200 | HOW TO WRITE A BUSINESS PLAN
• The Guerrilla Marketing Handbook, by
Jay Conrad Levinson and Seth Godin
(Houghton Mifflin). The original guide
to guerrilla marketing, since followed
by several spin-offs.
• The Elements of Copywriting: The
Essential Guide to Creating Copy That
Gets the Results You Want, by Gary
Blake and Robert W. Bly (Longman).
This text can help you create effective
ad copy.
• Write Great Ads, by Erica Levy Klein
(Wiley). If you must advertise, read this
book before you write the copy.Personnel
If you need to hire anyone, you may want
to glance through:
• Smart Hiring: The Complete Guide to
Finding and Hiring the Best Employees,
by Robert W. Wendover (Sourcebooks).
Essential reading if you can’t afford an
HR consultant.
• Smart Staffing: How to Hire, Reward
and Keep Top Employees for Your
Growing Company, by Wayne Outlaw
(Dearborn Trade, a Kaplan Professional
Company). Essential reading if you can’t
afford an HR consultant.
• The Employer’s Legal Handbook, by
Fred S. Steingold (Nolo). Steingold
shows you how to comply with
the most recent workplace laws
and regulations, run a safe and fair
workplace, and avoid lawsuits.
• The Fast Forward MBA in Hiring:
Finding and Keeping the Best People,
by Max Messmer (Wiley). Your people
can make or break you—here’s how to
get good ones.Business Location
Running a business out of a home has its
own special issues. You’ll be interested in:
• Working from Home: Everything
You Need to Know About Living and
Working Under the Same Roof, by Paul
Edwards and Sarah Edwards (Jeremy P.
Tarcher). Step-by-step guide to setting
up a business at home.
If you’ll be looking for business space
outside your home, see:
• Negotiate the Best Lease for Your
Business, by Fred S. Steingold and
Janet Portman (Nolo). This practical
handbook explains how to analyze
your space needs, find the ideal
location at the right price, and nego-
tiate a lease that will protect your
short- and long-term business interests.Corporations, Partnerships,
and Legal Matters
As I discussed in Chapter 4, you may want
to organize your business as a partnership,
limited partnership, or closely held corpo-
ration. The following materials will prove
helpful.