This book is perfect for anyone seeking advice on working from home or creating an income without working at a job all of the time.

* I haven't realized how many opportunities out there just waiting for us to grab to make a fortune.
* Now I have an excuse to fire my boss.
* Real life example contain in this book has help me to achieve success even more.
* If you want to make more money other than your stinking job, get this book right now.
* Hey, I even recommend this book to all my friends and they all thank me for that.

I attended a seminar that the author of this book, Barbara Winter, gave a couple of years ago. It was an early morning class on the weekend, but from the moment it started, I was wide awake. Similarly, this book held my attention from the moment I opened it. Ms Winter has a lot of useful, practical advice on how to start your own business. But she isn't talking about a traditional, get-an-SBA-loan-type of endeavour, which in itself is limiting. Who wants their dreams dashed simply because their idea of a business doesn't fit into the lender's idea of a viable business? No, save your money and think creatively. That's the beauty of her message. A business can be started with the money you already have in your pocket, in your own home. The author teaches you how to think outside the box, creating what she calls, "multiple profit centers," each of which will bring in money. What's so great about this approach is that you don't end up putting all your eggs in one basket. Your income will come from several, albeit related, sources that you've created.

Ms. Winter obviously knows of what she speaks, and her enthusiasm rubs off on you. She breaks things down into smaller, doable parts, so that you'll get off your rump and start doing something instead of just dreaming of doing something. Forget about all that traditional wisdom about needing to get a loan to start a business as the only way to become your own boss. With this book, you will never look at working for yourself the same way ever again!

I read the first twenty pages and decided to finally start my dream confection business. What more can be said?

I bought this book based on a recommendation given in a session designed to help employees prepare for retirement. I found little of value in the book.

I bought this book based on a recommendation given in a session designed to help employees prepare for retirement. I found little of value in the book.

This book is written in such a way that it applies to everyone looking for this solution. And it gives very easy excersices to help you think and figure out 'your' living.

If you've ever wanted to tell your boss what he can do with your job, if you've ever thought, "boy, if I could just do this (whatever it is that you love) for a living...", or if you want to call all the shots when choosing a career, this is the book for you. This book is an easy, enjoyable read. Barbara gives some ideas for self employment, and helps you evaluate which opportunities are a good fit. Not a step-by-step primer, but a great book to help you open up to the possibilities.

I Love this book. I have read it three times in three years, and am currently on my fourth time. Each time I read it, I come away with some new ideas for my home business. I think that is what Barbara Winter helps me do best is think about my talents and my business more creatively. She gives examples from her own life, and the lives of others which is inspiring to me as well.There are also spaces in the book to write down your goals and do some brainstorming which is great.And it helps me come up with ideas for different profit centers based on my talents and abilities, which always reminds me that if the road I am taking ends up a dead end, I can just create a different one...there is no end to my possibilites. I will keep rereading this book and getting inspired till I die!

Author of
THE TRUTH
ABOUT CAFFEINE

This is a great book and very motivational. It was helpful with many suggestions and informational if you want to live a better life independent of being dependant on others to make your living. A great and fun read, the reason for reading this does not matter. I purchased for my son-in-law and read it first. Now that he has it and does not wish to return it, I will purchase my own copy.

I first encountered "Making a Living Without a Job:.." by Barbara Winter about 9 years ago. I had bought it for my husband, who was in between jobs, and ended up reading it myself. By the time I was done, I had determined to leave a 20 year career in computers and go to massage school. I now own my own health center in New York state.

One year I gave 10 of these books to people who were 'stuck' in their jobs/careers but who were afraid to change. As a result 14 people ended up changing their jobs/careers because the people to whom I gave the book also passed it on.

I find, as a massage therapist, that much of the stress people have is due to a poor fit in their career. What might have been right at one time in their life, no longer is good for them.
I recommend this book to someone at least once each week and have now decided to have it in stock.

I recently gave copies to two friends who might need to leave high executive positions in an international corporation.

ANYONE at any LEVEL in ANY JOB can find the step-by-step analysis in this book the most helpful thing EVER in helping them to find the job that will really be fulfilling for them!

Connie Wehmeyer

If you use just one of the practical suggestions Barbara Winter mentions, this book will pay for itself many times over. After reading other career search titles, this book stands out for offering specific business types to focus on in your search and asking you solid self-evaluation questions to help you identify a living that best matches your personality. You'll also enjoy the examples of successful people who've taken the plunge before you and the bits of inspiration Barbara mixes in for good measure!

This is one of the best books I have read. Instead of giving lists of old ideas for self employment, as appears to be the norm for such books, Barbara Winter helps the reader find their own ideas by building self esteem, exploring their assets and abilites, and more importantly their passions. I had no clue what mine were as they had been so long subdued by outside influences (parents, traditions, pressure to do something "meaningful", as defined by someone else). Now I am busy exploring myself and my own ideas. I have bought this book as gifts for several other people too. Thank you Barbara Winter!

Inspirational and fun to read. I could not put it down. I needed the inspiration in this stage of my life having learned in the past that the coprorate world or the 9-5 gig sitting in an office and traffic is not for my free soul.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It's fun but very realistic.
The author has captured the imagination and her suggestions are most attainable.
May I also suggest that you read Untapped Wealth discovered written by Jeff Marquis and Kerry Harrison. This book is also very realistic when it comes to being able to make a living without having to worry about answering to a boss.
It's affordable.

The author has made a niche for herself in the self-employment arena by providing helpful encouragement and useful ideas to those who are in the early stages of exploring self-employment options and ideas. She overstates her role, however, on page 248 where she says, "Your future can be joyfully jobless, if that's your dream. Unlike me, you don't have to go down that path alone. All of us who are living that dream are here to cheer you on." I don't know why the author went down that path alone; even during the timeframe she apparently refers to (early- to mid- 70s) I found no shortage of helpful and encouraging information about self-employment and successfully implemented some of them. The author herself cites at least one reference that was very helpful to her at the time (SUPERGIRLS: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN OUTRAGEOUS BUSINESS).

That notwithstanding, if you are exploring the idea of leaving your job and making a living some other way, most likely through self-bossing, then this book is worth your time, particularly if the prospect of making such a change in your life scares you. In fact, it is in regard to that almost inevitable fear that the author has done such a stellar job in establishing and selling herself as an expert coach.

Among the aspects of the book I found most useful were: the author's taxonomy of several types of businesses that one can develop and developing multiple profit centers, including gaining a new perspective on your current job as one of your profit centers.

While mail-order business is covered as an option, I found nothing in the book about doing business on the Internet. It is disappointing and disturbing that a book now in its 17th printing (since 1993) has not been updated to incorporate and present something about the most ground-shaking revolution ever to hit the arena of home-based self-employment. Neverthless, most if not all of what applies to mail order, applies at least as well to on-line selling, so there is some transferability in the information presented.

If you are not sure whether to leave your job and want to explore in some depth what your strengths and limitations are, this book will not get you very far: for that I heartily recommend the classic WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE? by Nelson Bolles.

The only thing that this book could really use is an updated edition with Internet strategies. I first read this book back before the Internet was the place to go for working at home and I really loved the concept of multiple streams of income. It gave some helpful guidelines to finding or creating work for yourself as well. Today I have 4 websites (one of which sells an ebook I wrote), a home business, a contract social work job, and some online freelance work...all of which I do from home on my own terms. This is an excellent book for the person who wants to create meaningful work but isn't sure how to go about it.

This is one of the books I keep close at hand. Whenever I feel stressed about money or what I want to do with my life, I pick it up and flip through it. It keeps me thinking about what I want to be doing instead of everything that is going wrong.

It's inspired me to go after what I want instead of just wishing my life way.

I will be the first to admit that I am not a fan of "self help" books, seminars or TV shows. I find them pretentious and a huge waste of time.

BUT, this book is different. Aside from suggesting daily affirmations (which I do not do), everything else was just well written, good, down to earth advice.

Don't expect this book to tell you how to make money. Treat it more as your muse that will assist in you finding your way.

I read this book at a particularly low time in my life; fired from my job and cancer spreading through my lymph nodes and yet it still made me smile and actually encouraged me enough to make lists of the skills I have, etc so I could try to move on...and start living again.

Life is still hard, but I love to go back to this book for inspiration whenever I need it.

Barbara Winter's is right on target. She writes from the heart and her info is useful and true from my own experience. I have already read many self-employment/motivational books and squeezed this one in since I gave a copy to my friend who is unemployed and not looking forward to returning to "the office". If you are unsatisfied with company life, this book will help you. I am self-employed and reading her book confirms why I decided to take the path that I did.

I feel this book is an excellent seed, as is Rich Dad Poor Dad. However you will have to educate yourself with other business and marketing books, etc. to make your journey smoother.

The book is a little wordy in some areas to take up space, but the message and overall content is very good. She concentrates on passion. I feel a little more emphasis on what's going to bring in the money would be good.

My advice: play it conservative. 1) Don't leave your company cold turkey without some kind of financial base or plan. You can always work part-time or start your income activities on the side. 2) NEVER put all your eggs (savings) in one basket no matter how grand you think your idea is.

Since losing my job in June, I have been going through a transitonal phase in my life. I have been a "fence straddler" for sometime now about being self-employed. Well, after reading Barbara's book, I have become really inspired. The book gives you the information and the self-confidence you need to take the plunge. I now feel more confident that ever that being my own boss is the way to go for me. Every chapter in the book is filled to the brim with useful information and words of encouragement. Her examples are excellent and I have used some of her advice to start a few profit centers of my own. She has given me a path to follow and I am following it. If you have given any thought at all to becoming "joyfully unemployed" I would encourage you to purchase this book. I think it was one of the best investments I have ever made.

A well-documented manual

This is a motivating, stimulating, optimistic, and cheery well written handbook with practical success stories that always confirms the point in case.

Making a Living is an attention-grabbing publication, a page-turner, a cleverly put together manual that logically guides the reader into finding his passion in life and then motivates him/her to go for it.

I am convinced that lack of self-confidence and lack of self esteem are the real reasons, not necessarily knowledge or money, for postponing the idea of starting a new life style of self-sufficiency as a self-employed person.

I recommend this classical book on being happily jobless to anyone who is considering leaving a dull, tiresome, either low or high pay, job to start a new life of independence and freedom, away from the rat race.

See Creating Money by Sanaya Roman, which is also superb.

This book is excellent. Insightful, filled with practical information. Addresses fears and concerns with making changes in your life, while giving good advice and solutions. Incites you to think for yourself about your own talents and gifts and how to use them to your advantage. I'm not even finished reading the book and have already thought of many profit centers I want to try. You won't regret purchasing this book.

This book is amazing, and that's because this woman is amazing. The book has been around for years, but Barbara is still out there, traveling and promoting the joy she has derived in her life for working for her favorite person -- herself.

I met her in Washington, D.C., at a seminar she gave, and in a desperate moment, I contacted her personally and she immediately gave me a wonderfully encouraging response. She practices what she preaches -- she warns her audience that there are a lot of people out there who are altogether too happy to burst your bubble and try to convince you that it is your civic duty to work at a job or company you hate -- and it's because people are jealous and maybe even terrified that you will succeed and leave them to be miserable the way you used to be.

Recently, I left a job and am freelancing. It's tough; there's just not enough work to cover my bills right now. But I am doing it on my own terms, and I would say that reading this book and talking with Barbara gave me the courage in myself to know that, if I want it badly enough, I can make it happen. She is full of ideas of what you can do and how you can use your strengths, and she's more than happy to give you her thoughts on untapped markets -- because, let's face it, she knows that keeping her thoughts to herself won't make a difference in the world.

I recommend this book because of its content that never loses its timeliness. I urge you to find your dreams and run after them, and do it knowing that a truly amazing person helped to blaze the path for you.

Did you know that the official definition of small business is a company with less than 500 employees? For most of us however, "small" means somewhere between sole proprietor and fifty employees. If this latter definition fits your vision, then this is the book for you. I've been recommending it to friends and clients for a decade, and for many it has been the breakthrough thinking they need to craft a business based on their values about thriving.

Conventional wisdom states that small businesses fail for lack of capital and lack of knowledge. These are but symptoms. The real struggle springs from poverty of imagination and reluctance to learn. This book is rich with examples for moving beyond the conventional and liberating your creativity. In addition, the author comes through on the pages with wit, wisdom and compassion.

This is a remarkably interesting book about how to approach self-employment. It is not a cookbook or listing of readymade businesses, but rather a guidebook about the entire process of moving into self-employment.

Published in 1993, some of the information is a bit dated, but since the primary thrust of the book is not to provide the reader with specific current opportunities, the book holds up very well over time.

There are many examples of people building different types of businesses, and advice from some well-known success stories. The book is broken into five parts, each with two or three chapters. Each chapter starts with a relevant quote, and treats a specific area of focus, such as; Doing First Things First, Uncovering Your Assets, Creating Multiple Profit Centers, Marketing On A Shoestring, etc.

While there is plenty of advice on creating and starting a business (or multiple businesses), the thing that I think is most important in this book is how the author deals with the psychological issues. Most books on starting your own business will mention the emotional and mental obstacles involved, but seldom give the reader much in the way of concrete methods for dealing with them. This book gives you the tools for dealing with the most difficult part of running your own business - your own habits and attitudes. Winter spends a great deal of time covering the psychological groundwork necessary to succeed at being your own boss. She does this in a clear manner, with examples from the real world. There is also a booklist in the back with resources for different areas, such as Personal Growth, Marketing, Entrepeneurial Inspiration, and so on.

I found this book one of the most useful in working on my attitude about being self-employed. It is a positive, uplifting read without being unrealistic and full of fluff. This may well be one of the best books around for preparing a person to start their own business. While there is not a laundry list of business ideas nor a lot of technical detail like legal issues and such, I think that creating the kind of mindset that allows one to succeed is the first and most important step in reaching that success, regardless of the venture. This book will be a very great help in establishing the kind of mindset that will allow one to succeed. I think the author's approach will also allow this book to be of use for decades to come, regardless of how technologies and markets change. This information is basic to all business ventures.

This is a fantastic book for the individual who has a gut feeling that something better exists than a 'job' to create a flow of income to support oneself. This is a very inspiring, well written book for anyone and everyone who has had it with the corporate 9-5 nonsense. The author 'walks the talk' and has a great deal of information to offer in this book. This is the first book that I read cover to cover in a long time. For the wanna be entrpreneur...no book is better.

I bought this book in 1998 -- back when the economy was booming -- and it is one of the few books that is as relevant today as it was then.

Yes, it's about being your own boss -- but it's about living your life...doing things you enjoy doing and things you're good at and making a living at it.

As a person who has a business, this book is about getting started, about keeping yourself inspired and staying focused and passionate about what you do. It isn't, however, a bunch of navel gazing rhetoric, like some of the books in this genre. At the same time, the book requires some honest introspection, and talks about the things you may have to sacrifice in order to live a life away from the usual.

This book is wonderful. And I highly recommend it to anyone who a) wants to have her/his own business, or b) currently has a business and has lost the passion -- it is a great kickstart.

I read this book in one stretch. This book gave me the inspiration I needed in planning my own jobless living. After getting freed from the shackles of corporate America, when I tried to start something on my own, I experienced the same kind of enthusiasm and burst of ideas as described in this book. I have never felt so healthy and upbeat in my life. As a self-starter, I could relate to this book immediately. It gave me the reassurance that the idea of making a living without a "real job" is believable and true. This idea is complemented in the book, by the numerous references to now famous names like Body Shop, Weight Watchers, personalities like Oprah and Laura Ashley.
The author explains why many people think corporate America is the only way to earn a good living. But at the same time she provides many statistics to show that a large percentage of successful Americans are self-employed. Winter gives helpful ideas like creating multiple profit centers and the $100 method. This book is an easy read and freshens your mind. It stimulates you to think and act upon your childhood dreams.

I really enjoyed this book. It helped me look at making a living on my terms. She explained how you can do what you love and still pay the bills. For me, the MPCs (multiple profit centers) was an "AHA" moment! It makes so much sense!

I'm 22 years old, and just finished up with college, the prospect of sitting in an office nine hours or more a day and making money for someone else just makes me ill, and this book really helped me search myself for what kind of company/business I am capable of creating, and hearing other peoples reasons, ideas, and motivations was very helpful. I don't have a business yet, but I'm on it, I read this book in about three days, and I only graduated 2 weeks ago though, so the sky is the limit!!! Thanks Barbara!!

While I already know what a MONUMENTAL-SIZED RAT RACE corporate America is (I'm a 10-year veteran of NYC's corporate rat race), it always helps to read that other intelligent and insightful beings have the same perspective. In addition to Making a Living... being supportive confirmation of the sick and twistedness of the rat race, it gives effective strategies for how to be Joyfully Jobless, succeed as an entrepreneur (the greatest life achievement of all), getting ideas galore, and avoiding corporate DRONES. Become someone - and get this book!

Barbara appeared on my television program last year and what a joyfully jobless lady she really is. I just re-read the book and was inspired to move forward with my own personal goals. She is witty and wonderful as well as practical.

If you are stuck at a job you're not happy with it's time to read this book!

A fantastic book for the self-bossers, for anyone who is a freelancer, entrepreneurial, home based.

Barbara's creative and inspiring ideas will fire you up and you won't stop.

Read carefully, make notes of every single tip, suggestion or comment you find. You never know, you will give birth to your new small venture! Learn how to survive on spaghetti days, market on a shoestring and make your dreams reality.

You can apply these principles to larger businesses, this is fun too.

By Thei Zervaki...

A fantastic book for the self-bossers, for anyone who is a freelancer, entrepreneurial, home based.

Barbara's creative and inspiring ideas will fire you and you won't stop.

Read carefully, make notes of every single tip, suggestion or comment you find. You never know, you will give birth to your new small venture! Learn how to survive on spaghetti days, market on a shoestring and make your dreams reality.

You can apply these principles to larger businesses too and this is fun too!

By Thei Zervaki
author of Globalize, Localize, Translate

Forget Paul and Sarah Edwards. Barbara Winter is the original, still the best and the funniest. This is the ONLY book I found that can really help you find your passion(s) and turn it into a successful business enterprise. She lets us look at us, not try to make other ideas fit us. She looks into your soul and shows us how to find what makes us click. Than make a career from it! Thanks Barbara

I have read tons of self-help books. Tons on getting rich and tons on how to be self-employed. As you have probably heard, yours is the best. Most books and seminars are either too rah! rah! without any practical advice or too informatively dry and practical without inspiring in the reader a sense of confidence or motivation. You have the perfect mix of inspiration, realism and practical applicable advice. Your book is diverse enough that one could use it as a guide for any new independent business.

If you want to chuck your job and you're looking for a good self-help book to help you become an entrepreneur, consider "Making A Living Without A Job: Winning Ways For Creating Work That You Love" by Barbara Winter.

Winter says people can be "joyfully jobless" by developing "multiple profit centers." Rather than depending upon a single source of income, Winters says people should diversify their sources of income. Winter likes the variety of doing different things.

In addition to being an author, Winter publishes a newsletter, gives speeches and seminars, and finds other creative ways to earn a living. Because she has an interest in tea, Winter earned money teaching people how to have afternoon tea parties.

Winter writes that many people find "producing a tea a mysterious process." (Don't you just put the little bags in a cup of water?). In addition to enjoying teaching tea, it gave Winter the opportunity to travel to England and deduct travel costs as tea research. One of Winter's goals was to travel to England. She emphasizes that we should merge our personal goals with our business ideas, if possible.

In addition to discussing her own profit centers, Winters discusses many other entrepreneurs who earn money in creative ways. For example, one entrepreneur earns money by running a cattery, which is a cat boarding service. Of course, the cattery owner finds other ways to supplement income, such as founding Critter Communication Consulting, which helps people relate to their pets.

Winters writes: "Landlording is, of course, one of the oldest ways to make a living without a job. In earlier days, widows frequently took their only asset [a house] and turned it into a profit center." Another entrepreneur merges fighting seasonal forest fires with writing and odd handyman jobs to earn a living.

So, why don't people quit their jobs and become joyfully jobless? Fear of not having a regular income is one reason. Winters writes: "Too often we confuse fear with bad ideas! It's far healthier to accept that you are feeling fearful about a new plan-and determine that you'll act anyway... . stop and give yourself positive reasons for doing what's scary. Write out a list, if necessary... . Life shrinks or expands in proportion to your courage"

Winters says many people are afraid of looking foolish for not holding a job. We tend to draw a sense of identity from a conventional job. Quoting movie reviewer Roger Ebert, Winter writes, "'Set up your life so that your personal goals are their own reward... . What you do instead of your real work is your real work.'"

Winters says Ebert is a good example of someone who merged his early passion (for watching movies) with a career. Others only later discover their true calling and choose to pursue it. Winters tells the story of a cardiologist turned country western singer.

To me, it seems that being a cardiologist would destroy the country western perspective. What sort of lyrics does the guy write? "You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucille. With four kids in Harvard and stocks of low yield... ." I'm waiting for his hit single, "You Broke My Left Ventricle."

Winters says we tend to be work snobs and feel that the work we really want to do is beneath us. If it's fun, it can't be real work.

Without steady income, we might need to come up with something quick to earn money. Winter offers a list of suggestions for generating emergency cash. For example, she says we could offer to clean something, possibly an airplane. An airplane? I picture a guy standing in front of a 747 with a squeegee. I guess she means Cessnas and Pipers. Either way, this joyfully jobless sounds like it could become real work. Don't forget to wash under the wings.

Or at least that's how I feel about branching out into new directions, after reading Barbara Winter's excellent book. She starts from the very beginning -- the place where you have a "gee, do I have any alternatives" kind of feeling, and leads you gently through a series of informative chapters and exercises, to a vision of what is possible, really possible, for you. Her concept of Multiple Profit Centers, where the alternative to 9-5 is not "one big thing" but many small ones, is incredibly empowering. She compares it to the circus performer who keeps a lot of plates spinning . . .tending to one now and then another . . . and if a few crash, just go ahead and set another to spin. In other words -- if you really want to, if you feel called to, cut loose from the daily grind -- DO IT.
I'm going to . . . and I am deeply grateful to Ms Walters for helping me get the nerve.

I read this book about 5 years ago. It said everything I had always felt, but thought was irresponsible. I have gradually worked to become "joyfully jobless." I absolutely love this book. I usually read a book, glean from it what I want into a notebook and pass it on. Not this book, I have kept and reread it a number of times. I have also referred many an unhappy cubicle dweller to this book. We have so many talented, skillful, gifted people in the world who are "wasting" their lives working in businesses for other people. I enjoy so much listening to people who have chosen to walk the less traveled path. The story of their lives is so much more enriching to the listener. Someday, I hope the listener to my life stories will feel that way about me. Barbara Winters has given those of us who thought working a job we hate, living for our days off, as being responsible, to understanding that doing what we love and making money for it as being much more responsible. Because we are teaching our children, family and friends, that God gave us abilities and talents and we should use them, and it is that which makes us responsible. Especially when we use them to help enrich the lives of others.

Barbara Winter's Making a Living Without A Job casts self-employment as a liberating experience - one that frees the "joyfully jobless" to pursue her dream as she sees fit, not tied to the whims of managers or other creativity-killing institutions. As a result, she spends a lot of time focusing on the ideas surrounding self-employment, rather than the how-to.

She sprinkled exercises designed to seek out my passions and to brainstorm "profit centers" throughout the book. I didn't take the time to go through them this time around; I wanted to finish the book first and then go back and do them. Still, during my reading I did realize that I definitely want to write and philosophize, and I've come up with several ideas for Profit Centers. In that regard, the book stimulated me to think critically about my financial future.
Moreover, the author doesn't focus entirely on the theory of self-employment. With suggestions such as the $100 Hour (where you promise yourself to spend an hour per day brainstorming ways to make another $100, visualizations and affirmations, and advice on business cards and marketing, she provides a good "jumping-in" point for people (such as myself) considering the idea of becoming "joyfully jobless."

She paints making the plunge as an act of faith and describes her own life as one of "Roots and Wings". She attempts to balance putting down roots (living a stable, secure life) and growing wings (seeking her dreams, living with passion and excitement). I found myself thinking that the people who can successfully do both often lift up on the ground in which they've taken root. They try to pull their loves up with them.

Buckminster Fuller, contemplating suicide at 32, stood on the edge of Lake Michigan asking himself: "Do I know best, or does God know best whether I may be of value to the universe?" The answer that presented itself to him, the mere fact of his existence, proved to him that he had some purpose of being. As a result, he spent the next fifty-six years living a daVincean life. Winters asks us to find our own passions and make them our jobs. How, then, can we go wrong?

I'd definitely recommend anyone serious about starting their own business purchase other books in addition to this one (conveniently, she provides a recommended reading list in the back), because I know that I need more information than Winters provides here, about running a business, keeping books, and dealing with all the details. I need to know how to get started. Winter's book can help you define your ideas, get excited for the change, and know in general what's in store, as well as how to deal with the new life.

For years now I've been beating myself up because I never seemed happy. The more money I made and the worse I felt and I didn't know why. UNTIL, I read this book... I can't put enough words down to tell you how much this book has done for me. I hope it puts you on the right road just like it has for me. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Last Sept. no the one before that; in 2000; I got laid off. I saw this book on Amazon and it's title; "Making a Living Without a Job" was just what I wanted to do; since I didn't have a job. At first I read it cover to cover without taking much time or thought to the suggestions and ideas. I loved it; but I really didn't know why.
I found myself returning to the book the week after I had read it and then decided to really grasp it. I slowed down and I read; I laughed; I wept; I even got out a notebook of my own to write down ideas that seemed to be popping up by the dozens!
Since I have reread the book; I have had art work and writings published; had an art show in NYC and several other cities; taught Marketing for Artists at a gallery; Spoke publicly at art league meetings as the guest speaker; painted artsy furniture for the homeless people; became an Amazon seller and numerous other non-job profit centers! Besides all that I learned html; created mine and several others websites; learned yoga, tai chi, feng shui and was able to travel and study with a famous tv artist for a month!
I highly recommend this book; but really get into it and enjoy; let your creativity overflow! (...)
I would say this is by far the most useful and entertaining book I have read in the past year!!! I thank my lucky stars now; that I was laid off!!!!

My work history has ranged the spectrum from Corporate Clone to short-term contracting, and even when I was employed full-time at a "real job" I always had one or two other businesses going on the side. But, like most Americans, I'd been brainwashed into thinking everyone should have a well-defined and well-thought-out CAREER, so I didn't take my "sidelines" seriously. And, after thirty-plus years in the work force, I was still searching for the One Perfect Job that would best utilize my abilities and satisfy my soul. This book changed my thinking: Barbara Winter shows how to evaluate your talents, interests, and skills, and turn what you already like to do into multiple income streams. She gives inspiring examples, provides tools for self-analysis, and offers encouragement; she doesn't give specifics on how to create your perfect work, but she can't because everyone's combination of abilities and knowledge is unique. The book started me thinking on how I could create income sources from the things I enjoy doing, and convinced me that I don't need to find that elusive Perfect Job after all. I recommend it highly to anyone searching for a better way to work.

I highly recommend the book, "Making A Living Without A Job, Winning Ways for Creating Work That You Love" by Barbara J. Winter. Although it is not a new release, it is a classic well worth making a permanent part of one's library.

"Making A Living Without A Job" is a book about how to earn a living after you are no longer an employee of anyone else by becoming your own boss. What I like about the book is how the author teaches the reader to think in really expansive, creative ways about one's talents, knowledge, and resources and how to use those to create multiple income streams sufficient to meet your needs.

Here's an excerpt from the book that will give you a flavor for the use of creativity and wits for earning a living that the author espouses:

"A central theme operates throughout Caprilands Herb Farm, a fascinating model of MPC's [multiple profit centers] in action. Since it was purchased by Adelma Simmons and her parents in 1929, the eighteenth-century farmhouse surrounded by fifty acres of fields and woods in Coventry, Connecticut, has been the centerpiece of an evolving enterprise devoted to the cultivation and use of herbs.

"It all came about because of Mrs. Simmons' personal passion for all things herbal. 'That's how this all began,' she says.
'Teaching people about herbs is my real interest.' Today, sixty-plus years after acquiring Caprilands, she oversees a thriving business that attracts thousands of visitors every year. While Caprilands remains the private home of its founder, her devotion to sharing the magic and mystery of herbs inspired her to open it to the public.

"Upon arriving at Caprilands, guests check in at the small shed that serves as a bookshop. If they have come for the lecture and luncheon--a popular daily event--their names are checked off the reservations list. On most days, Mrs. Simmons greets her guests in the bookshop and autographs copies of her books as they are purchased. The shop offers books on gardening, in addition to those written by Mrs. Simmons.

"From there it's on to the barn, which contains a gift shop and lecture hall. Visitors are treated to an informal talk by Mrs. Simmons, who gives seasonal advice on herb gardening. At the conclusion of her herbal chat, everyone is ushered off to the farmhouse for lunch. The first floor of this traditional New England saltbox has been converted into dining rooms. (Mrs.
Simmons lives on the upper floor.) Fragrant herbs hang from the ceiling and cover the floor, making an appropriate backdrop for the herb-laden meal that's the hallmark of Caprilands.

"When the leisurely lunch is over, Mrs. Simmons rejoins her visitors and discusses the food that's just been served. She also points out that the recipes can be found in various books she has written.

"Coffee and dessert at served in the green house, giving guests the opportunity to purchase live plants, dried flowers, and wreaths. They are then free to stroll through the impressive herb gardens, shop at the gift and book shops, or take their leave. Should they wish to purchase books or herbal products later, a mail-order catalog is available.

"Mrs. Simmons has other profit centers besides the ones seen at Caprilands. Because of her vast knowledge--and the revival of interest in growing and cooking with herbs--she continues to write about the subject. Though her speaking engagements are not as frequent as they once were, she continues to share her fascination with useful plants with everyone she encounters."

"Making A Living Without A Job" will help any person who is seeking to become a self-bosser to uncover their own unique passion and turn it into both a livelihood and a life.

Being Joyfully Jobless is an art. Barbara shows that there is more to life than a JOB and that there should be LIFE in your work. This book is a fun and thoughful read and gives food for thought!

This book helped me put the passion back into my work. Having been self-employed for most of the last 20 years, I had lost interest in what I was doing. The exercises and worksheets were helpful in identifying what had been lost over the years, and how to CHANGE my business. I have a new focus, and am having fun with it. Winter keeps the psychobabble to a minimum, and writes a very readable book. I also reccommend her newsletter to people who have read the book.

It has been said that when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. "Making a Living Without a Job" is the kind of book that will appear to help you when you are ready to seriously consider stepping away(or when you are pushed away)from the security of a regular job as an employee. Perhaps I liked it so much because I was just very ready. My employer of 27 years is going through yet another downsizing, with all the anxiety and stress which accompanies the process.. In any case, Barbara Winters does a good job keeping her advice upbeat and uncomplicated. The book is an easy read. If you are expecting a book on how to make a quick million, this is not it, but if you want some philosophy about life, money and getting personal satisfaction from the work you do, this may be a book you are ready for !! I found it inspiring to me in many ways.

My mission (writing and training) is in showing workers that there is money missing from paychecks (over $16 million dollars) and how to find it. A key in the formula for finding and getting this missing money, without losing your job, is to not have a fear about losing your job. And, that's where Making a Living Without a Job steps in.

I picked this book up several years ago and love that it isn't a quick fix, be a millionaire in thirty days, book. It's offers up a system (a life plan) that is both practical and imaginative, safe and bold. The best part from my perspective, and how I've compelled dozens of people to add it to their library -- you don't have to quite your job to become joyously jobless. . . you only have to realize your job is JUST one of your profit centers. When you sneak up on independence by creating one or two little profit centers outside your "regular" job it's amazing how the stresses of the day job can be reduced.

If you think you are paid less than you deserve, then you owe it to yourself to explore the ideas in Making a Living Without a Job. And, by the way, Barbara is a wonderful writer with a lively voice. If nothing else you will enjoy her insight and humor.

The people that gave this book low reviews were expecting it to give them something that it was not designed, nor did it promise, to do. Those people need to buy a Carlton Sheets course or something like that. This book is about something much larger.

I personally despise buzzwords like "empower". I think they're cheap and I don't trust people who use them. I pretty much hate all "new-age" crap. And some of the positive reviews of this book border on that stuff. The bottom line is that this book will teach you to have confidence in yourself if you are one of those people who doesn't do well in a corporate environment (like myself-surprised?). No, the book is not going to tell you how to be a millionaire, but that's not the title either, is it?

I have always held this book in high esteem above over just about every other garbage self-improvement/money-making book or course I've ever gotten, and I've gotten my share. YOU have to make it work for yourself; what is right for you will not be right for anyone else. That is the whole point, to help you design and FINANCE the life that is right for you.

But then again, I don't have any kids to support. If you do, you're probably best off just sticking it out with your job...