Taking a leap and making the choice to start a business can be hard, but all that comes after—the planning, loans, marketing—can be even harder. Every new business owner needs an easy, clear, and useful guide to follow when embarking on this venture, and Minding My Business will make the process as simple as possible. With no previous business experience, Adeena Mignogna decided to open up her own retail store, a paint-your-own pottery studio. In this part memoir, part handbook, she details all the things she did right, and wrong, so that anyone following in her footsteps won’t make the same mistakes. Minding My Business explains how to: Deal with leasing and landlords Obtain loans and manage finances Hire, retain, and treat employees Market and advertise your business Deal with stressful situations Create an exit strategy if you decide to close Sell your business And everything in between Mignogna chronicles all that went into opening the doors to her store, successfully managing it for several years, and then finally deciding to close it. If you’re ready to take the risk, you’ll need this book to help you navigate through the tough and perplexing world of small business.