Harry Elston's book "Thrive Solo", reviewed

Credit: Harry Elston

Harry Elston is a long-time friend of the blog, and he's written a good book about being a solo
entrepreneur, titled "Thrive Solo." It's written about his experience becoming a full-time consultant in chemical safety. 

I read it pretty quickly, and as someone who has talked to a lot of aspiring and current entrepreneurs, it was both very informative and covered a lot of questions that I feel many potential entrepreneurs have. 

The section on "how to do your own accounting" was an important section for me that I haven't read very much about. In addition, his approach to "types of contracts" was illuminating for me as well. 

One aspect that I really liked about Harry's approach to the various sections was first reviewing the subject (taxes, corporate structure, etc) and then saying "this is how I do it, and why." It's good to both have the basic structure, and then the author's opinion on what worked best for him, and why. 

The book is well-written and short. I didn't see any particular weaknesses, but this is the moment in a book review where you're supposed to say something that needs improvement, so I'll say this: There are precious few personal experiences within "Thrive Solo". I've had enough breakfasts and phone calls with Harry to know that he can tell a good story, but that aspect of his personality doesn't really come out in this book. More Harry next time, please. 

It's also quite inexpensive (especially on Kindle.) If you're thinking about striking out on your own as a consultant, I would definitely recommend picking up a copy. It's a good investment for a first step to a potential new career.