Reading up does not a business make. But it helps. Primers on how to start a business will give you the basic information needed and first steps to take in setting up your own shop. Case stories will give you inspiration and ideas on how others were able to hurdle obstacles to business success.
Here are some readings we recommend:
- Do you want to go into business? Handbook, published by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Bureau of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development (BMSMED). A simplified guide book on the process flow of starting a small business, registering a business, the risks and rewards of going into business, and tips on writing a business plan. (Available in English and Tagalog versions at the BSSMED and downloadable from the DTI website. Click here to start downloading.)
- Introduction to Entrepreneurship published by the SERDEF and the UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries (UP ISSI) A guide to students and other readers who want to seriously consider entrepreneurship as a career option. . Begins with the theoretical foundation for entrepreneurship, followed by a study on the entrepreneurial personality, and then a discussion of enterprising tasks and functions, with highlights on the practices of successful entrepreneurs. Available at the UP ISSI office or order online.
- You, too, can start your own business, published by the SERDEF and UP ISSI. – Taking the procedural rather than the conceptual approach towards business startup, it tries to give the reader advice on what he should do rather than what he ought to know. The prospective businessman is guided through the intricacies of business registration, planning, and setting up the organization in terms of general management, financial, marketing and production functions. With separate chapters devoted to the two most popular types of small business: service and retailing. Available at the UP ISSI office or order online.
- Programs and Services for MSMEs Handbook, published by the DTI BMSMED. – A compilation of programs and services being offered by government, private-sector, academic institutions and other organizations to help develop and promote small businesses. Includes training, financial, extension/counselling, technology and other services. Available at the BMSMED or downloadable from the DTI website. Click here to start downloading.
- Financing Programs for MSMEs Handbook, published by the DTI-BMSMED. — A catalogue of sources of credit available from government and private-sector institutions which can be accessed by micro, small and medium enterprises in need of start-up capital or of funds to improve and expand their business. Available at the BMSMED or downloadable from the DTI website. Click here to start downloading.
- The Micros That Roared, published by SERDEF and UP ISSI. Inspiring case stories of 25 micro entrepreneurs who were able to cross over from their marginal status to the economic mainstream. A study in adopting innovations, recognizing opportunities, building networks and accessing sources of credit and other assistance. Available at the UP ISSI office or order online.
- Couples in Business, published by SERDEF and UP ISSI. Inspiring stories of 25 married couples who run a business or a string of businesses together, highlighting conjugal sharing in the truest sense. Available at the UP ISSI office ororder online.
- Go Negosyo: Joey Concepcion’s 50 inspiring entrepreneurial stories, published by Go Negosyo. 50 stories of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial families who have created value for the nation through enterprise creation and employment generation. Available at all National Bookstore branches.
- Go Negosyo: Joey Concepcion’s 50 inspiring entrepreneurial stories – Celebrity edition – Celebrity tales of going into business, including start-up anxieties and infancy pains. Available at all National Bookstore branches.
- Succeed in Business: Philippines, by Joaquin Gonzales et al. Written for the non-Filipino would-be investor in the Philippines; covers the current investment situation, best prospects for business and investment, dealing with the bureaucracy, etc. Available at amazon.com.
(to be continued)