It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Chris Guillebeau’s work at The Art of Non-Conformity and the World Domination Summit.
Chris’s encouraging approach to life as an adventure has always appealed to me. He applies his consummate curiosity to the subject of entrepreneurship in his latest book, The $100 Startup.
Filled with case studies and grounded, simple advice about how to launch and run a small business, this book will inspire those just starting and those who’ve been in business for awhile and who need a perspective refresher.
Chris just launched this book and has embarked on his book tour. We hosted him in Denver in 2010 for his Art of Non-Conformity book tour.
This year, he’ll be speaking on Friday, May 18th, 2012 at 7:30 pm at the Tattered Cover in Highlands Ranch. I’ll be there and look forward to the discussion that Chris will initiate about entrepreneurship.
Enjoy my video review, with a revelation of a surprise connection between my business and this book. Below the video I’ve shared about my own $100 startup.
My (Less than) $100 Startup
In May, 1999 I quit my job at the bookstore and struck out on my entrepreneurial path. I’d read an article about coaching, attended a weekend introductory course, and knew that coaching was the career for me.
I didn’t have savings, I didn’t have a golden parachute, and I didn’t have a plan other than to coach and write.
Frankly, I didn’t even know I was going into business.
I’m sure I didn’t have $100 but I didn’t leap from my job without ways to support myself. I’d always relied on multiple streams of income, so I moved forward on the bridge of my existing skills.
A financial bridge to fund the startup
If you’re considering self-employment, you may need to have a financial bridge to support you while you build your business. This could be made using the skills from your former work.
My bridge had these sources of income:
Personal chef Every week, I’d cook a week’s worth of delicious and healthy vegetarian meals for a family.
Cooking classes At this time I was in the middle of my ten-year career as a cooking instructor. I had a small following, and several of these people became my first clients and also came to my other workshops.
Writing classes I had been teaching writing since 1996. I earned money teaching classes at a local writing school and leading free write groups in my home.
Writing I was a columnist for Life on Capitol Hill. I wrote a monthly article and was paid $50 per. This of course was a pittance but it built confidence in my writing and gave me clips to prove I was a published writer.
Pushing the leap
The next year I pushed myself out of the safety net of Denver and moved to Boulder. With no money, no boyfriend, no job, no nothing, I needed to take a job while I built my business.
Part of me felt this was a defeat. But a friend shook some sense into me. “Girlfriend, you need cash! Just go find a part-time job.”
I went to interviews, and in one office, I broke down in tears. “I just want to build my coaching business,” I cried to the sympathetic woman interviewing me.
Finally, I found a job at the box office at Chautauqua. I sold concert tickets and made friends. In the winter I worked at a cooking school.
Both of these jobs allowed me time to develop my own business while earning money. (The first job also led to some lucrative opportunities for me, but that’s another story.)
In February 2001 I went fully self-employed. I haven’t punched a time clock since.
It’s possible to build a lean startup
I’m a lot like many of the entrepreneurs featured in The $100 Startup. I had an idea, the inspiration to help others and a perfect blend of courage and ignorance.
If you’re considering taking your own entrepreneurial leap, The $100 Startup gives both information and solid advice for bringing your idea into the business realm.
Over to you
What sources of income can you use to support yourself while you build your business?
Leave a comment below telling about how you’ve funded your startup and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a hardcover copy of $100 Startup.
Comment by Monday, May 21st. I’ll draw a winner at random and announce it here.