard and no fun. Nobody likes the jobs they aren’t good at or that scare them, so we avoid them and put them [...]

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Questions You Need to Answer Before Starting a Business

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People are often so anxious to try out their idea for starting a business that they don’t think about what it really will take to fulfill their dream. Before you make the leap, sit down and do a self-assessment. Make a list of the things you love to do. It doesn’t matter what they are [...]

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Early Cash Flow – The Secret to Business Success

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Lots of new businesses fail because the owners don’t take into account how long it takes to start bringing in any money at all, let alone enough dough to keep themselves and their business going. Why does this happen?
The Problem – Too Much Time
New and even experienced business owners often don’t realize that there [...]

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Simple Sales Forecasting – A Useful Tool

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Want to know how your business is doing? Look at your sales. But for them to make any sense you need to have something to compare them to so you can measure how you are doing. That is where a sales forecast comes in.
Making a sales forecast isn’t hard, especially when you understand you don’t [...]

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Problems with Small Business Credit Cards

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Aleksandra Todorova has an interesting article at Entrepreneur.com talking about an unforeseen risk you face when you have a small business credit card.
You’ve probably seen the offers for small business credit cards. They often have attractive rates and terms, and have been a useful way for cash-strapped small businesses to  manage cash flow. But now [...]

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Succeed by Knowing Where to Focus

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Common sense says you can grow our business by looking for new markets and ideas. If you are struggling, then naturally you should look at the things that are going wrong or broken and fix them. Obvious, right?
Not so fast
Not necessarily so. Let’s look at the situation from the other side. What if instead of [...]

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Solving Small Business Problems the Kaizen Way

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Running a business means you constantly run into all kinds of problems, both big and small, serious and time consuming, annoying and costly. The question is how do you tackle them? How do you know which ones to fix, ignore or band-aid over?
Kaizens Can Help
I learned about the power of the kaizen (rhymes with dry [...]

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