In the realm of "how-to" books, this stands out as one that drills into the reader the basic common sense necessities of starting almost any business and combines them with some valuable specifics about the particular challenges of being a building contractor. The construction industry is risky business and not for the faint of heart, so one of the earliest sections of the book is a questionnaire to determine if the reader "has what it takes" to make it in this business. If you fail that, you might as well not read any further. Overly well-organized (the table of contents alone is 15 pages!), this is definitely a useful primer for anyone who is toying with the idea of this career option. There are a number of especially useful tables in the book, like budget templates and project timelines, and the tone of the book is decidedly upbeat about the factors that make for success in this--and, frankly, almost any--business.