Learning from the World of Antiques and Collectibles

I learned a lot about being an independent entrepreneur by reading the story of a self-employed antiques dealer in Maureen Stanton's book, Killer Stuff and Tons of Money. Earlier this month I posted a review of the book on EzineArticles.

The central figure of the book is an antiques dealer who works out of his house rather than going to an office or other "typical" place of business every day, and as someone who mostly works from my house, I could relate to his experiences balancing work, home, and family. There's a vivid image of his antiques encroaching on the living space in the house--it made me think of my books and papers strewn from room to room. Anyway, all this to say: even if you're not particularly interested in antiques, this is a great book to check out if you want to read the story of an indie businessman.

I've been doing a little selling on eBay over the past few months, so the story had some extra resonance for me in the descriptions of "the hunt" for treasures--although the stuff I look for (mostly t-shirts and toys) is a far cry from the antiques in the book!

It was clear to me that Maureen Stanton developed a great interest in antiques and collectibles over the course of her research for the book, and I hope she chooses to write more on the topic.

Rebounders by Rick Newman

Usually I wait to post about a book until I've finished reading it, but I have a free moment right now, and I don't want to put off writing about this book until I get around to it later (you never know when that will be!). I picked up the book Rebounders by journalist Rick Newman at the library a few weeks ago along with some other books about entrepreneurship and career change. For more about the book, check out this page on Newman's website.

There are two things I really like about this book! First of all, it's story-based; Newman shares the stories of people in a variety of career fields who either went through a "comeback" (or multiple comebacks) after having career and/or personal difficulties, or who have had a long, hard road to success. The other thing I really like is that Newman shares his own story of figuring out how to bounce back in his own life following a difficult divorce and some professional struggles because of the downturn of print journalism as blogs and other online outlets started taking over.

It was interesting for me as a reader because the first couple of in-depth examples in the book were about men, and I thought, wow, if he doesn't write about a woman soon, I'm going to lose patience with this book, and then the next chapter told the story of Lucinda Williams. I have to say that it was pretty motivating to me personally to read about Williams taking singing lessons in Los Angeles while she was working on kickstarting her career. If Lucinda Williams can be humble and take voice lessons, I can certainly be open to taking classes, doing research, learning from others, etc. There are a lot of things to do as an artist or other professional rather than just "waiting" for something to happen; success isn't just going to come while you wait for it--you have to work on your skills, put in the hours on your new business, etc.

In other words, this is an encouraging book that teaches by example. If you're like me and can draw strength by taking lessons from the experiences from others, pick up this book--especially if you're working through a challenging phase in your career.

The Inspiring Barbara Winter

I said months ago that I'd post a review of Making a Living without a Job by Barbara Winter. I don't know why it's taken me so long to post about it because basically I just want to say that I loved the book.

It's a cheering and inspirational book for aspiring indie businesspeople. The author was ahead of her time with a lot of her ideas about self-employment, including her idea about setting up multiple streams of income. What I especially like about the book is her emphasis on not getting overwhelmed by instead focusing on small and achievable goals. For an idea of the author's philosophy, check out this recent blog post of hers about her concept called The $100 Hour.

If you're thinking of shifting more into working for yourself and/or want to expand your existing independently-run business, check out Barbara's book. It's a great source of encouragement for solo-entrepreneurs.

Speaking of solo entrepreneurs, check out this interview I did with Part-Time Ted, a guy who has built a career on developing content-rich websites.

Marissa Poppens on Following Your Dream

Marissa Poppens is an artist and graphic designer. She owns Poppen Fresh Media LLC, a 3D visualizations, graphics, web, and animation design company located in Denver, Colorado. Offering a wide range of services, Poppen Fresh Media primarily focuses on marketing for small to medium-sized businesses through creating an eye-catching and unique identity. Poppen Fresh Media delivers high quality results because Marissa takes the time to work with each customer one on one and takes time to make sure each customer’s ideas and visions come to life with fresh ideas and fresh designs.

Kind thanks go to Marissa for sharing the following guest post.

As an independent multimedia artist and marketer for the past eight years, I've been through a lot of ups and downs. If you can take away anything from my personal experience, it’s this: if you have a dream, follow it and don't be afraid to ask for help. Other people want to see your dream happen just as much as you do.

In 2010, I was at a networking event where I really started asking for help in pursuing my dream of having my own multimedia business. I ran into the lady who had sold me my first car. I asked her for some business consulting tips, and she agreed to meet with me later. Upon meeting with her the following week, she connected me with somebody who had office space available. Unfortunately, I had no money at the time, but I decided to ask if I could trade services. The landlord agreed and set me up with office space for a year.

I've been able to grow my business for the past two years by meeting likeminded people and asking for help. I don't always get what I want right away, but I often do gain something that helps me continue expanding my business.

My advice is to go outside your normal group of friends, and tell everybody what your dream is. My own experience has taught me that if you’re truly passionate about your dream, people will want to help you. A lot of the help I've gotten I haven't asked for directly, but people have just connected me with others who can help.

Get out there and start asking. No favor is too big! Companies don't happen overnight with the way the economy is, and things take time. Don't get discouraged. It’s going to be a struggle, but without struggle, there is no progress.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Marissa!

A Slice of Retro Advice

What can an author from the 1930s-1940s teach us about business-related communications today?

Plenty, according to career consultant Andrea Kay, in her article about applying the principles of Dale Carnegie. She offers a good example about using Carnegie's techniques of listening and asking questions to turn a difficult job interview in a better direction.