The $100 Startup

Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

By: Chris Guillebeau

Narrated by: Chris Guillebeau, Thomas Vincent Kelly

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

In The $100 Startup, Chris Guillebeau tells you how to lead of life of adventure, meaning and purpose - and earn a good living.

Still in his early 30s, Chris is on the verge of completing a tour of every country on earth - he's already visited more than 175 nations - and yet he’s never held a "real job" or earned a regular paycheck. Rather, he has a special genius for turning ideas into income, and he uses what he earns both to support his life of adventure and to give back.

There are many others like Chris - those who've found ways to opt out of traditional employment and create the time and income to pursue what they find meaningful. Sometimes, achieving that perfect blend of passion and income doesn't depend on shelving what you currently do. You can start small with your venture, committing little time or money, and wait to take the real plunge when you're sure it's successful.

In preparing to write this book, Chris identified 1,500 individuals who have built businesses earning $50,000 or more from a modest investment (in many cases, $100 or less), and from that group he’s chosen to focus on the 50 most intriguing case studies. In nearly all cases, people with no special skills discovered aspects of their personal passions that could be monetized, and were able to restructure their lives in ways that gave them greater freedom and fulfillment.

Here, finally, distilled into one easy-to-use guide, are the most valuable lessons from those who’ve learned how to turn what they do into a gateway to self-fulfillment. It’s all about finding the intersection between your "expertise" - even if you don’t consider it such - and what other people will pay for. You don’t need an MBA, a business plan or even employees. All you need is a product or service that springs from what you love to do anyway, people willing to pay, and a way to get paid.

Not content to talk in generalities, Chris tells you exactly how many dollars his group of unexpected entrepreneurs required to get their projects up and running; what these individuals did in the first weeks and months to generate significant cash; some of the key mistakes they made along the way, and the crucial insights that made the business stick. Among Chris’s key principles: if you’re good at one thing, you’re probably good at something else; never teach a man to fish - sell him the fish instead; and in the battle between planning and action, action wins.

In ancient times, people who were dissatisfied with their lives dreamed of finding magic lamps, buried treasure, or streets paved with gold. Today, we know that it’s up to us to change our lives. And the best part is, if we change our own life, we can help others change theirs. This remarkable book will start you on your way.

©2012 Chris Guillebeau (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

"Thoughtful, funny, and compulsively readable, this guide shows how ordinary people can build solid livings, with independence and purpose, on their own terms.” (Gretchen Rubin, author of the number-one New York Times best seller The Happiness Project)

"The $100 Startup is a twofer: It's a kick in the pants to get started on your dream and a road map for finding your way once you begin. If you're not ready to launch your own business after reading this book, you need to go back and read it again!" (Daniel H. Pink, New York Times best-selling author of Drive and A Whole New Mind)

"In this valuable guide Chris Guillebeau shows that transforming an idea into a successful business can be easier than you think…. You are in charge of which ideas deserve your time, and this book can help you wake up every morning eager to progress to the next step." (Tony Hsieh, New York Times best-selling author of Delivering Happiness and CEO of Zappos.com)

example based book rather than tactical

a little too "fluffy" and motivational. After just reading the 4-Hour workweek by Tim Ferriss I followed it up with this book. in comparison to the 4-Hour workweek book this book was boring and fluffy. stick to the 4-Hour workweek book or fast track millionaire book for more tactical information on what to do to start your own business.

Robots have taken over as Audible narrators.

It's a tough one for an audio book. There are tables, charts and list that just don't translate to audio well. And the narration is VERY robotic. The writing style is fluid and conversational and the narration is not.

Still a good book. Interesting ideas and anecdotes. Inspirational to those struggling to take the first step.

Great book

I found this book to be thorough, clear and to the point. I highly recommend it.

Have your teens listen to this...

I highly recommend this for both the young and the old. My Teens have loved hearing the stories as well as thinking about possibilities on their own. It gets the juices turning and hears real life successes.

Great - Useful and Pragmatic.

Very down to earth. I enjoyed the fact based approach with examples and real life stories.

Best book and most needed book these days

I have bought all the "Best 50 Jobs to Work Out of Your Home"-type books over the years.

This is the best by far because it shows how to tailor your own future based on your own skills and interests, and has excellent examples of people who have actually done this.

The author has done a tremendous amount of research to produce this book. So it was not just a one-off book written from the kitchen table.

I think everybody should get this book to understand its philosophy and to help protect against the future.

Very highly recommended.

was expecting a little more ..

I kept waiting for some additional information that I haven't heard before and 100 actual startups

Is the voice actor a robot?

Overall, this was a well-written book with inspiring anecdotes and some basic pieces of key insight.

I would’ve enjoyed it more had it not been narrated by a robot. I could only bear to listen to about 15 minutes at a time, otherwise I’d start nodding off.

I had to stop at chapter 4

I started listening to this book today as I drive around town doing errands ... but I just had to stop at chapter 4, at least for now. The book has good informations and examples and I will continue to listen until it's done but I'm getting sleepy from listening to the voice of the narrator. As a business startup book, I feel there should be some excitement in the tone of the voice but there isnt. I like Chris Introduction a lot more because it felt so genuine and real. So far it been really mellow, monotone, and that's boring to me. It doesn't want me to make get up and want to take action on starting up a business. And that's what I was hoping this Audible would do for me.

A useful reference.

This book was a short to the point guide to starting a business on a budget. Much of the information within I had read elsewhere but the study and stories compiled by the author are unique and valuable to this book. A great handbook for those wishing to break free of the 9 to 5.