“Make Your Own Job: Anytime, Anywhere, At Any Age” Receives Positive Reviews

Positive reviews of Make Your Own Job have been received from two of the most prestigious book review agencies in the nation, Kirkus and The U.S. Review of Books. These agencies provide independent reviews of many of the million books published each year from the points of view of content, production quality, and usefulness to prospective readers and libraries. They began with a description of the book’s contents and conclude with a one-line criticism or recommendation.

The anomalous Kirkus reviewer categorized the book as “A guide for displaced or disgruntled employees on the fundamentals of starting a business.” In this era when many workers feel underpaid and under- appreciated, many are changing jobs and/or seeking a way to design their own jobs that better suite their talents, hopes, and aspirations. The reviewer recognized that my book served this need by pointing out my proposition that “the best way to insure their futures is to make their own jobs,” by thinking about and starting their own companies while they are still employed and testing the concept while they still have a regular paycheck rather than being forced into alternative money-making work because of an unanticipated lay-off.

My book does two things. First, it illustrates a method to formulate and sort through a large number of business possibilities, sort them into short, medium, and long-term possibilities, and select which to pursue at various times in one’s life. Then it outlines the various stages of starting a business from selecting a name to disposing of it in later life while selecting another, less time-consuming, business that you really enjoy. The book’s overall purpose is to illustrate how to make serious money during your working years, and then selecting a fun business to do as you age. I addition, the book makes some significant philosophical points such as, “time is the only thing of real value that we possess, and money cannot buy more if it.”

The reviewer concluded that my book was, “A worthy rudimentary resource for business newbies.” He, or more likely she, grasped my purpose in writing a business book than anyone from teens to seniors could learn from, rather than a book strictly intended for degreed business majors who were already deep into the corporate structure.

Jordana Landsman considered the book for The U.S. Review of Books. The book left a positive impression on her as he wrote “Smith’s book offers articulate, well-organized, and fresh guidance” on creating a business concept, starting, and running a business. Because my book was independently derived from my own experiences, it is not only a re-hash of the same business concepts that have been written about innumerable times before, but also offers fresh thoughts on the important aspects of generating and evaluating new ideas which might not have occurred to the reader. She also approved of my “offering up-to-the-minute modern guidance” as I covered marketing through social media, crowdfunding, virtual corporations, and the limitless geographic potential of the modern marketplace.

Landsman concluded her review with the statement, “Recommended by the US Review,” which is a status awarded to only a small fraction of the thousands of books considered by the company each year.

My admittedly biased opinion is that this book belongs in every library in the nation. If you think so too, purchase a copy and donate it to your local library.