BUSINESS FOR BOHEMIANS

by Tom Hodgkinson, founder of lifestyle website The Idler

THE PROMISE

To teach even the most hippie of us how to run a business. From spreadsheets to managing cash flow, this is a how-to guide.

THE REALITY

I’m embarrassed to read this in public.

The words ‘bohemians’ and ‘business’ fight each other and I feel like I’m telling the world I’m setting up a new age company, perhaps a taxi firm that allocates drivers based on the compatibility of your star signs. But Tom lures me in with his chatty writing and his obvious expertise in the ability to ‘earn money while enjoying it’. It reads like a dream, and if you can get over Camden being the epicentre of his London, his ultimate business person being the founder of Viz and his recommendation for reading Bookkeeping For Dummies, then you’ll learn the basics of setting up and running a business. He explains what gross profit is, he takes you through Excel formula and, as actor Dominic West says on the back of the book: ‘[It’s] indispensable to those of us whose eyes start to close at the thought of a spreadsheet.’ (I would love to know what spreadsheets Dominic West is creating. )

THE RESULT

Tom genuinely makes me feel good about striving for happiness over money, security and status. He makes me write a list of what my idea of a good life is. It’s a simple task and gives me something to judge future job prospects by. Rather than the subjective ‘Will it make me happy?’, he explains what it is like to set up a company in just the right level of detail. For some, this would be practical and motivating, but it made me realise I don’t want spreadsheets to be part of my daily life, and even the most hippie of businesses (like my star-sign taxi firm) would require them.

THE TOP TIP

Remember that ‘We do it because we love it’ is the mantra of the business bohemian. Oh, and pay your taxes.