An unusual, conversational, and valuable manual for prospective business owners.
A seasoned entrepreneur shares techniques and strategies for turning creative pursuits into successful businesses.
In this debut book, Sabino draws on both her own experience as the founder of jewelry brand Lucid New York and the works of well-known, pop-business writers (Seth Godin, Chris Guillebeau, and Tim Ferriss are name-checked frequently) to provide readers with a framework for developing a venture based on creative activities. The volume explores the psychology of creating—and the challenges that innovators often face when combining their passions with the pursuit of profit—and the elements of a thriving 21st-century business. Concise and cleanly written chapters tackle the decision to launch a creative career, growth management, pricing strategies, and marketing and publicity techniques. Each chapter concludes with suggestions for journaling or otherwise examining the topic more deeply. Although Sabino acknowledges that potential creative entrepreneurs may face financial or personal limits on their abilities to forge new careers, the readers who will find this guide most useful are those who have plenty of time (Sabino describes holding a full-time job for a year in addition to starting her business) and money (working for free “is a simple and effective way to start almost any career you dream of”). Some of the counsel will be familiar to readers of business books—tips on managing time effectively; understanding the psychology of pricing—while in other cases, Sabino brings a unique perspective, as in her recommendation against focusing too much on developing new products: “If we move on from what we’ve completed way too soon, we deprive clients from knowing about it and owning it.” The manual is also notable for its applicability to a wide range of entrepreneurial styles and strategies: Sabino addresses readers who are initiating lifestyle businesses as well as those chasing venture capital and IPOs, and both groups should find the book helpful. While readers will have to look elsewhere for advice on the more nitty-gritty details of running a business, they will find worthwhile information on a mindful approach to creative entrepreneurship here.
An unusual, conversational, and valuable manual for prospective business owners.Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-63265-111-2
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Career Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Occasionally wonky but overall a good case for how the dismal science can make the world less—well, dismal.
“Quality of life means more than just consumption”: Two MIT economists urge that a smarter, more politically aware economics be brought to bear on social issues.
It’s no secret, write Banerjee and Duflo (co-authors: Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way To Fight Global Poverty, 2011), that “we seem to have fallen on hard times.” Immigration, trade, inequality, and taxation problems present themselves daily, and they seem to be intractable. Economics can be put to use in figuring out these big-issue questions. Data can be adduced, for example, to answer the question of whether immigration tends to suppress wages. The answer: “There is no evidence low-skilled migration to rich countries drives wage and employment down for the natives.” In fact, it opens up opportunities for those natives by freeing them to look for better work. The problem becomes thornier when it comes to the matter of free trade; as the authors observe, “left-behind people live in left-behind places,” which explains why regional poverty descended on Appalachia when so many manufacturing jobs left for China in the age of globalism, leaving behind not just left-behind people but also people ripe for exploitation by nationalist politicians. The authors add, interestingly, that the same thing occurred in parts of Germany, Spain, and Norway that fell victim to the “China shock.” In what they call a “slightly technical aside,” they build a case for addressing trade issues not with trade wars but with consumption taxes: “It makes no sense to ask agricultural workers to lose their jobs just so steelworkers can keep theirs, which is what tariffs accomplish.” Policymakers might want to consider such counsel, especially when it is coupled with the observation that free trade benefits workers in poor countries but punishes workers in rich ones.
Occasionally wonky but overall a good case for how the dismal science can make the world less—well, dismal.Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-61039-950-0
Page Count: 432
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
Career and business advice for the hashtag generation. For all its self-absorption, this book doesn’t offer much reflection...
A Dumpster diver–turned-CEO details her rise to success and her business philosophy.
In this memoir/business book, Amoruso, CEO of the Internet clothing store Nasty Gal, offers advice to young women entrepreneurs who seek an alternative path to fame and fortune. Beginning with a lengthy discussion of her suburban childhood and rebellious teen years, the author describes her experiences living hand to mouth, hitchhiking, shoplifting and dropping out of school. Her life turned around when, bored at work one night, she decided to sell a few pieces of vintage clothing on eBay. Fast-forward seven years, and Amoruso was running a $100 million company with 350 employees. While her success is admirable, most of her advice is based on her own limited experiences and includes such hackneyed lines as, “When you accept yourself, it’s surprising how much other people will accept you, too.” At more than 200 pages, the book is overlong, and much of what the author discusses could be summarized in a few tweets. In fact, much of it probably has been: One of the most interesting sections in the book is her description of how she uses social media. Amoruso has a spiritual side, as well, and she describes her belief in “chaos magic” and “sigils,” a kind of wishful-thinking exercise involving abstract words. The book also includes sidebars featuring guest “girlbosses” (bloggers, Internet entrepreneurs) who share equally clichéd suggestions for business success. Some of the guidance Amoruso offers for interviews (don’t dress like you’re going to a nightclub), getting fired (don’t call anyone names) and finding your fashion style (be careful which trends you follow) will be helpful to her readers, including the sage advice, “You’re not special.”
Career and business advice for the hashtag generation. For all its self-absorption, this book doesn’t offer much reflection or insight.Pub Date: May 6, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16927-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Portfolio
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
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