Review of The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century (Paperback)

This is a 1999 edition of a similar book published by the authors in 1994. It is a good basic overview of the scope of possible home businesses that have proven successful for people in the past. It is not an encyclopedia of all possible ways to earn money from home, but rather focuses on what the Edwards' have determined to be the top 100 possibilities.

There is a fair amount of detail in each job description, although being familiar with some, I can say that the information given in those cases is not enough to actually start such a business, nor is it an in-depth look. The section on Desktop Video barely mentions the fact that you need to have a certain amount of talent, and that it is not an easy job at all. This book is designed to give one enough information about a business to determine if it is worth further research, and gives some resources for that research.

Given the age of the book, some of the information is way out of date. Again, the Desktop Video section is a good example: a 3 gig hard drive is hardly considered large today, and is not nearly enough to even begin editing video. This was obviously before the advent of MiniDV, which requires 13 gig or more per hour of video. I also found a glaring error on page 16: a week has 168 hours, not 174 (at least where I come from: 24 hours times 7 days). While such an error is easy to have creep in, a fact that easily checked but missed does make one pause about other information in the book. The book has a long Table of Contents but no Index.

If you are thinking about trying a business of your own, this book can be helpful in getting a basic idea of what each of these businesses might involve. After you get an idea of a few businesses in which you might be interested from this book, you should research your chosen fields with much more depth. This book is not enough on its own to start you in a business, IMHO.

Product Description
Third Editions-Revised and Expanded.

Based on the top-selling Best Home Businesses for the 90s, here is a completely updated, comprehensive look at the leading businesses for small and home-based entrepreneurs in the 21st century.

This invaluable guide provides comprehensive profiles of more than one hundred hot new businesses that promise the top opportunities for small-business people in the future.

Paul and Sarah Edwards explore the best opportunities for self-employment in the next century--ranging from being a business-network organizer to running a transcript-digesting service--and provide expert, step-by-step advice on:
-- the skills and knowledge needed to startup;
-- the start-up costs, pricing, and potential earning;
-- the best ways to get new business;
-- the advantages and disadvantages of each business;
-- the hands-on advice of those already in the field.
In addition to the nearly one hundred businesses profiled, an expanded section on "The Best of the Rest" explores dozens of additional top businesses to watch for.

The Best Home Businesses for the 21st Century is the smartest, most complete book available for anyone looking for right ways to make it on their own.

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