Showing posts with label consulting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label consulting. Show all posts

The Principles of Successful Freelancing Review

The Principles of Successful Freelancing
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Being a freelancer is the new black. It's just a crazy fun loving world where nothing can go wrong. Well as a crusty old freelancer I can tell you that's far from the truth.
Well Miles Burke in his new book The Principles of Successful Freelancing discusses just that. Miles is no stranger to making the leap into world of freelancing having done it three times.
When I first picked up this book, I'll be honest, I was a little skeptical. But I found this is a good book. It's well written with an entertaining layback style all it's own. I can just imagine Miles sitting back in a cafe or coffee shop chatting about freelancing. You could easily read this book on 4-5 hour plane flight.
This book is squarely aimed at the person who is considering getting into freelancing or has just started. It covers off all aspects of the freelancers life cycle, such as:
* From starting out and a hard look at oneself, are you cut out to be a freelancer.
* Preparing for the transition from regular work to freelancing, and all the things you really need to think about (but don't).
* Finances, making sure you really do stay in business and keep a positive cash flow.
* Productivity, time tracking, getting into that productivity zone and not being distracted.
* Selling, winning work and understanding how to sell. Something all freelances fear at some stage.
* Customer service, or keeping the client, project management made simple, and dealing with difficult clients.
* Lifestyle, work habits, life balance are discussed, this is huge area that I know freelancers cut corners on.
* Expansion, life beyond freelancing, the final stepping stone on the way for a freelancer, be that back into employment, or expansion using outsourcing or your own staff.
You know what's really good and annoying too (well for me) with this book; it is just full of all those tips and tricks that I just wish some freelancing mentor had told me all those years ago in the previous century when I started freelancing.
I enjoyed this book to the point that I found myself nodding and smiling as Miles waxed on with another aspect of freelancing, pointing out the pitfalls along the way. And sometimes I was wincing as I realised that after 14 years in the game I've still got a few things even I can improve on.
The one thing I didn't like, and this was just me, is it was it had a few too many lists in places. It made me think I was checking off my freelancing skills all the time. But really that was a very minor point.
Overall, highly recommended, if you are a new freelancer, or old one, or maybe just considering freelancing, get this book, read it. Act on it, it's a great reference source, then later on, reread it.
But you know with this book, it's now a little bit easier.

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Thinking about becoming your own boss and embarking on the wonderful and rewarding journey of freelancing? The Principles of Successful Freelancing is for you. In this easy-to follow guide you'll learn what's important in transforming your skills into a booming freelance business. This book leads you through the entire process, from getting started, through to winning and keeping loyal clients. Running a successful freelance business is easy, and with the information in this book, you'll confidently turn your freelancing dream into a profitable reality.

Learn how to make a smooth transition into freelancing
Understand how to effectively manage your money
Ensure you spend your time on the right activities
Discover why a work/life balance is important
Learn how your network can support you and your business
Overcome your fear of selling
And much more ...
The 12 Principles Of Successful Freelancing
Get Organized Keep your workspace tidy and plan ahead (short- and long-term).
Control Stress Remain calm and work through issues to avoid early burnout..
Research Spend quality time researching your proposed business-it's more than a five minute web surf.
Be PassionateLove your work! You should enjoy what you do for a living.
Budget Save for a rainy day rather than spend every cent as it comes in.
Value your Health Bad health stops you from working. Take time to exercise and maintain a nutritious diet.
Embrace Selling Enjoy the sales challenge-it's easier than you think!
Satisfy Customers Don't do average work-exceed their expectations and make them need you.
Grow Your Network Value family and friends' support, and meet new people all the time.
Maintain Cashflow It's what is in the bank that counts, not what you are billing-understand the difference.
Continually Learn Keep acquiring new skills and knowledge, every week. Let it slip and you could be left behind.
Achieve a Work/Life Balance Your life should be more than work-maintain a good balance for health and success.


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Red-Hot Selling: Power Techniques That Win Even the Toughest Sale Review

Red-Hot Selling: Power Techniques That Win Even the Toughest Sale
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Do you consider yourself a sales professional? If so, when was the last time you read a book about sales? If it's been a while you'd do well to pick up this one by Paul Goldner, who states that selling is a science, not an art, and not a profession for those who want to get by on their "gift of gab."

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No matter what, where, and to whom you sell, everything you do fits into one of three phases of the sales process: Planning, Execution, and, Closing. True red-hot sellers know exactly what each phase encompasses, and the rest of us can learn in the time it takes to read this ultra-practical book. "Red-Hot Selling" presents a simple, start-to-finish sales process for new sales professionals and veterans alike. "Red-Hot Selling" also includes the author's powerful three-tiered planning process, proprietary tools including the Meeting Management Worksheet, and the best closing techniques in the business - plus can't-miss secrets for distinguishing your product or service in a competitive market. Selling may be tough, but it's not complicated. With this one-of-a-kind guide, you can streamline your job, kick-start your career, and send your earnings sky-high!

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Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling Review

Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling
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I have been reading sales and prospecting books for 25 years, and this book is in the handful that I have ever recommended to other people that sell for a living. Sam Richter's book describes in specific detail how to use free Internet resources to find out every relevant, timely and sales oriented detail imaginable about every prospect you want to do business with. In your first cold call to that prospect you will know more about the prospect's business problem--and how your product or service can specifically solve that problem--than any other sales person that has ever called that prospect before.

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IMPORTANT NOTE: This book is now in its 8th Edition, published September, 2011, and the content has been updated to accurately reflect current search techniques and websites.If information is power, Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling is ''power on steroids!'' Know more than you ever thought you could (or should) about your clients, prospects, and competition. No more winging it. No more guessing what the other person cares about. Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling is a fascinating journey into the world of information, how to easily find it, and how to apply it to make sure you are offering relevant solutions. By practicing the techniques taught in the book, you will make a great first impression during sales calls and you will provide value and build meaningful and mutually beneficial client relationships. Once you master Warm Call techniques, you win more business, establish deep relationships with clients, and have more fun.In Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling you'll discover the secret world on online information, how to find it, and how to use it. You'll get step-by-step instructions along with real examples. You'll learn...
How to build deep and meaningful relationships with prospect and clients.
Ways to access highly qualified lead lists -- for FREE!
Tips and tricks for popular search engines get it right the first time.
How to use Google like a pro -- it's scary what you can find once you know how to look.
Social networks including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and the secrets on how to use them as amazingly powerful Sales Intelligence engines.
The ''Invisible Web'' -- sites most people and search engines don't know about and can't find.
How to access premium information resources at no or very low cost.
The theory of the ''Fourth R'' and value-based ''warm call selling.''
How to massively increase your credibility with prospects and existing clients.
How to use the ''Customer Data Aggregator'' and expert ''Warm Call Scripts'' to organize information and make a great first impression.
If you are involved in business development, sales, or account management in any way, you've ''cold called.'' Any time you meet with a prospect or existing client without knowing about them, their issues, and how your company is relevant to something they care about, you run the risk of losing credibility and worse, losing the deal. The top 1% of business development pros and sales people understand the value of information, how to access it, and how to apply it and win. With Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling, you'll get the tools and training you need to join the club.The book includes full access to the online Know More! Resource Center and downloadable Toolbar, making it easy (and FUN) to practice what you learn. Awards: Sales Book of the Year Medalist USA Book News Book of the YearAxiom Business Book Awards Medalist

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Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling Review

Book Yourself Solid: The Fastest, Easiest, and Most Reliable System for Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even if You Hate Marketing and Selling
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Michael Port begins his book practically: "[T]here may be two simple reasons why you don't serve as many clients as you'd to today. You either don't know what to do to attract and secure more clients or you know what to do but you're not actually doing it" (p. xxvii).
In the pages that follow, he unpacks his "Booked Solid System" to which he ascribes the power to solve both of those stated problems.
Contrasting "old school" and "new school" marketing methods, he writes, "[Many] have come to believe that marketing and selling is pushy and self-centered and borders on sleazy ... You must never fall into the typical client-snagging mentality. If you do, you'll operate in a mentality of scarcity and shame as opposed to one of abundance and integrity" (p. xxix).
Questions to ask yourself:
How can I be fully self-expressed in my work to create meaning for me and those whom I serve?
How can I work only in the areas of my greatest strengths and talents so that I can shine?
How many relationships with people of purpose did I make and deepen?
How can I better listen to and serve my ideal clients?
How can I wow people with substance?
How can I overdeliver on my promises to my clients?
How can I cooperate with other professionals to create more abundance?
Port's claim is a large one: "If you keep asking yourself these questions, if you set a solid foundation for your business, build trust and credibility within your marketplace, and use the seven core self-promotion strategies [offered later in the book], you'll be booked solid in no time" (p. xxx).
His layout of information consists of 3 modules: Your Foundation, Building Trust and Credibility, and The Seven Core Self-Promotion Strategies.
Each of the modules has something worthy to note, but I found module 1 to be the most informative and helpful - especially chapter 2: "Why People Buy What You're Selling."
He counsels, "Marketing and sales isn't about trying to convince, coerce, or manipulate people into buying your services. It's about putting yourself out in front of, and offering your services to, those whom you are meant to serve - people already looking for your services" (p. 17).
Those who are already looking for your services are those who should make up your target market. It's in this section where Port shines. He says, "Your target market's urgent needs [the things they would like to move away from] and compelling desires [the things that they would like to move toward] prompt them to go in search of you and your services ... You must offer what your potential clients want to buy, not you want to sell or think they should want to buy" (p. 22).
What will cause someone to purchase the service that you are selling?
" [I]f your potential clients are going to purchase your service and products, they must see them as investable opportunities; they must feel that the return they receive is greater than the investment they made.
... This return will come in different forms, depending on what you offer, but the return is almost always financial or [24] emotional.
... Rather than talking about what you do, focus instead on clear, specific, and detailed solutions that solve your clients' problems" (pp. 23-24).
The next biggest issue that Port addresses is how we talk about what we do - commonly referred to as "The Elevator Speech." This is important because, in Port's words, "A primary reason that many service professionals fail to build thriving businesses is that they struggle to articulate - in a clear and compelling way - exactly what solutions and benefits they offer" (p. 47). Port offers guidance and examples for a long version, a mid-length version, and a short version by mixing and matching your answers to some exercises that you've already worked through. Those exercises include: Summarizing your target market in one sentence, identifying the three most critical problems faced by that market, telling how you solve these problems (the more unique the better), mentioning the most dramatic ("Wow!") results that your clients have experienced, and including the benefits your clients receive" (see p. 51).
This wisdom alone is worth the price of the book. The rest is just bonus as far as I'm concerned!

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The new edition of the bestselling business development guide
Book Yourself Solid, Second Edition reveals why self-promotion is a critical factor to success, giving you a unique perspective that makes this guide much more than an ordinary "how to" manual for getting more clients and raising a business profile.
Book Yourself Solid, Second Edition enables you to adopt the right promotional perspective and provides the strategies, techniques, and skills necessary to get more clients and increase profits. Through verbal and written exercises, you'll discover the keys to developing a strong marketing plan and brand image.
Features unique, personalized, updated social media marketing strategies for service professionals
Provides new pricing models and sales strategies for simpler selling
Delivers fresh networking and outreach strategies guaranteed to take only minutes a day
Offers new solid product launch strategies and tactics for creating instant awareness
Author a New York Times bestseller, TV personality, and highly recognized professional speaker


Get the proven tools you can put into effect today with Book Yourself Solid, Second Edition, and watch your business grow exponentially!

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How to Get Into the Top Consulting Firms: A Surefire Case Interview Method - 2nd Edition Review

How to Get Into the Top Consulting Firms: A Surefire Case Interview Method - 2nd Edition
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There is only 1 question that really matters: will reading this book increase your chances of getting a job at a consulting firm? My vote is "yes" --- or at least, "probably". Having said that, this book is a tough read if you're brand new to business and case interviews. Case In Point is better on that level -- you can read it like a novel almost with no previous knowledge or context and really start to see how things work. This book is the next obvious step. Once you have some sense of what you're doing and you want to build the logic/knowledge base to go from "good to great", read this one. If you're brand new to all of the terms and concepts, it can be a bit overwhelming. It's very focused and content-deep (despite being just 130 pages). For example, the section on how to value mergers and acquisitions is a good overview of the financial literature that's already out there, but synthesized for the level and style of the case interview. It's also well-woven into an overall approach for other case types that makes a complete story as opposed to the independent, isolated frameworks other books provide.


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- "What are the main drivers in determining the price of a new medical device?" - "Should a beverage company acquire another producer?" - "How should a manufacturer respond after a competitor introduces a breakthrough new product?" While you could memorize answers to the most popular case interview questions, what happens when you encounter an issue that's outside of their reach? In How to Get Into the Top Consulting Firms, management consultant Tim Darling offers a holistic approach for solving problems in 30 minutes or less. By showing how to break an issue into its core components, he simplifies case interviews by illuminating them from the perspective of the consulting firms. 13 interactive cases are included with detailed data, charts, and solutions. This second edition contains over 50% revised and additional content.

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Blind Men and the Elephant: Demystifying the Global IT Services Industry Review

Blind Men and the Elephant: Demystifying the Global IT Services Industry
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A very clear, concise, and easy-to-read book that lays out the origins, current state and the challenges facing Global IT services. This book is a must read for people who buy IT services, sell IT services, deliver IT services and also for those who have more than a passing interest in Global IT. The authors present an unbiased view of the industry, how the different parties involved have created the successes (some accidental), the challenges, and some future scenarios (four-seeable futures), without introducing the reader to new jargon. In the process the authors pepper the book with industry trivia, some more welcome (origin of IBM) than others (full name of FIAT, the auto company). They do a great job of presenting the realized value and the larger unrealized potential of IT services transforming businesses. The authors certainly deliver what they set to achieve (as outlined in "About this book"). There are many takeaways from this book that some may call "common sense." And, that would be a shame because it is not that common.
I wish the authors had spent a little more time on how the different parties involved in Global IT services have contributed to the challenges and the unrealized potential. I also think it would have been better if the authors had expanded/ shown preference for at least one or two of the four future scenarios they layout even though they clearly say they are not out to predict the future. In addition, areas like software-as-service and vertical specific products could have benefited from more discussion.
Overall, `Blind Men and the Elephant: Demystifying the Global IT Services Industry' is a great introduction for anyone interested in Global IT services or entering it as a participant and a good summary for all those who are in it.

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In just a few decades since its birth, the global IT industry has grown to a trillion dollars. It continues to transform society and business, as perhaps no other industry has, and yet remains one of the least understood industries in the world. Behind the facade of geekiness and technophobia lies a set of organizations that are routinely given the power to fundamentally reshape many facets of our lives, and in the process create lucrative sources of financial rewards for those investing in it. This book explains what consultants and IT Services firms do. It examines the industry s surprisingly captivating history, and in doing so, explains why the industry does things the way it does and what motivates the different players within it. The book tries to answers basic questions such as: Why is it that those fundamentally affected by the industry have little idea about how this industry has managed to have such a hard-hitting impact globally? How has this industry managed to reach the unique statues it enjoys around the world today, with literally millions from all corners of the world aspiring to enter it? What is it about this industry that has caused it to evolve so differently as compared to other fields? Perhaps most importantly, where could it, and the rest of us, go next? Drawing vivid comparisons from everyday life and other industries, this book makes complex concepts accessible to the general reader, giving them for the first time an in-depth insight into the IT industry, how it works, how it affects all of us, and where it is likely to catapult us in this century. Written in a lucid style by renowned IT professionals, this book is a must read not only for management and engineering students, IT professionals, managers, and technocrats, but also for anyone keen to have the mysteries of the computer age unraveled.

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The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice Review

The Millionaire Messenger: Make a Difference and a Fortune Sharing Your Advice
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I'm a big fan of Brendon's work especially his videos. He always goes above and beyond when it comes to delievering GREAT content but I feel this book is mainly for beginners. If you are new to this industry then this book will help you become clear on what your message is, how and what products to create and what it takes to become successful in the expert industry. If you already have a book, website, and gotten some speaking gigs like I have then I would recommend getting brendon's elite training program or going to
his experts academy's blog where he teaches how to market yourself as a speaker, coach, author, etc.
This book lacks the "how" when it comes to marketing yourself and for someone like myself I want to know how to market, who do I contact and how do I get their information so I can contact them like he explains in his genius "Campaign Cannon" for speakers which I have had some success with. All in and all I think this book is great for beginners and honestly if this book was out when I was just begining and I had read it I would be giving it five stars but I can't honestly do that. That's not to say that experienced experts can't learn a few things here and there but I honestly feel this book wouldn't benefit an experienced expert.

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In The Millionaire Messenger, Brendon Burchard pulls back the curtains on the once-secretive "expert industry" and shows how to become an influential and highly paid advice expert through websites, books, speeches, seminars, coaching, consulting, and online programs. Blessed to receive life's golden ticket - a second chance - after surviving a dramatic car accident, Burchard has dedicated his life to helping others find their voice, live more fully, and follow their dreams. By following his 10-step program, average, ordinary people can learn to package their struggles, successes, research, or life's story into advice for others and become experts on any given topic. In the industry of people who share their advice and knowledge with the world and get paid for it, Burchard is the "guru's guru." If you've ever wondered how the gurus spread their message, serve others, and build a real business, then this is a must-read.


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90 Days to Success in Consulting Review

90 Days to Success in Consulting
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This book is a true gem. As a consultant, I am glad I came across this. The author is very insightful and the knowledge has probably accelerated my abilities by several years. This book covers everything a consultant needs, including all the things they typically flounder on. The author has impressive insights from experience that are communicated in a very understandable, refreshing style. He tells you what you need to do and why. I've read a lot of consulting books, but this one is the best from a holistic practice perspective. There are other books that focus in on certain aspects of consulting but without the foundation that this book communicates, knowing all that would be for naught. One thing I really liked was that the author does not take you strictly on his path or try to make you into someone making a million dollars a year through giving seminars or running workshops - things that few consultants could ever do to that level. Consultants make it in a variety of ways and this book helps you find your way and excel at it, whether that's on one's own as a top-notch consultant or utilizing contractors or employees, whether doing personal services, projects or providing resources.
Finally, the approach is something I feel like I could live with myself if I use. It's ethical, it's relationship building and it's strictly fair trade. While making no bones about the need to earn from the business, the author emphasizes creating client value as the means to excel and maximize the consultant's potential. Some of the best take-aways were in brand building, finances, and service development.



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Interested in entering the consulting business? Already have a consulting practice but want to take its profits to the next level? 90 Days to Success in Consulting provides an action plan for success in the ultra-competitive consulting industry. The book is designed to logically take you through the major consulting topics and provide action items to be done in the next 90 days for immediate business functions, as well as for planning thefuture phases of your consulting journey. The book covers the various opportunities available, including the traps and pitfalls to avoid, ensuring a successful career as a consultant.

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Staying Power: Six Enduring Principles for Managing Strategy and Innovation in an Uncertain World (Clarendon Lectures in Management Studies) Review

Staying Power: Six Enduring Principles for Managing Strategy and Innovation in an Uncertain World (Clarendon Lectures in Management Studies)
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Professor Cusumano's "Staying Power" is a major contribution in the field of business strategy.
I am in the business of technology and management strategy consulting and think his ideas have enormous value to any executive grappling with the implications and opportunities of cloud-computing enabled business. His six principles are easy to grasp. They are deceptively simple and are particularly powerful in a commercial and public sector business climate of austerity where new business models are emerging that will fuel our next growth cycle, but are disrupting incumbents. The introduction of cloud computing is beginning to have a disruptive effect on a wide range of business. Living through that disruption in day-to-day business can make it hard to see the bigger patterns at play and think through what the future state will look like. Professor Cusumano's elaboration of the platform/complementer services model with his excellent historical context and current market analysis makes it much clearer where we are headed in my industry and to seize emerging opportunities.
I purchased the book based on an Amazon recommendation and I am very grateful I did. The book is written in a more academic style than is typical of the more popular style business and management books. In fact, I picked it up and sat it down several times before committing to the book. It is not a book designed to skim. It requires concentration and focus to understand how Professor Cusumano has reached the conclusions he has. His ability to characterize the current disruptive innovation cycle in the information technology business using his analysis of the history of both the information technology and automotive industry is excellent. It is a fascinating story leading up to today's new business models.
Once I started really focusing on the book, I could not put it down. My copy is full of highlighter pen marks and 3M stickers. Kudos to Professor Cusumano for a valuable tool for business executives trying to figure out how to proactively take advantage of the cloud-enabled business models that are emerging. I hope that he extends this work with additional video and supplementary blog or presentation materials to continue to expand on his ideas and share more examples of the ideas in action. I have already begun converting his ideas into execution in my business.

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Business news tends to focus on the travails of a handful of giants: Apple's iPad, the Toyota recall, the controversy over Google's book-digitization program. Whatever the day's headlines, though, most of these firms have been there before--up and down, written off and overpraised--yet they endured and triumphed. What is their secret? What is it that has lifted them to preeminence and allowed them to come out of each crisis stronger than before?In Staying Power, Michael A. Cusumano provides the answers. A bestselling business author and leading scholar, Cusumano has spent a quarter of a century studying the world's most successful companies--many of them from the inside, by serving as an advisor to more than one hundred firms. He identifies six critical principles that have driven the success of today's foremost companies, including Google, Intel, Apple, JVC, Toyota, and Microsoft. He argues that companies today must develop distinctive organizational capabilities, not just business strategies; focus on platforms and services, not just products; pull information from the market, responding to real-time changes in demand and competitive conditions, and not just push products out; achieve economies of scope, not just scale, by creating efficiencies across all a firm's activities; and acquire flexibility, in addition to efficiency, to quickly adapt to a volatile marketplace. Drawing on real-life examples, he illustrates how the best companies put these principles into practice, identifying precisely how these ideas have lead to concrete success time after time.Business books, the author notes, often promote short-lived fads in management thinking. But Staying Power is different. Written by a bestselling international expert, this book focuses on lasting success, analyzing the fundamental elements common to the leading competitors in the world today.

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Working for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Consultants Review

Working for Yourself: Law and Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers and Consultants
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I am a software contractor looking at incorporating. I had looked at LLC options, but some clients require incorporating, so that was ruled out. My best route seemed to be S-Corp. This book answered most of my questions. The "Incorporating Your Business, for Dummies" was pretty good, but not as good as this book. This book has a lot of details and laid some of my worries to rest. It will also save money with your professional team (attorney, accountant) by answering simple, but essential, questions. Definitely worth the money.

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Be your own boss -- easily, efficiently and successfully -- with this bestseller!Whether you're an independent contractor, freelancer, or consultant, it all adds up to the same thing: You need to be more aware of laws and taxes than the average person.Fortunately, Working for Yourself provides all the information you need to stay on top of it all. An independent contractor himself, Stephen Fishman shows you everything you need to know to:
meet business start-up requirements
pick a business structure
set up home or outside offices
obtain permits and licenses
price your services or products
comply with strict IRS rules
establish sound business relationships
avoid unfair contracts
draft good agreements
keep good records
get paid in full and on time
and much, much more The 8th edition is completely revised to provide the up-to-date information you need, including the most current tax rates and legal rules for contractors. Whether you already work for yourself or are thinking about making the move, Working for Yourself will help make sure you do it right.

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How to Start a Successful Home-Based Freelance Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation Business Review

How to Start a Successful Home-Based Freelance Bookkeeping and Tax Preparation Business
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This books certainly contains some helpful information if you're going to start you own bookkeeping business, but 3 major things make me recommend you think twice before purchasing this book:

1. To say frankly, this books is about starting ANY professional service business, not just bookkeeping. It certainly refers to some accounting topics - i.e. choosing accounting software etc., but essentially it gives you no idea about how to build competitive advantage of your bookkeeping business and doesn't tell you any ins and outs of this particular business type
2. This books is poorly edited - it has two authors and it looks like these authors wrote different part of the books and nobody took time to make sure that the book is cohesive and doesn't say the same ideas twice. Pictures in this book just magnify the impression of a poor editor work - they are absolutely not stylish and resemble the standard picture set of MS Word in 1990s. This is certainly not to say that poor editing will preclude you from understanding what this book is about, but I expected much more from the item priced at $40.
3. Talking about "Tax preparation" part of this book, the whole content of this chapter can be put into one sentence "At some point of time in developing your bookkeeping business, you might find it interesting to expand your services into tax preparation field". Well, this looks too simplistic to me - taxation is one of the most complicated areas of finance and just to say that sometimes you will wake up and decide to get into this field and next morning you will be there is just odd.
To put is short, if this book cost $15 and were titled "A couple of nice ideas about getting into the world of services business", I would certainly give it 5 star. But a combination of this book's actual name and its $40 cost only earns a 3 star rating.

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This book is a genuine resource, packed with proven methods, and valuable interviews with real bookkeepers and accounting professionals. These ideas and techniques show you how to quickly build a flourishing full-time or part-time home-based bookkeeping or tax practice, and keep it running profitably.
Some of the topics covered in this volume:
How to get started and obtain all necessary business licenses
How to manage your cash flow for maximum profitability and business success
How to get clients and keep them
How to attract the most profitable clients
How to increase referrals
How to set and collect your fees How to offer tax services to your existing clients
How to get referrals from CPA offices and other financial professionals
Information on how to become a Certified Bookkeeper through the AIPB
How to comply with the IRS recordkeeping requirements
How to avoid your liability for the dreaded IRS Trust Recovery Penalty
And much, much more!

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