[Book Review] 7 Tidbits I learned from "Use What You Know: A Business Idea Guide for Moms by Joyce Brewer

When I heard about the opportunity to review the latest e-book by Joyce Brewer, I jumped at the chance! While I am not a mom yet, I know it is in my future. The book, Use What You Know: A Business Idea Guide for Moms, addresses one of my major concerns that I believe most mothers face. It also gives a great mix of women’s detailed interviews. I’m sharing my top 7 favorite tidbits of the book with you today.

One of the major concerns that I have in the back of my mind is how much I’ll miss of my child’s early years if I work full time. My current full-time job is flexible. I have seen several co-workers go out on maternity leave and come back working modified hours. I know they gladly exchange the money in their paychecks for the extra days during the week they get to spend with their babies. This is something I could do, however, if I had the option to start my own business, I’d jump at the opportunity. The ladies interviewed, make being your own boss sound doable.

I soaked up every interview and wrote down notes at a feverish tempo. Today I share with you the top seven tidbits of information that will entice you to buy the book and read the rest.

1. “Start thinking, remember, there are no bad ideas when you brainstorm! Keep writing your ideas down until you find the one that speaks to your soul.” – Kyle Young
2. “Remember that your fortune is in your follow up! If you say you will call. CALL. You’ll send it? Be sure to drop it by. Do what you say you will do is my #1 rule!” – Kyle Young
3. “… If you start out on your own, you know it’s time to hire additional staff or a virtual assistant when you can’t get everything done. At that point, hire somebody to help you or decide to take on less business. You do NOT want to disappoint people and default on your contracts. You have to identify what could you need help with. I started with what I dreaded doing the most. And, of course you need to determine if/when you can/need to raise your prices to cover the cost… ” – Kyle Young
4.  “…So I started my business on the side for about two years before going full time… ” – Marybeth Reeves
5. “…Most importantly, I think it’s about finding something you are passionate about.  You can always rely on other experts for help in the areas you don’t have experience in, but if you don’t have a passion for what you are doing it’ll be very challenging…” – Emma Sudduth
6. “…My only recommendation is that if you want financial support, you better have one great business plan.  If you can’t make it work on paper, it will never work in the real world…” – Emma Sudduth
7. “…I use the Office suite of programs and rely heavily upon Word and Outlook. I use the industry-specific program called Case Map to create chronologies of complex health cases. I used Power Point to create a webinar presentation and GoTo Meeting to present it.  I do not have an e-newsletter…” – Alice Adeems

I loved the easy to follow layout that Joyce uses to spotlight each business woman. It is clear and concise. The Resource section at the end of the book is a special treat. It gives you further steps to start you’re business venture. Sometimes you can read an entire book with great advice but you’re left wondering where to start when you’re done reading. This book is the complete package.

More importantly, each woman shared the same concern I have now about my future children; spending more precious time with them. Do you have that concern when having children? What work route would you take? If you knew where to start, would you start your own business?