We have organized this booklet into three major chapters.

In Chapter One, we discuss the period leading up to a decision to proceed with an initial public offering, with a focus on the prerequisites to, as well as the costs and benefits of, proceeding with an initial public offering and becoming a public company.

In Chapter Two, we turn to the period beginning with the decision to proceed with the offering and continuing through the closing of the sale of the shares to the public. We first describe the events and legal restrictions encountered prior to the submission of the registration statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the ‘‘SEC’’)...