The Art of Small Business Design

You've got inspiring small business ideas, sparkly daydreams of being your own boss, and fantasies about freedom and success - but should you take them seriously? You don't have to quit your day job to get started. The Art of Small Business Design gives you the shot of courage you need to make your visions a reality.

The frameworks, exercises and actions contained in this book come from more than two decades of experience, observations and research into how creative, small business owners got their start. Most jump in head first without writing lengthy business plans or pouring over endless spreadsheets. There is another way.

Allison Hillier advocates for a more natural approach to designing a small business - start simple, put something out there, creatively respond to what happens and keep going until you find your personal formula for business success. Through guided exercises and contemporary examples, you'll discover whether your idea has potential, the method for making it real and the tools to design the future you dream of.

By the end of this journey, you'll know how to:

• Recognize what makes a business work and why


• Build creativity and heart into something you and your customers care about


• Draw a roadmap from where you are today, to where you want to be tomorrow


• Avoid the most common missteps that so many small businesses make


• Transform the world around you into a personal learning laboratory


• Embrace your new future as a small business owner