Books & Downloads · Working Publication Library
Free working edition 0.2 — November 3, 2026. 30 pages in both US Letter and A4. Twelve lessons and twelve worksheets, a connected fictional service case, two detailed calculation exercises and five answered questions. Original lessons, forms and worked material are retained with current DTP branding. Content complete for this released working edition; reader, native-file, print and accessibility reviews remain open.
Expanded book available: Building a Useful Business — working edition 0.1 adds a longer narrative, two connected fictional cases and fuller operations guidance while retaining the twelve BD worksheet titles and prompts from this guide.
Move from an idea to a documented next step
Understand a customer problem, compare alternatives, identify setup questions, define an offer and test its costs and delivery. Keep interest, proposals, payments and completed work distinct. The workbook ends with a review of what to continue, revise, pause or stop.
Download the workbook
Editable Word · US Letter PDF — 30 pages · A4 PDF — 30 pages
PDFs are print-and-write, not fillable. Each lesson has a matching BD-01 through BD-12 worksheet; the page map shows where to find it. Print one test page at actual size before printing the full workbook. Word pagination may differ.
What you will work through
Customer validation; a one-page model; alternatives; activity and jurisdiction questions; business identity; startup and per-order economics; offer scope; proposals; purchase-path tests; delivery quality; cash timing; and growth or continuity decisions.
The examples distinguish cash costs from an owner-time planning allowance, compare whole-order thresholds with delivery capacity, and reconcile a hypothetical cash period without counting unpaid work as cash. All examples are invented; no real customer research, transaction or launch is represented.
Sources and related guides
SBA planning and launch resources and IRS starting-business resources were checked November 3, 2026. The source page explains their limited role. Requirements depend on the actual activity and location; this workbook supplies no individualized legal, tax, accounting or licensing advice, official approval or guarantee of viability.
This workbook extends the shorter validation and cost exercises in Practical Pages. Use Small Business Recordkeeping for detailed expense, mileage and royalty records, and Business Continuity & Key Records for deeper handoff and recovery work. Those guides remain separate and free.
Try a fictional morning at Coffee Cart
Plan a morning, watch customer orders arrive, then compare the service report with your choices. Start with one morning and use the optional guide when you want help.
Play Coffee Cart → · Free guest play. Progress stays in this browser.
Working-edition review limits
The stated arithmetic, worksheet layout and PDF page references were checked. Reader usability, native Word, physical-print and assistive-technology acceptance remain open. PDFs are untagged; no PDF/UA or screen-reader compliance is claimed. This workbook does not register a business, file applications, take payments or activate a launch.
Keep completed records private. Do not send personal identifiers, applications, banking records or customer information to DTP. Personal and own-business completion, printing and private backups are permitted; see Copyright & Reuse and Terms & Limitations for the stated limits.