We?re talking SERIOUS BUSINESS here! Don?t ever let anyone tell you that spare time (or home based for that matter) business isn?t serious! (for serious read IMPORTANT, VITAL for you, your family, community and UK plc)! DECLARE an interest? You bet! As a reviewer of Spare Room Start Up, the ?thriller? first enterprise book from Enterprise Nation founder Emma Jones, I anticipated ?Working 5 to 9? being an inspiring, invaluable and practical guide to starting and growing a successful spare time business with the potential to take over your life! It lives up to expectations.
Yes, learn from the wealth of experience and resources packed into 250 pages, go into ACTION, you?ll jump start your new venture. Those of us who?ve been there can still learn a thing or two!
In a job but not sure for how much longer? Want to pursue a passion, hobby or skill for light relief and extra income? Dream of becoming your own boss but not quite sure where to start. Or already out there operating your business for a while? Want spare time to be full time? Then read on! As a serial entrepreneur whose first spare time businesses successfully fledged, I can confirm that with enough determination and the know-how and know-who then ?Everything is Possible??
Packed with 50 or so real-life case studies of 5 to 9ers, of all ages, with start up funding in many cases of less than £500 which was quickly recouped from sales income, Working 5 to 9 blows the myth out of the water that every new business needs £thousands to get off the ground. We are still talking SERIOUS BUSINESSES here! Big Oak Trees from Little Acorns Grow with a little help from their friends! Founder of a business centre that provided essential support to help spare time businesses launch, I ought to know. Many were trying their wings to see if their ideas could really fly while holding down full-time day-jobs. Although you don?t have to ? we turned out a couple of millionaires and a few with letters after their name on the journey - it?s all about what you really want from life. There?s always a happy medium.
Emma has covered all bases to keep you on the right path, help you navigate past pitfalls, over plateaus, backed up by statistics including that 100% of businesses are using social media; 78% holding down a day job; females leading the way by 63% v males 37% - hardly surprising since spare time can be really ?family-friendly?, which I know from personal experience and as a UK Champion for Women?s Enterprise and former member of the UK Women?s Enterprise Taskforce.
Excellent sections include ?Make Money from Your Blog?. Featured businesses of a wide variety range from social media website owners to accountants, lawyers, electrical resellers, even beer producers and rare breed pig farmers! There?s a wealth of helpful information for artisans and craft-makers, including cost-effective online shop creators and other resources. Jam-packed with ideas if you?re stuck for new ones (no jam-makers though!) and valuable tips for your own short-cuts to success.
I met Emma some years ago at her hugely successful Enterprise Nation conference where I discovered psychological insights to what the label ?serial entrepreneur? really means! Tell you about that another time! She is an inspirational innovator with a keen eye for potential, so expect to hear a great deal more about her and these featured businesses. This leads me neatly on to the value of joining the Enterprise Nation community of 9 to 5ers and 5 to 9ers where I predict many more serial entrepreneurs emerging - www.enterprisenation.com
Working 5 to 9 is a treasure chest of practicality with 50 of the final pages dedicated to taking you from idea to business, covering everything from keeping your employer on side (if you have one) to research, planning, tax matters, shouting about your business and your life on the web. Look out for ?The Golden Triangle? and ?Creating your own private Idaho?.
Aesthetically designed into the bargain it?s very tactile. At A5 you?ll need a slightly bigger pocket or bag but this makes easy reading, feels substantial and looks like you mean business! Comprehensive sections with useful links and resources that you can use straight away ? what are you waiting for then! In fact, you may find the ?Useful Links? section alone worth the price of the book, an investment in improving your existing business or starting something new, franchises included. And yes, whether or not you?ve been humming Dolly Parton?s ?Working 9 to 5? there is a ?Working 5 to 9? written by Alan Law. While you?re at it be sure and visit www.working5to9.co.uk
