Matt McAvoy Book Review

I’ll be totally honest and say that this was a much better book than I was expecting.  In fact, if you’re thinking of becoming an online entrepreneur, or starting an ecommerce business, it is actually as good a book as you are likely to read on the subject – it is certainly the best, clearest and most holistically comprehensive resource I have come across, and I say that not only as someone who reads a lot of books, but also as one with a great deal of experience in creating, selling and marketing online services.

The biggest advantage for How to Start and Grow an eCommerce Business is both its simplicity and its complexity, simultaneously.  Camisasca undoubtedly knows his stuff, on both the business development and content creation sides, and whilst this book does not necessarily offer anything particularly new, what it does do is take the most essential elements of the ecommerce/online services project (which is, in reality, far more difficult than you might initially think) and compile them very, very neatly.  The author essentially sorts through the chaff to find and streamline all you will need to know into a simple, intelligent guide for the novice online entrepreneur; believe me when I say that you then really won’t have to. 

I did think that the second half of the book, which focuses entirely on marketing after the launch, was a touch heavy in proportion – not in practice, as such (I would even go as far as to say that marketing constitutes much more than half of your business effort), but rather just as an engaging, interesting and enjoyable book.  I won’t lie, I don’t share the author’s enthusiasm for the subject of marketing, so my opinion on this proportion may be biased.  I just think that there are a huge number of books and published content on digital marketing, and all offer pretty much the same information; the fun part for me is choosing, building and actioning the business development side, including learning about the best applications for creating content – in this area there aren’t as many books on the subject, and I was hoping that this one would continue in the creative vein of its first half.

This personal gripe aside, though, the book is superb, and frankly the only comprehensive masterclass you will need.  The marketing section overshadows it a little, and may deter some readers (though it is clear, of course, that this whole publication is part of Camisasca’s own brand awareness strategy, as championed in this very book).  My advice, as someone with experience, is that if you are starting out, read the book in two halves: the first to help you devise, build and launch your business, the second after you have done so, to avoid being overwhelmed and put off.  For the target market it is aimed at, I can’t recommend How to Start and Grow an eCommerce Business highly enough; with its sound advice, author knowledge and useful resource links, I genuinely believe you won’t need another to help you get started.