The Financial Times Guide to Starting a Business: The comprehensive guide for entrepreneurs (Financial Times Series) - Softcover

Foster, Mike

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1292483768 ISBN 13: 9781292483764

Publisher: FT Publishing International, 2025

Synopsis

Turn your idea into income. The dream of starting a business often fades under the weight of uncertainty, unanswered questions, and rookie mistakes that cost both time and money. What if you had a trusted guide that showed you exactly what to do, while also giving you the mindset and confidence to see your vision through? With the right tools and frameworks, your path to entrepreneurship can be clearer, faster, and far less risky. 

• Complete roadmap: Covers idea testing, planning, marketing, finance, legal, and operations so nothing gets missed. 

• Entrepreneurial mindset tools: Builds resilience and decision skills that separate thriving founders from dreamers. 

• Case studies & interviews: Real stories show what works, what fails, and why. 

• Reflective questions: Step-by-step prompts turn theory into your personalised action plan. 

• FT authority: Trusted Financial Times frameworks add credibility when pitching partners, banks, or investors. 

The Financial Times Guide to Starting a Business by business mentor Mike Foster is a 400-page practical handbook in print and e-book formats. Backed by the globally respected FT brand, it delivers battle-tested advice for today’s entrepreneurs. 

Structured around the full start-up journey, each chapter blends clear explanations, checklists, and proven models. Friendly yet rigorous, it demystifies marketing, sales, finance, legal choices, and operations while nurturing the mindset essential for success. 

Finish the book with a validated idea, a solid business plan, and the confidence to launch smart, save money, and grow sustainably. 

Ideal for employed professionals, side-hustlers, and early-stage founders who want a complete, credible start-up blueprint. 

About this title

About the Author

Mike Foster is a business mentor and former start-up owner known for transforming raw ideas into profitable ventures. With decades of coaching thousands of entrepreneurs, Mike brings clear, encouraging, and actionable guidance to every page. He translates real-world expertise into easy-to-apply frameworks that help readers launch faster and smarter. 

From the Back Cover

Are you looking to start a business? Build your entrepreneurial mindset? 

Helping you from start to finish, this comprehensive, practical and user-friendly book contains everything you need to know about starting a business. As well as assessing and finessing your idea, you’ll learn about marketing, sales, finance, legal structures, and operations. You’ll also discover how to build your entrepreneurial mindset, and confidence and avoid common pitfalls. 

• Discover a comprehensive and user-friendly guide to starting a business

• Assess your business ideas, refine them, and develop a solid business plan. 

• Understand how marketing, sales, finance, legal structures, and operations work, and what you need to do.

• Learn from success stories, case studies, and frameworks from other entrepreneurs.

• Build your confidence and entrepreneurial mindset and avoid the common pitfalls to save time, money, and frustration. 

The Financial Times Guide to Starting a Business is your blueprint for starting a successful business. 

Edition details

• Publisher: FT Publishing International
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1292483768
• ISBN 13: 9781292483764
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 360