Customer Reviews

Not Just A Living: The Complete Guide To Creating A Business That Gives You A Life

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Nine years ago, having achieved a level of business success after receiving an MBA from an elite American B-school, I faced the cold realization that my days in the corporate world were numbered. I admittedly have little tolerance for political/bureaucratic b.s. And I view "face-time" for face-time sake a stifling de-motivator. My motto has always been to "let my work speak for itself."

Yet I was ambivalent even as I finally--if not hastily--took that classic "take-this-job-and-shove-it" plunge. I was happy to leave the maddening pace of corporate life behind. But I was petrified at the prospect of crafting a livelihood on my own. Reading "Not Just a Living" would have greatly eased my anxieties if it only were available all those years ago. As a firm believer in karma, I now feel compelled to share this excellent resource with anyone who's teetering on the brink of becoming a lifestyle entrepreneur.

Mark Henricks' concise, well-written book successfully targets two broad groups of entrepreneurs-in-waiting: Those who have entertained the thought of becoming their own boss yet need handholding before making that leap of faith; and those who are ready to make the move but seek a roadmap to achieve their vision. Both sets of readers will come away from the experience exceedingly satisfied and energized.

The book's particular strength is the author's liberal peppering of real world examples of small business successess...as well as failures. The latter is refreshing to see. After all, Mr. Henricks would have been negligent--not only as a journalist, but as a lifestyle entrepreneur "evangelist"--if he failed to expose the downsides of striking out on one's own. Not everyone is cut out for self-employment.

Finally, it is Mr. Henricks' candid sharing of his personal trials and tribulations along his road to lifestyle entrepreneurial success which lends absolute credence to "Not Just a Living." The lucky reader will be rewarded by a writer who knows of what he writes and expertly writes of what he lives.

Seven years ago today (Oct. 27, 1995), a high school friend of mine and I founded Healthy Options, the first natural products store in Manila. I have a marketing degree and had spent 15 years working for other people both in the Philippines and the United Kingdom. Healthy Options was my baby and my first plunge into going on my own.

Seven years later, we have grown into 10 stores with almost 100 full time employees and Healthy Options has become the leader in the natural products industry in the Philippines. As we celebrate our anniversary this month, I find Mark Henricks' book simply priceless and serendipitous. It's a timely reminder for me as to why we put up Healthy Options all those years ago. As a business grows and expands fast, it's very easy to get carried away and start thinking "corporate". At the beginning of this year, I started having mixed feelings and a bit lost as I kept asking myself, seven good healthy years, now what do I do? I'm therefore so thankful to have found the book as it reminded me why I went into business in the first place and it has re-focused my priorities. Thanks Mark. I find the Seven Myths of Small Business Ownership invaluable. And I fully agree that growth, while very important, shouldn't be the ultimate goal of an entrepreneur.

"Not Just A Living" is also a great benchmark for us. We did almost everything Mark Henrick said in the book (eventually) and got many things right (but not always the first time). I particularly feel vindicated about giving franchise (which I strongly feel against) when one of the entreprenuers related her sad experience about the uncontrollable franchisees she had which resulted in her going out of business.

All in all, it's an insightful and enjoyable read. Now I wish Mark Henricks would consider giving lectures about Lifestyle Entrepreneurship to spread the "gospel" even wider.

Wow. This would appear to be the first book I've ever read on freelancing that is actually based on fact (and I have every freelancer book that exists in my library).

The most profound thought in the book is the "job security" thing: Henricks is a freelance writer, has been highly successful as such, and this is the way he sees day-job employment security, per se:

"'... Job security' is one of those phrases that, like `serious fun' and `exact estimate,' tries to combine incompatible concepts. The truth is, in general, there is no such thing as a really secure job ... Just ask the former employees of companies with longstanding no-layoff policies, such as IBM and Delta Airlines, who wound up getting laid off ... Let's consider the chances that I (Henricks), for example, am going to be laid off this week. In a typical year, about 20 percent of the people I worked for during the previous year stop working with me. Including brand-new customers I didn't work with a year earlier, I lose a client, on average, about once a month. So the chances I'll lose one this week are somewhere around one in four. But am I really insecure? Not really. Because after I lose that one client, I'll still have a dozen or so left. The chances may be good that a small measure of insecurity will visit me soon. But what are the chances that in one stroke I'll lose all my clients, the equivalent of an employee losing his one and only source of income? The chances are poor. It's never happened, or even come close to happening, and I don't expect it ever will ..."

Here's another quote:

"... Even more striking was the effect on my lifestyle. I've worked as many or as few hours as I deemed necessary. I attend virtually no meetings. My commute is measured in feet, not miles. I wear a tie so rarely that when I do, it often takes several tries to get the knot right. I've gotten paid for indulging my love of reading, as a book reviewer. I've been sent on fabulous travel adventures, all expenses paid. I receive, gratis, piles of high-tech gadgets from the companies that want me to consider their products in articles and books about technology trends. And I get paid to do all this. My lifestyle is part of, and is funded entirely by, my earnings as a **lifestyle entrepreneur** (a relatively new word in the freelance world)."

The general premise for Henricks' book is that freelancing - in whatever direction you happen to take it - does not have to be about starving to death (or worrying about paying the rent).

He details honorable freelance professions, entrepreneurship, and creating or purchasing small businesses - and talks about "joining the ranks of the 20 million American small and home-based business owners" that exist today.

He doesn't go into the mechanics of any particular profession - Henricks is a freelance writer - but his book isn't about writing. Rather, he talks about practical details that allow people to spend their lives doing something they enjoy outside of a corporate Dilbert-cubicle.

He talks about the business-stat Web sites that can fuel your business plan. The micro-business infrastructure. About "Picking your people" (if you need people). "Taming technology" (this is one of the most interesting twists I've seen yet on the subject of technology; a bit of a reality check). "Funding a lifestyle venture." "Recognizing your limits." "Growing without grief." "Forging ahead." And ... "Ending well." (The Ending Well section could very well be the most important section in the book, if you care about your family and what happens to them after your success.)

Henricks has written so many freelance articles about small businesses ... he can identify a small business model that will actually work.

To qualify that point, beginning on p. 103 he begins to list tables of information that contain examples of: Projected Cash Flow, Income Projection, and Pricing Your Product. Moreover, he goes on to characterize the tables with his knowledge of the basic, successful small-business plan: addressing profitability problems; identifying neat little tricks such as the "15 percent rule" (used for pricing services; p. 124); additionally tackling a tricky 80-20 Rule that involves the fact that "80 percent of your sales come from 20 percent of your customers" (how to turn that into more success; also on p. 124).

It doesn't matter if you're contemplating opening a small-scale cookie factory, purchasing a B&B, creating-from-scratch a local ironing service, opening an online store - or headed into the highlands to raise mountain goats -- Henricks' book is about successful small-business methods.

He also banishes work-at-home myths on everything from newspaper-advertisement/Internet "freelance business" scams such as the "$5,000 a Week Potential!" jobs; pyramid schemes; scams that require you to purchase inventory; and high-pressure sales tactics. The majority of these aren't freelance ventures. They're straight-up rip-offs.

If you've been toying with going full-up freelance for years, or a small-business idea, but are scared to take the plunge. If you have a keen desire or need to work out of the home. If you've heard or read about the "mystique of the freelance lifestyle." This is your "declaration of independence" (Henricks' words).

The book doesn't contain fluff. It's 230 pages packed with information about building a job around your home or lifestyle - and making enough money to enjoy all three.

It's a work of art. Valuable beyond words.

And ... you don't need to buy the "Pathfinder" as recommended above (unless, of course, you like your day job).

I thought this was an excellent read on a subject that has gotten little attention, Lifestyle Entrepreneurship.

Part One of the book explains the difference between Lifestyle vs. Classic entrpreneurship and offers an alternative to those wishing to work for themselves, but without having to build a business.

Part's Two and Three covers such topics as getting started, funding, people and technology. For those that have read other entrepreneurial books, these topics have been covered before, but the author gives a concise treatment of each topic.

Finally, what makes this a good read is the author's writing style which is easy to read and concise, as demonstrated by the book length. The book should serve both as a first read on lifestyle entrpreneurship and reference manual to get started.

As I read this book, I was reminded of Socrates' observation that "the unexamined life is not worth living" and of Thoreau's assertion that many people "live lives of quiet desperation." If either or both describes your current situation, Hendricks offers information and counsel which can be of incalculable value to you. The origin of the word "entrepreneur" is a late-19th century French word meaning "one who undertakes." Today, we think of entrepreneurs as those who undertake risks. Obviously, a decision to leave a "job" to seek opportunities elsewhere can be perilous. It should also be noted that many of those who are self-employed are miserably unhappy, and, that many of those within an organization are enthusiastic, indeed passionate about their "job." Henricks makes a critically important distinction between standard of living and quality of life. Moreover, the latter refers to both personal and career issues. He provides rock-solid advice, anchored in a wealth of his own real-world experiences. obviously, he is a thoughtful and caring person. His counsel is practical, expressed with no-nonsense eloquence.

The questions Henricks poses, in my opinion, are far more important than any of the answers he provides. Years ago, Rod Steiger was asked if young people sought out his advice. "Oh yeah, sure, all the time. And I always ask them the same question: 'Do you want to be an actor or do you [in italics] have to be an actor?' The longer it takes them to answer that question, the less likely they'll ever make it." Not everyone feels compelled to create a business. Fair enough. But surely everyone can "undertake" to obtain more than a paycheck for their labors; to take prudent risks; in Tennyson's words, "to strive, to seek, to find" a higher, more fulfilling quality of life. How easy it is to become hostage to what Jim O'Toole characterizes as the "ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom." Henricks urges his reader to free herself or himself from such confinement. It is no coincidence that, year after year, the most highly admired companies (e.g. Southwest Airlines) are also the most profitable. Each has a culture in which the "lifestyle entrepreneur" (Henricks' term) is strongly encouraged, not merely tolerated.

Who will derive the greatest benefit from this book? Those who now live unexamined lives of quiet desperation. Once having read this book, many of them may be unwilling and/or unable to free themselves from the "ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom." But at least, thanks to Henricks, they will have completed a rigorous process of self-examination. Does he provide a map or a blueprint for personal fulfillment? No. Rather, he provides a mirror and a compass which, for many of his readers, will be of incalculable value.

With a title as alluring as "Not Just a Life", a reader might justifiably anticipate a life changing read - and the author does not disappoint. Mark Henricks demonstrates a writing style that is rarely seen in business books. You will not be thumbing ahead to calculate how much longer until the end of the chapter on this one. If you are unhappy with your work go buy a copy. If you have a displaced friend buy a second copy. It could change their life.

"Being a lifestyle entrepreneur is not so much about being in business as it is being you," writes journalist Mark Henricks in this lovely new book. His guide for budding entrepreneurs straddles a fundamental challenge for books for this audience. How do you address the dynamic personal element of this process while answering the myriad and often generic questions that face all entrepreneurs? Henricks recognizes that starting a business engenders two simultaneous learning processes. Individuals must develop literacy with the business process itself, while developing a personal understanding of what you care about, what you're good at, and so forth. And success stems from mastery in both areas.

Henricks, a veteran journalist in this field, addresses this dual learning curve by grounding much of Not Just A Living in his own experience. He writes about the choices he has faced in going solo, becoming a successful owner of his writing in the market. His book does an excellent job of sharing a wealth of instructive information for budding lifestyle entrepreneurs. He tells great stories. He provides spot-on information on everything from using technology to mastering your balance sheet. For folks early in the process of starting up a biz, I recommend it highly.

Mr. Henricks wrote a book with a different perspective on starting a business; Instead of focusing on the manual hard work of starting a business, he focused on the emotional happiness that starting a business can bring. This happiness comes from being your own boss and being able to do more of the things that make you happy. I found the first couple of chapters interesting although Mr. Henricks repeated the same benefits and stories of individuals that made their lives better, which in turn made the book repeat itself.
The last third of the book, Mr. Henricks started to focus on the financial topics. He started to analyze balance sheets and answer questions like "what is revenue?", I then found that this book lost its goal and audience; The goal being emotionally focused on your own business would help you succeed. The audience seemed, at first, to be for individuals who have gone through the initial phases of starting a business and needed a reminder why they started. The financial analysis of a business lost that objective and made this book into a beginner guide to business with a fluff beginning.

I really liked the introduction of the concept of a "lifestyle entrepreneur." Too many times, people go into business to get more control, more balance in their lives, and wind up creating environments for themselves that give them far less of each. Making the conscious choice to have a lifestyle is an excellent point of discussion.

Unfortunately I think the book actually seeks to be far too comprehensive in the mechanics of starting and operating a business. In the process, the treatment of these areas is superficial and feels off track.

There is plenty of literature on the mechanics of business, and some commentary on the distinct tack a lifestyle entrepreneur would have to take is definitely needed. The unique aspects required - keeping operating costs low, work to profit ratio high - are good areas to cover, but the book attempts to introduce basic business concepts where only aspects applicable to this lifestyle may be needed.

Overall, the book was a good read - definitely more supportive than science. But, that's okay. I think this book should be supportive, discussion oriented, inspirational, and I felt it should have had more of that. The attempt at being mathematical, business tutorial-ish felt like it really didn't fit. Instead pointing to some basic resources on this - such as the Appendix does - with maybe a chapter on the seriousness of staying on task in business operation (still discussion oriented) may have done the trick. (Because in the end the only way you'll remain supporting your lifestyle is to cover costs and meet personal expenses.)

A discussion (along the lines of Barbara Sher) where it just may be many small things that you do - many services you provide - could enhance the usability for active minds that don't settle on one thing to do.

Nevertheless, the book is worth the read if this is a new concept to you. Funding an enjoyable lifestyle is a very much needed idea in today's world of overdoing-work and burning-out cycles. The author has done our culture a great service in bringing clarity to these ideas.

I have been thinking about leaving the corporate world for sometime now. I was very pleased with the way the book is organized, the relevant contents, and minimal amount of fluff.

The best chapter, to me, was on the subject of what if you fail. Its very important to know early on, you can fail (as well as succeed), and prepare yourself for it.

This sentences stuck with me.
Earnings to reflect your own abilities and efforts, not someone else's unfortunate decisions. This is the best motivator I have read.

If you have been thinking about doing something on your own, this s a good read. At ~200 pages, its also a quick read.

Well done Mark, and Thank You, for putting the book together.