My Biggest Mistake & and How I Fixed It
Marcia Pledger
Orange Frazer Press, Inc.

The very best advice always comes from someone who's "been there, done that." Whether that person succeeded or maybe didn't, the advice is still sound, and can help budding entrepreneurs avoid numerous pit-falls along the way to success.

When small business/entrepreneur columnist Marcia Pledger started writing a column for Cleveland's daily on the topic, she was able to convince local entrepreneurs to bare their business souls to her -- explaining the ups and downs of succeeding in business. The most constant refrain was "I hope I don't look stupid."

But while it's very hard to accept your own limitations, it's also rather necessary in order to move on to success. "Entrepreneurs are always happy with what they're doing, in the beginning. But how do you know what you don't know?" she asks. " One of the most important elements, and the one easiest to erode, is Trust."

Out of a collection of more than 300 columns from which to choose, after studying them and a great deal of re-reading, Ms. Pledger sorted them by categories: Start Up; Growth; Finances; Marketing; Technology; Clients/Customers; Employees; Family; Education and Passion. Then came the really hard part, leaving out about two of every three articles.

The entrepreneurs who tell their stories range from sole proprietors, even home-based businesses up to companies with 150 employees. They include everything from service to technology and manufacturing. They talk frankly about the problems they encountered, and how they found the right solution—for them.

Not every situation is identical, so the variety to be found in this book makes it an invaluable tool for the emerging entrepreneur.

This book could be perhaps the best gift ever for someone who wants to open a new business. It will surely help a novice to avoid some of the bigger pitfalls, not to mention many of the lesser ones! Granted, these are mostly Cleveland-based businesses, but the problems encountered are universal.

The book is available at most bookstores, brick-and-mortars, or online, or through the publisher: Orange Frazer Press (http://www.OrangeFrazer.com).

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATroadrunner.com

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