Book Review: StartupNation : America's Leading Entrepreneurial Experts Reveal the Secrets to Building a Blockbuster Business

This book review is part of a series that covers the topic of Business Start-Up. A Business Start-up is a relatively new company, project or business venture with a limited operating history. Dr. Mary Waters is the Official Guide to Business Start-Up.nnStartupNation: America's Leading Entrepreneurial Experts Reveal the Secrets to Building a Blockbuster Business, by Jeff Sloan and Rich Sloan is a valuable resource for people interested in Business Start-Up and it is available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.nnFrom Publishers WeeklynWhether it's an idea for a new company or the dream of being your own boss, the brothers Sloan provide the inspiration and information needed to make your business fantasy a reality. Serial entrepreneurs, angel investors and creators of the multimedia company StartupNation-which includes a radio show, Web site (Startup Nation.com), e-newsletter and, now, this book-they are enthusiastic ministers of entrepreneurialism. They offer followers the vision, spirit and plan for achieving their goals. But if you're thinking this "plan" is a business plan, you need to be patient. They spend the first third of the book on developing a "life plan." This full spiritual inventory leads readers through what they really want, who they really are and what they're really prepared to do. One's emotional and physical health will greatly influence the health of one's business, the authors argue, no matter what that business ultimately involves. Once fully assessed, readers are led to decide what business types are best-suited to them-franchising, licensing, etc.-and are given options for pursuing each. The brothers even provide ideas for uncovering opportunities to fill unmet market needs. Only then do they turn to formulating the business plan. Throughout the book, Sloan & Sloan share their own experiences as inventors of the Battery Buddy, along with those of their radio show callers and neighbors. There is no mistaking this book for a business school product-few charts, no formulas. Yet it offers detailed discussions of the same subjects in a genuinely clear, encouraging and well-meaning way. nCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. nnFrom BooklistnThe Sloan brothers bring passion and a practical worldly experience to their book. Using their licensing sale of Battery Buddy to Masco Corporation as a springboard, these Michigan-based siblings paint a realistic perspective on business ownership--and a visionary picture as well. Who else would explain the importance and process for creating a "Life Plan"? What other collection would proffer such eloquent principles about work--seeing it as freedom, family, and fulfillment? Where else could a potential entrepreneur pick up the inspiration and the tangible advice, not only from the Sloans and their multimedia SUN but also from the featured "Super Start-Ups" such as Devine Color and SkyDeck. A prescription for renewing your faith in doing your own thing. Barbara JacobsnCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved