There is lots of advice around for starting a business, but less for when it is established but un-profitable, or gets into difficulties. 

This is a guide to help you when the going gets tough. It acts as a both a smoke detector - to help spot the early warning signs of approaching difficulty, and as a fire extinguisher - for immediate use in a crisis. 

It will help you to turn a business around by explaining: 

• Why businesses fail, 
  
• How to spot the warning signs, 
  
• Key ways to stabilise your finances, 
  
• How to devise a realistic recovery plan, and 
  
• How to manage that plan into effective action.
  

Written in clear English, this book demystifies the raising of finance and clears a way through the financial jargon for business owner/managers. 

It will help you to: 

• Understand how much and what sorts of finance and borrowings your business needs (and why); 
  
• Identify what options are open to you when it comes to raising this finance;  
  
• Choose the most appropriate form of finance for both you and your businesses, 
• Arrange this funding on the most sensible terms and structure.
  

Buying a business is not just a case of doing a deal, however involved and pressurised that might feel at the time. 

You buy to become the owner of a successful business that achieves your personal and professional objectives. 

This book takes you on a programme of five phases that will help you to achieve those objectives: 

1. Planning, to decide what you really want to buy; 
   
2. Searching, to find the right opportunities; 
   
3. Approaching and screening, narrowing your search down and making contact with the current owners; 
   
4. Negotiating and checking, the phase that usually leads to doing the deal; and 
   
5. Making the business work afterwards, so that it will provide you with the future income stream, the lifestyle or the security you are seeking, or the increased market share you want for your present business.  
   

Some people only ever sell their business once, usually when they are looking to retire. Others will find themselves selling their businesses a number of times during their careers as they move from one project to the next. 

But both types of people have one thing in common: they need to get the best deal possible out of the sale. 

This practical, commonsense book will help to secure the best result from selling your business. You will find first-hand advice on:

• Deciding what you want to sell,
  
• Picking the best time to sell,
  
• Doing your market research,
  
• Getting the business and supporting paperwork prepared,
  
• Marketing the business,
  
• Dealing with enquiries, and
  
• Completing the sale.
  

Charts and examples offer advice on legal, financial and strategic issues for all types of enterprises, however big or small your business is. 

If you're thinking of selling your business - don't do it without reading this book first.

For most small, medium and mid market sized businesses, their bankers are usually a key: 

• Financial stakeholder in the business; and 
• Potential independent source of advice and support when the banking relationship is working properly. 
  

As a result of the bank’s power in the relationship however, any breakdown in this connection can be a real threat to the business’s survival. 

So for a business owner, knowing how to manage this critical relationship to maintain bank support, and how to remedy any problems that may arise can be critical to the survival of their business. 

This is the first in our series of pocket business guides for business owners and stakeholders on the practical management of issues that they may have to deal with.