Successful businesses are built on a strong, credible, and exciting vision that captures and articulates the real purpose of the business. Together with a solid and comprehensive business plan in action the business is mobilised to realise that vision. It is also important that there is some understanding of basic business concepts to ensure success.
1. Is starting a business for me
2. Starting a business - get moving
3. Get it right forming a company
4. Business planning - driving for sucess
5. The ABC of tax - all you need to know about tax
6. Employers and employees
7. Marketing - growing your business
8. How to fund your business - the basics of business funding
9. Need money to start - sources of funding
10. Manage your business for wealth
IS STARTING A BUSINESS FOR ME 
Being in business can be exciting, liberating, empowering and rewarding. It can also be stressful, with long hours, too much to do and financially challenging. Regardless of how great your idea is, if you personally cannot handle the specific stresses and rewards of being in your own business, then it is unlikely to succeed. Not everyone is made to be their own boss. It is crucial you work this out for yourself before you start to quit jobs, borrow money and open your doors for business. Don’t commit to your business only to ‘swim with the sharks’ further down the track.
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STARTING A BUSINESS – GET MOVING
If you’re ready to start your own business then you need to start thinking about all the issues related to your business. See the list below for some of the main issues that you will need to decide on and think about.
- Buying an existing business or starting a new one?
- Signing legal documents
- Business structure: which structure is best for your business?
- Putting together a business plan
- Swot Analysis
- Marketing and Sales Plan
- Financial Plan
- Operations Plan
- Management Plan
- Monitoring plan
- Taxes & what you need to know about them
- ACC and health and safety
- Employing staff
- Managing your finances
- Sourcing finance
GET IT RIGHT - FORMING A COMPANY
To own and operate a business in New Zealand you need to choose a business structure. This overview will help you select a business structure that suits your needs; sole trader, partnership or limited liability company.
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BUSINESS PLANNING – DRIVING FOR SUCCESS
Your business plan should be seen as a road map. You need to know where you are today and where you want to get to – then you can work out how to get there. The
process of business planning is critical because it requires you to think through every aspect of the business before you are in the middle of it all. This forced thinking enables you to keep a cooler head and to stay focused when things don’t seem to be going the way you expect them to. Why develop a business plan?
- The business plan is the road map or war plan!
- Requires you to think through every aspect of the business.
- Essential to accessing finance
“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”
THE ABC OF TAX – ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TAX
When setting up a business or operating an existing one, it is important that you understand your tax obligations so that you can pay the correct amount of tax, as well as claim the business expenses and deductions you are entitled to receive. Being compliant is critical to operating a successful business as most business failures within the first 3 years are tax related.
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EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES
In any business, managing and taking care of staff is one of the biggest responsibilities of business owners. It is widely accepted that having good staff is the key to a productive and profitable business. Understanding your obligations as an employer is a first step towards building a successful business.
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MARKETING – GROWING YOUR BUSINESS
There is a general misconception that marketing is about advertising and promoting your business as well as the products/services that your business offers. However, many discover that Marketing is much more than this and encompasses an integration of many disciplines such as Economics, Management, Accounting, and Commercial Law. Having a sound understanding of the fundamental and practical marketing concepts and strategies will be helpful in building a successful business.
HOW TO FUND YOUR BUSINESS – THE BASICS OF BUSINESS FUNDING
To some business owners financing means taking whatever money they can get in the fastest way they can. Unfortunately, they fail to take into account the fact that getting money for the business involves both financial and non financial considerations – good and bad.
The different stages of the business in its financial life cycle are from start-up to aging. This often dictates the availability of certain financing alternatives.
As a business owner, you will need more than just cash. You will need "smart" money. By this we mean financing that helps your business in the way that you want it to, where the financier provides not only capital, but support and expertise to your business. Smart money could be a guaranteed loan that allows you to keep ownership compared to money that comes from a member of your family who become a partner in your business that might be costly in the long term.
Whether you are trying to locate a bank that is willing to lend you money or you are looking for the “angel" who will provide equity capital, your quest for financing will require that you devote the same attention as you give to matters involving the business's product or service.
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NEED MONEY TO START – FUNDING SOURCES
Most small start-up businesses are initially funded by the owner’s personal assets that come from personal savings or assets such as an early retirement incentive payout. Additional funds are also generated by personal loans that are then invested into the business. There are many sources of funding and finding the right one is not always easy.
MANAGE YOUR BUSINESS FOR WEALTH 
Business owners go into business because of their passion about the products or services they want to provide therefore they focus their energy there. The financial aspects of running the business usually fall at the bottom of the list of their “most desirable” duties. However, as a business owner, it is crucial for the long term success of your business to understand some of the financial fundamentals.
You don’t have to be an accountant or a financial analyst to have some key basic skills to measure the financial health and wealth of your business. Managing you business for growth requires a long term view of the future and taking simple steps forward.