Customer Reviews

The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a 1999 edition of a similar book published by the authors in 1994. It is a good basic overview of the scope of possible home businesses that have proven successful for people in the past. It is not an encyclopedia of all possible ways to earn money from home, but rather focuses on what the Edwards' have determined to be the top 100 possibilities.

There is a fair amount of detail in each job description, although being familiar with some, I can say that the information given in those cases is not enough to actually start such a business, nor is it an in-depth look. The section on Desktop Video barely mentions the fact that you need to have a certain amount of talent, and that it is not an easy job at all. This book is designed to give one enough information about a business to determine if it is worth further research, and gives some resources for that research.

Given the age of the book, some of the information is way out of date. Again, the Desktop Video section is a good example: a 3 gig hard drive is hardly considered large today, and is not nearly enough to even begin editing video. This was obviously before the advent of MiniDV, which requires 13 gig or more per hour of video. I also found a glaring error on page 16: a week has 168 hours, not 174 (at least where I come from: 24 hours times 7 days). While such an error is easy to have creep in, a fact that easily checked but missed does make one pause about other information in the book. The book has a long Table of Contents but no Index.

If you are thinking about trying a business of your own, this book can be helpful in getting a basic idea of what each of these businesses might involve. After you get an idea of a few businesses in which you might be interested from this book, you should research your chosen fields with much more depth. This book is not enough on its own to start you in a business, IMHO.

Paul & Sarah Edwards have outdone themselves with the thorough research and preparation that obviously went into this book. Compared to the many other books that cover home businesses, this one has the most substance, by far.

By going into detail for every business they recommend, they give the reader all the startup information they need and then add many resources for follow-up.

In sheer size alone this book qualifies as the best value in home business books today!

Kudos to Paul & Sarah Edwards for their ongoing loyalty to those looking to start and run a business from home.

I thought this book was absolutely awesome. Each business idea comes packed with information. A general synopsis of each idea, knowledge and skills you'll need, advantages to the business, disadvantages, a range of start up costs, a range of pricing, potential earnings, an estimate of what the market will be, the best ways to get business, the first steps to take to start the business, and where to turn for additional information and help, including organizations, courses and training, books, magazines and news letters, manuals, video and audio programs, software, and referal services. Overall a great book for the price.

As a home business owner myself, I felt this book could have been better organized and more detailed with certain sections.

Although I do admit there was a great deal of information and resources. If you are still starting out, make sure you have some idea what your interests/strenghts are before persuing this book.

I liked this book 3 years ago but now I find that it is pretty outdated. Check websites and blogs for more up to date information.

As with all of their books, Paul and Sarah Edwards have added another excellent resource for anyone who is looking to set up a home based business. My suggestion to anyone looking at getting started in a home based business is to grab all of their books. There is so much information..They are certainly the ones that we can rely on.

This book is filled with all the information you need to select a home business with knowledge under your belt. The Edwards have done all the research for you--all you have to do is choose! Once you do make a choice, you'll want to read "The Work at Home Balancing Act" by Sandy Anderson which tells you everything you need to know to successfully launch a home business, offering perspectives from both men and women. These resources are a must for your work at home library--read them and profit!

To save yourself some money, peruse this book at your bookstore when you have some free time. Since you'll probably only end up considering one home-based business, you'll only really be needing about seven of the 647-pages.

This is not your ordinary "work at home idea" book. The authors really packed a lot of information in this one. And it is valuable information. For instance, in each home business idea they describe, they include pros/cons, REALISTIC salary expectations, potential clients, alternative businesses that are similar, etc. It is great information and really goes beyond the "outline" that most other books give you. If you are looking for ideas on what home business to start, this is the book you need!

I quite like this book and find it very interesting. I am always looking for opportunities and the author has done a good job at keeping my interest
This is a great reference point to start and if you're serious about creating a good business for yourself then read this book.
I also suggest that you read Untapped Wealth Discovered by Jeff Marquis and Kerry Harrison.
This book is very focused on helping you to create niche businesses in niche markets that are ripe for the taking.
Moreover, this book has the approval of the American government plus several business experts worldwide and you should read both editions.
Read both editions.