This book begins, and ends, on a hopeful note. Its message is a positive one. There is considerable truth in what Ms. Maine says. Many people believe that big is good, but big is often bloated, and not long after, bankrupt. For some people, small can be both beautiful and happy.From the start, I do not believe Ms. Maine intended to write a business book based on the standard boiler plate model for such books. She has endeavored to put something of herself, and her outlook on life into the text, and it shows. Granted, on first pass, the New Age references and more than a few statements are a bit off-putting, especially if you, like me, are skeptical by nature, but if the book is read very closely, you will find that all the basic ingredients of a Start Your Own Business Book are there.
For example, she makes these and other questionable claims throughout the book such as: society and the planet are going to hell in a hand-basket. What is the solution, you ask? Start an herbal bodycare business! Or, my personal favorite: the natural food and bodycare market is experiencing an annual growth rate of 15 percent. With that kind of growth rate, given the anemic 1 to 3 percent growth rates in mature general retail categories like food and cosmetics, it will not be long before those godless multinationals pick up the scent. In fact, it turns out they have picked up the scent, and are closing in these 'alternative' categories.
However, this is not to say that there is no value or credibility in the text- far from it. The real value of this text resides in the stories of those folks, like Ms. Maine, who set up their own successful herbal bodycare business, and Ms. Maine's insistence that you think and plan about your herbal bodycare business. This last bit is most important, as it seems everyone and her mother is involved in this area nowadays (in fact, that is LITERALLY the case) so it pays to think of how you can be different and unique, yet still offer value.
Moreover, Ms. Maine did it the right way, that is, the smart way: she got the business right BEFORE she went into business. That means getting a clear idea of the business (what you offer versus what customers really want and will pay for), putting some flesh to the concept, and laying down a well-reasoned plan. It also means examining various scenarios WITHOUT numbers and prepping yourself for mis-haps, as nothing will EVER go exactly as planned. Ms. Maine, as well as the people she profiles, all started small, worked in and around the herbal bodycare business for a few years before going out on their own, and all of them got their businesses off the ground with five thousand dollars or less, thus demonstrating that it can be done on the literal 'shoestring budget'. As Liz Claiborne once said, 'Start with a low overhead and be willing to everything yourself.'
My somewhat jaded advice to anyone thinking about going into this or any other business is this: Before you go into business, it is all about thinking, reasoning and planning. Once you go into business, it is all about execution. When you go into business with a flawed concept, even the most mundane annoyances can morph into major and insurmountable problems, and will ultimately kill your business. Get the concept right, and execute flawlessly. That ways lies blockbuster success. Money may be an initial barrier, but you creative types should be able to cobble together what you need from the odd bits and pieces here and there and wow the customer with your presentation and artistic flair. Remember this one lesson from the internet company boom: a lot of money behind a flawed concept equals a fantastic and bankrupt failure. Start simple, start small, and work within a limited budget. That will force you to unleash your creativity. More often than not, the more money we have, the less carefully we think, and the dumber the ideas that come to the fore.
The target audience for this book is not highly accomplished over-achievers with a bent for numbers and order. Rather, this is a book for those free-spirited, creative, chaotic, artsy types who often go by the moniker of 'Right-Brain Person'. There is a definite bias in the text towards the burned-out female company employee working for a god-less, soul-less corporation, and as such, the book is open to the charge of pandering to an escapist fantasy- one that more than a few of us, male or female, in the same bind share.
I can also say with certainty that the book is more of an exercise in building the reader's self-confidence about starting such a business, and less of a guide to the inner workings of an herbal bodycare business. That, however, is most likely the intended objective- giving those who may not have the confidence to start such a venture a few ideas and a little prodding. Ms. Maine is planting a seed, I think, in a certain type of person, preferably young, single and female but a little unsure of herself. Although I did not get much out of the book (thus three stars), this person I believe will derive the most out of the book.
