Book review: The Money Garden Author, Julie Austin
by Marty Fahncke
Becoming an Entrepreneur
About two months ago, a friend approached me for some advice. He had been laid off from his job, had a nice nest-egg set aside, and was trying to decide what to do next. Luckily, because of his nest-egg and his severance, he was a man with options. He didn’t need to rush out and get another job. One option he told me; “I know I want to be an entrepreneur”, my friend said. “But I’m not sure what business I want to be in, or how to go about getting started”.
This was something TOTALLY unique for me to hear. You see, I spend most of my time with business owners, inventors, authors, consultants and speakers. All of these people have a product, message or service they are passionate (sometimes to the point of obsession) about. They want to sell to the world. Most become entrepreneurs by default, as they wind up starting a business based on their passion. It never occurred to me that anyone would start a business just for the benefits of being an entrepreneur, and they would be open to actually researching and seeking just the right business for them. It was an eye-opening conversation for me.
The Money Garden: How to Plant the Seeds for a Lifetime of Income by author Julie Austin
A few weeks later, I received an email from author Julie Austin, the author of a book called “The Money Garden: How to plant the seeds for a lifetime of income”. It turns out I had provided Julie some information about Infomercial marketing almost a year ago. And she used my info in her new book which was just published! (I’m on page 135…Woo hoo!)
She sent me a copy of the book, and it occurred to me that The Money Garden was written PRECISELY for people like my friend. The book promises to “show you how to use the talents and skills you already have to create a lifetime of income, no matter where you’re starting from.”
Entrepreneur 101 Manual
My Review: For me, The Money Garden was a quick read, and provided just a few “aha” moments. The author, Julie Austin has done a good job of distilling her many years of success as an entrepreneur. She’s added some outside expertise where appropriate and has come up with a well-rounded “Entrepreneur 101” manual.
For the Beginning Entrepreneur
This is NOT a book for someone who is already a successful entrepreneur. While there are a few worthwhile “nuggets” of information in The Money Garden, I would say there are many other books more important for a successful entrepreneur to read. However, this book IS recommended for the following:
*Someone who has just lost a job and is considering starting their own business instead of getting another job
*Anyone who has recently retired or sold a business, and is looking for inspiration on “what to do next”
*A business owner who is at the very early stages of a business idea or invention and is looking for ways to turn it into an actual business
*A person thinking about starting a part-time business to supplement their income
Bottom line: If you fall into one of the categories above, I give The Money Garden a solid B+ and recommend you pick up a copy. (Marty Fahncke of Fawn Key & Associates)