Spark & Hustle: Launch and Grow Your Small Business Now

by Tory Johnson

Overview

YOUR PASSION.

YOUR PURPOSE.

YOUR PROFIT.

Some people are willing to spend their lives working for someone else. Not you. You’re ready to start your own business—or grow your existing business into something bigger. You’re ready to take control of your life, your finances, your future. 

Tory Johnson helps you make it happen. Based on her phenomenally successful “Spark & Hustle” workshops, Tory breaks down the basics, and helps you create a plan for success, including

• Exploring your motivations to profit from your passion
• How to nail a one-page business plan to launch your idea with clarity and confidence
• Finding the money to get going, perfecting your revenue and pricing
• Making social media (and other free tools) profitable for you
• Mastering sales without cringing at the thought of asking for money
• Detailed strategies for every aspect of your start-up and tactics to hustle for ongoing small business success

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101580912
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/05/2012
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Tory Johnson is the founder and CEO of Women For Hire, which produces recruiting events across the country; a contributor for Good Morning America; and a contributing editor at Success Magazine. She is the New York Times bestselling author of Fired to Hired and Will Work from Home.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Spark & Hustle 5

My "Why"

From "Why" to "When"

Reality Check

Pluck vs. Luck

Mistakes Happen

"Fear Sucks!"

2 Discovering Your Spark 25

Retrain Your Brain and Capture Your Calling

Pursuit of Preferences

Perceived Obstacles

Step Outside the Box

Consider the Big Picture

Fanning the Flames

Do, Make, Share

Service Business

Product Business

Information Business

Bare-Bones Business Checklist

Know Your Competitor

Watch Your Back

3 Ask the Right Questions 55

What Exactly Do You Do?

How Will It Be Delivered?

What Is Your Brand?

Who Will Buy from You?

Where Will They Buy It?

Don't Exclude Options for Expansion

4 Master the Money Matters 73

Your Magic Number

Getting Down to Business

The Hard Numbers

Pricing for Profit

Sticky Pricing Questions

Keeping yourself On Track

Money Always Leaves a Trail

Start-up Funding

Finding the Money You Need

5 Embrace the Power of One 113

Your Simple Sentence

Fill in the Blanks

6 Go from Product to Profit 123

Bring Others into the Process

Creating a Prototype

Take It for a Test Drive

Another Product Route

Lawyer Up!

Packing Your Product

Manufacture Your Product

Direct to Consumer

Breaking Through the Clutter

Give Them a Sneak Peek

A Picture's Worth

It's Go Time

7 Market with Muscle 145

Your Attention, Please

Oh No, You Didn't!

Cause Marketing

Website Wonders

Let's Keep in Touch

You've Got Mail

Teleclasses Serve and Sell

Write the Book (Literally)

Oprah Moved On-And So Should You

Raving Fans

Referrals

Mastering the Media

Networking Without Washing Time

Don't Do It Alone

8 Go Social 195

Make It Work

Sign Up, Sign In

Content

Connection

Go Online to Get Them Offline

Blogging for Business

Video Marketing

9 Sold Is the Best Four-Letter Word 219

Focus on Your Customer

Your Top 50 List

Perfecting Your Pitch

Overcoming Objections

Selling Not Pushing

Your Story Is Your Best Asset

Using Testimonials

Selling in Prime Time

10 Set Up Shop 243

Sole Proprietorship

Legal Partnership

Corporation

Keeping It Legal

Your Business Checking Account

Legally Hiring Free Help

Common Legal Pitfalls for Small Business Owners

11 Hustle Every Day 253

Beware of Information Overload

Plan Your Brainstorms

Beat Procrastination

Commit to a Schedule

Micromanage Your Time

Daily 5 × 5 Plan

Email or Not?

What Will You Do Today?

Dealing with Distractions When Working from Home

The Week Ahead

Hold Your Time Accountable for Producing Results

No Excuses, Just Results

Opportunity Overload

Done Is Good Enough

Pounce, Pause or Pass?

Change As Needed

Game On

A Few Final Thoughts 279

Acknowledgments 281

Resources 283

Editorial Reviews

"Tory will inspire you to pounce on your ideas, knock down obstacles, and get moving right now on your path to prosperity." — Liz Lange, retail maternity pioneer

"If you're an aspiring entrepreneur you'd be crazy not to read Tory's book." — Barbara Corcoran, real estate mogul, business expert, and investor on Shark Tank

From the Publisher

"If you're ready to make a change and start working your way out of the typical corporate grind, Spark & Hustle can show you how."
--Dave Ramsey, New York Time Bestselling author and nationally syndicated radio host

Dave Ramsey

"If you're an aspiring entrepreneur you'd be crazy not to read Tory's book."
--BARBARA CORCORAN, real estate mogul, business expert, and investor on Shark Tank

Barbara Corcoran

"Tory will inspire you to pounce on your ideas, knock down obstacles, and get moving right now on your path to prosperity."
--LIZ LANGE, retail maternity pioneer

Liz Lange

Johnson's (Fired to Hired: Bouncing Back from Job Loss to Get to Work Right Now) latest book, which is based on workshops of the same name she holds across the country, records some of the ideas that have contributed to her success as a small-business owner. Frequently referencing the recent economic downturn to contextualize her counsel, Johnson provides both practical knowledge and inspirational advice. She not only covers the basics of small-business ownership, but also encourages women who are on the fence about starting their own small business to take a calculated risk and do it. The book is arranged from a small business's conception to full-fledged ownership to the daily work necessary to maintain success. Expertly written chapters include "Mastering the Media," which showcases her expertise in television and radio. Some sections are more inspiring than others, which contain more traditional business advice. VERDICT Overall, this is a good starting point for any woman with an idea for starting her own business, but without the confidence and information to do so.—Poppy Johnson-Renvall, Central New Mexico Community Coll. Lib., Albuquerque

Library Journal