“Deciding to Go Public; Understanding the Process and the Alternatives” by Ernest and Whinney.
Although this is an older book, it is one that I would highly recommend because much of the information is quite timeless, and although there are sections about SEC filings for IPOs (initial public offerings), and there are forms which are no longer any good, all the other information is completely worthy. Understanding stock pricing, reporting, underwriting, and all the potential alternative ways to finance a fast moving start-up are here also such as; bank loans, SBA loans, venture capital and even corporate R&D partners are Paramount.
Still the question is; if you have your heart set on going public, you need to do a little soul-searching, and so; do you have what it takes. That is say; are you really ready and is the market ready for your rapid expansion once you get additional funding. Is your business plan in order? Do you have the executives you need to impress investors, and actually pull it off once you go public?
Do you understand the accounting and attorneys costs for maintaining a public company? After all, ever since Sarbanes-Oxley these costs are no less than half a million dollars a year to keep up with the SEC filings. These are all things you need to consider and everything is listed in this book. Indeed, hope you please consider all this.
Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes knowledge is power in business.
