10 Steps to Venture Success: Starting and Succeeding in Your Own Business - Paperback

by William R. Osgood (Author)

Thinking about self-employment? Have an idea for a small business? Need to improve the performance of a business you already own? 10-Steps to Venture Success provides a complete step-by-step working guide to starting and succeeding in business. Through interactive steps, plug-and-play templates and customizable worksheets, you will experience firsthand what it takes to make your dreams a reality. Avoid the pitfalls that limit business success by taking advantage of 40 years of small business development know-how from an award-winning author, scholar and practitioner recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as a small business expert. His "been-there-done-that" translates into your discovering your entrepreneurial aptitude, validating your business idea, creating a business strategy and launching your new venture. This is an action-oriented process. Through a 10-step, results-driven approach you will identify: - What your entrepreneurial strengths are - Who will buy what you sell - How much to charge - Why planning is the key to success - What breakeven is and how to calculate it - Where the revenues come from and when - Who can help you as a no-cost public service - If, when, how much and where external funding needs can be met - What you need to launch your venture - How to monitor progress and maintain control over time Owning your own business can be a key to financial independence. 10-Steps to Venture Success unlocks the door.

Author Biography

Dr. William Osgood is recognized as one of the world's leading experts in entrepreneurial education and small business development. As an award-winning author, scholar and practitioner in the field of entrepreneurship, he has contributed to the success of millions of ventures, written dozens of business management books, launched a number of entrepreneurial ventures and consulted with numerous organizations on issues dealing with venture creation, finance and high growth strategies. His books have been published in multiple languages, distributed internationally, and are used by academic institutions, government, economic development agencies and private consulting firms in fostering and teaching entrepreneurship. As an innovator of entrepreneurial learning systems, he authored the first Business Planning Guide; developed BIC-NET which became the U.S. SBA's national Business Information Center network; and defined a Systems Approach to Venture Initiation, which has been praised in academic journals. His knowledge in effectively driving small business start-up and economic growth has been sought after by leading private sector and government organizations including Microsoft, IBM, The World Bank, Bank of America, Verizon, American Express, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Education and State Economic Development Agencies. Known as Dr. Bill to many, he has taught and guest lectured at numerous colleges and universities including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Babson College, and has been a featured guest in television, radio and social media. The U.S. SBA recognizes Dr. Bill as a small business development expert and named him Small Business Advocate of the Year. His small business development proficiency stems from his early career as manager of urban affairs at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston where he developed a program for providing subsidized business planning and management support to growing small business ventures, authored the New England Business Resource Directory, and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in entrepreneurship. Dr. Bill holds a Doctorate in System Development and Adaptation from Boston University with a concentration in Organizational Behavior, graduating summa cum laude; a Masters in Business Administration from Northeastern University, and a Bachelor of Business Science from Southern New Hampshire University. He is a strong civic leader and a United States Veteran.