How To Become Self-Employed In Seattle: A Guidebook, Companion, and Reference

by Jenny MacLeod

Updated and revised for 2018! This book is for anyone who wants to build a business around their talent or art, but feels overwhelmed by the 'business' part. Becoming self-employed is a lot easier than you think, once you know what’s involved and give yourself some time for the journey.The approach here is to get licensed, get your first customer, to “set up shop," and then to build your business over time. It covers essential topics such as license and tax requirements (specific to Seattle) as well as handling numbers, marketing, nitty gritty details and self-management. Along the way, ProTips offer common sense advice to save you time and make your life easier. Also includes checklists to track your progress and workspaces to develop ideas. Designed to flip around or read front-to-back. Great massage therapists, yoga teachers, artists, writers, designers, editors, musicians, jewelry makers, consultants, therapists, bookkeepers…and anyone who wants to make their own custom job.

Genres: Nonfiction

404 pages, Paperback

Published March 21, 2018

About the author

Jenny MacLeod (aka Jenny Girl Friday) has been working 1-on-1 with self-employed women for 8+ years. Now, she’s on a new mission to make business chores easier and even fun—for every single self-employed woman in Seattle. Her newest offerings include: Sidekick Services (tax reminders + how-to articless via email), one-time consults, workshops, and an online business apothecary (in the works). How to Become Self-Employed in Seattle is her first book.

Jenny lives in Green Lake in a half-finished house, with her husband, Alex—a poly-hobbyist—and son. Her daughter just left for college! You might spot her driving around town in her VW bus, on her way to Iyengar yoga, Crossfit or happy hour. She’s never owned a cell-phone and dreams of living in Hawaii part-time.

Reviews

[Gretchenjdavis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first ever review which tells you how much I love this book. I feel downright evangelical about it. It arrived in my life at the perfect time in my self-employment journey. I had been planning to start my own freelance grant writing business for about 9 months and learned about the book 3 months after having launched my business. The combination of practical advice in straight forward language and pep talks encouraging realistic expectations were exactly what I needed. I had been feeling somewhat deflated by the experience and the information in this book helped contextualize the unique process of self-employment in a way that renewed my energy and helped me feel ready to tackle the work again. The way she describes the logistics is easy to understand to non-business folks likes myself and within minutes of opening the book I realized I had overlooked some aspects of licensing (despite what I thought was thorough internet research). Jenny has a gift in her delivery of information and it is clear that she is passionate about helping people achieve their dreams.

[Jennifer E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenny was so extremely patient, kind, and helpful in helping me with my small business taxes in person and I'm so glad I bought her book as well! Her book covers everything you can think of for small business owners and helped calm my mind while tackling all this new, unexplored territory. Her straightforward and easy-to-understand manner of explaining things was exactly what I needed to help guide me on my journey to transition to a full-time artist in the Seattle area. I would highly recommend this to anyone even considering starting a business of their own. You can tell Jenny has poured her heart into gathering all the information over the years she's needed for herself and her clients and brought it into one place for others to utilize. Reading this book has made me feel more at-ease, confident, and like I have a friend cheering me on from the sidelines! This is a gem of a book that I'll be pulling off my shelf again and again for years to come.

[Amy Piñon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written in a way that makes the process of establishing a freelance business super approachable.

The book gives you all the step-by-step information you need to go through the process of setting up your business licenses, doing your taxes, and setting up systems to manage everything. It gives you just enough information without overwhelming you.

Thanks to this guide, I am more confident in the foundation of my business. It has given me the validation to learn and set up systems as I go, and reflect and refine afterward. This is a super important reminder so that I can focus my energy on the work that I love to do.

Additionally, signing up for Jenny’s newsletter is a great companion to the book because you get extra resources and most importantly, reminders about when taxes and license renewals are due!

[Charissa Pomrehn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is legit! Love the friendly, clear communication style and how the author breaks everything down so thoroughly. What I couldn't tell from first glance was how much content is covered - the book is 385 pages long and reads like a good friend showing you the ropes. Jenny has a clear affinity for small business owners. I felt cheered-on, even when she covers intimidating topics like taxes and financial record-keeping.

[Louma (Pokidots) · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE IT. Because of this book I am actually *enjoying* the tax process and finally organizing my files and documents like a real business owner! I love the layout, how everything is so clearly explained, and the positive tone throughout--but what I love most is this feeling of empowerment I now have because I am finally getting my sh*t together, successfully. This book is not going anywhere as long as I have my business in Seattle.