An expert suggest four books which provide tips and ideas to help your business
Q. I find the Mentor column interesting, but you have focused on business training and short courses when replying to questions on education for business owners. I'm in start-up mode, so it is difficult to get away
from the business during working hours. What books would you recommend to small business owners wanting to start working on their business, not in it?
A. Sarah Trotman, small business expert, replies:
Books are a great way to get inexpensive and easy access to tips and ideas. As they say, leaders are readers. There are plenty of good business books available. Here are four to help you build your small business skills.
* Small Business Survival Tactics ($29.95) by Glen Senior and Ian McBride.
I like business books that are practical and reader-friendly. Books you can consult quickly about some problem or challenge you face in your business. This book is excellent value for money on that score. It deals with such business management issues as accounting, staff, motivation, legal issues, business advisers, success tactics, how to avoid the main pitfalls of being in business and much more.
* Marketing Your Small Business in New Zealand ($29.95) by Glen Senior and Ian McBride.
This companion to my first suggestion is just as practical and down-to-earth. It offers hundreds of marketing tips and ways to make a business more profitable. When stuck for ideas, dip into it to quickly discover a great idea applicable to your business.
The material in both books reflects the authors' experience. Glen Senior is one of New Zealand's leading small-business experts and his The Small Business Company, helps organise around 400 workshops a year under Industry New Zealand's BIZ scheme. It also provides one of the best small-business websites tsbc
* The Small Business Book ($39.99) by Leith Oliver and John English.
This is a reference book for people running a business. It has more of a textbook style than the first two books, but it is comprehensive and contains many useful tips for improving a business.
* A Smarter Home Business ($29.95) by Tina Johnstone and Catherine Whitaker-Hynd.
If you're one of the growing band of small- business people working from home (the 2001 census shows 166,731 people doing so), this recently published book has much helpful information to help you cope with the special challenges of a home-based business.
Finally, if you do get time for out-of-office training I recommend The Business Club, an HP, Telecom and Microsoft initiative for small business. It is a free, inspirational forum designed to assist business growth.
The Business Club is available in 12 centres nationwide, and visits Auckland on June 26. There you will be able to pick up some worthwhile, free publications printed by Industry New Zealand, that will help you expand your business.
* Email sarah.trotman@spring.co.nz
* Email us your small business question
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<I>Business mentor:</I> Turning to books to master small-business skills
An expert suggest four books which provide tips and ideas to help your business
Q. I find the Mentor column interesting, but you have focused on business training and short courses when replying to questions on education for business owners. I'm in start-up mode, so it is difficult to get away
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