I don't know if the tips really fit into everyones life, it can be difficult to use some of these in your life. It can be scary stepping out of your structured life in a 9-5 job into something that can change at any moment yet make you happy. I will see what will happen with these tips.

Wow. Well one thing's for sure, Cantwell talks a big freaking talk.

But does her book teach you how to walk the walk? I'm not sure. To be fair, I've been listening to the audiobook at my (basically) 9-5 job and am writing this review on my lunch break, so have only been doing the exercises mentally, and I have not experienced the process to the depth with which the author intended.

But I still look at her personal story, and the profiles of overachieving, people-oriented self starters and wonder where introverted, socially awkward misanthropes like myself fit in.

I was also stressed out by the fact that the fact that personal finance becoming exponentially more complicated when being self employed/freelancing wasn't addressed.

On top of all of that, though, I do suspect that much of my skepticism is rooted in my current mental state, and there were definitely a lot of good ideas in the book.

I think I'll go back and reread when I have the chance and actually write down the answers to the exercises and go from there.

Good book for anyone that has the entrepreneurial bug, but not the most practical of advice if you're venturing out on your own. The author shares her experience and how she got to where she is, but there are moments where you have to be pretty open minded and willing to take a leap out of your comfort zone to follow the advice.

To Be a Free Range Human requires leaving the 9 to 5 corporate work culture behind for a better work-life balance.

The book suggests that everyone has a bit of entrepreneur in them just waiting to be discovered. By using exercises, it tries to help the reader find their inherent skills that can be transferred to a gig lifecycle. Once the idea is found, the book explains how to test your ideas merits in as short as one week. Does it pay enough to support you and your family? The book is full of myth busting of old ideas that may be stopping you from starting out on your own. For example, your idea doesn’t have to be original. Not everyone can invent an iPhone but plenty of companies including Android, Google and Amazon can copy that formula and reach a different audience. There are also many empowering stories describing how real people became free range humans.

Anyone needing motivation to quit that corporate job that is slowly killed them from the inside out will enjoy this book. That said I’m not sure how many practical skills for beginning a company are listed here. It is all well and good to say that you don’t need a business plan, a MBA, or to research to start your own business. That may be true for many readers of the book. However, for most readers they will need to do some research. If they need a loan to begin their own company, they will also need a business plan. I think it would have been better if the author was a little more honest in her assessment of how easy it is to start a business when you are not a person with a million bucks (or even $10,000) in the bank. But again, the stories within this book will motivate you to work towards your dream. However, expect to read several other books in addition to this one. I wish the author had included a “For Further Reading” list at the end of Be a Free Range Human. Because she didn’t, I can’t give this book more than 3 stars.

Thanks to Kogan Page Ltd. and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Books like this are a two sided thing for me. On the one hand, I love the aspirational, inspirational advice - the stories of people who've achieved their dream of working for themselves and doing what they like, the practical steps to be like them. On the other hand, I'm not big on the 'if you visualise it, you'll reach it' kind of mantra-saying, moodboard-creating sort of methodology that often goes hand in hand with the practical stuff.

Which is not to say that sort of thing doesn't work - it absolutely does for the right person. I know people who are energised by that sort of activity. I'm just not one of them.

Disproportionately, the people who write books intended to help you achieve your dreams are the kind of people who like that sort of thing. What I liked most about Marianne Cantwell is that she's upfront about the fact that her methodology might not be right for you - that you've got to find someone whose energy and methods align with yours and that that person, whoever they are, will be best placed to help propel you to new heights.

If you are the sort of person who wants to work for themselves, or even just earn a bit of extra on the side, then giving this book a go is well worth the small cost. There is practical advice about what you need to prioritise, what sort of businesses you'll be able to make a go at, what particular style of business would best suit your personality. Even if Cantwell's particular style doesn't suit you, there's still plenty of information and food for thought you can get out of the book. Which is why for me it's a four not a five star. I can see that this book would be amazing for someone else - it just didn't click with me in the way it needed to for a full five star.

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Good for those who want to do more than a nine to five. Yet it also for those who do. It is helpful in different ways one may do business alone or building their own

I enjoyed this book and all of its useful advice. I will be recommending it to those in the library that want to read some self help that will actually work and be of benefit to society.