Press Reviews

Some Passions Make Poor Business Pursuits

By Joe Connolly 10-8-04

Don't believe this old adage: "Follow your passion, and the money will follow."

So says Paul Casey, author of "Is Self Employment for You?"

"Just because you're a great artist doesn't mean you can run an art gallery," he explains. "It's bad advice from people who aren't really in business per se. Be very cautious. Business is really about the mundane."

Entrepreneurs should do whatever it is they do best, says Mr. Casey, who owns a marketing firm. That may not be the same as following your passion. People who follow their passion may get burned out, he warns. Keep your passion as a hobby.

Is Self-Employment for You?

Retired People Ideal To Start A Business

“Is Self-Employment For You?” delivers the ‘street smarts’ they don’t teach in business school and unconventional ideas that turn everything you thought you knew about business upside down. In fact, they are proven, on-the-job lessons gleaned over the course of Casey’s impressive career — first in state government office, then as a public relations account executive, public affairs director for a downtown Seattle transit tunnel, the first director of the Alzheimer’s Association of Western Washington, and finally as owner of his own communications firm since 1988 where he has produced and hosted his own radio show and newspaper.

Casey’s ideas make an argument for why business plans can’t be carved in stone and the customer is not always right. He discusses why competitors can be your best friends, real entrepreneurs don’t need partners, and many businesses fail because they have too much money.

Small Business Association has eye on Michigan's Legislature

By Carol Cain
Free Press Columnist

January 3, 2005

Put resolutions to work

So your New Year's resolution was to pursue starting up that small business you've been talking about, only you're not quite sure whether to proceed.

Paul Casey, author of "Is Self Employment for You?" offers some helpful suggestions of things to consider before taking the plunge:

Write down at least three or four very strong reasons why you want to be self employed. (Making money does not count.)

"Think about what kind of lifestyle you envision for yourself and your family and select a business that will complement your long-term lifestyle goals," he says.

Develop the mindset of a successful business owner immediately, even if your business is in the conceptual stages. Print up business cards with your name as the CEO. Consider yourself as a temporary consultant or contract worker if you are working for someone else at this time.
Think of every conceivable personal funding source that you can invest in your own business (savings accounts, 401(k) funds, taking out a second mortgage or downsizing your house, selling the new car and buying a used vehicle, etc.) before you seek outside funding sources.
Educate yourself about the principles of marketing or take a class. "Many businesses fail because they don't understand basic marketing but they think they do," he adds.
Seek out people who have succeeded in the size and scope of a business that you are about to undertake.

"Visit with someone new at least every couple of weeks and tune out people who don't know what they're talking about," he adds.

Business Watercooler Stories

By Justin Bachman
AP Business Writer

7 September 2004

Paul Casey, the author of a new book, "Is Self-Employment For You?" contends that you might be able to strike a blow against such entrepreneurial failure.

He has a few seemingly radical ideas to ponder. Among them:

The customer is not always right.
Competitors are your best friends.
Many businesses fail because they have too much cash

ENTERPRISE
From the November 12, 2004 print edition
Small business bulletins

Small-business owner shares startup lessons

Ben Miller
Associate Editor

Paul Casey has written a book on working for yourself called "Is Self-Employment for You?" A Seattle based media buyer, Casey has experience in working for himself and lists his travails in the book. He makes some recommendations that go against what you might have learned in your M.B.A. classes.

ENTERPRISE
From the January 28, 2005 print edition
Small business bulletins

In business, partners aren't for everybody

Ben Miller
Associate Editor

One chapter in the book, "The Pitfalls of Partnerships," is quite blunt about the concept: "Partnerships destroy businesses and are counterproductive to sustaining your business," Casey writes.

Casey said that almost all businesses change from their inception. He said that change is essential to business success, but differing views of how a business should change is often the death knell for partnerships. Plus, you have to share half the business profits with someone else, he added.

Bucking the odds

Woman takes new-business plunge with her Fitigues Surplus shop

By Tiana Velez

ARIZONA DAILY STAR Published: 01.24.2005

In his book "Is Self Employment for You?" Paul Casey, an author and entrepreneur based in Seattle, asks prospective business owners to take an honest look at their personality before exploring business opportunities.

Knowing to what extent you're patient, confident, flexible, calm under pressure, well-organized and quick on your feet can help determine whether self-employment is right for you.

Real Entrepreneurs Don't Need Partners, the Customer is Not Always Right, and Competitors Can Be Your Best Friends, According to Author Paul Casey

SEATTLE - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Aug. 25, 2004 - More and more people are turning to self-employment and entrepreneurship due to erratic business cycles, volatile markets, and the growing number of mega-mergers. Unfortunately, more than 50 percent of these new businesses fail within a year and 95 percent within five years, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. Author Paul E. Casey is out to change all of that with a new streetwise manual for today's entrepreneur jammed with unconventional ideas and radical advice proffered to increase small business success -- even in these difficult economic times. Perhaps most importantly, "Is Self-Employment for You?" presents the clear, concise tools to help budding businesspeople evaluate how suited they actually are to start and sustain a business.