Making a Living Without a Job
Barbara J. Winter
Bantam
Nonfiction, Business
****
Description
In past centuries, many people were self-employed, working for others long enough to learn a trade before striking out on their own. After the
Industrial Revolution, however, the notion of working for others for life became commonplace, and now it is the societal norm. Today, the idea of
going into business for yourself, doing what you enjoy and actually getting money for it, seems the kind of thing only millionaires, fools, and
madmen would consider. But is life so much better doing something you hate in exchange for a steady paycheck - a paycheck that won't even be there
if the nameless, faceless company decides it no longer needs you? Well-meaning family and friends will tell you this at length - don't all small
businesses fail, anyway? So why try to be your own boss?
Believe it or not, it can be done, and not just by those rare few you read about in magazines. Most anyone can successfully break away from being
a mere employee. The author has been "joyfully jobless" for decades, managing a variety of enterprises and getting by just fine as her own boss.
She offers tips, exercises, things to consider, and inspirational insights for anyone who finds the thought of being an employee for life
increasingly stifling.
Review
As a marginally-employed person myself who seems incapable of giving up my dreams for the sake of a low-paying job doing something I don't like,
I found this an interesting read, even if I know I'm not quite ready to make that leap yet. If you've ever wanted to be self-employed, or ever have
been and gave up out of fear or setbacks, you should find something of value in these pages. It seems a strange irony that many of the big businesses
in which so many unhappy workers are currently trapped were started by self-employed entrepreneurs and innovators of the kind described by Winter in
this book.
Incidentally, the author is also supposed to be a rather inspirational speaker, according to a relative who attended her class (and ordered this book
there), so if you see her giving a talk in your area, you might want to consider stopping in.