Customer Reviews

Making a Living Without a Job: Winning Ways For Creating Work That You Love

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Barbara Winter's Making a Living Without A Job casts self-employment as a liberating experience - one that frees the "joyfully jobless" to pursue her dream as she sees fit, not tied to the whims of managers or other creativity-killing institutions. As a result, she spends a lot of time focusing on the ideas surrounding self-employment, rather than the how-to.

She sprinkled exercises designed to seek out my passions and to brainstorm "profit centers" throughout the book. I didn't take the time to go through them this time around; I wanted to finish the book first and then go back and do them. Still, during my reading I did realize that I definitely want to write and philosophize, and I've come up with several ideas for Profit Centers. In that regard, the book stimulated me to think critically about my financial future.
Moreover, the author doesn't focus entirely on the theory of self-employment. With suggestions such as the $100 Hour (where you promise yourself to spend an hour per day brainstorming ways to make another $100, visualizations and affirmations, and advice on business cards and marketing, she provides a good "jumping-in" point for people (such as myself) considering the idea of becoming "joyfully jobless."

She paints making the plunge as an act of faith and describes her own life as one of "Roots and Wings". She attempts to balance putting down roots (living a stable, secure life) and growing wings (seeking her dreams, living with passion and excitement). I found myself thinking that the people who can successfully do both often lift up on the ground in which they've taken root. They try to pull their loves up with them.

Buckminster Fuller, contemplating suicide at 32, stood on the edge of Lake Michigan asking himself: "Do I know best, or does God know best whether I may be of value to the universe?" The answer that presented itself to him, the mere fact of his existence, proved to him that he had some purpose of being. As a result, he spent the next fifty-six years living a daVincean life. Winters asks us to find our own passions and make them our jobs. How, then, can we go wrong?

I'd definitely recommend anyone serious about starting their own business purchase other books in addition to this one (conveniently, she provides a recommended reading list in the back), because I know that I need more information than Winters provides here, about running a business, keeping books, and dealing with all the details. I need to know how to get started. Winter's book can help you define your ideas, get excited for the change, and know in general what's in store, as well as how to deal with the new life.

This is a fantastic book for the individual who has a gut feeling that something better exists than a 'job' to create a flow of income to support oneself. This is a very inspiring, well written book for anyone and everyone who has had it with the corporate 9-5 nonsense. The author 'walks the talk' and has a great deal of information to offer in this book. This is the first book that I read cover to cover in a long time. For the wanna be entrpreneur...no book is better.

I bought this book in 1998 -- back when the economy was booming -- and it is one of the few books that is as relevant today as it was then.

Yes, it's about being your own boss -- but it's about living your life...doing things you enjoy doing and things you're good at and making a living at it.

As a person who has a business, this book is about getting started, about keeping yourself inspired and staying focused and passionate about what you do. It isn't, however, a bunch of navel gazing rhetoric, like some of the books in this genre. At the same time, the book requires some honest introspection, and talks about the things you may have to sacrifice in order to live a life away from the usual.

This book is wonderful. And I highly recommend it to anyone who a) wants to have her/his own business, or b) currently has a business and has lost the passion -- it is a great kickstart.

I read this book in one stretch. This book gave me the inspiration I needed in planning my own jobless living. After getting freed from the shackles of corporate America, when I tried to start something on my own, I experienced the same kind of enthusiasm and burst of ideas as described in this book. I have never felt so healthy and upbeat in my life. As a self-starter, I could relate to this book immediately. It gave me the reassurance that the idea of making a living without a "real job" is believable and true. This idea is complemented in the book, by the numerous references to now famous names like Body Shop, Weight Watchers, personalities like Oprah and Laura Ashley.
The author explains why many people think corporate America is the only way to earn a good living. But at the same time she provides many statistics to show that a large percentage of successful Americans are self-employed. Winter gives helpful ideas like creating multiple profit centers and the $100 method. This book is an easy read and freshens your mind. It stimulates you to think and act upon your childhood dreams.

I really enjoyed this book. It helped me look at making a living on my terms. She explained how you can do what you love and still pay the bills. For me, the MPCs (multiple profit centers) was an "AHA" moment! It makes so much sense!

I'm 22 years old, and just finished up with college, the prospect of sitting in an office nine hours or more a day and making money for someone else just makes me ill, and this book really helped me search myself for what kind of company/business I am capable of creating, and hearing other peoples reasons, ideas, and motivations was very helpful. I don't have a business yet, but I'm on it, I read this book in about three days, and I only graduated 2 weeks ago though, so the sky is the limit!!! Thanks Barbara!!

While I already know what a MONUMENTAL-SIZED RAT RACE corporate America is (I'm a 10-year veteran of NYC's corporate rat race), it always helps to read that other intelligent and insightful beings have the same perspective. In addition to Making a Living... being supportive confirmation of the sick and twistedness of the rat race, it gives effective strategies for how to be Joyfully Jobless, succeed as an entrepreneur (the greatest life achievement of all), getting ideas galore, and avoiding corporate DRONES. Become someone - and get this book!

Barbara appeared on my television program last year and what a joyfully jobless lady she really is. I just re-read the book and was inspired to move forward with my own personal goals. She is witty and wonderful as well as practical.

If you are stuck at a job you're not happy with it's time to read this book!

A fantastic book for the self-bossers, for anyone who is a freelancer, entrepreneurial, home based.

Barbara's creative and inspiring ideas will fire you up and you won't stop.

Read carefully, make notes of every single tip, suggestion or comment you find. You never know, you will give birth to your new small venture! Learn how to survive on spaghetti days, market on a shoestring and make your dreams reality.

You can apply these principles to larger businesses, this is fun too.

By Thei Zervaki...

A fantastic book for the self-bossers, for anyone who is a freelancer, entrepreneurial, home based.

Barbara's creative and inspiring ideas will fire you and you won't stop.

Read carefully, make notes of every single tip, suggestion or comment you find. You never know, you will give birth to your new small venture! Learn how to survive on spaghetti days, market on a shoestring and make your dreams reality.

You can apply these principles to larger businesses too and this is fun too!

By Thei Zervaki
author of Globalize, Localize, Translate