Overlap: Start a Business While Working a Full-Time Job Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Decent story, but not a great book. Sean has done a lot, but it's obvious that it's not a writer. Sometimes reads like a children's book for someone that doesn't "know what they want to do when they grow up."If you already know where your passions lie and are working on your "next thing", I'd say skip this one.

Don't start reading unless you're ready to start changing.While reading Sean's excellent book, I kept thinking, "You should have written this three years ago." Had I known then what Sean presents now, I would have saved myself from hours of fruitless labor while turning my side business into my full-time job. Even today, after having read Sean's book (multiple times), there are still practices he espouses that I want to employ to continue expanding my business.If you only see whom you want to become but have no idea how to get there, Overlap provides the clear, step-by-step path toward discovering that future you.Since I'm a writer, I'd recommend Overlap to other writers who wonder how they could possibly earn a living while writing. The path doesn't begin with toiling away for years on a book that very likely won't be a bestseller. Rather, the path begins right now, even in the midst of your day job, and Sean provides practical, actionable advice to make daily steps toward your ultimate goal.

This book is perfect for so many people. If you are considering starting your own business this book not only covers the practical ways to get started but also addresses the areas of your life that aren't mentioned in any other business book I've read. Sean covers how to stay motivated, cultivate inspiration, and even how to ensure that your relationships stay healthy during the process of growing your business. You can believe any book that wants to make sure you and your spouse are on solid footing before launching a business is a great business book. Sean realizes that you are the key to success in your business. He not only wants your business to succeed but he wants you to find success. It's honest, sincere, and refreshing.Overlap has helped me see areas of my life I need to work on other than just my business. It helped me realize that maintaining healthy relationships increases my own productivity. Overlap showed me directly how to make my business sustainable.My wife and I started our small business over three years ago. It has since become her full-time job and a large party of our family. I can say that listening to Sean during that time has been the single greatest contribution to our success. Overlap is the culmination of all the wisdom we've heard during that time. If you are starting a business, or even thinking about one, you need this book. Don't spend years learning things the hard way. See this book as the investment it really is for you, your family, and your business.

Overlap is one of those ‘read, think, do, review’ books. I read sections then stopped to think about how it could impact my plans and actions. I was challenged to take action and do something with Sean’s great insight and guidance.My great aha moment came in Chapter 3 – Audit Your Passion where Sean nailed my core stumbling block: “There’s a great difference between being passionate about the act of doing something and being passionate about the idea of doing something.” We fall in love with the cool things we could do, dreaming and imagining how fun it would be, but never get to the do it/try it, or ‘audit it’ phase.Simply put, pick something, try it/do it, work through the initial challenges, then evaluate. If it is good, keep at it, otherwise chalk it up as a lesson learned and move on to the next thing.And yes, the rest of the book is great too.

I'm not a big reader of "business books". You know what I'm talking about; the "guru" genre, usually with the author's face plastered all over the cover and promising one amazing result or another… But *that* is not *this*. Sean's book is one of the best I've read in a long time, in any genre. I approached it tentatively, but got sucked in right away. It's absolutely worth your time, especially if you are self-employed or would like to be some day.Part 5 has been the most helpful to me because of where I'm at specifically. I've already re-read it several times. One very specific thing that has helped me is the 90% rule for us perfectionists. It really did help me launch some things I've spent weeks starring at because they weren't "perfect". I'd never really looked at it from that angle, but telling myself all I have to do is hit 90% perfect has really unclogged the pipelines of things I've wanted to finish, but felt like I couldn’t.Some people seem to be born knowing what they want to be when they grow up. They're laser-focused and don't need much input from the outside world. But those people are few and far between, and even if you think you're one of those people, you could still benefit from the perspectives in this book. Who will it help the most? Anyone who struggles with finding meaning or purpose in their work and/or life… Anyone who feels like there has got to be more than "this" to life… Anyone who has a dream, but doesn't believe it's possible… Anyone who doesn't have a dream and wonders what's wrong with them for not having one… If you fall into any of those categories, seriously, read. this. book.p.s. If you want to hear Sean answer some hard questions about this book and the processes it espouses, we hashed it out on my podcast, The Gently Mad. You can hear it at http://thegentlymad.com/sean.