START A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS by Colleen DeBaise is a compilation of quotes, tips and suggestions from Inc. magazine offering "Expert Advice to Take Your Startup from Idea to Empire." Since it is a fairly basic primer, our entrepreneur class could use it to learn about concepts like elevator pitch. DeBaise also includes sections on developing your idea, structuring the business, funding, marketing, researching customers' needs, leadership and globalization. Quotes from current entrepreneurs and from very established business thinkers like Michael Porter appear. Our current high school students were born around the time that Reed Hastings established Netflix as a DVD rental service (1997) and most were born after Jeff Bezos launched Amazon (1994) as a bookseller; both businesses have changed dramatically and that experience would provide valuable perspective as they refine their own plans. In addition, our students will relate to many of the more contemporary case studies (like Rent the Runway and Warby Parker). At one point, START A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS comments on the traits of entrepreneurs, particularly risk-taking and growth orientation, noting they tend to score less well on relational skills. That's an area – and an underlying set of potentially biased assumptions made by Inc. – worth examining further.

Good outline of the steps to start a new business.

Start a Successful Business was written by the reporters of Inc. magazine and published by the American Management Association. It clearly states the steps needed to start a new business. Beginning with the big idea moving through business strategy and structure, the book's instructions are clear and concise. It gives options for funding sources, customer acquisition, marketing, management, and growth strategies. It includes research studies and interviews with Inc. magazine's top entrepreneurs. It is filled with real life examples of how successful entrepreneurs solved their initial problems.

Start a Successful Business will motivate and educate people unfamiliar with how new businesses are started and made successful. For those with a class or two in business, this may be too simple an overview. Later sections on marketing and customer acquisition only skim the surface of each topic. However, the book does include good references to books or websites for more in depth study.

Overall, I was expecting more, and probably too much, from the authors of Inc. magazine. It is strictly for people who want to start a new business but have no idea how to do it. For those readers, it is highly recommended. For all others, it seems like a pass. Averaging out to 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher, AMACOM Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.