Starfire’s Reviews > The Suitcase Entrepreneur > Status Update

"... what we’re really talking about in this book is freedom. Freedom to do what you want, when you want, with whoever you want, from anywhere you want. To achieve this you need to work hard, hustle and be determined to stick it out for the long haul." Bleh. NO. This is EXACTLY the hustle culture mentality I want freedom from.

At best, it shows that some people (presumably people who already choose to travel a lot, since they answer a survey from an adventure company, see also: sample bias) *believe* that travel is important to their happiness. Dear Ms Sisson: dubious correlation =/= factual causation.

"It’s a proven fact that travel does indeed cultivate happiness. In 2013 G Adventures surveyed over two thousand people and found that 83% considered travel very important to their happiness." Yeah, ummm, no. That is NOT evidence that "proves the fact that travel cultivates happiness".

OK, I'm just skimming through the 'how to start an online business' section very quickly. It's fun little trip down memory lane (ZOMG! The G+ logo - I remember that platform!), but I suspect half the tech recommendations will be massively outdated by now, and also: not relevant for my existing online business. I get that this was a pioneer concept in its day though.

"Now that you’ve taken the time to read these inspiring real-life examples, you’ll want to take some serious action and get started for yourself."

Nnnnnnot so much, really. I think this kind of stuff might have (maybe?) inspired me back when I started out in business. But after almost 10 years now in business, I just find myself wondering how much of the stories AREN'T being told

"Even if you’re naturally risk-averse, throw yourself in the deep end if you really want to change your current circumstances. Nothing makes you move heaven and earth to get what you really want more than being forced into it."

And once again, no. This is true for some people - evidently, Ms Sisson is one of them. For others, it's a recipe to freeze up, develop mental health struggles and just give up altogether.

"You and the business necessarily become inseparable. To preserve your mental health you have to absolutely love your work. Then, your work becomes your play, and you never tire of it."

Ughhhhh. No. No no no no no. That may have happened for you, Ms Sisson. But most mere mortals just burn out and wonder why this thing they used to love and that used to bring them joy now feels like an onerous 'should' every day

Currently challenging myself to either read or delete the oldest unread book in my Kindle library once per month, and this month, that honour goes to this book. I'm expecting that a lot of the info in it will have dated massively since Ms Sisson wrote it (and I'm bracing to cringe at what I expect to be some serious unexamined privilege), but we'll see how I get on.