The Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting and Running a Business (Completely Revised and Updated)

Steve Mariotti, a former New York City high-school teacher, founded the nonprofit National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship after he discovered that students who launched commercial ventures tended to eventually blossom in numerous areas. In this updated edition of The Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting and Running a Business, he lays out the critically relevant basics on everything from recognizing opportunities and researching markets to handling finances and protecting ideas--all organized and written specifically for the younger reader. Brief case studies and inspiring tales of notables who started young, including Russell Simmons of Def Jam, Tom Monaghan of Domino's Pizza, and Steve Perlman of WebTV, offer encouragement. New chapters on technology (explaining, for instance, ways that computers and the Net provide competitive advantages) and philanthropy ("ethical business behavior is not only morally right, it's good for business") bring Mariotti's advice into the 21st century. No single volume can provide all the details necessary to get an idea up and running, but this one contains enough information and stimulation to move practically anyone off the couch and into the beginning stages of entrepreneurship. --Howard Rothman