The Responsible Tech Guide is an extensive look at the entrepreneurial ecosystem, providing a solid mix of interviews, informative lists, and useful tips that will help you get started from hobbyist interest to full-time participation in an online community. The authors, Amy Porterfield and Jason Oxenham, offer a solid background in business and marketing, with a focus on how technology impacts the way we live. They also offer practical advice for starting a business from scratch, as well as specific business tips for those already established in their field. The book ends with an eight-week program focusing on leadership, presenting the reader with a clear path for success.

The authors begin by discussing why contract services are rapidly becoming the wave of the future. As technology shifts from being primarily about computers to being mostly about software solutions, contractors have become the order of the day. When you’re able to deliver software solutions almost instantly, you can leverage the power of cloud computing to make money on demand. Cloud services allow companies to quickly scale up or down depending on their current needs, which is both good and bad. While this isn’t the entire answer, it gives anyone with a curious mind something to think about.

The next segment covers the benefits of contractors working under an IT contract. Specifically, they discuss benefits like no limits to potential work hours, no limit on the number of projects, no deadlines, no customer interface, no special skills required, no limits on hardware, no need for new hardware, no training, and no restrictions on the tools you use. The authors then go into how contractors can get started, the types of things they should know before approaching businesses, and what businesses should look for in a good tech fit. The final chapter focuses on how smart contractors can be.