by Mike Micalowicz
The title of this book, Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, suggests
this is not your everyday business book. And it isn't The author equates
starting a business to a certain biological function, and then he continues to
draw analogies between what we do when we do number two, and what we do when we
start our own business. And although that analogy is something short of
obvious, the author still succeeds in using it to provide a useful guide to
entrepreneurship. TPE contains the usual hints, suggestions, tips and
strategies of any number of self-help business books: how to obtain and keep
customers, how to save money in everyday business, how to get motivated to
start, and the like. Where it differs is that it takes a much more
down-to-earth approach and is candidly realistic. The author continues the
candor and refreshingly straightforward approach to tell the reader what will
or will not (in the author’s opinion) work in starting one’s own business. The
author also discusses the entrepreneurial mindset and even goes so far as to tell
the reader that if you don’t possess a certain quality or foster a certain
talent, you need to give up the idea of being an entrepreneur and go back to
your day job. The book has a number of the money saving tips and is chock full
of practical advice from the author’s own experience. Not everything in this
book is for everybody. For example, there is a whole section about capitalizing
on one’s youth, which as a pushing-fifty company man I felt completely
alienated me and ruled me out as a potential entrepreneur. (Personally, I think
my experience and knowledge are assets that are at least as valuable, if not
more valuable, than the “vigor of youth”.) Anyway, the sections that are
applicable to you as an individual reader will be interesting and definitely of
some use if you plan to start your own business (and even if you don’t). This
is a well written, informative, at times funny, and always earthy book. I
recommend it to anyone who has an interest in business in general, or who is
interested in becoming an entrepreneur.
Note: The author provided a gratis copy of the book for
purposes of this review.
