Bestselling author Michael E. Gerber is back with a new addition to his E-Myth series; here, he addresses those looking to create brand new businesses. This "quick, original, well-organized read" (Publishers Weekly) covers the four "categories of preference" one must take into account when building a business and the five essential skills one needs to build it. In addition, Gerber ends each chapter with take-away points that neatly summarize the major ideas covered--these are also available as podcasts at his website. Praising Gerber's arguments, Booklist calls The E-Myth Enterprise a "must-read for current and aspiring entrepreneurs."

We've all dealt with instances of rudeness--and probably have all been rude to others ourselves--but have you ever stopped to wonder how incivility at work might affect a company's competitiveness and financial success? Having identified a spectrum of behaviors as rude (from texting during meetings to closing coworkers out of a network), professors of management Christine Pearson and Christine Porath then go on to examine their effects on morale, productivity, and, ultimately, the bottom line. Their estimate of the price of rudeness is high, but fortunately they share useful strategies that employers and employees alike can implement to reduce incivility and increase cooperation and respect.

Generally speaking, mass-produced items have two things going for them--they're cheap and they're readily available. But as Atlantic correspondent Ellen Ruppel Shell shows, they also have long-term economic, environmental, and political costs. By focusing on low prices, Shell argues, competition among producers has led to lower wages (for jobs that have now gone overseas) and standards while consumers are offered a wide array of poorly made gadgets and clothes (and furniture, and food, and so on). If you're at all interested in modern consumerism, Shell's discussion of the hidden costs of cheap goods will definitely have you thinking twice about focusing on price to the exclusion of all else.

If you find your interest piqued by books on shopping behavior and psychology (like Paco Underhill's classic Why We Buy), you'll find Gen BuY equally interesting. Or, if you're in the business of selling products to today's tweens, teens, and 20-somethings, you'll find this in-depth look at the buying behaviors of Generation Y extremely useful in keeping your business relevant. Covering what motivates Gen-Y-ers to buy, how their combined purchasing power is affecting the American market, and which companies are already successfully marketing to them, Gen BuY is a must-read for marketers everywhere.

Fred DeLuca, founder of the Subway restaurant chain, had never made a sub before opening his first sandwich shop at the age of 17. Now he's president of the highly successful company and runs a nonprofit organization that makes microloans to entrepreneurs. In 2000, he drew on his experience building and running Subway to present the 15 principles he believes that successful small business owners must stand by, such as "Believe in Your People" and "Continuously Improve Your Business." Using examples from other entrepreneurs, DeLuca illustrates what it takes to achieve your goals. If you're looking for inspiration as well as instruction, Smart Small, Finish Big is a great place to find it.

It's a tough climate out there for many small businesses these days, but there are practical strategies that small business owners can implement in order to boost sales and achieve growth. In Alpha Dogs, journalist Donna Fenn highlights eight successful entrepreneurs and the businesses they built--from a 12-location ice cream store in Austin, Texas, to the Thor-Lo sock company--and provides a guide to the practical and effective steps they took on their way up. From superlative customer service to creating community connections and keeping up with technological innovations, these business owners have what it takes; with this book you, too, can benefit from their success.

This handy, succinct guide to making a small business successful offers specific advice in several important areas of running a business. These run from the obvious (hiring, marketing, and spending, for example) to the not-quite-so-obvious, such as finding funding and serving on non-profit boards. Simple and straightforward, How to Make Big Money is a quick read great for beginning entrepreneurs, but offers enough information that "even seasoned pros can benefit" (Booklist).

For those of you contemplating starting up a small business of your own--or perhaps you've already started the process--this invaluable guide will take you through every phase, from start-up through evolving to fit the needs of the market to dealing with tough times. And author Steven Gottry knows what he's talking about: after 22 years as the head of his own media agency, the business fell apart and he was forced to begin again. You can learn from his mistakes in this guide to the six stages of starting and running your own business, which Booklist says is among the most "concise and straightforward" out there.

If you've got something to promote but don't have a huge budget, chances are you're going to use guerrilla marketing tactics whether you know it or not. To learn more about using low-budget, unconventional promotional activities, you might want to turn to this expanded and updated edition of the revolutionary marketing classic by Jay Levinson. The many topics it covers include identifying the fastest-growing markets, discussing recession strategies, and describing modern consumers; updates include Internet marketing, the use of new technologies, and cultivating repeat and referral business.