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Of Barbara's writing, reviewers have said:
"Barbara Brabec knows more about how to run a successful home-based
business than anyone in the nation."
"Brabec speaks from a lifetime of
experience. . . has weathered the storms and know what it takes to
create a business that has longevity."
"Brabec has long been known as a motherlode of information." - New Business Opportunities
"Brabec understands the real life situations of her readers, and addresses them frankly." - The Knitter's Link
"Listening to hundreds of HBB owners over the years has made Brabec probably the best-known HBB authority, and one with the most experience." - Oklahoma Home-Based Business Bulletin
"Barbara Brabec believes in delivering value." - Pat Katz, The Star Phoenix
"Brabec tempers enthusiasm with good sense." - Jefferson Business
"Barbara is a warm and intelligent person with a healthy dose of old-fashioned good sense." - Boogiejack's Almost A Newsletter
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Barbara Brabec Bio A long-time leader in the home-business and crafts industries, Barbara Brabec has been working with and writing about home-based entrepreneurs and craftspeople since 1971. Self-employed for most of her adult life, she is one of America's best-known home-business authors and speakers. Barbara's trade books include Homemade Money and Creative Cash, both of which have achieved classic status, each with more than 120,000 copies sold. Homemade Money, called the most comprehensive home-business guide in print (now a two-volume edition), has long been recommended by U.S. Small Business Administration specialists and used as a text in entrepreneurial courses across the country. Other trade books are Handmade for Profit, The Craft Business Answer Book, and Make It Profitable. Two additional self-published books are now out of print. Barbara's chapter on how to write for the crafts industry appeared in The Complete Guide to Writing Nonfiction, and her professional viewpoints have been included in several books by other authors. In 1999-2000, she was the Series Editor for Prima Publishing's line of For Fun & Profit™ books. She was also a featured content provider for the IdeaForest/joann.com e-commerce site from January 2000-May 2001. Barbara's experience also includes twenty years as an editor and publisher, first of a crafts business magazine (1971-1976), then of a subscription newsletter for home-business owners (1981-1996). During these years she was also a featured columnist for several magazines. Articles by and about her have been published in dozens of small-business periodicals, and today may be found on numerous sites on the Web. Frequently quoted in the national press as a home-business expert, Barbara has given dozens of radio and newspaper interviews during her career. Her television credits include a week-long appearance on ABC-TV's Home Show, where she appeared as guest expert on their "Homemade Money series" titled after her book. She has also been a guest on the Carol Duvall show on HGTV. Before starting her present publishing business in 1981, Barbara was for two years publisher and general manager of the book division of Barrington Press, Inc., which coincidentally published the first edition of her Creative Cash book. In this capacity, she was directly responsible for the book's initial sales success, and it was the overwhelming response to this book that convinced her she should start her own publishing business at home. She launched that business at the age of 42 with a thousand dollars borrowed from savings, ultimately assuming the publishing responsibilities for her first book. Barbara gained much of her business experience while working for ten years in corporate offices in Chicago prior to becoming self-employed. However, she is entirely self-taught as a writer, publisher, crafts marketing authority, home-business expert, and website designer. She believes that anyone who can read—and apply what they've learned—can achieve success in their chosen field. Her greatest strength as a leader and home-business adviser is that she has personally experienced most of the things she writes about. Currently, Barbara is reinventing herself on the Web as she moves into the field of electronic publishing. She published her first eBook in 2007, and is now beginning to develop several new websites to house what will ultimately be an extensive collection of electronic books and reports for home business owners and writers who are interested in self publishing. After a long hiatus in public speaking, she is also interested in getting back into speaking. Barbara was married for nearly 44 years to Harry Brabec, a professional musician/percussionist and crafts show producer who died in February, 2005. He assisted her in her work for many years and always kept her laughing. His home-business humor has been included in several editions of Barbara's books and may ultimately be collected in the memoir Barbara yearns to write about her life with him. (See Barbara's special memorial to Harry here.)
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