ABOUT THIS BOOK

Winner, 2022 Goody Business Book Awards, Entrepreneur, General Category
Finalist, 2022 Goody Business Book Awards, Entrepreneur, Start Ups / New Business Category

With more than fifty years of professional experience, Mark C. Zweig has seen it all—from the fear and excitement of starting a new business to the joys and challenges of life as an entrepreneur. In Confessions of an Entrepreneur: Simple Wisdom for Starting, Building, and Running a Business, Zweig draws upon this wealth of experience to offer practical, easy-to-understand guidance for bringing a business to life and cultivating success at every stage of its development. The candid stories he shares from his career provide insight into the realities of business ownership and illustrate proven principles for both personal and professional success. Written by an entrepreneur for entrepreneurs, this book is an indispensable guide filled with wisdom for new and seasoned business leaders alike.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Mark C. Zweig teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Arkansas as the entrepreneur-in-residence at the Sam M. Walton College of Business. He is chairman of Vistage Northwest Arkansas and the founder of Zweig Group and Mark Zweig, Inc.

REVIEWS

“This book is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for entrepreneurs. It is filled with engaging, instructive, and inspiring stories from Zweig’s amazing career, shared with humility, grace, and humor. This ‘simple wisdom’ is profound, practical, and essential for all aspiring entrepreneurs.”
——Michael J. Gelb, author of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci and Innovate Like Edison

“Mark Zweig explains from great personal knowledge what every aspiring entrepreneur needs to know to avoid missteps and ultimately gain success!!!”
—Gary Head, CEO and chairman, Signature Bank

“Wow! This book must be a MUST read for any entrepreneurs or those who plan to be. I wish I had read this book twenty-five years ago when I started my business. It probably would have saved us from countless detours we made. Now we operate in global scale, but I still learned a lot from this very enjoyable and fast read. Mark’s wisdom is real. It is based on thousands of companies he has helped over years. Nothing like it.”
—H. Kit Miyamoto, global CEO, Miyamoto International, Inc.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword by Matthew Waller
Acknowledgments
Introduction

Part I. Before the Beginning
1. There Is No Typical Entrepreneur
2. The Roses and Thistles of Business Ownership
3. Traps, Myths, and Barriers
4. The Best Time to Start a Business
5. The Gestation Period.
6. You Don’t Have to Start from Scratch
7. The Value of Outside Directors
8. Why You Need a “Fred” as Your Business Partner
9. How to Use Debt Wisely
10. Avoiding Blunders in Your Business Plan
11. The Biggest Mistakes Company Founders Make

Part II. Into the Great Unknown
12. Getting Your New Business off the Ground
13. The Importance of Proper Pricing
14. Opening Up Your Books
15. Your Family and Your Business
16. Building Foundational Relationships
17. Dealing with Professional Service Providers
18. Fueling Your Growth
19. Keeping Your Priorities Straight
20. You Shouldn’t Have to Kill Yourself

Part III. The E-Life
21. When You Have an Old Car—Or Business
22. When Good People Don’t Get Along
23. Reaping What You Sow with Employee Engagement
24. Building Teams
25. Loosening the Reins
26. Obsessing over the Quality of Your Customer Service
27. A Strategy for Strategic Planning
28. The Fundamentals for Selling Anything
29. Overcoming the Myths of Marketing
30. Getting Stuff Done
31. The Life and Lessons of Leadership
32. Surviving a Crisis
33. Making Management Transitions Real
34. Recognizing the Signs of Owner Burnout
35. Cashing Out the Value

Part IV. Write This on Your Mortarboard
36. How to Find Success in Your First Job
37. Working for an Entrepreneur
38. Parting Words

Appendix
Index
About the Author

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