.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;}
For start-up businesses in Central Iowa, a new locally produced book titled “How Business Gets Done: Words of Wisdom by Central Iowa Experts” could be the next-best thing to having a panel of experts on hand to provide advice.

The Business Innovation Zone (BIZ), a 2-year-old business accelerator program based in Des Moines, is in the final stages of producing the book, said Mike Colwell, executive director of the BIZ. It will feature chapters covering 30 business topics, each written by a local expert on the subject.

“It came out of a discussion of how I see entrepreneurs making the same mistakes over and over, asking the same questions over and over, not asking certain questions, not knowing how to do certain things,” Colwell said. “If you encompass all of the marketing, all operations, all sales, if you literally write an execution plan for every aspect of your business plan, there are hundreds of things to do, and you don’t do them all at once.”

McLellan Marketing Group, which has produced similar business resource books, is formatting the publication, which is expected to be available for sale within about four weeks on www.lulu.com, a self-publishing Web site.

The cost to produce the soft-cover book will be “very negligible,” Colwell said, “because we’re not paying anyone to write it, and we won’t be holding any inventory.” Consequently, the cover price should be low, probably less than $15, he said. It will also be available on Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com several weeks after it comes out on Lulu.com. To order, simply search by the book title.

“We’re not trying to make money off of it; that’s not the intent,” he said. “If we happen to make a few dollars on it, we’ll use it for a scholarship fund if there’s a candidate for the BIZ who can’t afford the fee.”

Launched in 2007, the BIZ is one of six regional business accelerators that have been formed in the state. The BIZ is a collaborative effort of five co-sponsoring organizations: the Greater Des Moines Partnership, Iowa State University Research Park, Ames Economic Development Corp., the Iowa Department of Economic Development and Des Moines Area Community College. The BIZ currently works with about 30 client companies. Finding professionals willing to write short chapters for the book was much easier than he expected it would be, Colwell said. “Most said, ‘Sure, I’d love to,'” he said. “I think a lot of people do understand that networking is a very positive way to get your name out there.”

Each chapter provides an overview of a particular issue, Colwell said, along with a list of questions that entrepreneurs should ask themselves and a list of resources for further research.

“I think it will be an effective tool to not only promote the idea of the BIZ, but to kind of give people a flavor for the network behind it,” he said. “I think it will provide a real level of credibility.”

Colwell said the BIZ plans to provide ways for people to provide feedback on the book, particularly suggestions for additional topics that should be added to future editions. He hopes to update the book annually.

“I want to get feedback from people about what’s missing. And we’ll ask the authors to go back and look at their work and see if anything needs to be changed.”