by Melanie K
When I started planning to leave my job (which I still haven't done yet) and working for myself (which I'm doing part-time), I found that I needed mentoring. None of my current colleagues or friends can provide this kind of mentoring because they are not interested in self-employment. So, I decided to slowly build a new network of self-employed people to provide this mentoring - but that's for another post. However, the most immediate source that I have found helpful is through reading. Books and magazines about self-employment, lifestyle entrepreneurship, and small business can be extremely useful for getting started.
Reading gives me a wide variety of perspectives on self-employment and examples of how people entered into it. I'm still doing lots of reading and the scope of topics is evolving. Here are some of my favourites. They include books that I've read so far, what I'm currently reading, and the books that are on the way:
1) Transition books:
I needed something to help me get over the fact that I wanted to leave a perfectly good job and strike out on my own. I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This: A step by step guide to finding gratifying work , by Julie Jansen, was very helpful for getting over my own mental barriers.
2) Self-employment books:
I dove right into books that describe what it's like not to have a job. Making a Living Without a Job, by Barbara J. Winter, and Wealth Without a Job: The entrepreneur's guide for freedom and security beyond the 9 to 5 lifestyle, by Phul Laut and Andy Fuehl are two of several books I've read in this category. They're great reads and provided some really good advice and examples.
3) Women's small business books:
Reading business books directed specifically for women was mainly something I did for this blog. But it's been a real eye-opener in terms of learning some of the particular approaches that women take in their entrepreneurial ventures, as well as some of the barriers that women encounter - such as being less successful at getting bank loans. My favourites so far are Ladies Who Launch by Victoria Colligan and Beth Schoenfeldt, and Smart Women and Small Business, By Ginny Wilmerding. I'm not done with this category yet, I have at least 2 or 3 others on my wish list!
4) Skill development books:
Through the other reading I've done, I realized there are skills that I actively need to develop in order to be successful. On of the books I've read along these lines is The Connect Effect: Building strong, personal, professional, and virtual networks, by Michael Dulworth.
5) Biographies:
These are the ones I'm still waiting for from Amazon - they should arrive within the next week, and I can't wait! These are books about businesses that were built from scratch by ordinary people and they are value-driven businesses. So far, I've ordered Let My People Go Surfing, by Yvon Chouinard, and Raising the Bar: Integrity and Passion in Life and Business: The story of Clif Bar & Co. by Gary Erickson and Lois Lorentzen.
While I know I need to work on finding real mentors to get the "hands-on" advice for successful self-employment, this reading has given me the foundations to get started: confidence, motivation and an appropriate vocabulary.
What reading have you done to help get you started on something new?
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Sunday, May 11, 2008
Preparing for Entrepreneurship [2]: Doing research
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2 comments:
Nice post. I'd like to be self-employed, and I've been thinking about running my own business soon. I'll have to keep this post in mind. Instead of starting one from scratch, I've also been thinking about buying a business instead of starting one from scratch, even if it isn't home-based. Any suggestions? Advice? Thanks.
Hi k.z.,
There are pros and cons to running a business from scratch versus purchasing one already running, and a lot depends on what your personal goals are. If you have a good idea that you really want to make happen, then starting from scratch to realize that dream will be really fulfilling. If you want to hit the ground running and learn the ropes about operating a small business, then purchasing an existing business might be the better choice. You can often get training and mentoring from the current owner as part of your purchase deal, or if you purchase a franchise, training is typically included.
In both cases examining your market and possibly developing a business plan (some people develop a plan and some don't)are good ideas.
I also recommend reading Smart Women and Small Business by Ginny Wilmerding. She goes through the pros and cons of the different small business options including starting from scratch vs. buying an existing one.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for visiting, and keep in touch to let us know how you are doing!
Melanie K
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