Seatan
12-14-2013, 12:17 PM
I LOVED Raina's 'Fishy Business' as I found it to be a great source of information on being a mermaid for hire, but I wanted to recommend another book to fellow pro-mermaid wannabes in the community, one that is still fun to read but goes into the more technical aspects of starting a business. It's called 'The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur' by Mike Michalowicz (http://www.amazon.com/Toilet-Paper-Entrepreneur-Mike-Michalowicz-ebook/dp/B002P8MEFE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387040207&sr=8-1&keywords=toilet+paper+entrepreneur), and it is an amazing book on starting a small business. A ton of the information can be applied to yourself as a performer (because, in the end, being a performer IS a business--you are just marketing yourself as the producr), and I think it will really help me avoid bumps in the road when I start out.
16374
I wanted to recommend this book, because just how many arguments there are on what constitutes a "professional mermaid" makes me think that a lot of people see pro-mermaiding as something sacred or magical rather than what it truly is: a small business. Being a professional is not about swimming with whales or working at a famous aquarium or having everyone know your name. It is about making money as a private entertainment company. I, for one, will be calling myself a "professional mermaid" the moment I start taking jobs, because this is what you DO when you become a business. Starting that business IS what makes you professional. No one wants to hire someone afraid to call themselves a professional, because the word "professional" is not about fame or fortune; it's a way of making it clear to people that you consider yourself a business and will operate as such. This gives people peace of mind that you will abide by your word, honor your contracts, and be professional in all your contact with them. Otherwise they would hire the guys that stand around in the field next to the gas station waiting to be hired to mow lawns and stuff to entertain their children--it would be a lot cheaper and easier, and anyone looks okay in a clown nose.
By treating pro-mermaiding like any business, I think we, as merfolk, could become much more successful in a shorter amount of time. I think by planning our businesses and looking for marketing strategies instead of occasionally posting on Facebook that we are looking for jobs, we would be doing ourselves a huge service. 'The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur' goes through all the things you need to know to start a business from scratch, everything from what kind of business you should declare yourself to be (because you do not want to piss off the tax man but you don't want to have to pay a bunch of fees, either!) to how to plan, budget, and market your small business. It's written in a funny, smart aleck, lighthearted manner that makes it fun to read and gave me TONS of ideas on how to set myself up to be successful when I start doing parties this coming summer. I say, check it out!
Book Description:
"Never started a company before? Struggling with little or no cash? Have no experience, no baseline to judge your progress against? Thank God! You've got a shot at making this work." So says Mike Michalowicz, author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, a business book that is so uniquely useful, so raw and entertaining, it reads like the brainchild of Steve Jobs and Chris Rock.
The founder of three multimillion-dollar companies, including Obsidian Launch, a company that partners with first-time entrepreneurs to grow their concepts into industry leaders, Mike Michalowicz knows what it really takes to spin your great idea into pure gold.
Whether you're just starting out or have been at this for years, Mike's "get real" approach to business is a much-needed swift kick in the pants. In this book, you'll discover:
* Why a business plan is a total waste of your time.
* Why fulfilling your own needs is the first and last order of business.
* Which three sheets of paper you need to successfully launch, manage and grow your business.
* How to get started in business with little or no money.
* How to find and exploit resources that no one else knows about.
* How to stop procrastinating and take action NOW!
16374
I wanted to recommend this book, because just how many arguments there are on what constitutes a "professional mermaid" makes me think that a lot of people see pro-mermaiding as something sacred or magical rather than what it truly is: a small business. Being a professional is not about swimming with whales or working at a famous aquarium or having everyone know your name. It is about making money as a private entertainment company. I, for one, will be calling myself a "professional mermaid" the moment I start taking jobs, because this is what you DO when you become a business. Starting that business IS what makes you professional. No one wants to hire someone afraid to call themselves a professional, because the word "professional" is not about fame or fortune; it's a way of making it clear to people that you consider yourself a business and will operate as such. This gives people peace of mind that you will abide by your word, honor your contracts, and be professional in all your contact with them. Otherwise they would hire the guys that stand around in the field next to the gas station waiting to be hired to mow lawns and stuff to entertain their children--it would be a lot cheaper and easier, and anyone looks okay in a clown nose.
By treating pro-mermaiding like any business, I think we, as merfolk, could become much more successful in a shorter amount of time. I think by planning our businesses and looking for marketing strategies instead of occasionally posting on Facebook that we are looking for jobs, we would be doing ourselves a huge service. 'The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur' goes through all the things you need to know to start a business from scratch, everything from what kind of business you should declare yourself to be (because you do not want to piss off the tax man but you don't want to have to pay a bunch of fees, either!) to how to plan, budget, and market your small business. It's written in a funny, smart aleck, lighthearted manner that makes it fun to read and gave me TONS of ideas on how to set myself up to be successful when I start doing parties this coming summer. I say, check it out!
Book Description:
"Never started a company before? Struggling with little or no cash? Have no experience, no baseline to judge your progress against? Thank God! You've got a shot at making this work." So says Mike Michalowicz, author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, a business book that is so uniquely useful, so raw and entertaining, it reads like the brainchild of Steve Jobs and Chris Rock.
The founder of three multimillion-dollar companies, including Obsidian Launch, a company that partners with first-time entrepreneurs to grow their concepts into industry leaders, Mike Michalowicz knows what it really takes to spin your great idea into pure gold.
Whether you're just starting out or have been at this for years, Mike's "get real" approach to business is a much-needed swift kick in the pants. In this book, you'll discover:
* Why a business plan is a total waste of your time.
* Why fulfilling your own needs is the first and last order of business.
* Which three sheets of paper you need to successfully launch, manage and grow your business.
* How to get started in business with little or no money.
* How to find and exploit resources that no one else knows about.
* How to stop procrastinating and take action NOW!