The Bootstrapper's Bible: How to Start and Build a Business With a Great Idea and (Almost) No Money

Starting out in 1986 with practically nothing, book packager and cyberentrepreneur Seth Godin has created a new- and old-media business that now employs 40 and generates around $5 million in annual revenue. In The Bootstrapper's Bible: How to Start and Build a Business with a Great Idea and (Almost) No Money, Godin shows precisely how his own venture, and a slew of others like Dell Computer, Burton Snowboards, Bose Corporation, Starbucks, and many lesser-known companies, ultimately managed to turn that nothing into something quite substantial. "Bootstrappers built this country, and they continue to make it great," he writes. "Virtually every business--from IBM to the local dry-cleaner--was bootstrapped, usually by people with far less smarts, less money, fewer connections, and less vision than you have right now." He elaborates on specific practices that he believes are critical to entrepreneurs who may have great ideas and boundless enthusiasm but lack the financial resources to launch their businesses in the traditional way. Writing in a clear and straightforward manner, he lays out Nine Magical Rules (such as "Find people who care about cash less than you do"), Ten Commandments (including "Don't forget where you came from"), and lots of other helpful tips. --Howard Rothman