Shoestring Venture: The Startup Bible

561 Pages·2008·7.438 MB·English

by  Richard Hooker, Steve Monas

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TURBOCHARGE YOl R BUSINESS
THROUGH OUTSOURCING
RICHARD HOOKER STEVE MONAS

Shoestring Venture
The Startup Bible
RICHARD HOOKER
STEVE MONAS
iUniverse, Inc.
New York Bloomington
ShoestringVenture
TheStartupBible
Copyright ®2008bySteveMonas
Allrightsreserved. Nopartofthisbookmaybeusedorreproducedbyanymeans,graphic,
electronic, ormechanical, includingphotocopying, recording, tapingorbyanyinformation
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ISBN: 978-0-595-50651-4(pbk)
ISBN:978-0-595-61597-1 (ebk)
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
iUniverserev. 11/07/2008
Chapter1 • Startup 1
Chapter2 • Finance,Taxes,andBanking 43
Chapter 3 • Hardware andSoftware 77
Chapter4 • BringYourProducttoMarket 177
Chapter5 • BackOffice 231
Chapter6 • InformationTechnology 289
Chapter7 • Web andEcommerce 331
Chapter8 • Promotions: MarketingandSales 431

abouttheauthors xix
anotefromtheauthor Xxi
anoteabout URLs xxiii
anoteaboutpricesquoted %xv
introduction xxvii
thelastword. 481
Chapter 1: Startup .,,, .1
1.1.What'sYourGoal? 3
1.1.1 SCORE: CounselorstoAmericasSmallBusinesses 4 • 1.1.2 The
EntrepreneursReferenceGuidetoSmallBusinessInformation 5
1.2.BusinessStructure 5
1.2.1FindLawforSmallBusiness:Incorporation &LegalStructures 9
1.3.BusinessPlan 10
1.3.1. PaloAlto Software 15 • 1.3.2 SCORE:HowtoDevelopa
BusinessPlan 16 • 1.3.3. StartupNation 17 • 1.3.4. U.S. Small
BusinessAdministration 17 • 1.3.5.EntrepreneurMagazineOnline
BusinessPlan Center 18
vn
viii CONTENTS
1.4.NamingYourBusinessandDesigningYourLogo 19
1.4.1 CreativeMarketingSolutions—BusinessNameandTaglineGen
erator 23 • 1.4.2AllGraphicDesign—Logos 24 • 1.4.3LogoBlog.
org24 • 1.4.4Logoworks 24 • 1.4.5LogoYes 25
1.5.Naming YourWebsite—FindingaDomainName 25
1.5.1WHOIS 27 • 1.5.2DomainNameRegistrars-NetworkSolu
tions, Dotster, GoDaddy 28 • 1.5.3DomainNameBrokersandMar
ketplaces 30 • 1.5.4Web2.0NameGenerator 32
1.6.BusinessLicenses 32
1.7.Incorporate Online 33
1.8.Trademark,Patents,andCopyright 38
1.9.Law,Reference,andSmallBusiness 41
Chapter 2;Finance, Taxes?and Banking ,43
2.1.FinancialStructure 46
2.1.1.SCORE 48 • 2.1.2.Inc.comHow To:Finance&Capital 48
2.1.3.CCHFinancialPlanningToolkit 49
2.2.FinancingYourBusiness 50
2.2.1.BusinessFinance.com 55 • 2.2.2.SecondVenture Corporation
55 • 2.2.3. UniversityofMichiganLibraries:FundingforBusinessand
EconomicDevelopment 56 • 2.2.4. Angel CapitalAssociation 56
2.2.5. NationalAssociation ofSeedand VentureFunds 56 • 2.2.6.
vFinance, Inc. 57 • 2.2.7. FundingMatch.com 57 • 2.2.8. Circle
Lending 57 • 2.2.9.Prosper 58 • 2.2.10. VentureCapitalFinance
Online 58 • 2.2.11. VCFodder.com 59
2.3.Grants 59
2.3.1. CatalogofFederalDomesticAssistance 60 • 2.3.2. Grants,
gov 61 • 2.3.3. TheAmberFoundation: GrantsforWomen-Owned
Businesses 61
2.4.FinancialManagement 61
2.4.1. ManagementHelp.org 65 • 2.4.2. BusinessTown: BasicAc
counting 66 • 2.4.3.AmericanExpressOpenForBusiness:Financial
RatioCalculators 67
CONTENTS IX
2.5.GeneralFinancial,Business,andEconomicInformation 67
2.5.1. Bloomberg 68 • 2.5.2. CNNMoney 68 • 2.5.3. Business
Wee\ 69
2.6. Taxes 69
2.6.1. Tax InformationforBusinesses 71 • 2.6.2. TaxAnalysts 72
2.6.3.EntrepreneurMagazine Online Tax Center 72 • 2.6.4.U.S.
ChamberofCommerceSmallBusinessCenterTaxToolkit 73
2.7.BusinessBanking 73
2.7.1. CitiBan\ 74 • 2.7.2. Ban\ ofAmerica 74 • 2.7.3. Wells
Fargo 75
2.8.Online BillPaymentServices 75
2.8.1.MSNBillPay 75 • 2.8.2.Billeo 76 • 2.8.3.MyCheckFree 76
Chapter 3; Hardware and Software ,... , ,79
3.1.DesktopversusLaptop 81
3.2.The DesktopComputer 81
3.2.1PC World 87 • 3.2.2MacWorld 88
3.3.The LaptopComputer 88
3.3.1PCMag:Laptops:TheEssentialBuyingGuide200793 • 3.3.2
CINet 93 • 3.3.3LaptopMagazine 94
3.4.ProprietarySoftwarevs.OpenSourcevs.Web-Based 94
3.5.OperatingSystem 97
3.5.1. Windows Vista 97 • 3.5.2. OSX 99 • 3.5.3. Linux 100
3.6.Productivity Software 103
3.6.1. MicrosoftOffice2007 104 • 3.6.2iWor\ 106 • 3.6.3Ope-
nOffice 107 • 3.6.4NeoOffice 108 • 3.6.5Scribus: OpenSource
DesktopPublishing 108 • 3.6.6PowerbulletPresenter:FreePresen
tationSoftware 108 • 3.6.7SmartDraw 109 • 3.6.8 Web-based
ProductivitySoftware 109
3.7.GraphicsandImageEditing 114
3.7.1.AdobePhotoshop 116 • 3.7.1.1. ThePhotoshop Guru'sHand-
boo^Photoshop Tutorials 118 • 3.7.2. GIMP 119 • 3.7.2.1 Gro\-
kingtheGIMP 119 • 3.7.3. Web-BasedImageEditors 120