* Enjoy a small-town lifestyle while working with computers
* Create a successful business plan geared for rural computer consulting
* Learn to start & run a successful business based in a small town
This book is a step-by-step guide for the IT professional working a high-stress job who dreams about moving out of the city, but still wants to make a living working with computers. It can be done! This is exactly what author John Deans did in 1999 when he left one of Houston’s most successful IT companies, moved his family to rural Texas, and started a home-based computer consulting firm.
Small towns are a relatively new niche for computer consultants, but they offer ample opportunity for starting a successful small business. To excel in this environment, you must become a jack-of-all-computer-trades and enjoy working closely with many clients every day. Owning your own business in a rural environment that may be unfamiliar to you presents challenges -- but the rewards are definitely worth it.
Deans will help you every step of the way. He discusses:
* Evaluating and expanding your IT skills * Preparing financially for the move * Choosing the right small town * Preparing your family emotionally for the move from the city to the country * Creating a successful business plan * Setting up a home office and a mobile office * Marketing your services in a small town
The book is accompanied by a CD-ROM with checklists and worksheets in MS Word, Excel, and PDF formats, for use on a Windows-based PC.
Customer Reviews & Comments
All told, a worthwhile read. Some good ideas and suggestions....but there's an overwhelming anti-liberal, right-wing lean to the whole thing. I don't mind people having political views, but the book practically drips liberal hatred which is sort of out-of-place for a book on running a consulting business.
His point is that small/rural towns are likely to be conservative, so if you're NOT conservative, it'd be in your interest to hide that...which may be valid - however he goes waaaay past that. The guy seems to miss no opportunity to preach Fox News, Hannity, liberals-are-bad, etc, and it doesn't really belong. If you can get past the whole preachy, right-wing nut job aspect of the thing, you'll get some good info.
