The Beermat Entrepreneur (Revised Edition): Turn your good idea into a great business

by Mike Southon, Chris West

The Beermat Entrepreneur became an instant bestseller on publication in 2002. In 5 years the first and second editions have sold over 50,000 copies and it has helped tens of thousands of people thinking about starting a business to understand how to turn a good idea into a great business.
• First edition sold 34,774 copies in 3 years, the second edition has sold 15,318 copies in 2.5 years. • Mike Southon is a professional speaker, with hundreds of speaking gigs around the Beermat theme every year. In the three years since The Beermat Entrepreneur was originally published, Mike Southon and Chris West have met literally thousands of people at every stage of starting up, from thinking about it through to growing businesses. The experiences and feedback of these people have overwhelming supported the Beermat methodology. • The business start up market was worth £2.3m in 2007 and it’s still growing - statistics show that between 1 in 3 and 1 in 4 of us are thinking about a business idea and every year in the UK alone more than 400,000 people actually start a business. • Starting a Business for Dummies 9780764570186 ranked 3rd with 7,886 units sold, Start Your Business week by week 9780273694472 ranked 5th with 5,602 units sold, Teach Yourself Setting Up a Small Business 9780340928776 ranked 8th with 3,754 units sold (Small Business market, TCM Bookscan Full Year 2007).

Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Nonfiction, Research

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Fatima Wiamer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I am just really impartial to self-help "business starter" books. I feel like there is no clear cut way to start your business and a lot of these books deal with products...not services. Or business that are trying to become large businesses. I am interested in creating a small business of a staff of 1-5 people.

[S F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical and to the point. A good book that cuts through the fluff found in most "how to start a business" books

[Taco Stocco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entrepreneurs have a tough life at times when starting out. Working seven days a week, for 18-20 hours a day can be a living nightmare, especially when profits are only rising slightly, or not at all, for months on end. However, all successful businesses start out small, but there is that moment when their big break happens, and this book can help guide a budding entrepreneur to get to that stage quicker.

While I originally read the beermat for a business course that I took in University, I have revisited it twice. I think there are many excellent points made throughout the book that are important to be successful. Particularly, the chapters on finance, marketing, and branding are very interesting. The most important chapters however, are those on the human qualities a entrepreneur must have. We live in a human capital world now, and investing in the person is just as important as investing in a product or an idea. The human qualities highlighted in this book are a must read for budding entrepreneurs.

If I had any criticism of the book, it would be that some of the chapters have great ideas that are never fully fleshed out. It is clear that the authors were worried about length, and wanted to keep the book short. I would love to see a Beermat V2, or an extended edition, in which the ideas of the book are more fully realized.

Overall, the Beermat is a great book, and a highly recommended read for all entrepreneurs, regardless of the point they are at in their careers!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone looking to actually have the balls to start their own business. I hate most of business self improvement books, but this is a genuinely thoughtful book on how to structure a team for growth.

I'll give it 5 stars if someone buys my business one day. This book was definately one of the inspirations for me leaving to set up something on my own.

[Russ King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book should be compulsory reading at schools let alone for small businesses. With such a light touch it contains so much wisdom about starting a new business that I have recommended it to so many people I should be charging Mike commission. Incidently Mike is very approachable and is one of the few experts who actually practises what he preaches.

[Kars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broader in scope than Sales on a Beermat, which I read earlier, so contains less actionable advice. But still a nice, down to earth, quick read which serves as a useful reality check for any entrepreneurial ambitions you may have.

[Kinman Li · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guide on how to quickly set up business. Not the write a huge detailed business plan approach type of book.

[Oyaje Idoko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read, short and a must read for every aspiring entrepreneur.