Customer Reviews

Starting up on your own: How to succeed as an independent consultant or freelance

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A worthwhile buy. Johnson takes a very practical approach; he goes through each area you need to think about if you want to start up on your own. He includes case studies/stories to illustrate the point which brings the text alive. He includes lots of helpful checklists.

He basically covers the good and the bad. For me, it gave me a clear idea of how my new working week should be set up. I can see myself dipping in and out of it.

If you are thinking about starting up or are just beginning I'd recommend.

The only thing that was missing is much mention of social media and how it could help your business.

The book has been infinitely useful to me. It served me as an introductory text, as a reference, as a confidence booster, and it's engaging, really fun to read. It has all the info necessary for starting a business, both the basic concepts, and the little details and tips you would never have thought of. It's especially good at convincing you that you can succeed, because it identifies all the steps involved, and provides you with the tools to follow them. What's important, is that everything you find in the book really inspires trust, because the form and the content of it make it very clear that Mike Johnson has gone through the process himself, has succeeded, and continues to succeed. It's a MUST for all who plan to venture on their own.

I have been thinking of "starting up on my own" for quite some time - this book is very good in providing tangible advice on how you would even start thinking about it. Not decided to make the step yet, but this will most certainly be my resource when i make that decision.

If you are thinking about leaving the security of the corporate world and going it alone as an independent consultant or freelancer - BUY THIS BOOK!

How good is it? Well I took a lot of his advice when I read the first version of the book five years ago and I'm still in business and, even despite the downturn, I'm not even thinking of going back "in house". First off, the book is an easy read but not in a lightweight way - it is packed full of useful tips and hard advice. That's one of the things I like about it - it's not full of "anyone can do it - live your dream" encouragement - it tells you the hard bits and forces you to ask if you're really cut out for life outside the organization.

It points out that the life of a self employed consultant is fantastic fun and very rewarding but also hard work at times. One of the hardest bits for anyone who has never been in a sales role before is learning how to sell yourself and set your fees - this book is worth the price for these sections alone. If you're serious about trying to go it alone - or if you have and you're thinking about going back inside - read this book and take his advice - and good luck.

It is quite clear from reading this highly practical and insightful guide that Mike Johnson has been there done it and continues to do it as a successful independent and freelance consultant. Full of really powerful and pragmatic tips and hints - a nice constrast to the usual "nine easy steps to success" style that so often dominates this field. Recommend it to anyone thinking of taking the big plunge.

Mike Johnson's book is a terrific resource. It has made it really easy to start my own business. To start with, it gave me confidence that I could do it because it takes the mystery out of it by being concrete and spelling things out. Once I decided to do it, it showed me clearly and concretely all the steps involved. It explains very clearly both the 'big picture'and the concrete steps, and it spells things out in a way that is very easy to follow. It is also full of excellent and wise advice. It is obviously backed up by an enormous amount of experience by Johnson in helping people start their own business and making it grow. Anyone who is thinking of starting a new business ought to buy this book!

I left a big PR company in 2002 and wish I'd had the benefit of Mike Johnson's wisdom when I decided to start my own consultancy. He describes a lot of pitfalls that I could have avoided. However, years down the road, this book still provides valuable insight and confirmation of things I learned the hard way.

Mike Johnson's book is extremely helpful for anyone starting their own business. As a freelance consultant running my own business, this book provided me with exactly the type of helpful information I was looking for to guide me through some of the practical and organizational issues I had in starting my own business. Incredibly insightful material presented in a clear and structured manner and told with a great sense of humor - something we all need in starting up on our own!

Although I've been self-employed for almost ten years, I found this book not only valuable but really, really refreshing. Some things I already knew (but didn't know I knew), and others helped me get a whole lot more productive and focused.

Buy the book. You won't regret it.

This is a really sensible book. So sensible, you might think you don't need to read it. But you would be wrong.

If you are new to working as an "independent" or "free lance", then, take everything Johnson says to heart. And I mean every little thing. Even if your business card "half size" and is a picture of your avatar, the print has to be of high quality, and yes, card stock still matters.

If you are already an independent, you would do well to treat the topics Johnson covers as a checklist.

I say this because I have worked as an independent. Successfully, I might add. I do recognize many of the scenarios he recounts. For instance, I made the mistake of taking on a partner. And then I made the mistake in the reverse. Becoming a partner of someone who probably should have stayed an independent. Others, I got right. I did have signed contracts when I started out. This and many other scenarios ring true to my experience.

And remember Virginia Woolf? A Room of One's Own? As Johnson argues, you do need a space to work in that is not only not encumbered by such things as your family using the spare table to wrap holiday gifts (an example provided by the author). You also need to create a space, a place, where you go to work. Even taking on the practices of the work identity if that is what it takes. The author recounts an example of a guy who walked to the bus stop each day in his suit. And then returned to settle down in his home office.

If you work for a large corporation in today's world, you will find that your work environment resembles that of the independent, free lance, more and more. I now work for a very large, global company. Yes, I consulted there as an independent. Yes I "went back in" as we say in that business. And, frankly, it is very nearly the same inside.