"Most start-ups face the same challenges," finds Edward Hess, Professor of Business Administration and Batten Executive-in-Residence at the Darden School of Business. In his latest book, So, You Want to Start a Business? 8 Steps to Take Before Making the Leap, Hess offers highly practical advice that will apply to anyone considering starting their own business. The book (in paperback) is co-authored with Charles Goetz, a serial entrepreneur who lectures in entrepreneurship at Emory University. In So, You Want to Start a Business? the authors outline helpful do's and don'ts of running a start-up; they give how-to advice for "penciling" a business and for steering clear of the eight mistakes that most often cause new business owners to fail.

First, what you don't need: you don't need to be an "A" student; to have a college degree; to have a lot of money; to be an inventor; or to take big risks, argue the authors. What you do need, however, to become a successful entrepreneur, is to be aware of and avoid eight common start-up mistakes, described in the second chapter of the book. Such mistakes include choosing a bad business opportunity, choosing the wrong customers, or pricing products or services improperly, to name a few. Anyone planning to start a business can quickly find information here about how to first pencil your idea to see if there is a good business opportunity to determining pricing and calculating your break-even formula.

Since its release in September 2008, So, You Want to Start a Business? has been cited in over 25 publications. It was reviewed in ITworld.com ("Ten Ways to Safeguard Your Small Business," October 8, 2008), and has received three five-star reviews on Amazon.

Hess is the author/editor of six books. His other titles include: The Road to Organic Growth; Make It Happen!; The Successful Family Business; Leading with Values (Hess and Cameron, eds.); and The Search for Organic Growth (Hess and Kazanjian, eds.). He has also written over 40 articles. Currently he is conducting research on managing the challenges of high growth and developing the Darden Growth/Innovation Model at the Batten Institute, Darden School of Business.

Browse the Safari online edition of So, You Want to Start a Business? Or learn more about Professor Hess's writings, by visiting his Web site.