Entrepreneurialism is a vital social skill which is evident in so many people
around the world, adults and children alike, who seek to keep body and soul
together by selling goods and services on the slimmest of margins. Often, the
ability to identify an object which can be sold and one which cannot can
represent, quite literally, the shield against destitution. Helping to spread
some idea to give people opportunities to obtain better life chances for
themselves and their families is a part of teaching business and it is this
which motivated me to look at Michelle Anton and Jennifer Basye Sander’s Weekend
Entrepreneur. Of course, their market is for fellow Americans and so the reasons
for being a part-time entrepreneur but to earn extra cash, provide a hobby or
for social or familial reasons, although there are many people stuck in poverty
in modern America and the number increases with every attempt to promote private
affluence and public squalor.

What then can the authors offer readers? They promise 101 ways to earn extra
cash and so they do, using material that has apparently been gathered through
interviewing, networking and cultivating various secondary sources in a
perfectly respectable way. The 101 ways are divided among suggested markets for
providing unskilled or semi-skilled labour (largely within the context of a
middle-class neighbourhood), making things for sale and general tips for
marketing and improving profitability. This is the kind of book which will
inspire some readers and leave others cold; it is to be hoped that those whose
need is the greatest will find the most inspiration. Interestingly, access to
the internet is considered to be an essential resource for the part-time
entrepreneur. There are certainly some interesting ideas and many could be
invaluable if they work out – just like all other forms of business, it is to be
expected that 80% of weekend activities will have to be treated as failures. The
main cause of small business failure is nearly always lack of cash flow –
attempts to overcome this by dealing entirely in cash in hand run the risk of
falling foul of tax and regulatory issues. Entrepreneurs take care!

I recommend skipping the extraordinarily pompous and self-regarding foreword by
a Dr Laura Schlessinger, who claims to be ‘America’s best known champion of
children and hands-on parenting.’ I can only be grateful that her reputation has
not spread to where I live.