So as I blogged about recently, I've been in the process of transitioning my company into a corporation. Among other things, I made this move so that I could start the process of growing it into something larger, hire on more people, get an office space, go after larger contracts, etc.
Recently I read a book called 'The Art of the Start' by Guy Kawasaki, which is all about starting a business. Guy (what a name) was part of the team that created the Mac computer, and now is the managing director of Garage.com, a start-up venture capital firm specializing in technology companies. Bottom line- he knows a lot about how to start a company!
I have to say that this book has been one of the most practical guides for getting a business started that I've ever read. Not practical in the sense of 'you must fill out the 245AR form in triplicate of the IRS will get you,' but practical in the sense of boiling down the steps necessary to turn an idea into a business, while skipping all the steps that you've heard are necessary, but in the real-world probably aren't. (Example- don't bother with a mission statement. You won't remember it, and neither will your customers or investors)
A lot of what he says goes against the grain of other 'start your own business' books that I've read, but then again, as I look at my shelf of books on the topic (and I have to admit that I do have several), none of the other authors have the level of real-word experience in starting companies, and helping other companies to get started, that Guy does. Anyway, I don't usually gush, but this book really kicked my efforts to grow my business into high gear. Should you have a great idea of your own and be interested in starting a company, I'd highly recommend The Art of the Start as a good place to... well... start. Guy has his first chapter available for free as a .pdf. Check it out here: http://www.changethis.com/1.ArtOfTheStart The rest of the book is equally as compelling.
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