I have come across no better small business start-up resource than the 'Nolo Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business'. Other readable books on the topic tend towards generality or fluff. This book answers your questions and the questions you didn't know you had. ( )

Another in this excellent series of books on everyday legal issues for consumers. In this volume, legal guide for small business the reader is led throughout the process of starting and running a business. from planning to zoning a checklist every legal issue is clearly discussed.
I run and small business and this book alerted me to legal issues I had not thought of. As always with this publisher you can updated information on their web site. I highly recommend this for all small business agencies, public libraries and individuals. ( )

I have found this book to be very helpful. It was an easy read even though it is covering some very technical fields. It does not replace getting advice from a local attorney and CPA but it does give you a good overview so you can start your business planning on a solid knowledge base.

The thing that I really like about this NOLO guide (and all NOLO books that I have read) is that they have lots of examples. On almost every page there is an example to help you understand some aspect being discussed.

Topics covered in this book include:
Naming your business and products.
Entities.
Licenses.
Tax basics.
Buying a business
Franchises.
Insurance.
Negotiations.
Employees
Customer Relations.
Extending Credit.
Contracts.
Legal Disputes.
Etc.

This Nolo guide does a very good job explaining the legal issues most likely to confront a small business owner. It covers the formation of the business and the paperwork necessary to to get that done, and it doesn't just cover entity selection either. They cover purchasing a business or franchise, and some of the research necessary to making a sound purchase decision. They go into detail on how to deal with local and State issues related to starting a business. It also covers how to deal with employees, vendors, customers, insurers as well as how to deal with legal disputes. While the information is very general, it does a good job covering the bases for most product focused and service focused small businesses. ( )

While a lot of this book doesn't apply to me and my business (a VERY small handmade craft business, Peasblossom Creations) since I don't have employees and am not interested in buy a franchise, this book provides a great overview of how to start and run a typical small business. Well-written and easy to understand, Mr. Steingold has created a good guide that I will definitely be keeping as a reference. Nolo, the publisher, also has some nifty features such as their online "Plain English Legal Dictionary" (helpful for the layperson) and forms that you might need. If you are interested in starting up a small business, buying someone else's, or getting involved with a franchise, I would definitely recommend Steinberg's guide.