...OF SMA L L B U S I N E S S BIG BOOK THE Y O U D O N ’ T H AV E T O R U N Y O U R B U S I N E S S B Y T H E S E AT O F Y O U R P A N T S TO M G E GAX with Phil Bolsta Previously published as By the Seat of Your Pants This book is dedicated to my father, Bill, an old soldier who battles every day to overcome a horrendous stroke. He was a model enlightened entrepreneur, a fact that took me years to appreciate. His compassion with his employees and dedication to service inspired me to be a better businessman and a better person. When I was growing up, he liked to say, “Son, the most important word in the English language is ‘empathy.’ ” When I told him I was starting a business, his first words were, “Always treat your employees right.” He learned that appreciation the hard way, losing his father at a young age and countless war buddies in the trenches. But his love for God, country, and his fellow citizens never wavered. This one’s for you, Dad. CONTENTS Foreword by Richard Schulze, Found er and Chair man, Best Buy ix Introduction: Living by the Seat of My Pants: A Jour ney from Clueless to Cashing In xi PART I Setting Up Shop: What Ever y Budding Entrepreneur Needs to Know 1 1. Make Up Your Mind: Uncommon Factors to Consider Before Quitting Your Day Job 2. Research the Market: Analyzing the Data to Determine Your Niche 3. Write the Business Plan: Building Your Blueprint for Success 4. Find Funding: Raising Capital Without Relinquishing...
Words: 130379 - Pages: 522
...Contents Preface Acknowledgments Introduction 1 BRAIN POWER Myth #1 Most People Use Only 10% of Their Brain Power Myth #2 Some People Are Left-Brained, Others Are Right-Brained Myth #3 Extrasensory Perception (ESP) Is a Well-Established Scientific Phenomenon Myth #4 Visual Perceptions Are Accompanied by Tiny Emissions from the Eyes Myth #5 Subliminal Messages Can Persuade People to Purchase Products 2 FROM WOMB TO TOMB Myth #6 Playing Mozart’s Music to Infants Boosts Their Intelligence Myth #7 Adolescence Is Inevitably a Time of Psychological Turmoil Myth #8 Most People Experience a Midlife Crisis in | 8 Their 40s or Early 50s Myth #9 Old Age Is Typically Associated with Increased Dissatisfaction and Senility Myth #10 When Dying, People Pass through a Universal Series of Psychological Stages 3 A REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST Myth #11 Human Memory Works like a Tape Recorder or Video Camera, and Accurate Events We’ve Experienced Myth #12 Hypnosis Is Useful for Retrieving Memories of Forgotten Events Myth #13 Individuals Commonly Repress the Memories of Traumatic Experiences Myth #14 Most People with Amnesia Forget All Details of Their Earlier Lives 4 TEACHING OLD DOGS NEW TRICKS Myth #15 Intelligence (IQ) Tests Are Biased against Certain Groups of People My th #16 If You’re Unsure of Your Answer When Taking a Test, It’s Best to Stick with Your Initial Hunch Myth #17 The Defining Feature of Dyslexia Is Reversing Letters Myth #18 Students Learn Best When Teaching Styles Are Matched to...
Words: 130018 - Pages: 521
