Drive a Modest Car & 16 Other Keys to Small Business Success

by Ralph E. Warner

Nearly 50 percent of new businesses fail in the first year, and 80 percent fail in the first five. So what does it take to run a continually successful enterprise over the long run-- and be continually happy while you're at it? Nobody can answer that question better than Ralph Warner, who co-founded Nolo in 1971. With Drive a Modest Car, you'll discover the business philosophy that Warner has learned through three decades at the helm of a small business -- much of it contrary to the conventional wisdom of today's business gurus. Drive a Modest Car breaks it all down with 17 ideas, *don't work long hours *choose a business you care about *embrace your best competitors *get and keep a competitive edge *innovate now and forever *market your business creatively *target your customers *react quickly to bad news Drive a Modest Car is the perfect read for anyone who's interested in starting a new ventureand for those who could use an infusion of practical advice to get back on track with an existing business.

350 pages, Paperback

First published April 2, 2002

About the author

Ralph "Jake" Warner, co-founder of Nolo in 1971, was a trailblazer in the do-it-yourself law movement. He helped make legal guidance widely accessible through books, software, and online resources. A prolific author and editor, Warner wrote titles like Retire Happy and Save Your Small Business. He earned his law degree from Boalt Hall at UC Berkeley and his undergraduate degree in history from Princeton.

Reviews

[Dave Peticolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tips on running a successful small business by the founder of Nolo, a publisher of self-help law books. I enjoyed reading this book, it was clear and straightforward, although sometimes the examples were a little simplistic. I plan to read more law-related titles from Nolo.

[Julie Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad highly recommended this book to me.

I would sum up Jake Warner's advice as "Don't be an asshole" when doing business. He also presents some very interesting ideas about guerrilla marketing for small business owners.