This is the place to start after spending time with the Essential Planning Guide. Learn the foundations of launching a retail bookstore. Whether you’ve made the decision to own a bookstore or are still exploring the possibilities, this is the place to start. Here you’ll learn what is needed to develop your business plan narrative and projections, which will serve as the foundation of your business.
Your business plan just got a lot easier with:
- Information and insights from industry professionals
- Book industry research
- Links to valuable resources
- Exercises & case study
- Spreadsheets with automatic calculations for opening costs, financial projections, and a timeline for planning and tracking your opening tasks
What you’ll learn about the business of bookselling:
- Overview of Online Training & Assessing the Skills You Bring to the Job
- Competitive Advantages for Bricks-and Mortar Booksellers
- Book Industry Trends
- Start-up Investment
- Banking and Securing Funds
- Crowdfunding
- Financial Dynamics of Retail Bookstores
- How to Estimate Sales & Owner’s Earnings
- Assessing the Strength of Your Location
- Lease Negotiation
- Opening Timeline
- Summary & Next Steps
You’ll get answers to your questions about bookselling and tons of detail to help you develop your business concept.
"The workshop was an incredible experience and definitely gave me the knowledge and tools to make my store more than just a dream."
- Sandy Loomis
"Many thanks again for conducting such an informative and enjoyable workshop. It was exactly what I was looking for and clearly a lot of thought and care went into it."
- Melissa Crispin
"I know we wouldn't be this far along without the Paz & Associates help, training, and Guide. This and networking with fellow Paz Graduates have been immensely worth the investment."
- Jay Jackson, Absolutely Fiction Books
"I am so very happy I found you ... without you
the store would just be a dream."
- Melissa DeMotte, The Well-Read Moose
"I simply cannot end this day without sending you a brief note of thanks for the fantastic experience that I had this week at our workshop / boot camp.
I learned so much and had a great time in the process. You provide all of us with such a wealth of information and practical tools."
- Margi Watters
"You have been 100% fabulous and are helping me make this exhilarating, exciting, and sometimes terrifying trip very doable. And I can pretend I have complete confidence in all my dealings because I can get all the answers from Paz & Associates when I don't know something :)"
- Laurie Donelson Gillman, East City Bookshop
"[the training] was a life changer ... I would not be doing this if I hadn't gone to the workshop. It really taught me what I needed to know.
It makes you understand and appreciate just how
many moving parts there are in a business like this."
- Erika VanDam, RoscoeBooks
"The Guide exceeded my expectations! The mentor from SCORE was extremely impressed with the information I am able to bring to our meetings. I am incredibly impressed with your training materials. I can only imagine what kind of valuable information I could glean from you in person."
- Lindsay Persohn, Prospective Bookseller
"Your Guide has been an invaluable resource in my planning and decision making process and quite honestly, I couldn't imagine starting down this part without it. The Guide contains a wealth of information."
- Dan Byers, Prospective Bookseller
"I honestly don't know how I would have pulled this off without your help."
- Sally Bradshaw, Midtown Reader
"Wow, the Owning a Bookstore Guide is fabulous! I'm impressed at its weight and thoroughness. My two partners and I thought we'd rotate it, but no way. I need two more!"
- Sandy Koropp, Prairie Path Books
"Once again I want to thank you guys a million times for the best training. I enjoyed myself and learned so much. I am amazed at how much I have used from just that one week from class..."
- VaLinda Miller, The Booksmith
"Whenever anyone asks me for advice about opening a bookstore, I tell them the best thing I ever did was take your class. I knew I loved books, but here the realization that I was taking on a business truly became a reality. Not only did I learn so much from your workshop, I use all of your invaluable resources to this day." - Rita Maggio, BookTowne
"The workshop was an incredible experience and definitely gave me the knowledge and tools to make my store more than just a dream."
- Sandy Loomis
"Many thanks again for conducting such an informative and enjoyable workshop. It was exactly what I was looking for and clearly a lot of thought and care went into it."
- Melissa Crispin
"I know we wouldn't be this far along without the Paz & Associates help, training, and Guide. This and networking with fellow Paz Graduates have been immensely worth the investment."
- Jay Jackson, Absolutely Fiction Books
"I am so very happy I found you ... without you
the store would just be a dream."
- Melissa DeMotte, The Well-Read Moose
"I simply cannot end this day without sending you a brief note of thanks for the fantastic experience that I had this week at our workshop / boot camp.
I learned so much and had a great time in the process. You provide all of us with such a wealth of information and practical tools."
- Margi Watters
"You have been 100% fabulous and are helping me make this exhilarating, exciting, and sometimes terrifying trip very doable. And I can pretend I have complete confidence in all my dealings because I can get all the answers from Paz & Associates when I don't know something :)"
- Laurie Donelson Gillman, East City Bookshop
"[the training] was a life changer ... I would not be doing this if I hadn't gone to the workshop. It really taught me what I needed to know.
It makes you understand and appreciate just how
many moving parts there are in a business like this."
- Erika VanDam, RoscoeBooks
"The Guide exceeded my expectations! The mentor from SCORE was extremely impressed with the information I am able to bring to our meetings. I am incredibly impressed with your training materials. I can only imagine what kind of valuable information I could glean from you in person."
- Lindsay Persohn, Prospective Bookseller
"Your Guide has been an invaluable resource in my planning and decision making process and quite honestly, I couldn't imagine starting down this part without it. The Guide contains a wealth of information."
- Dan Byers, Prospective Bookseller
"I honestly don't know how I would have pulled this off without your help."
- Sally Bradshaw, Midtown Reader
"Wow, the Owning a Bookstore Guide is fabulous! I'm impressed at its weight and thoroughness. My two partners and I thought we'd rotate it, but no way. I need two more!"
- Sandy Koropp, Prairie Path Books
"Once again I want to thank you guys a million times for the best training. I enjoyed myself and learned so much. I am amazed at how much I have used from just that one week from class..."
- VaLinda Miller, The Booksmith
"Whenever anyone asks me for advice about opening a bookstore, I tell them the best thing I ever did was take your class. I knew I loved books, but here the realization that I was taking on a business truly became a reality. Not only did I learn so much from your workshop, I use all of your invaluable resources to this day." - Rita Maggio, BookTowne