Spare Room Tycoon: Succeeding Independently--The 70 Lessons of Sane Self-Employment

In this friendly companion for anyone already living an independent life and for those who aspire to be doing so, James Chan draws on his own experience of nearly two decades and on the personal stories of dozens of other trailblazers to show how to take control of your life as well as your business.

The inspiring stories of these workplace pioneers recount surprising discoveries of how to start, succeed, sustain--and enjoy--independence. An ex-banker keeps listening after being rejected for a consulting assignment and realizes he is hearing the idea for a successful new business. A young software mogul learns that her company's work depends, in part, on her own self-esteem and starts to develop her confidence as if it were a martial art. A woman with cancer changes her diet and survives to make a new and exciting career teaching others healthy cooking. There are stories that will amuse, too, such as Chan's account of falling asleep during a meeting with an important prospect--only to get the business anyway.

Filled with real-life stores and real world wisdom, Spare Room Tycoon offers a behind-the-scenes look at how to find deliverance from office politics, the freedom to pursue a life's dream and the secrets of what it takes to find personal satisfaction, autonomy and a balance in work and life.

James Chan is a successful entrepreneur, speaker, and pioneer on the workplace frontier. He runs his own business, Asia Marketing and Management, which, since 1983 has helped hundreds of companies, large and small, develop and manage their business in China and elsewhere in the Pacific Rim. He is based in Philadelphia. Visit his website at asiamarketingmanagement.com.