Start and Run a Profitable Retail Business is not a typical start-up book. It does not try to cajole or charm you into the business of retailing. The writers do not wear pink glasses or try to "sell" retailing to you. Both writers know too much about retailing today to try these tactics. The book forces the reader through even the most unappealing parts of retailing - inventory control, cash flow and so on. It suggests that the would-be retailer should understand that in order to be a professional retailer, he or she cannot be also a lawyer, store designer, advertising copy writer, retail trainer or technology specialist. "If you cannot afford to use outside professionals, you should proceed with extreme caution," the authors say. I like the book because it is realistic. It does not talk at the reader and it assumes that the reader knows a great deal about business already. As a reviewer, I am somewhat biased because I happen to know both writers well. But, I am also a writer myself and have written about retailing (in Canada) full-time for the past 10 years. And I have read an awful lot of books about retailing! This book is worth reading.