The book dispels some misconceptions about starting a home-based business. It then describes 13 of …
Skim it then buy a better home business book
3 stars
[My review of the 12min summary]
This book was written by Sam Kerns, who seems to specialize in writing and self-publishing how-to-be-self-employed-and-make-money books. This is an average book, at best. Most of the advice appears to be competently credible.
He starts with the top five lies about working from home: 1. You only have to work when you want to 2. You don’t have to answer to anybody 3. You can quit your job immediately 4. You need a college education to start a business 5. Clients won’t take you seriously if you operate your business from home
He then talks about the five online home-based business ideas that he recommends: 1. Virtual assistant 2. Online retailer (I've read elsewhere that Shopify is probably your best bet.) 3. Amazon/eBay seller (I disagree) 4. Indie author (He speaks from experience. This is his gig.) 5. Freelance writing manager
I dispute number …
[My review of the 12min summary]
This book was written by Sam Kerns, who seems to specialize in writing and self-publishing how-to-be-self-employed-and-make-money books. This is an average book, at best. Most of the advice appears to be competently credible.
He starts with the top five lies about working from home: 1. You only have to work when you want to 2. You don’t have to answer to anybody 3. You can quit your job immediately 4. You need a college education to start a business 5. Clients won’t take you seriously if you operate your business from home
He then talks about the five online home-based business ideas that he recommends: 1. Virtual assistant 2. Online retailer (I've read elsewhere that Shopify is probably your best bet.) 3. Amazon/eBay seller (I disagree) 4. Indie author (He speaks from experience. This is his gig.) 5. Freelance writing manager
I dispute number three. I know someone who tried selling stuff on Amazon. The system is rigged heavily against you. Amazon competes with you and undercuts your prices, your Chinese suppliers steal your ideas and sell them direct on Amazon, and the Amazon algorithm is biased in favor of established sellers and Amazon's own products.
He also offers five off-line home-based business ideas: 1. Home-based food business 2. Vending machine business (My uncle did this profitably in the 1970s.) 3. Professional organizing business 4. Renting business (Airbnb) 5. Home cleaning business (Physically demanding and pays $14/hour!)
He then throws in three bonus work-from-home opportunities: 1. Sell online courses to bring in passive income 2. Teach your native language online 3. Earn recurring income with a box subscription service (This is the cleverest business in the whole book. If you have a good imagination, this could be a great niche.)
Final Notes (quoted from 12min) "'How to Work from Home and Make Money' by Sam Kerns is neither original nor particularly thorough, but it can be useful and inspiring.
"If you don’t want to spend your time scouring Google for advice and manuals, this is an okay-ish compilation of 13 home-based business ideas, with pretty elementary step-by-step instructions for each.
"But don’t expect anything more than that."