A year ago, Cincinnati Innovates founder and VC investor Elizabeth Edwards vowed to start her own company, and bootstrapped it. Today she wants to help other entrepreneurs do the same.
Edwards, of Oakley, in a style befitting her business advice, just self-published her first book,
Startup: the complete handbook for launching a company for less. Part how-to, part resource, the book is partially based on her experience starting Metro Innovation, a consulting company aimed at upping entrepreneurial investment across the Midwest and South. She started the company after leaving her job as a Neyer Holdings Venture Capital Investor.
The 400-page book covers cost-effective ways to start a business, including the areas of finance, branding and PR, accounting and law. She offers readers a comprehensive place to find tools that don't break the bank, but are up to industry standards across business types.
"The cost for starting the average tech company has gone way down. Ten years ago it was $1 million; today it's $65,000. When I started (Metro Innovation), I knew I could do it for less," Edwards said. "I did it for $5,000, and then I wrote a book about it."
The book is geared toward a wide variety of entrepreneurs from freelance writers and coffee shop owners to landscapers and techies.
Current technology geared toward the small business owner drastically has reduced the costs of starting a new business, she said, especially in the important areas of branding and marketing. There are a myriad of tools that can slash the costs of everyday business needs like an office phone line, project management and accounting tools.
"I have a lot of do-it-yourself guides in the book," she said.
The book outlines ways to finance a business including through Small Business Administration loans, investors, grants and more. For those contemplating starting a business, Edwards walks through the questions entrepreneurs should ask themselves before deciding if a business is feasible and has profit potential.
The new author believes the timing is right up for
Startup because the economy has forced many people to create their own work opportunities.
"The main inspiration is the economy," Edwards said. "A lot of very talented people, especially recent college grads, in any other job market would be very sought after. They now find themselves out of job and entrepreneurship is a real viable career path."
Source: Elizabeth Edwards, Metro Innovation
Writer: Feoshia Henderson
This article originally appeared in Soapbox. hiVelocity also profiled Edwards in September.
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