Quicken Premier Home & Business 2006
It seems like these days, whenever you look at a newsstand, at least one major business magazine has a cover story about a wildly successful entrepreneur in his or her 20s or 30s. That’s not surprising when one considers that one out of every five small-business owners in America is under 35, and that more young people are starting businesses than ever before. Right now, in college dorm rooms and their parents’ garages, the next generation of Sam Waltons, Bill Gateses, and Michael Dells are hard at work.
“If you are ever going to take risks in exploring your career options, this is the absolute best time to do it,” says 26-year-old entrepreneurial expert Jennifer Kushell. “Why wait until you have a semi-stable corporate job and major financial obligations to discover that you hate your career and need to make a big change?”
Kushell is the ideal mentor for young people thinking about taking the plunge. Her very successful Young Entrepreneurs Network educates teens and twentysomethings in 40 countries about forming their own companies. A born entrepreneur — her father and aunt are leading experts on franchising and trademark licensing, respectively — Kushell presided over her own company’s growth while attending college full-time. Her book draws on her invaluable hands-on experience: “It’s not so much a how-to-start-a-business book as it is a how-to-cope-with-life-while-starting-and-succeeding-in-your-own-business book,” the author says. “All I can say is that this is the real deal, the real story.”
With wit, candor and exuberance for her subject, Kushell gives practical and personal insight from a young entrepreneur’s point of view to help new business owners get through their first few years. The book “also teaches you tricks of the trade that you can rely on to compete successfully in a business world with people twice your age and companies God-knows-how-many-times-as big,” she adds. The Young Entrepreneur’s Edge addresses key topics such as trying to obtain capital and writing a business plan, which, the author says, are among the biggest obstacles for young entrepreneurs. But the book also tackles critical areas that other business books rarely address: how to get older people to take you seriously; how not to starve when you’re broke; how to win your family’s approval; how to get out and meet important people; how not to get carded when entertaining clients; and other unique situations faced by young business people.
Praise for The Young Entrepreneur’s Edge
“Fresh college graduates frustrated by the job search should pick up a copy of [this book].”
–Los Angeles Times
“Can help both job-seekers and job-holders rethink their idea of gainful employment.”
–Mademoiselle
“Entertaining, fast-reading, and immensely sensible. Kushell is a human dynamo.”
–Sacramento Bee
“Every young entrepreneur needs good ideas, and this book is full of them.”
–Fred Deluca, founder and president of Subway Restaurants
“It is a must-read for my students.”
–Kathleen R. Allen, Ph.D., The Entrepreneur Program, University of Southern California
Customer Review: What book did the other reviewers read?
I’m very disappointed with this book. Very vague and broad examples and not a lot of the nuts and bolts of success. Jennifer Kushell is the self crowned princess of the young entrepreneurial spirit. She claims to have launched successfull business ventures but never elaborates anywhere in her books or websites and instead offers page after page of fluff and filler on how to get ahead. After wasting my time with this book and two of her other books, I’d be skeptical of allowing her to run a lemonade stand. Please save your time and money. There are many better choices by PROVEN success stories. Multiple streams of Income by Robert Allen and How to Buy a Business: Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition by Richard A. Joseph are two of many that are a much better read for your time and money
Customer Review: Good Introduction to Running A Business
If you’ve ever wondered what running your own business would be like you really only have two choices: look towards the sky and daydream or give it a shot. If you choose the later, Kushell’s The Young Entrepreneur’s Edge can help you along that path.
The book is basically a “how to” for starting a business. It presents and answers all of the questions that you might really need to know the answer to, but felt too stupid to ask. It also touches on many things that a first-time entrepreneur may be unaware of or forget (like IRS withholding, etc.).
The book is primarily for someone planning to start a business for the first time and will offer little advice to the seasoned business-owner. Of value, though, especially to younger readers (of all levels of business experience) are the sections on dealing with perception of youth in a business context which may get a more thorough treatment here than in any other manuscript. Entrepreneurs of all ages and experience-levels will also enjoy the start-up-stories that pepper the book.
The books one real lack, however, may be in the accuracy department. For example, Kushell gets the IRS 1099 and W2 form confused, which may seem like a simple mistake but could inadvertently subject a business to a variety of liability (W2 employees are the traditional salaried/wage employees where the 1099 form is used for reporting income for independent contractors - [website] has extensive information on tax forms). The book, thus, is a good overview and may alert you to things that need to be looked into further, but additional research will be required to verify and understand each topic.
Overall, the book is a must-read for anyone under 30 starting a “real” business for the first time. For others, it may serve as a refresher or provide an amusing read, but will be of limited usefulness. Click to Buy Now!
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