Creating business strategies to develop profitable opportunities is the key role of management. Every company’s management encounters problems and frequently looks to a consultant or advisor for help. Every consultant or advisor strives to understand the issues facing the management so they can propose solutions that fit the company’s strategic business plan. Each owner tries to evaluate the situation so he or she can assess the impact of the problem as well as the proposed solution. Once the entrepreneurial spirit or corporate culture is lost it is difficult to regain but a good management strategist can apply critical thinking to put the company back on track.

“How to Evaluate and Profit from a Business Opportunity – The Entrepreneur’s Guide” is written in two parts: what one needs to know to select the right opportunity and the secrets to making it profitable. The self-assessment questions in Chapter Two apply a consultants’ approach to take the readers through an introspective look at themselves that will help them decide what type of opportunity might best suit their personal development plan. Different strategies show how and where to find the necessary resources, how to define the opportunities, and how to understand the available information so the entrepreneur can determine if a strategic development plan for the opportunity can be designed and successfully implemented. This first part also clarifies the role professionals play in decision-making and how to use them. The final chapter guides the decision-making process, offers strategies the entrepreneur can use in the negotiations and finally, provides advice on how to acquire the opportunity.

Part two is all about making a business successful. It is a case study in the development of a strategic business plan. Individual chapters include understanding and using leverage, capitalization, and how financial records can be used to improve profitability. The entrepreneur will learn the difference between cash and profits, and why people are the most important resource. Important differences between sales and marketing are presented and the owner / manager learns why he or she must be paid what they are worth. Even more important they see that if they aren’t contributing to the growth of the business – they should fire themselves.

No punches pulled here, just hard-nosed advice from an experienced management consultant.

The last chapter provides tips on developing an exit strategy.

 Midwest Book Review - June 2006 described “How to Evaluate and Profit from a Business Opportunity - The Entrepreneur’s guide as an introductory “how to” manual for taking profitable advantage of business opportunities. The review states that it is a resource for anyone who has thought of buying or starting a business. It is an easy-to-read guide that covers all aspects of evaluating an opportunity and making it profitable (see the Table of Contents at the end of this section) by drawing on Consoli’s extensive and varied business career. Stories and examples of what to do and what not to do from his personal experiences explain how to do it and why.

There are many books that offer advice, few are written by someone who has done it. Almost none by someone who has done it over thirty times. 

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