Once upon a time, when people wanted to start their own business, they went down to the bank. There was physical space to lease, equipment to buy, and people to hire.
Maybe it was a coffee shop, retail store, or professional services firm. Or maybe light manufacturing or a car dealership. Sometimes the profits were substantial, other times meager. But there was always a lot on the line if things didn’t work out.
About 20 years ago, the idea of starting a business changed due to the tech startup craze. Now it was about raising a Series A, then B, then C … and then IPO or acquisition. Profit wasn’t part of the equation, only insane levels of growth that very few achieved, despite the relentless focus on the relatively few success stories.
During that same time period, however, a third way arose. A way to build a business using the reach of the Internet, the power of technology, and the creativity of entrepreneurs who very much focused on profit, all while mitigating risk with digital business models. Oh, and there was no need to deal with investors, because who wants that kind of meddling?
It’s the “third way that Chris Guillebeau’s new book The Money Tree focuses on. And yes … it’s also the approach taken with the 7-Figure Small strategy for smart business building.
Chris joins us in this episode to discuss the third way and his new book. He also shares tips for generating extra income from his previous book Side Hustle, which is a companion to his popular podcast Side Hustle School.
Links
- Book: The Money Tree
- Book: Side Hustle
- @ChrisGuillebeau
- Website: chrisguillebeau.com
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Transcript
The Third Way to Start a Great Business
Jerod Morris: Welcome to 7-Figure Small, the podcast that brings you the stories and strategies that are driving the growing number of solo businesses achieving 7-figures in revenue, without investors or employees.
If you want to discover what’s behind the rise in these 7-figure businesses, then you need to get our free Next Level 7 audio course. In this enlightening course from Unemployable founder, Brian Clark, you’ll hear what’s working right now for attracting an audience, discovering what they want to buy, and building your perfect business.
To sign up for free, go to nextlevelseven.com. That’s nextlevelseven.com. And now, here’s your host for this edition of 7-Figure Small — serial digital entrepreneur, Brian Clark.
Brian Clark: Once upon a time, when people wanted to start their own business, they went down to the bank. There was physical space to lease, equipment to buy, and people to hire.
Maybe it was a coffee shop, a retail store, or a professional services firm. Or maybe light manufacturing or a car dealership. Sometimes the profits were substantial, other times meager. But there was always a lot on the line if things didn’t work out.
About 20 years ago, the idea of starting a business changed due to the tech startup craze. Now it was about raising a Series A, then B, then C… and then IPO or acquisition. Profit wasn’t part of the equation, only insane levels of growth that very few achieved, despite the relentless focus on the relatively few success stories.
During that same time period, however, a third way arose. A way to build a business using the reach of the Internet, the power of technology, and the creativity of entrepreneurs who very much focused on profit, all while mitigating risk with digital business models. Oh, and there was no need to deal with investors, because who wants that kind of meddling?
It’s the “third way that Chris Guillebeau’s new book The Money Tree focuses on. And yes… it’s also the approach taken with the 7-Figure Small strategy for smart business building.
Chris joins us in this episode to discuss the third way and his new book. He also shares tips for generating extra income from his previous book Side Hustle, which is a companion to his popular podcast, Side Hustle School.
This episode is brought to you by FreshBooks, cloud accounting software designed specifically for freelancers and solo business owners. They’re offering a 30-day, no credit card required free trial for you. Yes, you.
To claim it, just visit freshbooks.com/unemployable and make sure to enter UNEMPLOYABLE in the “How Did You Hear About Us? section.
Chris, my friend, how are you holding up?
Chris Guillebeau: Brian, I’m holding up, man. How about yourself?
Brian Clark: Things are going. I mean, the introverts have finally inherited the earth, so to speak. You know, I think we’ve adapted a little easier. My wife is not one of us and it may be getting to her a little bit, or maybe it’s me getting to her, who knows?
Chris Guillebeau: So much of my life is the same. Being self-employed like you, and probably like a lot of listeners, a lot of my life is the same. But, of course, everybody’s impacted in one way or another. I was supposed to do this 40-city tour for my book and now I’m doing a zero-city tour.
The Strangest Book Launch
Brian Clark: I know. We were talking about that before we went on the air, that historically, every time you release a book, you do these wild, extensive book tours. Honestly, that’s how I get to see you. Every time you release a new book, then I show up at the bookstore, but not this time.
You’ve called it now “the strangest book launch you’ve ever done. I think that would be true for whatever anyone is doing right now. But let’s talk just a little bit about how you had to adapt very quickly upon releasing the book.
Chris Guillebeau: Yeah. While I had the whole tour booked, I had the venues, I had the plane tickets, all that stuff and people were signing up and such. But then, obviously, at a certain point, it became apparent that it wasn’t even really a decision to make. Some people were like, “Wow, it’s quite a decision to make to cancel it. I’m like, “It was out of my hands, just like so many things. We just had to do something different.
I was sad about it for like a day and I was like, “Well, this sucks. But then after that, you have to look and see what is within your control since so much is not. 98% of what’s happening in the world is not in our control.
I was like, “I have to turn it into an opportunity, because I’m always talking to people about embracing risk and finding the opportunity in a time of uncertainty. And when things are disrupted that presents… there are negative impacts, but also positive impacts and such.
For me, I was like, “Okay, I’ve got to mix it up. So I started a new YouTube channel, started doing livestreams every day. Just started saying yes to stuff that I might not have done before. Just trying to be present however I can, but from one city instead of 40.
Tell Us About Your Last Book and Podcast
Brian Clark: Yeah, absolutely. Well, that’s the name of the game — adaptability — and we’re all playing it right now.
So, I do want to talk more about the new book. It’s very interesting, and thank you for sending me a copy as always. That was very cool.
But I do want to talk a little bit about your last book and your current podcast, because if there was anyone really positioned to help people right now, it would be you and your side hustling stories and advice that you give.
Take people back to the last book if for some reason they’re not familiar, and then talk about the podcast.
Chris Guillebeau: Yeah. I appreciate you saying that about me being the one to help. With the podcast, I’ve done 1,200 episodes now. I’ve done it every single day since January 1, 2017. It’s really the stories. Everybody likes case studies — 1,200 case studies of regular people out there. They’re not super entrepreneurs. It’s not like, “Here’s what your Elon Musk eats for breakfast and “Here’s how you can be like Warren Buffett.
It’s somebody out there in Middle America or wherever, and they have a job for the most part, they’ve got a family, they’ve got a mortgage. The point is they’re really busy and they find a way to create this extra source of income that’s not just driving for Uber. It’s not gig economy, it’s something substantial. A lot of them could become 6-figure businesses, sometimes 7-figures.
So I just started telling those stories over and over, and that led to the book Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days, which was a more how-to book than my current one is. And I think there are a lot of opportunities these days.
The first thing is if somebody is struggling, I always say, “If you need to make money right now, the first thing you should do is start selling your stuff. And by “selling your stuff, I don’t mean stuff that you’re using all the time. I mean, the stuff in your closet that you know is just sitting there. You can get $2,000 worth of stuff in your closet, the average American.
But then from there, it’s like, “What are the opportunities during this time? What are people gravitating towards? What do they need? And I think there’s a lot of stuff we could talk about there. They need connection, they need community, they need wellness — home exercise stuff is huge. There’s a whole long list of industries that are poised to do really well during a time of disorder and chaos.
Brian Clark: Yeah, absolutely. I like what you said there, because too many people — it’s so unfortunate. I’m not gloating or anything, because I’m always saying, “Create your own thing. Don’t rely on someone else’s platform.
Whether the people who kind of got in a tight spot when Amazon stopped shipping, Uber is hurting, Airbnb is decimated. (It’s going to come back, I think.) But everyone gravitated to these big Silicon Valley platforms instead of, “Well, can I create something that’s mine and sustainable? And if it goes down through bad luck, well, at least it’s not someone else that I’m having to rely on.
My version of the side hustle has always been starting the next thing while I’m doing the thing that pays the bills. And that’s a very entrepreneurial thing, because I have a business and I want to start another business on the side. I call it “the perpetual side hustle. Entrepreneurs are always starting something new. But right now, I think someone who is strapped for cash really is looking for, “Okay, whether this turns into a permanent gig or not, I need some extra income.
Tips for Earning Extra Income
Brian Clark: So let’s start there. Like you said, the last book was more of a how-to, share a few of the tips there. I recommend everyone pick that up if you’re interested in this, obviously. But Chris, give us a little bit of a preview of what they can look forward to.
Chris Guillebeau: Well, thank you. Let’s pick up on the reselling thing. Obviously, if you sell stuff from your house, you run out of stuff to sell. It’s kind of how I got started 20 years ago.
When I did that 20 years ago, I learned a lot. I started paying attention to other online auctions that were closing. What are the prices? And I started buying stuff and then truly reselling them, because you’re actually acquiring it in this form of retail arbitrage. There are a lot of people doing that on a lot of platforms. Now, as you said, you want to get away from that eventually.
I think the next step to getting away from it is, “What are my skills? What knowledge do I have? What specialized knowledge or expertise do I have about something that may be kind of random? In fact, in some ways the more random, the better.
In some ways, if there’s this thing that I was really excited about — like I just did this story last week about this guy who is into carnivorous plants. That was his thing. Really specialized, not just gardening, not just plants, but carnivorous plants. It’s a whole subculture of plants apparently. He sets out to make the Wikipedia of this topic. And he creates a little exchange where people are buying and selling and he’s doing pretty well from this highly, highly specialized topic.
Or you can take something that you’re doing already that’s kind of basic… is there a way to flip it to add more value?
I had a story of this guy who was a line cook in a St. Louis diner and making pancakes in the middle of the night. And he got into making pancake art and just putting some creativity into his craft when he had time. A friend asked him to do an event like a birthday party or something. He went and did it. And then they started doing events together, weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc., everything.
Long story short, that business is now a multiple 6-figure business called Dan Cakes. He’s making his pancake art for the world. And you’re like, “Well, if he can make pancakes — and he was probably earning minimum wage, or maybe a little bit more than that in the middle of the night in a diner — “and now he’s doing multiple 6-figures from something that is pretty basic. Then I think the pathway there is creative thinking.
It’s creative thinking and application. Lots of people can make pancake art. Lots of people might be into any random topic, but have they actually documented that? Have they found a way to go from their idea to their offer, which I think is another key thing.
I think you’ve talked about this a number of times as well. Everybody has a business idea. You go ask the person on the street, everybody’s got an idea. But it’s usually pretty generic and they haven’t thought through, “This is the product or the service. Here’s how much it costs. Here’s how people can pay me money for it. Here’s what they get in exchange for the money.
Just thinking really nuts and bolts, I think, is practical. And I like to do that at the outset rather than later on. I think that’s another mistake people make is, “I’ll figure out the revenue model later and stuff. It’s like, “No, right from the beginning. Figure out that kind of stuff and then build it back from there.
Ideas for Digital Businesses
Brian Clark: You’re an entrepreneur that in my mind has done very well with a hybrid. I tend to be 100% digital, although we have done a few live events. But you have one foot firmly in digital, one foot in the real world with World Domination Summit, with your book tours, with traditional publishing relationships.
Yet, I think one thing that we know is not going back is we’re increasingly going to the digital side, which was going to happen no matter what. And then this virus came along and said, “I think you’re going to speed up.
Do you have anything specific to… because often, these are the type of businesses that are the least expensive to start with the best chance of reaching a mass audience. Now, of course, that has its challenges. Any ideas that you can kind of throw out there for people who may be thinking along those lines?
Chris Guillebeau: Well, I think what’s good is not just looking at the way things are now. Because one, you will be listening to this episode later. But even if you’re listening to this episode very soon after we recorded it, it doesn’t always help to be like, “What do I need to do today or what are the business needs of today?
Something I think that you’ve been really smart in is looking ahead and saying, “Okay, three months from now… Or maybe you were looking three years out or something. But in this time that we’re in, three months from now or six months, whatever the timing turns out to be, because we don’t know, we are going back to something different than it is now. We may not go back to the normal that it was before, but there is going to be another transition essentially.
So I think a good question to ask is, “What will people need then? What will people need at that point having been through this? We’ve been through it all collectively, which is also really strange. It’s a trauma that everybody has experienced simultaneously yet differently. So what are the needs then?
And I think even more so with community and connection — how can people show up? How can they provide answers and resources? Mental health, broadly speaking. So not just therapy, but anything associated with wellness.
I can hear what you’re saying about digital, for sure. But I think there will be more and more of a clamor to find ways to connect physically, even if it’s different than we’ve done it before. I don’t quite know what the answer for that will be or what the expression of it is.
But just thinking also, so many career changes, right? Career changes, remote work.
Here’s the thing. I don’t think people — all these people, these millions of people who have suddenly learned to work remotely. There’s an adjustment period, of course, but a lot of them… I’ve been getting emails from people who always wanted to work remotely and their boss wouldn’t let them or their company didn’t allow it or whatever. And now, of course, they have to.
I don’t think all those people are going to go back to the office. I mean, some will, of course, but some are going to say, “You know what? This works. Actually, why can’t I do it this way? So I think there are going to be a lot of needs there. How can you serve those people, that population and anybody who’s navigating that stuff?
Brian Clark: So some people are probably considering what their audience building strategy would be if they do something digital. At least one foot in digital, eventually you can go back into the real world.
How Do You Keep Up with Daily Podcasts?
Brian Clark: So, you mentioned how many podcast episodes you’ve done since 2017. I’ve been watching you and I’m like, “Chris is just insane sometimes to me. I mean, why did you decide to do one every day and how do you keep up with that?
Chris Guillebeau: Well, I made a commitment the first year to do it every day, and I felt that was important. I felt like maybe I was a little bit late to the podcast space, I have to do something that’s kind of different. So I decided, first of all, I’m not going to do an interview format, it’s just going to be me. I’m going to be teaching something specific. It’s going to be this case study model.
Then I think like the cherry on top was, “And I’m going to do it every day in 2017. If you commit to listen every day, I commit to be here. So building this sense of community and loyalty which really worked quite well. I was surprised the first year. I’d been doing stuff online, writing books for, I think, seven or eight years at that point. And I probably doubled my audience from the podcast, which I did not expect at all.
After that it was just like, “Can I keep it going? Am I going to be able to find enough stories? Is there a way I can improve the process so it takes a little bit less of my time, but I’m still giving something that’s a quality product?
For the first three years, I recorded every day. It wasn’t like I was batch recording seven episodes a week or whatever. I felt it was important just to make that part of my routine. And it didn’t feel burdensome at all until probably like the second half of the third year.
And so, I did make a change this year to where now I’m recording two days a week. So two days a week, I record everything for that week. And that is helpful, I think. It still takes a lot of time, but it’s something that I enjoy and people are getting value out of. So I’ll keep doing it for a while.
How Are You Helping People Using Video?
Brian Clark: You’ve always been a great writer and obviously a proficient writer, because you write out each episode before you record it. You’ve got your built-in transcripts, so to speak. Yeah, it’s a really interesting process. And now, you’ve just added a new video show on top of it. So you are a glutton for punishment.
Talk about that a little bit and how you’re trying to help people in these trying circumstances.
Chris Guillebeau: Well, the video show is interesting. I’m doing a new YouTube channel. I’m doing every weekday. It’s just youtube.com/chrisguillebeau. And I haven’t committed to doing that for a certain number of days. I haven’t committed to 365 or whatever.
The motivation there was twofold. One, I can’t go in a bookstore, so what can I do every day to speak to people? This way I can kind of do something that builds over time, as opposed to the same message every day, but to different audiences.
Then, also, I just thought it was important to show up and to be present. I found that a lot of people just want to chat. I’m doing these Instagram lives as well and there’s very little agenda for it. I’m not teaching a lot. I have a few comments here and there, but I think people are longing to connect — not just with me, but with anybody.
So that’s the point of that. And it may grow or it may not grow. I’m not very good at it. That’s also interesting. Like, I never did YouTube before, so there is a learning curve there both in terms of the technology and in the presentation and all that. That’s interesting for me to walk through it. I’m doing it live, of course.
I’m hoping that I’ll get better at it, but it’s also a good exercise for me because I’m always encouraging people, “Hey, start before you’re ready. It doesn’t have to be perfect, etc. And now, I’m living that out.
So if my slides aren’t working or something two minutes before the start, it doesn’t matter, I have to do it. It’s good for me and hopefully some people are learning something from it.
Brian Clark: I love how you challenge yourself to basically, I mean, I’m the same way and yet I’ve still not committed to doing video.
Chris Guillebeau: I started two weeks ago, man. I’ve resisted it a long time.
Brian Clark: Yeah, I think about it. I mean, hell, I actually got in shape and everything. I’m at least presentable on camera now, so maybe I should. But, yeah, I just always think back to 20 years ago, why I got into this Internet thing and it wasn’t to show myself to people. It was to stay home and write stuff. But yeah, we all kind of have to push ourselves.
Chris Guillebeau: Everybody has to adapt.
Brian Clark: Out of our comfort zone, that’s how you grow. That’s good advice for everyone who’s listening who may be on the fence about whatever it is you’re contemplating. Just do it. At the beginning, who cares?
Chris Guillebeau: Do something that sucks a little bit and then make it better as you go. Make it better every day. That’s what I try to do — everyday learn one more piece of the technical aspect of different scenes and sources and YouTube and all that kind of stuff.
Tell Us About the New Book
Brian Clark: Absolutely. Okay, let’s talk about the book, because this is a departure from the other books that you’ve written. I think the actual genre in the publishing industry is called “business parable, but you don’t use that term and I’m with you. Most of them aren’t good.
The first thing that I commented on when I started reading your book was, “This doesn’t suck. This actually reads like a good novel. I especially enjoyed your use of the term “chief asshole officer in the very first few pages, which had a little bit of spice there.
Chris Guillebeau: Which does not refer to the main character, it refers to somebody he encounters in his job. And a lot of people with jobs can understand that. “We have that position at our company too.
Yeah, thank you. I tried to write a story that’s readable as a story that people who aren’t interested in business can still enjoy and go away learning something. I think a lot of people don’t read business books. In fact, the majority of people don’t read business books.
The majority of people who are struggling financially right now might not read the book Side Hustle or anybody else’s business book. But obviously, they need help. So my goal is with this book to provide — it’s like The $100 Startup, another book I wrote, but in the form of a narrative, in the form of a story.
The main character is experiencing a lot of financial pressure. He has a tremendous amount of student loan debt like a lot of people do right now. And then that’s affecting the rest of his life. It affects his relationship, his job, everything, and he has to find his way out of that.
He also realizes he can’t just work harder. He’s already a hard worker. You can’t just do the gig economy things. That’s not really going to help. So what can he do? Ultimately, he has to start a business, but that sounds intimidating. So he has to unpack that and figure out how to do it without spending a lot of money.
Brian Clark: Yeah, The $100 Startup was a great book. And not just because you mentioned me in it. I don’t get to show up in this story.
Chris Guillebeau: Well, you only have page 85, so maybe if you keep reading, you might make…
The Third Way
Brian Clark: You totally called me out, man. Yes, I did make it to page 85, but that is far enough in to encounter what you call “the third way. Which is kind of this pivotable — I’ve done this two podcasts in a row, Chris. I’ve used this word that doesn’t exist: pivotable.
Chris Guillebeau: Pivotable.
Brian Clark: Yeah, I think it’s just a word now.
Chris Guillebeau: Yeah, it is. That’s good.
Brian Clark: It’s a catalyst for your protagonist. Without giving too much away, what is “the third way?
Chris Guillebeau: Sure, yes. “The third way, it’s not a cult, it’s not a new age, new wave punk band. It is, in fact, essentially a model of lifestyle, entrepreneurship.
If you think of the first way of starting a business, it’s like the old school model of, “I’m going to open a coffee shop or a dry cleaners or some kind of retail store. And so, to do that, I have to write a business plan. I have to have access to capital somehow. Most likely I’m going to borrow that money from a bank, from my parents, from my credit card, somehow. And there’s going to be a lot of risk involved with that, a long timeline, etc.
The second way is the startup way or the Silicon Valley way. That model also relies on investors and access to the right relationships as well. It’s not just access to money, it’s to the right relationships and everything associated with that.
Both of those models are dependent on other people. Both of those models require you to give up control and have some lucky breaks. And that’s fine for certain businesses.
But the third way in the book, it’s like a third way group that’s meeting. Every week they’re meeting to talk about “What project can we start to create financial freedom to be able to quit our jobs because we are unemployable or just because we need some extra money? Whatever the reason is.
They’re all trying to start these projects very quickly without spending money and by using a skill that they already have. And so I just chose that, that phrasing, “third way, as I see more and more people embracing that. I know you have worked with countless entrepreneurs who have effectively adopted the same kind of thing and I have too over the years.
Those have always been my people. I never had a traditional startup, I never opened a retail store. But I always did lots of small little businesses. Just like the stories that I feature in the books or on the podcast, they’re trying to make something of themselves and it often can become something significant. 7-figures sometimes as you’ve seen, but without the investment, without all that kind of thing. So that’s the third way.
Brian Clark: Yeah. It’s great. Because when I started reading the book, I had no idea. I just didn’t know about the format. I didn’t know what it was about. It was called The Money Tree: Finding… What was the subtitle? Finding Money In Your Own Backyard?
Chris Guillebeau: A Story About Finding The Fortune In Your Own Backyard.
Brian Clark: So, I thought you were doing like some Gary V, sell your stuff from the garage type book. And I’m like, “Wow, this is taking the side hustle thing to a whole new level. But no, it was a completely different book.
Then, once I got into it enough to realize what you were talking about, I’m like, “This is very 7-Figure Small. These individual people, they’re not going to go raise capital. They’re not going bricks and mortar, but they’re joining this increasing group of people who create…
How Did You Decide to Write This Book?
Brian Clark: It doesn’t have to get to 7-figures, but the stats on the number of no employee, no investor businesses that make 7-figures a year is amazing and growing. And I think that’s going to continue into the future. So, in that sense, you’ve written a modern business book for a new kind of business.
Now, I know you and I have been doing this for a while, but one of the changes I see going forward will be an acceleration perhaps, using technology instead of traditional means. Using the reach of the Internet to find your people as opposed to whomever just might show up.
Yeah, you’ve really written a timely book. How did you decide this was your next project? I mean, was it coming for a while or was it one of those more moments of inspiration?
Chris Guillebeau: One of the things I think is really cool that you just mentioned is it’s just becoming more and more mainstream and more understandable to pursue this kind of model. When we started our things back in the day, it was pretty rare. Even to just have an Internet-based side hustle of some kind was kind of rare for a long time.
Then it became more and more mainstream. In every coffee shop, you saw people trying to do their Etsy store or whatever it was. And now, I think out of this wave of what’s happening now with everybody questioning lots of assumptions and expectations, and realizing that some of the things they believed to be true before were not true necessarily. Or maybe they were true for a time, but now, in this changing world, they’re not. I think more and more people are going to follow this path and it’s just more and more accessible, so that’s good.
As for how I got this idea — I don’t quite remember how I had the original idea. I started thinking about the characters at a certain point. I started thinking about this guy named Jake, who is the protagonist, and he’s the guy going through that struggle. I didn’t really know how to write fiction, so I wasn’t sure if I could.
So, I spent probably three months just outlining notes and ideas and such for it before I actually really started writing. And then I wrote more drafts of this book than any other book I’ve done. I think I did seven or eight drafts of this book because I really wanted to kind of get it right.
I also wasn’t sure creatively, just in terms of business stuff and the creative… It is a creative risk for me to take, because it is a hybrid book and nobody quite knows what to do with it. Publishing works well with books that are just like another book like, “This book is like The Secret. This book is like John Grisham’s last, or whatever.
This is kind of like fiction and nonfiction in one. But I really believed in it and so I thought, “Let me just do the best job I can with it. And now, let me see what I can do in terms of getting people to care about it and we’ll see what happens.
Brian Clark: Speaking of back in the day, everyone thought I was crazy 20 years ago. Did you go through that period where no one — like your parents thought you were nuts?
Chris Guillebeau: They were paranoid, I think. It wasn’t just they thought I was crazy. I think they thought I was doing something illegal, because the only things you could do on the Internet were illegal. That was the understanding; it was drugs or porn, basically. Like, there’s actually more online than just drugs or porn, but that’s what they thought, I think.
Brian Clark: It has become more mainstream. I know since I’ve moved to Boulder, it’s been eight years now. You know, you think you would be happy to be in coffee shops and here’s some tech bro talking about content marketing, as someone who started talking about it, you started doing it way back before it even had a name. But it annoys me, I don’t know why. But I think I’m getting over it.
Chris Guillebeau: You’re thinking about the future. You’re thinking, “These guys are in the past. Not that content marketing is in the past, but you know what I mean? Like they’re catching up, whereas we have to be thinking about what comes next.
Brian Clark: Yeah, I guess that’s maybe it. I have gotten past it. But you just want to go over there and sit the guy down and go, “Look, here’s what you should do, but you can’t do that. We’ve got our own audiences, our own people, and we’re responsible to them. And I think that’s what we should stick with.
Takeaways from the Book
Brian Clark: Are there some takeaways, ultimately again, without spoiling the book, because it’s a good read, it’s a good story. I don’t care, you could probably give us all the takeaways and people should still read it. But give us a taste.
Chris Guillebeau: Oh sure. I mean, so Jake’s first — the first thing that he does is he explores this world of reselling. He starts selling the textbooks from his closet. He’s given this challenge, that’s one thing. He’s given this challenge to go and make a thousand dollars in the next week, before the next meeting. At first, he’s like, “Whoa, if I knew how to do that, I wouldn’t be in this situation. But he kind of figures it out.
Then from there, the next challenge is to create a service. So there’s a whole examination of “What is a service business? What is a very simple service that someone can start? I think to figure that out, for anybody who’s listening — again, it’s about what are your skills? What’s your knowledge? What could you impart to someone else?
And then, how can you package that in some way? How can you package it in the form of a consultation or a coaching session or a product? Of course, whether it’s an ebook or online course or something else. So he kind of goes through that process.
It’s not how-to. It’s not like I’m in the book like, “Step one: do this. Step two: do that. It’s more just like he’s figuring it out and making mistakes as he goes, but then correcting and eventually getting on the right path.
The middle portion of the book actually takes place in Ethiopia. I don’t know if you’ve got to that yet. But I wanted to write a lot about Africa because I used to live there. So a lot of the lessons come from his exploration in the village and exploring things around Addis Ababa.
Ultimately, it’s meant to be kind of empowering. One of the key themes that comes up repeatedly is that you can do more than you think. And I think that’s something a lot of people need to understand. You probably have a vision to do something or you might be worried or anxious during this time, like a lot of people are. It’s understandable.
But there is a way out. There is something that you can find. And it starts with asking yourself, “What can I do? What is the first step? What is the next best thing that I can do?
If you don’t know where you’re ultimately going, that’s okay, because none of us do certainly in the beginning, but even now I think.
Brian Clark: Yeah, the whole point about the anxiety and uncertainty. Last week, we tried to explore — I know it seems counterintuitive, but maybe this is the point where you just say, “Screw what I’ve been doing. That was a compromise. This is the only life I’ve got. It’s precious and I need to be doing what I want to really do at this point.
Of course, that’s easy enough for maybe you or I to say, so we try to be careful about it. So I just related the story of almost dying right before I started Copyblogger that changed my life. It was both the worst and best thing that ever happened to me. And I’m just trying to gently ease people into the idea that — and maybe a cliché — but seize this day. Do it right now, because change brings opportunity.
Things are certainly changing. We don’t know exactly how, but pay attention and live with the purpose that we all have. It’s in there somewhere, and it’s not just to shake the money tree. Although, of course, there’s nothing wrong with making a good living.
Chris Guillebeau: No, sure. Ultimately, it’s about purpose. I love what you just said. In my therapy the past couple of years, I’ve worked a lot on this concept of exposure therapy, which is just embracing reality or accepting reality and not trying to fight what reality is, but like, “This is how things are. Okay. So, then, “What can I do? as opposed to just constantly trying to fight.
In this day and age, we can’t fight it. We can’t fight what’s happening in terms of Coronavirus, in terms of the changes to the economy. If your industry has completely changed, the wrong thing to do… If your industry is completely dying now and triaged or something, the right thing to do is not go on LinkedIn and post more resumes or look to your competitors to see… The right thing to do has to be something totally different. Just accepting that is hard at first.
A flight attendant asked me the other day, “What should I do? Do you think travel’s coming back? And I’m like, “Not for a while, not for a long time. The wrong approach would be to try to get hired at a different airline if you get laid off at one airline. The right approach is something totally different.
Last Words of Advice
Brian Clark: Okay. Between The Third Way and the Side Hustle, which may or may not be temporary, what would you want to leave people with as a final thought today?
Chris Guillebeau: A final thought, well, this is a great conversation. Thank you as always. I’m honored to be on the show again. I’ve learned from you for many years, so this is fun.
I would say my final thoughts, I just kind of go back to my overall mission, which extends beyond all the books and anything else, which is to share this message of how you don’t have to live your life the way others expect. Right now, this is a wonderful opportunity because so many things have changed, are changing, will change. And, as I said, we’re all in this together.
Often, people feel a lot of pressure over trying to step out and do something different. So I’m trying to prop them up and say, “Hey, you’re not alone out there and such. But now, you’re really not alone because of the environment that we’re in.
So whatever constraints or limitations that other people or companies try to put on you, you don’t have to accept those. You can create your own thing, your own life, your own whatever you want to call it. Whether it’s a side hustle, a business, third way thing, it doesn’t really matter. It’s, “What’s important to you? And what is the next thing you’re going to do today to get closer to that?
Brian Clark: Wise words, Chris. Thank you so much for coming on the show. Stay safe, stay well, and best wishes with the book. I think I saw that maybe sales are already exceeding expectations. Is that right?
Chris Guillebeau: Well, I try not to expect anything. When you sell one copy, I’m like, “Oh, somebody bought a copy of the book, that’s great. I should get a bell or something that goes off whenever I sell a single copy of the book, I’d be thrilled.
Brian Clark: All right, we’re going to have links to The Money Tree and the Side Hustle book as well in the show notes. Two timely purchases, in my opinion, so go ahead and pick those up. Thanks, Chris, take care.
Chris Guillebeau: Sure.