Recommended Books and Tools for Small Business Owners
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Books and tools that genuinely help get a business ready for financing. We chose them for their content; no one paid to be on this list.
Financing and SBA loans
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The SBA Loan Book
Charles H. Green
A step-by-step guide to SBA loans: programs, paperwork and what lenders look for.
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Profit First
Mike Michalowicz
A simple cash system that keeps a business profitable, which also makes it easier to borrow.
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Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs
Karen Berman and Joe Knight
Learn to read the financial statements a bank will ask for.
Starting and planning
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The Lean Startup
Eric Ries
Test your idea cheaply before you borrow to build it.
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The $100 Startup
Chris Guillebeau
Real stories of businesses started with very little money.
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Business Plans Kit For Dummies
Steven D. Peterson, Peter E. Jaret and Barbara Findlay Schenck
Templates and examples to write the business plan lenders ask for.
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The E-Myth Revisited
Michael E. Gerber
Why most small businesses struggle, and how to build systems that work without you.
Credit
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Your Score
Anthony Davenport
A plain-English guide to how credit scores work and how to raise yours.
Accounting and taxes
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Accounting Made Simple
Mike Piper
Accounting basics in about 100 pages.
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Small Business Taxes
Barbara Weltman (J.K. Lasser)
Yearly guide to deductions and tax rules for small businesses.
In Spanish
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Padre Rico, Padre Pobre
Robert T. Kiyosaki
The classic on money and assets, in Spanish.
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El método Lean Startup
Eric Ries
The Lean Startup, in Spanish.
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El mito del emprendedor
Michael E. Gerber
The E-Myth, in Spanish.
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Los secretos de la mente millonaria
T. Harv Eker
Money mindset, in Spanish.
Tools for your business
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Portable receipt scanner
Scan receipts as you go so your records are ready for taxes and loan applications.
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Thermal shipping label printer
Faster shipping labels if you sell online.
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Card reader for small business
Take card payments in person.
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Fireproof document box
Keep your LLC papers, tax returns and loan documents safe.