Working with Tom Greenbaum has been a pleasure. He listens carefully, shows respect for his clients, and asks factual questions. His ability to ask about desired outcomes and possible obstacles provides his clients with direction. His list of resources is extensive.
Pat Duncan
Score Counselor
Fairfield County SCORE
Tom has been a great guide and leveler for me entering the small business entrepreneur arena, a wealth of valuable experience.
James Sheed
President
Kemp & Hewitt
I reached out to SCORE at a time when my business was in trouble short term as well as long term. Our industry had been contracting for years and the financial crisis was just another punch in the stomach to our business. Tom was assigned to me and from our first meeting was giving me fresh ideas as well as helping me with a more positive attitude toward the future. When we settled on an idea, that was just the start. Tom was diligent about sticking to a monthly schedule of meetings where we have status updates and set targets for the future. Not only do I have a new, fresh strategy for my business, I am excited to be an entrepreneur again thanks to Tom.
Michael Astorino
President
Fabricare Cleaners
As a small business owner, I' ve been extremely fortunate to have worked with Tom Greenbaum as a business mentor. Tom's candor and his ability to target the areas of our business with precision have been invaluable. I have no doubt that without Tom's sound advice and guidance and unwavering willingness to help, we would not be as successful as we are today. His excellent credentials and business acumen have and will continue to be a huge asset to Jumar Marketing.
Judi Virgulak
President
Jumar Marketing
Tom was an exceptional resource during my time of uncertainty and desire for change. Through his ability to listen and understand the issues at hand, he was invaluable in helping me find the direction I was looking for while offering ideas and support that has taken my business to new levels. Thanks Tom!
Kevin Theissen
Principal, Keygate Financial Group
We would like to say how lucky we are as small business owners to be guided and mentored by Tom Greenbaum. He has given us confidence and courage to stay on the slow and steady path to success, as our business is growing to the next level. At times this is a completely overwhelming process, and his practical and straightforward advice has helped us stay focused with clear priorities of where to really put our energy. Since we are not just business owners, but also doing the day to day work, our time is precious and limited. We appreciate the support, guidance and personal investment that Tom has put into helping us grow our business. We feel so lucky to have met him, and each of you that read this book will take away tips and ideas that will help you to have a successful and thriving business. Thank you Tom, from the bottom of our hearts for helping us get to where we are today, and where we hope to be in the future.
Aileen Tisser M.A., P.T.
and
Cindy Freedman, OTR
Co-Owners of Angelfish Therapy
Acknowledgements
This book never would have been written had I not joined the SCORE Association over three years ago. This is a wonderful organization of 13,000+ volunteers who work with small businesses to help them achieve their objective. I have enjoyed my time in the Fairfield County Chapter and want to thank our Chairman for the past three years, Mike O’Malley for his help and support. Also to all those counselors who have co-counseled with me I owe a great deal of appreciation. You have provided excellent wisdom, support and enthusiasm to our sessions with clients and I really value the relationships I have developed in this organization.
A special thanks to John Harmon, an absolutely outstanding small business counselor, for writing the chapter about Financial Statements. This is clearly a major contribution to the book, which I never could have completed with his level of professionalism. He is currently Managing Director of Adulant Consulting Services in Trumbull CT.
I also owe special thanks to Bill Gottlin of HR Aspire Consulting, who contributed the chapter on Human Resources. Bill has been my friend and SCORE Client for over two years and is a real professional in the area of human resources. I recommend his services all the time and believe that you will understand why when you read the Human Resources Chapter.
I want to express a great appreciation to David Albright, former President of both Godiva Chocolates and Pepperidge Farm for his reading my draft and providing helpful comments. David is probably the best SCORE counselor I know, and having his help in developing this book is a real treat. His insights and comments were thoughtful, sometimes painful but always presented in a way that enabled me to develop a better end product for the reader. Thank you David, more than you will ever know.
I also want to thank Gary Hirsch, a fellow SCORE counselor and an attorney, as he ws very helpful in reviewing the legal chapters and providing useful suggestions for modifications.
I want to acknowledge the inputs from Judi Virgulak, President of Jumar Marketing, who always had excellent comments on the chapters on Social Media and Websites.
Jumar Marketing is a Norwalk, CT based marketing agency that provides superior work in the area of marketing strategy & execution, SEO and web development. I recommend her agency all the time because I believe they are a company composed of excellent, dedicated marketing professionals.
Finally, I want to express a very special thanks to my long term friend and computer consultant Bruce Preston. Without his untiring efforts this book would never have happened. He is a very unique individual and I am proud to be able to call him my friend and colleague.
Thomas L. Greenbaum
New York City, NY
Introduction
Who would not like to be his or her own boss? To be able to run your own business and be in complete control of your destiny is the fantasy for a large percentage of people, whether they be recent graduates of high school, college or grad school, or they are employees of a company that are tired of following the direction of their boss and would like to go out on their own. For so many people this is their lifelong wish, as it has to promise of freedom, income and complete control of your destiny.
The purpose of this book is to explore the options of entrepreneurship with the objective of providing readers with guidance as to whether this is an appropriate route for them, and if so, what do they need to accomplish to be successful. It seeks to
