Creating your own $100 Startup: An interview with Chris Guillebeau

I'm (nearly peeing my pants) delighted to bring you an interview with Chris Guillebeau, the author/ entrepreneur/world traveler behind the just-launched book, The $100 Startup.  

Guillebeau, a fellow Portlander, has never earned a regular paycheck nor held down a traditional job. Instead, he has mastered the art (and, frankly, science) of turning ideas into income and adventure. 

If you're considering (or dreaming about) opting out of a traditional corporate job to create something meaningful and adventurous? You absolutely must own this book.

(I'm giving away a copy-- read on!)

In The $100 Startup, Guillebeau tells the stories of 50 regular people who launched a variety of "microbusinesses," each with an initial investment of $100 or less. These businesses today earn at least $50K in annual revenue. Many of them? Generate much more.

(As in, you don't need to have a pile of cash on hand to launch a business, folks. You just don't. I certainly did not!)

The book isn't just an inspiring read. It provides a clear plan of action for anyone itching to try self-employment as a career option.

I caught up with Chris this week, as he's traveling the country on his $100 Startup book tour. Here's the advice he offered JobJenny.com readers:

JF: In your travels/interviews, what have you found to be the most common roadblock people struggle with when contemplating a transition from "day job" to entrepreneurship?

CG: In order to finally walk away from a full-time job, people usually want a real sense of direction and the confidence that they'll be able to make their new businesses work. Without definitive next steps and a clear action plan, it's hard to blame anyone for being afraid to go all-in. My goal for The $100 Startup was to provide exactly that: clear steps and an actionable plan.

JF: I often counsel people with kids, spouses, mortgages, etc. Many feel like, "Oh, if only I'd done X, Y or Z BEFORE I had a family and all these obligations. But now I'm trapped." How do you encourage this person that entrepreneurship is still entirely doable?

CG: More than anything, people don't want to feel like they're alone or doing something for the first time. I always point people who feel burdened by obligation to stories of other people in similar situations who have found a way to get started. All of us are busy and have obligation, but the truth is that we make time for the things that are truly important to us.

JF: You talk about people who have a clear-cut monetizable passion in the book. What about those who know they aren't cut out for Corporate America, but don't necessarily have a definitive, monetizable passion? Can they still find a spot as entrepreneurs? And, if so, how can they get started?

CG: One of the stories in the book is about a guy who actually has people pay him to redeem their frequent flier miles for them. In other words, he gets paid to do something that these people could do themselves for free, and this side business brings in more than $100,000 a year. Finding something that's monetizable is all about skill transformation. Everyone's an expert as something; you just have to find something you're good at that people will pay you for.

JF: I talk with people regularly who are struggling with long-term employment. They're so frustrated and scared. I typically counsel them to make a job if they can't find one, but to some this can seem daunting. What can you suggest that might make this option seem less scary?

CG: It's all a matter of perspective. Personally, I find the idea of getting a job scary. I think what really frightens all people is redefining their paradigms and assessing real security and risk. It can be scary to think, "I've lived according to these sets of rules for so long; what if I walk away from them?" However, for many of us, creative self-employment truly is the safe-conservative choice.

JF: Do you recommend quitting the day job, or keeping the day job going while you try out a microbusiness?

CG: There isn't any more glamour or glory in doing it one way or the other. If you have real obligations and responsibilities, there's no need to quit right away -- but there's also no reason to wait forever to being your project. Start on the side. Put two of your weeknights and half the weekend to use building your project. Again, we all make time for what's important to us. Many people in the book decided that freedom was important enough to spend time pursuing.

JF: Any "most profound" stories about a person or people who had been just mired in a high-pressure, highly unsatisfactory day job and just said, "What the hell. I'm going for it!" ?

 CG: We talked with 1,500 people and 50 of those stories made the book. Flip to any random page in The $100 Startup and you'll find exactly that. No one went to business school. No one went begging for money at the bank. They all found that convergence point between passion and usefulness. Then they go paid, and then they created a new future for themselves.

Win the book!

Chris and his publishers have very graciously provided me with an extra copy of The $100 Startup.

Wanna win it? Just post a comment below -- Tell me why you must own this book immediately - What's your idea? What are you dreaming about? I'll draw one person from here and send you your own lovely, brand-spanking-new hardcover. 

You have a dream? Let's get cracking already.

Why you shouldn't be a jerk to a recruiter.

Recruiters can be so pesky, I totally get it.

Having been one for almost a decade, I know firsthand that plenty of job seekers and professionals view our trade much like they do "lawyers" or "used car salesmen."

And some of us earn that reputation. We do.

But as tempting as it may be? If you are a job seeker with an active resume posted online (e.g. Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, etc.) you absolutely cannot be a jerk to a recruiter who calls you, with good intentions, to see if you might be a fit for the position that he/she has available.

This is not some bozo cold-calling you.

YOU have advertised yourself there. YOU have invited people to connect. Therefore, YOU cannot be a jerk (unless the recruiter is a jerk first, then all bets are off.)

So anyways...

Today I dialed up a decent looking (on paper) candidate who had just posted his resume online a couple of days ago. From my assessment of his resume, he's recently quit or been laid off from his job.

As in, he has no job.

I'm a recruiter within the exact market he works (robotics). I have at least 2-3 jobs available that would be very appropriate for his skill set. With really great companies.

Unfortunately, I didn't have opportunity to discuss any of these positions with him. I didn't have opportunity to discuss his situation, goals or any of that.

Why not?

Because he was a royal jerk.

"Why are you asking me this? It's all right there on my resume."

"What am I best at? My resume speaks for itself."

"What do I want to do? Are you even looking at my resume?"

At this point, I politely ended the call. And promptly blacklisted him from any future opportunities through our agency.

Had he been one step more rude? I may have even dialed up a couple of my very favorite clients (the hiring managers at the companies he may wish to work for) and suggested they keep an eye out for this guy.

And not in a good way.

So my key points here are as follows:

1. If you're posting your resume online, you are inviting recruiters to contact you. 
2. Some of them will be great, some will pester the hell out of you. Deal, or take the resume down.
3. The good recruiters? We will be extremely dialed in to your industry and to the key players in your industry. Our relationships can help you. They can also hurt you.

I recognize that job search can be incredibly stressful, especially if it's not by choice. But there is truly no good reason to be mean to recruiters if you are the one who invited that call in the first place.

Need a Ridiculously Awesome Resume this summer? Read this!

Your dreams matter.

You deserve a career that challenges you, fulfills you and makes your friends wonder how in the hell you got so lucky in life.

You may need a Ridiculously Awesome Resume to support this effort.

Yes?

If you're currently considering investing in the Ridiculously Awesome Resume service, please take note:

I will be significantly limiting resume inventory in June and July.

To catch my breath.

And travel.

And work on a major project.

And enjoy my family.

A summer sabbatical, if you will.

To prepare for this annual event, I have lifted May inventory limits.

We will accommodate all resume orders that come in by May 31.

So if you know you'll need a resume this summer? I encourage you to order in May to ensure we get you rolling towards greatness sooner, not later.

C'mon over HERE to get started.

Photo by: Morgan Day Photography