Book excerpt: If you are one of the 35 million Americans thinking about starting your own business, then this is the book for you! According to the Entrepreneurial Research Consortium, one out of three U.S. households has someone involved in a small business startup. In fact, there has never been a better time to start your own small business than right now. But with all that competition and seemingly endless stream of regulations, laws, and financial red tape, it's important to know exactly what it takes to get that business up and running.