Write Away

Welcome back. Today’s post is about a business book I’d highly recommend if you’re looking for inspiration and ideas to help you start up and run your own business. Now, there is no shortage of books offering such wisdom and as a reader of many titles in this genre, I know it has its fair share of duds. However, “From Acorns.....how to build your brilliant business from scratch” (by Caspian Woods, published by Prentice Hall) is one of the best that I’ve read. The style of the book is relaxed and at times very amusing, and the author shares his experience and wisdom on starting a business, in a very informative and concise way. The fact that the book is written by someone who has gone through the highs and lows of setting up a business gives it added credence. It has tons of useful, practical advice to help you on your way and if you’re thinking about going it alone in business, this would be a very good place to start. Follow the link below to find out more. Be inspired! Let me kn...

Welcome back. I once attended a lecture by a very successful businessman who was talking about how to maximise the benefit from our scarcest resource, our time. Some of his ideas were not exactly new, or even radical, such as watching less television or spending less time in the pub; but one area he commented on was the amount of time we spend driving around, and how this can be a real opportunity for us. Rather than listening to music or other people chatting on the radio, he suggested listening to audio business books or self help guides - he termed it the “University of the Car”, I’ve started to heed this advice and found it very beneficial. If you’re stuck for a starting point, try buying or downloading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey, read by the author, it is an inspiring book, and one I’ll post on in more detail soon. You can find out more about the book on the link below: https://www.stephencovey.com/7habits/7habits.php M833X4F57YK4

Today’s post is about a gem of a website for anyone who is a freelancer or has aspirations to become one. If you already have a freelance career, then the chances are you will have come across Freelance folder, but if you haven’t, then I encourage you to take a look. The site describes itself as a community for freelancers, entrepreneurs, work-at-home business owners and web workers; there is an excellent blog with lots of useful advice about common problems freelance professionals experience and under the section “Getting Started”, there are some helpful quick-start guides available to purchase for anyone thinking of starting their own freelance business. There are a number of forums to join and a marketplace you can use to advertise your services or even find another freelancer to work with. Freelancing might mean working on your own, but with sites like Freelance Folder, you won’t be alone. http://freelancefolder.com/

Hello again. Today’s post looks at online sources of ideas for new business ventures. A lot of people have aspirations to start their own business, but if you have no obvious skill or knowledge that can be transferred into a business opportunity, the age old question of what business you could start, comes to light. Well fear not, here are a couple of excellent websites that could help you uncover the “next big thing”, or at least inspire you to think laterally when you see some of the innovative business ideas around today. Trendwatching employs a network of spotters around the globe who share the very latest consumer trends and how technological innovations are developing. Springwise is the sister-site of Trendwatching and employs a similar network sharing the latest entrepreneurial ideas and new business trends - looking at the vast array on offer could provide some valuable start-up inspiration. If you are not familiar with these sites, check them out, they are a treasu...