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The Small Business Owner's Survival Guide
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jul 2 2026
Pages: 482
Weight: 1.41
Height: 0.97 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Turn your business idea into a successful reality - one step at a time.
Starting a business is exciting, but it can also feel overwhelming. With so much conflicting advice available, it's easy to waste time, money and energy trying to work out what to do next.
The Small Business Owner's Survival Guide cuts through the confusion with a practical, jargon-free roadmap that takes you from business idea to growing a successful company.
Written by Nicola Lonie, an Author, Digital Strategist and Business Systems Consultant with more than 30 years of real-world business experience, this comprehensive guide explains every stage of building and running a successful small business in plain English.
Whether you're starting your very first business, becoming self-employed, or looking to grow an existing company, this book gives you the confidence and knowledge to make informed decisions every step of the way.
Inside you'll discover how to:
- Decide whether running a business is right for you
- Find profitable business ideas and identify your ideal customers
- Write a practical business plan
- Register your business and understand taxes, VAT and insurance
- Manage your business finances with confidence
- Build a memorable brand and choose the perfect business name
- Create a professional logo and tell your business story
- Buy the right domain name and set up professional email addresses
- Build a website that attracts customers and converts visitors into enquiries
- Choose the best website platform for your business
- Understand website security and cyber security
- Master SEO and Local SEO without the technical jargon
- Set up and optimise your Google Business Profile
- Use blogging, email marketing and social media to grow your business
- Understand Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads and LinkedIn marketing
- Turn visitors into paying customers
- Price your products and services profitably
- Deliver outstanding customer service and build long-term client relationships
- Improve productivity with business systems, automation and Artificial Intelligence
- Work successfully from home
- Hire staff, outsource effectively and scale your business
- Create multiple income streams
- Plan for long-term success
Plus you'll receive a collection of practical appendices including:
- A Business Start-Up Checklist
- An AI Tools Directory
- A Business Software Directory
- A comprehensive Business Glossary
- A directory of useful UK business resources
This isn't a book full of complicated business theory.
It's a practical survival guide written by someone who has spent more than three decades helping businesses build websites, improve marketing, streamline systems, embrace AI and grow successfully.
Every chapter is packed with straightforward advice, real-world experience and practical tips that you can apply immediately.
Whether you're a sole trader, freelancer, consultant, tradesperson, creative professional, online business owner or small company director, this book will become a valuable reference you'll return to time and time again.
If you're serious about starting, growing and running a successful business with confidence, this is the only guide you'll need.
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