Craft for Food

I’m an avid reader, so I’ll be reviewing here all the craft book I read, along with anything else I think can be useful. I’ll be starting off this section with the first Homemade Money book by Barbara Brabec, « Starting Smart ». It’s no 100% craft related, but contains a lot of great business advice and many examples from the craft world.

This book covers the preparation you need to do before starting your business. The second book in the collection, Bringing in the bucks, talks about all that comes after and will be reviewed in another article.

I really liked that one, it’s packed with useful information. It starts off discussing if an home business is right for you given your situation and personality, and present various business options. Also, another great section at the beginning is the myths and scam section, which is detailed and accurate.

In the second part, you’ll get to brainstorm to find your perfect business idea and how you will position it in the eyes of your customers. You will also plan your business and everything need to succeed, including a detailed chapter on the ever-important pricing issue. That chapter alone is worth the read.

My only problem with that book is the choosing a computer section, which is pretty brief. It does contain a few interesting tidbits, but nothing great. Also, it does not speak of open-source software as a way to cut costs, and will only give out a list of the type of software needed. She also states that she keep backups of important stuff on floppy, which is really risky at the rate those things break down. Do use your CD or DVD burner please, those thing existed in 2003!

If you buy the book in a store, don’t be too surprised when the book ends. The annex is 100 pages! For a 333 pages book, that’s a lot. It contains some useful information too, but the presentation is a lot less interesting. Do look at the other resources section, it has a lot of good references.

Finally, if you can get your hands on this book, it’s worth it. It discuss some subjects rarely covered in such books, and the engaging writing style will keep you coming back for more.