Do you think you have a good idea for a business? A really good idea - something that has never been done before? Do you imagine that, if you could just get that idea of yours off the ground, it would really take off? And you just might become the next Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft, or Michael Dell of Dell Computers or Howard Schultz, the driving force behind Starbucks? If you think you have a really good idea for a business - but you don't have enough money of your own to get it off the ground -and you think you are going to launch it with someone else's money- you are in exactly the same situation that Alan Stransman was in back in the summer of 2004. Before you do anything - read Don't Let Your Dream Business Turn Into A Nightmare - a heartbreaking and hilarious account of one man's pursuit of a dream. Don't let Your Dream Business Turn Into A Nightmare: Second Edition is a rarity - a business book that actually tells you what it is really like to start a business - if you don't have enough money of your own, have no idea how to write a business plan and have no experience running a business. In an era of "Just Do It," this book tells you what not to do - unless you want to see your dream business -and your life - turn into a nightmare.

Alan Stransman has crafted a compelling, poignant and hilarious narrative out of real-life experiences, as he chronicles his adventures and misadventures in the world of dating and relationships. Anyone who has ever fallen in love, suffered a broken heart or endured a disastrous blind date - in short, just about everybody - will find something at which to laugh, cry, smile or cringe in "So, Why Have Your Never Been Married?" A Memoir of Love, Loss and Lunacy.

This guide includes: how to get started; protecting your idea, by understanding the basics of intellectual property rights; commercialise the idea and progress to the start-up phase; set-up your business and understand the basics of the legal, administrative and procedural requirements correctly; and manage and grow your business.

From writing a business plan and financing an idea to choosing the most cost-efficient production method and best-suited sales approach, Creating a Successful Crafts Business provides a sound blueprint for turning a beloved hobby into a lucrative career. Written by two experienced craftspeople who have been through the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of running a crafts business, readers will learn, step by step, how to negotiate with bankers, choose the ideal retail location, promote the business on-line, expand into lucrative new markets, and much more. Filled with the infectious spirit of people who have “been there,” this down-to-earth book will bring fledging craft businesses to new levels of profits and success.

Real-life stories help buyers and sellers navigate the shark-infested waters of real estate transactions. Get the best deal when buying or selling by understanding how the real estate game is played. Get tips on selecting real estate agents, home inspectors and builders. Avoid mistakes and learn important things often missed when choosing a house. Learn about many unseen problems that can lurk unsuspected in any home. Get savvy about repair contractor scams and how to avoid them. Actual court room experiences offer insight into builders of "bad houses". Beginning home inspectors will get valuable information on all aspects of the profession. Practicing inspectors may pick up a few new "tricks of the trade." Real estate professionals can get a better understanding of the home inspection industry from the inspector's perspective. Others will enjoy walking in the shoes of a real life person, in real life situations related in a most interesting and often humorous way.

Come ride along this comical roller-coaster of highs and lows Sean Karen Shawn Dan and Kim and their dysfunctional family. Sean and Karen have been dating for years but theyre like vinegar and oil. Just as Shawna and Calvin have been together building a relationship on false hope and a Web of nothing but deceit. Will these couples get it right? Or will they find love else where. Will Shawnas love and loyalty drive her over the edge and if so will her knight in shining armor be there to catch her. Consumed with school her relationship and the mere fact her mom abandoned her as a child will she ever find that peace and love her heart yurns for? Will Calvins Deep dark secrets ruin her future? Will Karen ever be content with Sean or will she seek adventure else where. Some people are content with the simple things in life while others are on a constant quest for something else yet not finding anything at all. If things dont go right the first time dont give up there is always The Second Time Around.

A must read for anyone thinking about starting a small business or currently in the prelaunch or launching phase or an owner who is struggling with fear, doubt, or unsatisfactory results. A practical, experience-based, how to start, sustain, and survive book in the tough world of small business written in an Ive been there done that style based on successes and failures of the author, not a bunch of theoretical bromides. Learn the keys to increasing your chances of success by first evaluating your risk exposure based on our human nature to be delusional or unreasonably optimistic in our expectations of wealth and success. Chapter 1: Don't be a Sucker and your Entrepreneurial Right Stuff are based on a profile of success-identified characteristics. Both areas represent baselines for potential success or failure. Proprietary questionnaires and optional evaluations for both aspects are provided free of charge. The book then takes you on a fast track of essential management and business tools and proverbs garnered from years of experience, not from books, but from the trenches. For example, planning, research, marketing, sales, budgeting, funding, misplaced pride, needed advisors and professionals, hiring, product fatigue, relaunch signs, and soul preservation. This is followed by the autobiographical journey of the authors business successes and failures with proverbial lessons learned and not learned, spanning decades, sectors, and both domestic and international arenas.

When an unscrupulous stock broker took Peggy Doviak’s mother to the cleaners, Peggy did not just get mad—she changed careers. She became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (TM)—vowing to ensure that what happened to her mother would never happen to anyone else. From the very first day, Peggy committed to putting her clients first through a fiduciary relationship, not realizing then that this was optional and unpopular to many so-called financial advisers. She went on to earn a master’s in finance with an emphasis in financial analysis (she already had a doctorate in education). And now she works with financial literacy organizations, hosts a Knowledge Circle for the Financial Planning Association, writes a column for the Journal of Financial Planning, and hosts the syndicated radio program Ask Peggy (R). Although Peggy can’t keep every consumer safe, she keeps trying.

This book presents in a fun and user-friendly manner an orientation and guide to the lactation consultant profession, as manifested by the Private Practice Lactation Consultant.

Never has advice on making money been so essential! Many of the world’s most successful businesses started during an economic downturn, so don’t let the credit crunch stop you. Make Your First Million shows you how to go it alone and make the money come rolling in! This straight-talking reality-check is one of the UK's bestselling entrepreneurship titles of the last 18 months and in this new edition Martin shows you just how important it still is to follow your dreams - even in tough times. This edition includes a brand new introduction on why entrepreneurship is the right choice, even in the current financial climate. Martin Webb started his first business in the recession of the early 90s and expounds the myths surrounding stating in a recession and outlines the possible benefits and advantages – as well as the cautions. Includes: A look at the personal attributes you’ll need and how to develop them A real understanding of the impact of starting a business on your lifestyle and relationships An outline of the skills and knowledge needed to make your enterprise thrive Information on finance and how to minimise risk A unique Entrepreneur’s Toolkit packed with practical steps to success "The book contains a lot of advice for those with ambitious growth plans in mind." (Growing Business, June 2007) "As a highly readable primer in the art of making a success of a start-up it takes some beating." (Better Business, June 2007)