Food trucks are hitting the streets from Miami to Maui but greasy reheated tacos and soggy burgers are a thing of the past. Today's mobile eateries have foodies flocking for gourmet bacon jam burgers, delicious Parisian-style crepes, and decadent handcrafted organic ice cream cones just to name a few. A less expensive alternative to opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant, food trucks, food trailers, food carts, and even food bicycles can be started by anyone whether you're a trained chef or an amateur baker. If you've ever dreamed of jumping on the food truck bandwagon this book will provide you with all the information necessary to get you on the road. Highlights include: * Understanding all the startup costs and sources for purchasing or leasing your kitchen on wheels; * Building a business plan that will guide decision making and set you up for success; * Scouting locations for optimal visability and sales; * Calculating your true product costs and how to price your menu in a way that will be profitable; * Connecting with customers inexpensively by using traditional marketing tools and social media to keep them coming back for more; and * Appendices containing detailed worksheets that clearly walk you through the financial side of the business and comprehensive lists of resources and business licensing offices broken down by state and territory.

"Extensive media and online coverage of the businesss arena, news of start-ups, mergers, and deals are familiar headlines these days. But that wasn't always the case. The early years of venture capital were a far cry from today's very public dealings. Alan Patricof, one of the pioneers of the venture arena, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the past fifty years of the industry. From buying stock in Apple when its market valuation was only $60 million to founding New York Magazine to investing in AOL, Audible, and more recently, Axios, his discerning approach to finding companies is almost peerless. All of Patricof's investments -- from Xerox to Venmo -- share certain qualities. Each company had sound product with wide appeal, the economics were solid, and the management team was talented and committed to seeing their visions come to fruition." --

"Every day, innovative entrepreneurs pioneer bold economic ideas that change the way we live and work. Companies like Google, Apple, Oracle, Facebook and Twitter aren't the only ones shaping our economic future--there's another trend emerging that will change the ways we work and live. The "sharing economy," or the "collaborative consumption economy," includes companies like TaskRabbit, Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, Zaarly, and DocVacay who are purveyors of an economic system that revolves around sharing human and physical resources. This new aspect to the economy, Steven Hill argues, is a dead end for U.S. workers, as well as for the national economy. In Raw Deal, Hill shows the "sharing economy" is a new and troubling component to what is an overall bad economy that undermines workers. Vulnerable freelancers and day laborers hire themselves out for ever smaller jobs and amounts of money, and it is only the companies who hire them who reap the big benefits. Hill argues that we must shift the support for American workers to one that is individual-based rather than workplace-based. Countering the onset of the freelance society and the new economy is the new civil rights and labor struggles of our time. This important book answers these questions and provides pragmatic solutions to adapt our economic system to its new realities, launching a new civil rights struggle capable of transforming the freelance society into a stakeholder society"--

"Silicon Valley's popular approach to creating new ventures is rooted in trial and error-test markets with new concepts and a minimum amount of capital, and hope for valuable businesses to emerge. But this fail-fast, hit-or-miss, step-and-pivot, or tech-first philosophy can leave a trail of destruction and loss in its wake. It can be like a random walk in the forest-without a compass. This book is about helping the great entrepreneurs find true north. Henry Kressel and Norman Winarsky-technologists, inventors, and investors with stellar track records-have an approach for those who wish to create a market-leading company that will make an impact on the world: a disciplined and staged approach they've used to launch, invest in, and develop dozens of successful companies-and to create whole new markets. The method they describe takes the entrepreneur by the hand, step-by-step, through the critical stages of development of a great venture, from concept to acquisition or public offering, to being a mature company seeking to maintain its culture of innovation. It is a guide by innovators and for innovators, with approaches that are timeless. If You Really Want to Change the World is your guide to creating massively successful ventures. Drawing on the authors' experiences as well as those of their partners from around the world, Kressel and Winarsky share the stories of their triumphs and misses as of a way of demonstrating their method and inspiring their readers. They guide entrepreneurs and innovators in companies of all scale-start-ups, research institutions, government agencies, and corporations-on how to execute with the aim of creating companies that can change the world. "--

The Essential Guide to Successful Entrepreneurship The first-step-by-step practical and spiritual guide for current and aspiring entrepreneurs. * A complete guidebook on taking your business from initial inspiration to sustainable success * Ways to identify your entrepreneurial "currencies" and Achilles' Heels * Real-life examples from entrepreneurs illustrating key concepts * A personal workbook to record your progress * A step-by-step program on how to create a strategic business plan and raise capital * 2 Audio CDs with guided exercises on attaining critical self-knowledge Includes: * Guidebook * Personal Workbook * 140 Adviser Cards * 2 Audio CDs

Disruptive businesses are born every day. Someone has a great idea that offers a better choice in terms of price, convenience, service or functionality, and for a moment, they hold the keys to the remaking of an entire industry. Yet many of these businesses let advantage slip through their hands over time because they fail to realize that the fast pace of technology allows a challenge to come from anywhere - large competitors or startups -- and overtake them in an instant. This is Accelerated Disruption. It is business development moving at the speed of the next technological advancement. Businesses that can understand and control the forces of technology will thrive in the coming years. Those that cannot will find themselves displaced. Accelerated Disruption deals with the following critical startup concepts and more: * Choosing the right industries to innovate * Understanding the concept of pain in an industry and turning it to competitive advantage * Using the strength of conventional wisdom to investigate a disruptive idea and test it under the radar * Getting the best out of your people through smart automation * Turning your customer base into a sophisticated R&D team * Mastering the art of quick-release product improvements * Promoting your idea in the face of industry and investor resistance * Developing a capital strategy that supports your business during critical stages of development Author Eric Lefkofsky, a Chicago entrepreneur who helped found five technology startups worth more than a billion dollars, explains how disruptive businesses are formed, grown and sustained and provides an intellectual and conceptual framework for making your idea a reality.