From the colonial era to the present day, small businesses have been an integral part of American life. First published in 1991 and now thoroughly updated, this study explores the central but ever-changing role played by small enterprises in the nation's economic, political and cultural development.

Teaches large businesses to use word-of-mouth and reputation-building to gain a loyal customer base in the way small businesses do.

Think big, buy small. Are you looking for an alternative to a career path at a big firm? Does founding your own start-up seem too risky? There is a radical third path open to you: You can buy a small business and run it as CEO. Purchasing a small company offers significant financial rewards—as well as personal and professional fulfillment. Leading a firm means you can be your own boss, put your executive skills to work, fashion a company environment that meets your own needs, and profit directly from your success. But finding the right business to buy and closing the deal isn't always easy. In the HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business, Harvard Business School professors Richard Ruback and Royce Yudkoff help you: Determine if this path is right for you Raise capital for your acquisition Find and evaluate the right prospects Avoid the pitfalls that could derail your search Understand why a "dull" business might be the best investment Negotiate a potential deal with the seller Avoid deals that fall through at the last minute

"Former Civil Servant John Lamerton has run more than 60 small businesses since 2000, making millions of pounds, and thousand of mistakes along the way. This book is a collection of the lessons and successes that have led to him coaching and mentoring hundreds of small business owners, teaching them to think bigger, work less, and design their business around the lifestyle they want."--Back cover.

Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy. They are the biggest job creators and offer a path to the American Dream. But for many, it is difficult to get the capital they need to operate and succeed. In the Great Recession, access to capital for small businesses froze, and in the aftermath, many community banks shuttered their doors and other lenders that had weathered the storm turned to more profitable avenues. For years after the financial crisis, the outlook for many small businesses was bleak. But then a new dawn of financial technology, or “fintech,” emerged. Beginning in 2010, new fintech entrepreneurs recognized the gaps in the small business lending market and revolutionized the customer experience for small business owners. Instead of Xeroxing a pile of paperwork and waiting weeks for an answer, small businesses filled out applications online and heard back within hours, sometimes even minutes. Banks scrambled to catch up. Technology companies like Amazon, PayPal, and Square entered the market, and new possibilities for even more transformative products and services began to appear. In Fintech, Small Business & the American Dream, former U.S. Small Business Administrator and Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School, Karen G. Mills, focuses on the needs of small businesses for capital and how technology will transform the small business lending market. This is a market that has been plagued by frictions: it is hard for a lender to figure out which small businesses are creditworthy, and borrowers often don’t know how much money or what kind of loan they need. New streams of data have the power to illuminate the opaque nature of a small business’s finances, making it easier for them to weather bumpy cash flows and providing more transparency to potential lenders. Mills charts how fintech has changed and will continue to change small business lending, and how financial innovation and wise regulation can restore a path to the American Dream. An ambitious book grappling with the broad significance of small business to the economy, the historical role of credit markets, the dynamics of innovation cycles, and the policy implications for regulation, Fintech, Small Business & the American Dream is relevant to bankers, fintech investors, and regulators; in fact, to anyone who is interested in the future of small business in America.

Innovative graphic identities for small, creative companies. Today, many young people who have studied or trained in creative fields would rather work with their hands or have direct contact with their clients than sit at a desk in a large design office. These creatives are founding their own small companies all over the world--storefronts and other locations with a uniquely individual character that often serve simultaneously as an office, workshop, warehouse, and local meeting point for like-minded people. Whether florists, butchers, or yoga studios, these small businesses need a customized visual identity that can adequately capture and represent their particular dynamic. Introducing: Visual Identities for Small Businesses is a compilation of intelligent corporate designs for small, creative companies. The book Showcases innovative work that captures the imagination with which their founders pursue and communicate their business concepts. The featured examples reflect the full spectrum of today's most important design trends--from minimalism and classic modernism to styles that range from retro and letter-press-nostalgic to playful and surreal. All of the included work makes clear that intriguing visual concepts do not depend on a large budget. It is a testament to the fact that certain limitations can be beneficial to coming up with original and effectively executed creative ideas. The selection of projects in Introducing: Visual Identities for Small Businesses is neither limited to a certain branch of business, nor to particular media. The diverse examples include a small run of pastel-colored stationary for a nursery, the hand-set business cards of a typographer, as well as the shop design and chalk-written price list of a small-town pastry shop. What thematically unites the work in the book is the fresh attitude and the personal, proactive approach of the founders on which it is based.

Begin your small business success today as you transform your business idea into a powerful, functional business plan with Hiduke/Ryan's SMALL BUSINESS: AN ENTREPRENEUR'S BUSINESS PLAN, 9E. This indispensable guide to small business takes a practical action-step approach to help you sharpen your business talents and focus your business ownership dreams. You learn to identify business opportunities, market needs, and target customers as you develop an actual working business plan from the ground up. Timely business tools and ongoing links to the latest small business information available on the Internet keep the information you're using focused on the future. Throughout the book, you gain firsthand glimpses into the challenges and successes that other passionate entrepreneurs face. Whether you plan to build your own business, pursue a franchise, or purchase an existing business, in SMALL BUSINESS: AN ENTREPRENEUR'S BUSINESS PLAN, 9E, you'll find the timely advice, powerful skills, and effective plans you need for success. Make the grade with CourseMate + LivePlan! This interactive website helps you make the most of your study time by accessing everything you need to succeed in one convenient place. This version of CourseMate includes LivePlan from Palo Alto Software; a proven web-based business plan software that allows you to produce a professional-grade business plan through software used by real entrepreneurs. MANAGEMENT CourseMate also provides an interactive eBook, dynamic flashcards, interactive quizzes, videos, games, and more to help you master today's management concepts. Available with InfoTrac Student Collections http://gocengage.com/infotrac. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.