智慧女人与小企业 Smart Women and Small Business

Are you one of the many women out there who needs a brand-new model for your business career? Are you looking for entrepreneurial alternatives to the world of big business, but aren’t sure where to start? A transition into small business is a natural progression for countless women who have invested the first phase of their careers in large companies. Many mid-career women dream of starting their own businesses, but until now there hasn’t been a book that gives them the sense of multiple choice that helps them find the right entrepreneurial fit—options that go beyond starting a venture to include buying an independent business or a franchise, joining or consulting for small businesses, or working with partners.
There’s a confusing array of how-to books out there with general advice about starting a business, conducting a job search, or balancing work and family. But what entrepreneurial women really need are the strategic tools for choosing and growing a business that will not only make them money, but make them happy as well. Women need direct, gender-specific advice about succeeding financially in their businesses; they also crave the feeling that their work matters, and they want flexibility and control over their professional lives in order to achieve a healthy work-life balance. This book offers them the womenfriendly business advice they need and numerous true-life role models to identify with and emulate.
Author Ginny Wilmerding opens women’s eyes to the advantages of buying, joining, or consulting for existing small businesses, fully explaining the alternatives to starting from scratch. If you lack an original business idea, this book will give you the confidence you need to get excited about pursuing a business idea other than your own. But if you do want to start a company from the ground up, there’s plenty of food for thought for you here, too. Wilmerding not only shares her own stories and outside experts’ advice but also includes insightful vignettes from women who have found their niches and are succeeding financially.
If you’re wondering how to finance your small business, Wilmerding steers you toward success in obtaining SBA loans and other financing. Finally, if you’re considering partnering with others to share the risk and the fun, she prepares you for partnership success, and explains the importance of good advisers and mentors.
The goal of this book is to get you started on the path to a successful career in the small business world, a world that needs experienced, smart, versatile women like you to join its ranks. Smart Women and Small Business is the ultimate professional guide for mid-career, business-minded women who want to achieve the same independence and success as their entrepreneurial male peers—but in their own way.

作者简介：
Ginny Wilmerding is a small business consultant and former small business owner. She has held Senior executive and management positions in high-tech start-ups, low-tech small companies, and large corporations. She has negotiated the purchase of small businesses and worked as a professional author of business plans, private equity placement memorandums, and business cases. She is a former research associate at Harvard Business School.

Ginny Wilmerding is a small business consultant and former small business owner. She has held Senior executive and management positions in high–tech start–ups, low–tech small companies, and large corporations. She has negotiated the purchase of small businesses and worked as a professional author of business plans, private equity placement memorandums, and business cases. She is a former research associate at Harvard Business School.

Review Praise for Smart Women and Small Business

"Smart Women and Small Business is filled with new thinking, ideas, and inspiration for any woman who dreams about becoming a small business owner. A must-read for women looking for life options that include economic success while balancing family obligations. This thought-provoking book provides a wealth of information to kick start any entrepreneur into owning a small business without having to start from scratch."—Betsy Myers, former director, Office of Women's Business Ownership, U.S. Small Business Administration and Executive Director, Center for Public Leadership, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

"This is a remarkably useful book. The advice and information offered in Smart Women and Small Business shows women the avenues and venues where their entrepreneurial aspirations can flourish. Wilmerding is particularly adept at blending action plans with stories and resources, giving the reader a clear picture of the journey ahead as the owner and proprietor of a successful small business."—Sylvia Ann Hewlett, economist, author, and President, Center for Work-Life Policy

"Smart Women and Small Business is a wonderful guidepost for any woman seeking an entrepreneurial career. The book's no-nonsense approach, from a female perspective, provides practical wisdom to successfully navigate the adventures and pitfalls of building your own business."—Mellody Hobson, President, Ariel Capital Management, LLC and regular financial contributor for Good Morning America

"Wilmerding has filled a major void in the literature of entrepreneurship by demonstrating the significant opportunities offered by acquiring an existing business instead of starting from scratch. Smart Women and Small Business is chock-full of essential resources and sound guidance for smart choices, and leavened with personal stories. It's both inspirational and practical. I recommend it highly."—Beth Polish, founding CFO of iVillage, Inc., author of the DROOM (Don't Run Out of Money) Primer series

"I really had expected to read the same old trite stuff about how to buy a business. Your new book is not only right to the point, full of solid, usable information - but fun to read. I recommend it (and will) to any person (not just women) looking to go into business for themselves. It is down-to-earth, nitty-gritty stuff that anyone considering entering the world of small business should read. I also feel that even those in small business would learn a lot by reading it." —Tom West, founder and past president of the International Business Brokers Association (IBBA) and VR Business Brokers; author of the Business Reference Guide; nationally renowned business brokerage and valuation expert.

Foreword: Deborah Moore, C.B.I., Sunbelt Business Advisors Network
Preface
CHAPTER ONE The Business Mind-Set: Your Key to Success
Business Orientation
Women's Attitudes toward Money
Being Realistic about Risk
Career Ambition versus Life Ambition
Envision Your Future--Find a Female Role Model
CHAPTER TWO Business Career Planning: A New Way to Work Smart
Career Planning- Then and Now
Phase Two Career Goals
SMART WOMAN PROFILE: FINDING OUT WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE
Redefine What a Great Career Means
Small Business Definitions
Reasons to Love the Small Business Worm
AUTHOR INSIGHT: TAKE A CONSULTING GIG TO FIGURE OUT IF SMALL BIZ Is FOR YOU
About Money
What You Have Going for You
CHAPTER THREE Why Start from Scratch If Someone's Done It for You?
Statistical Food for Thought
Downsides to Starting from Scratch
Review Your Goals and Compare Starting to Buying
Not Invented Here--How Will This Make You Feel?
AUTHOR INSIGHT: ARE YOU AN IDEA WOMAN OR A BUSINESSWOMAN?
Assess Your Strengths
Great Concept, But Can I Afford to Do It?
Valuing Businesses for Sale
BUSINESS BUYER PROFILE: REALITY CHECK--CAN I SWINe THIS FINANCIALLY?
Why Small Businesses Are for Sale
Considerations When Beginning Your Search
Talk to Other Women Who Have Done It
CHAPTER FOUR Finding the Right Business for You
BUSINESS BUYER PROFILE: FIRM CRITERIA PLUS RESEARCH LEAD TO THE PURCHASE OF A STAFFING COMPANY
Which Business Type Suits You?
Where to Look
Working with Business Brokers
BUSINESS BROKER INSICHTS: A PROMINENT FEMALE BROKER SHARES HER TIPS
Sample Ads for Businesses on the Block
Evaluating the Industry and the Target Company's Niche
The Process of Shopping for a Company
Hmm . . . This Still Doesn't Feel Right
CHAPTER FIVE Franchises and Direct Selling Companies
Franchising Basics
Women in Franchising
……
Chapter Six A Piece of the Pie - Working for, Consulting for, or Partnering with Existing Business Owners
Chapter Seven The Family Business Advantage (for the Lucky Few)
Chapter Eight If You're Sure You Want to Start a Business
Chapter Nine Smart Financing Strategies for Your Business
Chapter Ten You're Not Alone: Why Women consider business Partners
Chapter Eleven Don't Get Discouraged, Just Get Started!
Appendix A: Sample Business Plan - revitalizing Shelter Island Gardens
Appendix B: Start-Up Business Plan Outline
Appendix C: Top 10 reasons to Contact an Attorney When Starting a Business
Appendix D: Choosing a Legal Business Entity
Appendix E: Business Information Sheet
Appendix F: Sample Business Valuation - Main Street Florist
Appendix G: Sample Term Sheet for 100 Percent Asset Purchase of an Existing Business
Appendix H: Multiple Shareholder Legal Questionnaire
Appendix I: the Partnership Charter Process
Appendix J: Books Worth Reading
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author