Book Review — How to succeed in your home business

• Author: Larry Easto
• ISBN: 0-385-25516-0
• Publisher: Doubleday Canada Limited
• 168 pages, soft-cover, $16.95 CDN

The Globe and Mail describes this book as “useful for anyone thinking of starting a company”; I would add “… for ANY company — home-based or not.”

With the ultimate respect for the home-based business, Larry Easto, author, lawyer and business owner, places the smallest of businesses in a world context. Quoting notorious business book writers, Faith Popcorn (The Popcorn Report) and Taichi Sakaiya (The Knowledge Value Revolution), this well-read author likens home business to the “ultimate downsized business operation”. If big organizations are seen as bad, it follows that small operations will be seen as preferable alternatives.

Writing short chapters that focus on one issue at a time and break information into subtopics, Easto allows you to read his book in increments or by skipping to topics that are relevant to your current business situation. He knows the value of an entrepreneur’s time and he doesn’t waste it.

Containing information for any business at any stage in its life, this book features:
• Entrepreneur Test
• Start-Up Checklist (the most thorough I’ve seen)
• Client Service Tips (3 chapters dedicated to various topics in client service)
• Customer Satisfaction Questionnaires
• Understanding Financial Statements
• Networking How-To
• Developing a Business Plan
• Developing a Marketing Plan
• 7 Deadly Sins of Running Your Home Business
• 10 Commandments of Running Your Home Business

This little book with it’s unassuming title has big plans to make you more aware of all facets of your company than you’ve ever been before. “How to succeed in your home business” is for anyone, no matter what stage your business is at and no matter where it’s located — home or otherwise.