Spare Room Startup – Book Review

Emma Jones is a Home Biz Notes reader and the founder of Enterprise Nation, the UK’s largest home business site. So when I heard Emma had written a book I was definitely interested… and I think you will be too.

Spare Room Startup: How To Start A Business From Home
I review plenty of business books, but as soon as I opened the first page of Spare Room Startup, I knew I was in for something a little different… a real treat. This is a book not just to be read, but to be enjoyed. And it’s chock full of useful information.

The first thing you notice is the stylish design of the book. Color photos of the author, her family and friends in work settings in and around her home, Redbrick House are dotted throughout. There are mini case studies of home business owners complemented by easy to read at a glance sidebars and diagrams.

Spare Room Startup – Overview
Written in a conversational tone, the book is divided into three main sections which reflect the content of the website – Business, Lifestyle and Technology. Areas covered include finding your home business niche to planning, sales and marketing and managing your home business right through to work life balance and planning your website.

Home Business Case Studies
I especially enjoyed the case studies. Web links and contact details are included in the back of the book for all the profiled businesses. My only quibble is I would have liked to have seen the web links with the actual case study as well, rather than needing to cross check. But that is minor. There is also a comprehensive index, aglossary and a useful websites section. Checklists and templates for planning and press releases are a great addition.

The Home Business Start Up Journey
If you’re thinking about starting a home business or are new to home business, Spare Room Startup is a great partner on your journey for practical tips, insights and inspiration. And speaking of journeys… Emma tells us that

The average commuter will travel two and a half times around the world during the course of their working life.

Want to enjoy the outdoors while you work at home? You’ll be interested in the growing trend towards garden studios and shedworking. It is so popular in the UK that it has “spurred an industry in grden office manufacture.”

A home business lifestyle sounds good, doesn’t it?

Spare Room Startup:How To Start A Business From Home can be purchased from Amazon or from the UK publisher, Harriman House.