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Lunch » Tags » Book » Reviews » Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months: A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business that Works

Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months: A Month-by-Month Guide to a Business that Works

1 rating: 4.0

A book by Melinda F. Emerson

"Melinda Emerson . . . will inspire you to pursue your own entrepreneurial vision."--Marc H. Morial, President, National Urban LeagueWhether you're newly unemployed, sick of office life and longing for a change, or just want to finally turn your business … see full wiki

Tags: Book

Author: Melinda F. Emerson

Genre: Business & Investing

Publisher: Adams Media

1 review about Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months: A Month-by-Month...

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Useful well-rounded resource to starting a business and beyond

May 30, 2010

by merylke
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

Few people can think of all aspects of starting a new business and know how to do each one. Author and experience business owner Melinda Emerson outlines all the key things to do and provides support with questions to ask, activities and resources to help you. And she does it with an honest, straight-forward approach.

Emerson has been through the good and the bad of starting a business, and shares her experiences and mistakes. She covers everything. Having family support, quitting your job too soon, creating an online strategy, marketing and more. The month-by-month plan built around the six-phased Emerson Planning System works like a step-by-step list so you're won't get stuck wondering what you need to do next or if you've omitted a step. Every chapter ends with an action steps checklist for easy referencing.

Most start up businesses tend to be conscious about money. Emerson gives options and resources for savings. For example, you have three choices for hiring an accountant: bookkeeper, accountant and certified public accountant (CPA). She explains the differences, lists questions to ask when hiring one and offers suggestions for which one to hire as each has different hourly rates. What about leasing office equipment? I wouldn't have thought of that or know how to decide if it's the best option. Emerson guides you through all that.

The only nitpick is the formatting. Some pages have inconsistent content formatting in terms of paragraphs, spacing and bold text. Numbered and bulleted lists also feel off and take away some readability. Italics -- hard to read when there's too much of it -- appear a little too often.

Even if you've already started your business, you can gain value in this brimming guide as you may have areas that need addressing or improvement.
Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months is a fast and easy read because of Emerson's casual writing style that stays away from dull, corporate-like business talk. For those starting out, I suggest reading the entire book on the first go-round to grasp the whole picture. Then, reference it often as you work on specific activities.

No one can guarantee your business will succeed. However, Emerson's solid and organized plan makes good business sense. Her guidance will put you on track to do it right and increase your chances for long-term success.

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