Six short years ago Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish were maxing out their credit cards, trying to secure loans and crossing fingers that their idea would take off. And it did – today notonthehighstreet.com is an award-winning multimillion-pound marketplace selling 50,000 innovative, stylish products.

Now they’ve written down all the lessons they had to learn the hard way, drawing not only on their own experience but also on that of the 3,000 independent businesses they work with – from finance and marketing to PR and getting a workspace right. With startling honesty, they lay bare the truth about getting started while raising a young family at the same time.

Holly and Sophie believe that anyone should be able to achieve a great working life on their own terms.

This book will show you how.

Perhaps you’re a high-flying corporate exec who wants to escape the rat race, or a parent who wants more time at home with the children but still needs to bring in (at least) half the household income. You might be happy to sweat your 9-5 for a few more years but want to keep the creative spark in you burning bright, and plan for when you’re ready to quit your regular salary. Or you might have big ambitions, right now, to start a business that’s going to make you rich and famous.

At the very least, you’ve had a fantastic idea and need to know how to get started. If you’re any of these people – this book is for you.