Entrepreneurs Playbook — LaunchWakeForest

The Entrepreneurs Playbook is a free library of practical guides for small business owners in Wake Forest, NC. Every article is written by entrepreneurs who have actually built, run, and sold companies, not academics or theorists. The goal is simple: give local business owners the same plain-English answers they would get from a mentor over coffee.

Most small business advice online is either too generic to act on or too technical to understand. The Playbook is different. Each guide is short, specific, and written for a business owner who has a real company, real customers, and real bills to pay. Topics are chosen from questions Brad Walker hears most often from the 150+ entrepreneurs who have graduated from LaunchWakeForest and LaunchRolesville since 2018.

What you will find inside

Marketing on a zero budget. How to get your first customers without spending money on ads. Real tactics that work for local service businesses, retail shops, and solo founders in the Wake Forest area.

Building a simple business finance system. The minimum accounting setup every small business needs so you always know if you are making money, not just moving it.

Pricing that actually makes money. How to set prices based on margins and value delivered, not gut feel or what competitors charge.

Finding your first paying customer. The step-by-step process for validating your offer and closing real revenue instead of chasing vanity metrics.

Surviving your first year in business. The mindset, cash flow habits, and decision frameworks that separate businesses that make it from businesses that do not.

When to hire your first employee. The financial and operational signals that tell you it is time to bring someone on, plus how to avoid the most common first-hire mistakes.

Topics include: Marketing · Finance · Operations · Sales · Leadership · Mindset · Technology