10 books like Making a Living Without a Job

When I read this book, I felt as though I’d come home somehow. Goldberg has such a natural, conversational voice while sharing life-changing truths. She shared in a way that embodied her message and I realized I wanted to do that with my calling. While writing about writing, she is also offering instruction that is valuable for anyone who wants to work on any art, craft, or business. Using her years of Zen meditation as a backdrop, she instructs the reader on going beyond self-judgment, training yourself to be excellent, and staying present. It’s a powerful book for anyone who wants to use writing to uncover their truth, and for anyone who wants to dive into practice of any kind, and not get their identity wrapped up in the outcome.

I encountered The Artist's Way by learning to be a professional storyteller in writing and oral presentations. Ms. Cameron combines creativity and spirituality in a logical step-by-step understanding that helped me meet the daily challenges of making a living while charting an unusual and unproven profession. She imbued in me that creative expression in all its forms is the natural direction in life. 

I recommend this book because this spiritual text helped me—more than any other—to see and choose from love instead of fear in my own life. When I left my prestigious law job, I had a storm of fears weaken my creative dreams. This book helped me to find and trust my own inner authority. It also helped me to feel more secure in life, no matter what was going on. At first, I found the language off-putting because it “sounded” religious at times. But this path is not about any religion, other than the love and infinite power in all of us. There are gazillions of spiritual books on the market, but this one is a powerhouse, a classic, and a gamechanger.    

I’m obsessed with the theme of living your calling to pay your bills, rather than exclusively chasing money. When I write books, I write to shift readers, rather than writing according to formulas that could sell more copies. So, I love Masumoto’s book on growing peaches that burst with flavor and sensual magic, even when others suggest he grow peaches that offer more sturdy shelf life. An artist-farmer, he takes the stand for one-of-a-kind quality and reveals a truly abundant life. Taking us directly into his intimate thoughts and decisions, this book is about living your destiny, choosing to work with natural forces, being insanely tenacious, and transforming your own life in the process. He “listens to his farm” and his writing is so beautiful we listen to it, too.  

This book provides entrepreneurs with a practical, user-friendly guide to understanding their businesses' numbers. Being a Chartered Accountant, I often see entrepreneurs who have the drive, ideas, and passion for their businesses, but fall short when it comes to the numbers. I recommend this book to anyone who is working to create a business they love but needs a little help with the numbers. With no jargon, and easy-to-follow guidance, you'll discover how you can grow your business.

I love Dave Parker’s book, Trajectory: Startup – Ideation to Product/Market Fit, because it provides a clear, but detailed roadmap to guide entrepreneurs through and over all of the necessary steps and obstacles to entrepreneurial success. The nature and degree of the best practices and practical insights laid out in Trajectory: Startup is somewhat similar, but even more granular, to that found in my own book but for the business side of things instead of the legal, governance, or regulatory side.

There is a lot of intellectual and procedural handholding in these pages, including checklists, to-do lists, and template forms for gathering and analyzing research and data, that first-time entrepreneurs will find indispensable and that even experienced entrepreneurs will find illuminating and useful. In the book’s Introduction, Parker summarizes what he hopes to help aspiring entrepreneurs do: create value with your product or service; decide on primary and secondary… show more.

Della has a way of simply explaining what’s practically needed to run a modern practice. Like Della, I’ve built a modern practice and she has laid the steps to start and thrive in a clean and easy-to-follow manner. Hudson's writing style is engaging and accessible, making it easy to understand and apply the concepts presented. With personal anecdotes and asides littering the narrative, the book reads like a quiet meeting between friends over a nice cup of tea. Overall, The Numbers Business is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to build a successful cloud accounting practice.

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.

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.

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.