The White Ladder Diaries: The Pain and Pleasure of Launching a Business (Paperback)

"Maybe you'd love to start your own business but can't get your head around the concept of how to make the leap from good idea to running an actual business. If so, this book is for you... Because Jay and Craze are in the publishing business themselves, the book is written in a very accessible style." Sunday Times "The White Ladder Diaries is essential reading for those who profess to make their living out of helping small businesses to grow. It's a good book written by someone whom I found myself willing to succeed." Management Today "What a refreshing change - a book about business that doesn't read like a business book. Easy to read, simple, but definitely not simplistic, The White Ladder Diaries is written in a relaxed, personal style and with marked absence of jargon. If you are seriously thinking about starting your own business, buy this book, read it and take notice of the advice." ink "This book is an excellent first-hand account of the reality of starting up a business. Budding entrepreneurs should pick up plenty of advice on everything from choosing a logo for a website to accountancy." startups.co.uk "The beauty of the book is the way the lessons they learned and the way they went about it can be applied to just about anyone starting any business. Most people who've been through a similar experience will recognise the pain and excitement, the worry and delight that flows through this book. As a guide to overcoming some of the more obvious problems, it's one of the best written self-help books full of good advice and excellent tips." Daily Record "Jay has a solid style that goes straight to the point with little messing around on the door step of the things you actually want to know. A useful tool that pops up frequently is the Golden Rule, a little box that contains a pearl of wisdom on something just discussed. There are too few books on the market that put across the pitfalls of starting a business in a readable, 'tell 'em how it is' style. All the way through the book there's a sense of realistic optimism that you have to admire." Internet Works "In my time as a reviewer I have read and enjoyed many excellent books giving good advice and detailed information on how to set up a small business. Ros Jay's book is different. There was no pain, only pleasure for me as I read her journal of the beginnings of the small publishing company that she and her husband have set up and indeed this small book is difficult to put down! Ros's journal makes fascinating reading - the attention to detail, the striving for professionalism, the wonderful kindness from friends and colleagues, the struggles, with which we can all identify, with high street banks and major telephone companies, the brilliance of the people who designed the web site and the designer and typesetter - totally absorbing." City to Cities "It contains plenty of practical tips for start-ups (it's particularly useful for those wanting to generate PR for their new business), but the fact that this is a first-hand account means it serves as much more than a mere guidebook." EN The magazine for entrepreneurs

Ros Jay and her partner, Richard Craze, first had the idea of starting their own publishing company, White Ladder Press, in the summer of 2002. This book is her personal journal account of launching the business. It tells the story of how they overcame their doubts and anxieties and brought the company to life for only a few thousand pounds, and set it on its way to being a successful small business. The White Ladder Diaries isn't all theory and recollections. It's a real life, day-by-day diary of all those crucial steps, naive mistakes and emotional moments between conceiving the idea for a business and launching the first product. It records the thinking behind all those vital decisions, from choosing a logo or building a website, to sorting out a phone system or getting to grips with discounts. Ros Jay has drawn on her long experience advising small businesses to give practical pointers for other people going through the same process. The diary is littered with tips and advice, whether you want to know how to register a domain name or how to write a press release. You can read an extract at www whiteladderpress.com