My favorite books for solopreneurs who want to chart their own course and prosper in a wobbly economy

Why am I passionate about this?

From the time I first learned to write, I knew this was something in my blood I had to pursue and that I’d one day make a comfortable living at it. Writing is a solitary craft to be sure, and although I worked in other industries for a number of years, I knew I’d eventually have to take a leap of faith and pursue this professionally. I’m passionate about encouraging fellow wordsmiths and dreamers, and the business books I’ve written reflect my expertise in Audience Analysis and Message Design, a specialization I’ve also tapped for my novels and stage plays.


I wrote...

Office for One: The Sole Proprietor's Survival Guide

By Christina Hamlett,

Book cover of Office for One: The Sole Proprietor's Survival Guide

What is my book about?

It was the best of times: The giddy excitement of launching your first solo business and being your own boss. It was the worst of times: The stress-inducing panic of realizing there's no one to whom you can delegate all the marketing, accounting, and housekeeping tasks necessary to make that business a success.

Office For One: The Sole Proprietor's Survival Guide is an indispensable resource for any entrepreneur who wants to go it alone without getting lonely. Over 30 experts worldwide offer tips and advice on topics such as tuning out the naysayers, maintaining balance and boundaries, handling legalities and financial challenges, courting (and keeping!) clients, marketing on a shoestring budget, networking, cracking the media code, growing a sustainable vision, and addressing rubicons and burnouts.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Thriving Solopreneur: Nurture Your Business In Just 4 Hours a Week

Christina Hamlett Why did I love this book?

Just like any new habit you want to incorporate into your lifestyle, it takes a conscientious effort to practice that habit every single day. Being your own boss is much, much harder than working for someone else (I know this from personal experience!) and Ms. Bolon provides the tools and tips one needs to successfully give structure to an otherwise wildly unstructured venture. Her tone is fun and conversational and makes one feel as if they have just come away from an energizing coffee date with an old friend.

By Janine Bolon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Thriving Solopreneur as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Build Client Base and Your Cash Flow!

As a solopreneur, you wanted to work for yourself so that you would have more freedom with your lifestyle, more fun with your family and more flexibility with your schedule. There's never been a better time to earn more money by starting a part-time solo venture. But being your own boss can be a challenge or feel scary if you’ve never been in charge of your own calendar before.

In The Thriving Solopreneur, Janine Bolon answers questions every solopreneur has had about creating a business and building a strong client base. It's a…


Book cover of Sing With Your Opera Voice: My Journey from Solopreneur to Entrepreneur

Christina Hamlett Why did I love this book?

When I was growing up, my mother always criticized me whenever I tried to sing. “You’re terrible at this,” she told me. She also criticized my endeavors at dancing, writing, and the arts. It wasn’t until I was much older I realized just how insecure she was and how she feared my failure at any of the things I wanted to do would somehow reflect on her. What attracted me to this book was actually the title. In recent years I’ve taken professional singing lessons (including opera!) and discovered that the only thing holding me back was my lack of confidence in pushing the envelope. Everything is possible—including being your own boss (of anything!) as long as you don’t allow yourself to become overwhelmed or listen to the naysayers more than to your own heart.

By Vicky Brown,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sing With Your Opera Voice as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Congratulations, you are a newly minted entrepreneur. You had a vision, and started a business. Now you are totally overwhelmed. There is just too much to do, all the time. The business isn’t growing as fast as you would like, and you’re beginning to have doubts that you have what it takes to build the business you imagined.

You chose a service business because you wanted to help others. Coaching, counseling, providing professional services. But each day so many things are coming at you from all directions, you’re finding it difficult to stay focused on your vision in the overwhelm.…


Book cover of Money-Smart Solopreneur: A Personal Finance System for Freelancers, Entrepreneurs, and Side-Hustlers

Christina Hamlett Why did I love this book?

There’s a reason why people who want to become their own boss often test the waters while they are still drawing a paycheck from their 9-5. It’s a scary business wondering how you’re going to pay the rent, put food on the table, clothe your kids, pay taxes, etc. when you have always had the safety net of regular employment. Ms. Adams pulls no punches in encouraging readers to take a reality check regarding their finances, legal considerations, and even the long-term vision of whatever solo enterprise they want to launch.

By Laura D. Adams,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Money-Smart Solopreneur as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Build Your Business and Your Financial FutureAs a solopreneur, you can reinvent the way you work with much more freedom, fun, and financial security. There's never been a better time to earn more money by starting a full- or part-time solo venture. But being your own boss can be a challenge or feel scary when you don't have a roadmap. 

In Money-Smart Solopreneur, Laura D. Adams answers questions every aspiring and new entrepreneur has about creating a business and building a secure financial future. It's a complete guide for what to do, critical mistakes to avoid, and how to start…


Book cover of Magic Kingdom for Sale

Christina Hamlett Why did I love this book?

No, this has nothing to do with Walt Disney and Disneyland. It’s also the only work of fiction I am including in the lineup and it is the first book in Brooks' magical Landover series. I am including it because it’s all about leaps of faith. The hero of the story, a widowed lawyer, named Ben Holiday, finds he has come into possession of a mystical kingdom that has fallen into perilous times. The easy way out would be to simply relinquish the medallion bestowed on him and go back to his well-paying desk job. I think there’s a powerful object lesson here that when something becomes too tough, how easy would it be to give up and go back to whatever we were doing before? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read this amazing story…and how many times I’ve come away with a new lesson to be learned.

By Terry Brooks,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Magic Kingdom for Sale as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Here in his first non-Shannara novel, Terry Brooks has written a gripping story of mystery, magic, and adventure—sure to delight fantasy readers everywhere.

Landover was a genuine magic kingdom, with fairy folk and wizardry, just as the advertisement has promised. But after he purchased it, Ben Holiday learned that there were a few details the ad had failed to mention.

The kingdom was in ruin. The Barons refused to recognize a king, and the peasants were without hope. A dragon was laying waste the countryside, while an evil witch plotted to destroy everything.

Ben's only followers were the incompetent Court…


Book cover of Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons in Life

Christina Hamlett Why did I love this book?

While I don’t agree with his politics, Branson has been a force to be reckoned with in all of his endeavors. From the time he was a young man, he recognized that life was all about taking bold chances and leaping into the fray without a safety net or, in many cases, adequate finances. His words of wisdom can be applied to anyone who sees a need that has yet to be filled and has the chutzpah to assemble resources and make it a reality. There’s also an object lesson that not everything one attempts is destined for success and that’s all right as well.

By Richard Branson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Screw It, Let's Do It as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Throughout my life I have achieved many remarkable things. In Screw It, Let's Do It, I will share with you my ideas and the secrets of my success, but not simply because I hope they'll help you achieve your individual goals.
Today we are increasingly aware of the effects of our actions on the environment, and I strongly believe that we each have a responsibility, as individuals and organisations, to do no harm. I will draw on Gaia Capitalism to explain why we need to take stock of how we may be damaging the environment, and why it is up…


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The Truth About Unringing Phones

By Lara Lillibridge,

Book cover of The Truth About Unringing Phones

Lara Lillibridge

New book alert!

What is my book about?

When Lara was four years old, her father moved from Rochester, New York, to Anchorage, Alaska, a distance of over 4,000 miles. She spent her childhood chasing after him, flying a quarter of the way around the world to tug at the hem of his jacket.

Now that he is in his eighties, she contemplates her obligation to an absentee father. The Truth About Unringing Phones is an exploration of responsibility and culpability told in experimental and fragmented essays.

The Truth About Unringing Phones

By Lara Lillibridge,

What is this book about?

When Lara was four years old, her father moved from Rochester, New York, to Anchorage, Alaska, a distance of over 4,000 miles. She spent her childhood chasing after him, flying a quarter of the way around the world to tug at the hem of his jacket. Now that he is in his eighties, she contemplates her obligation to an absentee father.




The Truth About Unringing Phones: Essays on Yearning is an exploration of responsibility and culpability told in experimental and fragmented essays.


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