Twenty Years of Hus'ling

664 pp. Includes 48 illustrations by Denslow. Portraying the peculiar incidents, comic situations, failures and successes of a man who tries almost every kind of business and finally wins. This first-hand account of a man’s determined pursuit to be his own boss is always amusing and often hilarious. Published over 130 years ago and set in the 1870s, it’s filled with practical examples and presents the gritty realistic struggle entrepreneurs still face today. You’ll see the traits necessary to succeed: quick-thinking, opportunism, sense of humor, networking, resourcefulness, audacity and daring, and of course persistence. At one point (actually at several points!) the author explains to a supplier he’s flat broke but has a million dollars’ worth of experience! Many of today’s entrepreneurs can certainly identify with that scenario! The personal and social costs of being an entrepreneur are also there: a failed marriage, absentee father, constant anxiety. This rollicking adventure will cause you to lose sleep because you won’t want to put it down. Whether it’s his doctor friend trying to make a go as a clairvoyant or his friend Frank who became a doctor, the rolling list of characters who come in and out of Johnston’s life never cease to entertain but through it all, Johnston keeps on “hus’ling!”