Every year, more than a million people start a new small business with drive, enthusiasm and dreams of success. Unfortunately, about the same number every year go out of business. The mortality rate for small businesses is probably higher than it should be because most entrepreneurs don't know what to do “when the shit hits the fan”...and it always does. There are things that are going to happen that no textbook will ever warn you about, because no small business operates like the textbooks say it should. After 30 years in many of his own small businesses and helping others, Barry Thomsen has seen pretty much all the things that can go wrong, all the solutions that just don't work and all the ways to keep the doors open...if only for another month. There is a lot more to starting, running and succeeding at a business than buying a nice sign and ordering business cards. In this provocative book, you'll find out how: · Poor customer care can ruin a small business. · Losing a big account is not the end of the world. · Cash-flow problems can bring you to a standstill. · Massive competition can be dealt with profitably. Owner attitude can affect the entire business.