Secrets of a Serial Entrepreneur: A Business Dragon's Guide to Success

The question this book will answer is: “How do I go through the process of building a successful business from scratch or spotting an under-performing business, buying it and selling it on; what skills do I need and how do I get them?”

How to be an entrepreneur: giving a comprehensive account of how to set up businesses, and how to buy and sell businesses

How to manage a business: how to improve the profitability of a business, or to turn it around; how to hire and manage the right people; how to plan a strategy and manage the financial side.

Each step and each topic will be illustrated with examples from Shaf's own experiences as a business manager and entrepreneur. He will also use the experiences of candidates he's worked with in the in the Dragons' Den.

Table of Contents:

1. You bet it's personal

2. Believe in yourself or go home

3. Invest in it, don't manage it

4. Genius is nice – but knowing how to run a business is better

5. Be realistic and you'll make money

6. Buy, don't rent.

7. Be quick on your feet and beat the rest

8. Lead the team

9. Exit. It's marked in lights and large letters for a reason

Each chapter will contain:

• Tip from Shaf: A particular tip that encapsulates the messages in the text; there could be a number of these in each chapter

• Advice from Shaf: Given the reader is likely to be in a situation that corresponds with the chapter text, what would Shaf advise them to do next?

• Here's the process: Shaf will refer to a number of financial and non-financial processes and he will point readers to templates available to download from his website Shafrasul.com. This website, with its news and blogs, is becoming more and more popular as Shaf gains publicity in newspapers and on television, and could easily be developed as a portal site for entrepreneurs.