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Tradesman Insurance: Books for Tradesmen Covering Business, Sales and Marketing, and Tax

Having the practical skills to do your job is all well and good but if you're also running your own business then those skills alone probably won't be enough. As a self-employed tradesman you may also feel like a general 'dogsbody' and all sorts of business-related issues may crop up from time to time which you don't know the answer to. The good news is that getting advice and help needn't be expensive as there are loads of books around that provide helpful information for tradesmen in the areas of business, sales and marketing, and tax. So, whether you're looking for something to dip into every now and again or you're looking for something to read from cover to cover then the books below should be a useful starting point.

Business

The following books provide useful information regarding starting up and running a business.

Starting and Running a Business All-in-one for Dummies by Liz Barclay, Colin Barrow, Paul Barrow, and Gregory Brooks (2007).
Business Enterprise: Starting a Business from Home: Choosing a Business, Getting Online, Reaching Your Market and Making a Profit by Colin Barrow (2008).
Entrepreneurship and Small Business by Paul Burns (2006).
The Small Business Start-up Workbook: A Step-by-step Guide to Starting the Business You've Dreamed of by Cheryl D. Rickman and Dame Anita Roddick (2005).
Spare Room Start Up: How to Start a Business from Home by Emma Jones (2008).
The Definitive Business Plan: The Fast Track to Intelligent Business Planning for Executives and Entrepreneurs (Financial Times Series) by Richard Stutely (2006).
The "Financial Times" Guide to Business Start Up 2010: The Only Annually Updated Guide for Entrepeneurs (Financial Times Series) by Sara Williams (2009).

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing are essential for business success. The books below give some useful pointers.

Do Something Different: Proven Marketing Techniques to Transform Your Business (Virgin Business Guides) by Sir Richard Branson and Jurgen Wolff (2005).
eMarketing eXcellence: Planning and Optimising Your Digital Marketing (Emarketing Essentials) by Dave Chaffey and PR Smith (2008).
Winning New Business: Essential Selling Skills for Non-sales People by Richard Denny (2007).
e-Riches 2.0 by Scott Fox (2009).
Brilliant Marketing: What the Best Marketers Know, Do and Say by Richard Hall (2009).
Sales Therapy: Effective Selling for the Small Business Owner by Grant Leboff (2007).
Instant Cashflow: Hundreds of Proven Strategies to Win Customers, Boost Margins and Take More Money Home (Instant Success) by Bradley J Sugars and Brad Sugars (2006).

Tax

Tax can be a minefield. The books below deal with tax-related matters for small businesses.

Teach Yourself Understanding Tax for Small Businesses (TY Computing) by Sarah Deeks (2009).
Keeping It Simple: Small Business Bookkeeping, Cash Flow, Tax & VAT by James Smith (2009).

Practical skills will see you through your day-to-day work but for your business to really take off try and get as much information as you can from the tons of books geared towards your needs. Happy reading!