The $100 Startup
The $100 Startup, The Happiness of Pursuit, and Born for This, both bestsellers in the Wall Street Journal, were written by Chris Guillebeau. The annual World Domination Summit, a convocation of cultural creatives that features speakers like Susan Cain, Brené Brown, and Gretchen Rubin, is created and hosted by him. Numerous organizations, businesses, and institutions, including Google, Facebook, SXSW, Evernote, LeWeb, and others have hosted Guillebeau as a speaker. He recently finished his personal mission to travel to every nation on the planet (193/193).
Chris Guillebeau, who is still in his early 30s, has traveled to every nation on the planet, yet he has never had a "real job" or received a regular salary. Instead, he has a unique talent for converting ideas into money, and he uses the money he makes to fund his adventurous lifestyle as well as to contribute to others. Chris found 1,500 people who started businesses that now generate $50,000 or more from a small investment (often, only $100 or less), and he concentrated on the 50 most interesting case studies. They were able to restructure their life in ways that allowed them more freedom and fulfillment almost always after discovering components of their particular passions that could be made money.
Here, at last, are the most important teachings from those who have discovered how to use what they do as a doorway to self-fulfillment condensed into one simple to follow manual. It all comes down to figuring out where your "expertise"—even if you don't think of it that way—meets what other people are willing to pay for. An MBA, a business strategy, or even workers are not necessary. All you require is a good idea for a product or service, customers who are willing to pay, and a means of collecting payment.
Chris doesn't just talk in generalities; he explains in detail how much money his group of unplanned entrepreneurs needed to launch their projects, what they did to make money in the early weeks and months, some of the major mistakes they made along the way, and the key realizations that ensured the business would succeed. Chris's guiding ideas include: If you're good at one thing, you're probably good at something other; never teach a man to fish; instead, sell him the fish; and action always triumphs over planning.
People who were unhappy with their lives in the past used to dream of finding magic lamps, hidden treasure, or streets made of gold. Today, we are aware that we are responsible for altering our life. The wonderful part is that, if we transform our own lives, we can influence others' lives as well. You may get started by reading this amazing book.
Author: Chris Guillebeau
Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/100-Startup-Reinvent-Living-Create/dp/0307951529/
Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars (from 5202 reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #16,792 in Books
#11 in Starting a Business (Books)
#74 in Entrepreneurship (Books)
#306 in Success Self-Help
