TableofContentsTitlePageCopyrightPageDedicationIntroductionSUCCESSSKILL#1-HOWTOMAKEYOURWORKMEANINGFULANDYOURMEANINGWORKSUCCESS SKILL #2 - HOW TO FIND GREAT MENTORS ANDTEACHERS,CONNECTWITH...SUCCESSSKILL#3 -WHATEVERYSUCCESSFULPERSONNEEDSTOKNOWABOUTMARKETING,...SUCCESSSKILL#4 -WHATEVERYSUCCESSFULPERSONNEEDSTOKNOWABOUTSALES,AND...SUCCESSSKILL#5-HOWTOINVESTFORSUCCESSSUCCESSSKILL#6-BUILDTHEBRANDOFYOUSUCCESSSKILL#7-THEENTREPRENEURIALMIND-SETVERSUSTHEEMPLOYEEMIND-SETEPILOGUEGRATITUDENOTESINDEX

“Thisbook isamasterpiece.Grippingandwhip-smart,TheEducationofMillionaireswill foreverrevolutionize your thoughts on the connection between education, career success, and prosperity.Ellsberg is careful to avoid ‘motivational fluff’ and instead provides mind-blowingly sharp (andhumorous)brass-tacksadviceonhowtoprofithandsomelybybecomingalifelonglearner.”

—JennyBlake,authorofLifeAfterCollege

“Ifentrepreneurswererunningschools,insteadofbureaucrats,schoolswouldbeteachingalotmoreoftheskillsandmind-setsfoundinthisbook.Sincethey’renot,thisbookisanecessaryantidotetoatraditionalcollegeeducation.”

—ScottBanister,founderofIronPortSystems,BanisterCapital

“Thisisthemustreadofthenexteraofeducation.ThisonebookcouldbealltheeducationyoueverneedtomassivelyoutperformeventheIvyLeague.Thesecretscontainedarebrilliantandsimpletoadopt.”

—CameronHerold,authorofDoubleDouble,formerCOOof1-800-GOT-JUNK?

“Justliketheentrepreneurshehighlightsinhisbook,Ellsbergchallengestheconventionalwisdomofwhatittakestomakeitinthisworld.Ifyouhaveanideaandthedrive,nothingcanstopyou.AndEllsbergprovesit.”

—SimonSinek,authorofStartwithWhy

“You don’t need a degree to live life on your own terms: you need economically valuable skills.Ellsberg’sbookistheblueprintforentrepreneurialeducation.”

—JoshKaufman,authorofThePersonalMBA:MastertheArtofBusiness

“Provocative and timely, Ellsberg lays bare what he sees as a giant hole in much of traditionaleducation—a focus on ‘academic’ knowledge and a de-emphasis on the knowledge and skills

necessary to actually succeed in life. Drawing from a wealth of interviews with successfulentrepreneurs,hehomesinonsevenkeysuccessskillsthathelpputyoubackinthedriver’sseat.”

—JonathanFields,authorofUncertainty:TurningFearandDoubtintoFuelforBrilliance

“Ignorethestats,breaktherules,devoteyourselftosomethingmeaningful.Youwon’tgetthatinanMBA program. But you’ll get it from Ellsberg and his self-educated millionaires—and plenty ofproofthattrueandsustainedsuccesscanonlybedefinedonyourownterms.”

—DanielleLaPorte,authorofTheFireStarterSessions,creatorofWhiteHotTruth.com

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Formygreatestteacherofall,

Jena.

Yourjourneyofself-educationinspiredthisbook.

“[A]whale-shipwasmyYaleCollegeandmyHarvard.”

—IshmaelinMoby-Dick(Readincollegesacrosstheland;writtenbyahighschooldropout)

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Send an e-mail to privatelist@ellsberg.com, with “private list” in the subjectheading,andI’llputyouonmye-maillist,regularlysendingyouallthegoodiesdescribedabove. I’ll alsoe-mailyou,asa thank-you forpurchasing thisbook,thesetwofreePDFreportsrelatedtomybook:

■TheDropoutRevolution:WhyToday’sSavviestKidsAreForsakingDebtandEducatingThemselves—Inthis freePDFreportyouwill learnwhymany kids today are choosing to avoid student loans and to educatethemselves. Featuring interviews with some of today’s hottest youngentrepreneursandrisingstars,thisreportissuretoinspireyou,challengeyou, andmakeyou think.This book alsohasmydetailed responses tonearlyeveryobjectionIcouldimagineareaderhavingaboutthemessageofmybook, suchas “But collegegraduates earnmore!” and “Butyouneedacollegedegreetogetagoodjob!”

■ Self-Education in Health and Relationships—In this free PDF report,learnhowtoeducateyourselftosucceedinrelationshipsandhealth.Weall know that happiness depends onmore than justmoney and career.Learnhow to educateyourself for success inall areasofyour life thatmattertoyou,includingyourpersonalhealthandrelationships.

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justsendane-mailtoprivatelist@ellsberg.comwith“privatelist”inthesubjectheader.

INTRODUCTION

THECRAIGSLISTTESTOFTHEVALUEOFABA

(or,WhyPracticalIntelligenceAlmostAlwaysBeatsAcademicIntelligence)You’vebeenfedalie.Thelieisthatifyoustudyhardinschool,getgoodgrades,getintoagoodcollege,andgetadegree,thenyoursuccessinlifeisguaranteed.Thismighthavebeentruefiftyyearsago.Butitisnolongertruetoday.Ifyouwanttosucceednow,thenyoumustalsoeducateyourselfinthereal-

world skills, capabilities, andmind-sets thatwill get you ahead outside of theclassroom.Thisistruewhetheryou’vebeentocollegeornot.Thisbookshowsyoutheway.

A thirty-seven-year-old Harvard MBA and a twentysomething collegedropout,thelatterafewcreditsshyofafilmandtheaterdegreefromUSC,aresittingacrossfromeachotherinajobinterview.TheMBAiswearingacrisplypressedthree-piecesuitwithayellowtie.Thetwentysomethingiswearingjeansand a pullover sweatshirt, with no shirt underneath. The twentysomething isunshaven, and the state of his hair suggests that not much grooming hadoccurredbetweenhisdeparturefrombedthatmorningandthisinterview.The interview is going very, very poorly. The interviewer is entirely

unimpressedwiththeacademicbackgroundtheintervieweebringstothetable,and feels the interviewee doesn’t have enough experience to provide tangiblevalueinthechaoticenvironmentofareal-worldstart-up.BryanFranklin, thedropout theatermajor,decidedtohiresomeoneelsethat

day for the $10-an-hour administrative and data entry job he had posted onCraigslistafewdaysbefore.Bryanhadstartedasounddesignbusinessincollegeandgottoocaughtupin

building and running the business to finish his degree. Eventually, over threehundred feature filmswere editedormixed at his studio, includingGladiator,

TheLast Samurai, andArtificial Intelligence.Bootstrapping the business fromthegroundupandneveroncetakingoninvestormoney,heeventuallysolditin2000, after Dody Dorn was nominated for an Oscar for editing the filmMemento,which shecut at the studio.The saleof the company“boughtmeahouseonLombardStreetinSanFrancisco,”asBryanputitwithasmile.Now in early 2002, he was on his third self-made, self-funded, profitable

business,andheneededanassistant,sohepostedanadonCraigslist,Bryantoldme.“Withintwenty-fourhours,Ihadtwohundredresponses.MostofthemhadBAs,but therewerealsomanymasters’, severalwithJDswhohadpassed thebar,afewPhDs,andaroundsixMBAs.TheHarvardMBAgotmecurious.Iputhimonashortlist.HewasoneofthetenorsoIinterviewed.“Hecame tomyhouse in a three-piece suit. Iwas talking tohimabout the

websitehewasgoing tobedoingdataentry forat tendollarsanhour,andhewasstuckinavery1999mentalityabouttheWeb.Idon’tthinkhesaidtheword‘IPO,’ but I’m pretty sure he said the word ‘liquidity’ at some point in theinterview.“AndI’mlike,‘Look,I’mlookingfordataentryandcustomerservice.Iwant

tomakesurethatwhenacustomercalls,theyfeeltakencareof.’“And he said, ‘Well, you know, I think that we need to be strategic about

whichrelationshipswecanleverage. . .’Andthat’skindofhowtheinterviewwent. At one point he started saying, ‘So, there’s obviously several disparatepaths involved and different priorities, so one of the things I’d do inmy firstweek isbuildaprioritymatrix,so thatwecouldreference . . .’AndI justhadthispictureinmymindofhimbuildinghisprioritymatrixwhileIwasdoingallthework.“IendeduphiringayoungAfricanAmericanwoman.Shewasahighschool

dropout,butshehadagreatworkethicandlotsofstreetsmarts.Sheendedupdoingaterrificjoboverthreeyears.Shegotseveralraises,andatonepointwasmanagingthreepeople.”Thereare,of course,manywonderful thingsyou can learn in college,whichhaveabsolutelynothingtodowithcareerandfinancialsuccess.Youcanexpandyourmind, sharpenyour critical thinking skills, get exposed to new ideas andperspectives,revelintheintellectualandculturallegacyoftheworld’sgreatestthinkers.Theseareallworthypursuits.Buttheideathatsimply focusingonthesekindsof things,andgettingaBA

attestingtothefactthatyouhavedonethem,guaranteesyouwillbesuccessfulinlifeisgoingthewayofcompanypensions,jobsecurity,andcareersconsisting

ofasingleemployerforfortyyears.Moreandmorepeople—includingpeoplewhohaven’t evengraduatedcollegeyet—arewakingup to the reality that theold career and success advice is no longer adequate.We need to start takingsomenewadvice.Let’ssay,inatoughmarket,you’dratherbeBryanFranklinthantheHarvard

MBA.Inotherwords,youwanttooptimizeyourchancesinlifeofbeingtheoneposting jobadsduringarecessioninsteadoftheonebeggingforthejob.Let’ssayyouwanttobetheonehiring(eitherasanentrepreneurorasaleaderwithinanorganization),nottheoneoutonthestreetlookingforwork.Ifthiswereyourgoal—tomaximizethechancesofyourprofessionalsuccess

under any economic circumstances—then what would you need to startlearning?That is the central question this book answers. I’ll be answering this one

question,indetail,forthenextseveralhundredpages.Butlet’stakeafirstpassatansweringitrighthere.WhywasBryantheonehiringthatday,despitehavingnocollegecredential,

andwhywasthemanwiththeHarvardMBAtheoneseekingthejob?Idon’tknowtheMBApersonally,soIcanonlymakeeducatedguessesabout

hisplight.ButBryan’sstoryIknowquitewell,ashe’saclosefriend.Hehadbythat timespentadecadeofhis life inpassionatepursuitof learningthingsthatwouldmakehimsuccessful—sales,marketing,leadership,management,finance,and accounting—within the context of owning real-world businesses,with hisown money at stake. In other words, Bryan had focused his self-educationoutsideofclassonwhatsomeresearcherscall“practicalintelligence”—howtogetthingsdoneeffectivelyintherealworld,a.k.a.streetsmarts.Theotherman,theHarvardMBA,hadpresumablystudiedthesamematerial

about marketing, sales, management, leadership, accounting, and finance. Butmyguessis,hedidsoprimarilyinanabstract, theoreticalway.Togetthroughsuchhallowededucationalgrounds,thefocusofhiseducationwasprobablyonacademic intelligence—how to dowell on tests—not on get-it-done-now real-worldpracticalintelligence.Both men were highly educated, but one man’s education consisted—I am

guessing—primarilyoftheory,whichisthestuffmostreadilyontapincollegesand universities. The other man’s education (and it was self-education, notobtained in a formal classroom) consisted primarily of practice. One man’seducationwasbureaucratic,formal,andbythebooks;theotherman’seducationwasgainedonthefrontlines,oftenonthebrinkofpersonaldisaster.Onemanwas educated in the most prestigious institution in the land, the other in theschoolofhardbusinessknocks.Onemanhadfocusedonbooksmarts,theother

onstreetsmarts.Which kind of smarts do you thinkwins in an economic downturn?Which

winswhentheeconomypicksupagain?Intheeternaldebatebetweenpracticalintelligenceandacademicintelligence,

streetsmartsandbooksmarts,there’slittleambiguityaboutwhichsideparents,relatives, teachers, media pundits, and politicians push us towardwhenwe’rekids.In the famous scene from The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman’s character

Benjamin,anewlymintedBA,receivessomeunsolicitedcareeradvicefromafamily friendat agraduationpartyaround the familypool. “Iwant to sayonewordtoyou.Justoneword....Areyoulistening?”thefamilyfriendasks.Benjaminnodsyes.“Plastics.”Ifwehadtoboildowntojustonewordthecareerandsuccessadvicewegive

ourownyoungpeople,thatwordwouldbe“education.”Or,ifwehadfourteenwords,itwouldbe:“Studyhardinhighschool,getintoagoodcollege,andgetyourBA.”Yet, like“plastics” inTheGraduate, this advice is starting to feelmoreand

morehollow, stale, andoutdated. Ifyouwant toknow thevalue thesedaysofhavingaBAcertifyingyouracademicintelligence—thevalueofthesinglethingwerepeattoouryoungpeopleagainandagaintheyshouldget,atgreatcostintime andmoney, in order to be successful—you need only place an odd-jobsemploymentadonCraigslist.Imyself have placedmany employment ads on the site over the years, for

smallodd jobs,movingandpackingboxes,cleaningoutgarages,hauling junkpiles.AsinBryan’sexample,Icanconfirm:thereisliterallynojobtooshittyorlow-paying forwhichyouwon’tgetariverofBAsdesperatelyaskingyouforthework.These degree-bearing applicants have attained the very thing society, their

parents,theirteachers,andeveryoneelsearoundthemtoldthemtheyneededtoattain in order to be successful—a credential certifying their achievement inacademic intelligence. And yet, in Bryan’s case, the comparatively tamerecessionof theearly2000shadhundredsof theseBAs,MAs,JDs,PhDs,andMBAsliningupfora$10-an-hourshit jobpostedbyascruffyyoungbusinessownerwithoutacollegedegree.Isthisreallythebestlifeadvicewecangiveyoungpeople?Aswith“plastics”

inTheGraduate,shouldn’tweaskourselvesifouradvicecouldn’tuseabitofupdatingandrefining?

■DOYOUWANTTOCHASEDEGREES,ORDOYOUWANTTOCHASESUCCESS?

For people in the industrialized world, middle-class and above, the primaryfocusofourwakinglivesbetweentheagesofsixandtwenty-twois—toafirstapproximation—grades. To a second approximation, the agenda also includesnarrowly defined extracurricular activities, such as sports and music andvolunteering,whichlookgoodoncollegeapplicationsandentry-levelresumes.But if you ask, what is the primary thing parents, teachers, politicians, andsocietywantustofocusonduringsixteenyears,roughlybetweentheagesofsixandtwenty-two,theanswerisplainandsimple:getgoodgrades.Haveyoueverstopped toponderhowutterlybizarre thisstateofaffairs is?

Howintheworlddidweallgetsoconvincedthatacademicrigorconstitutedaprerequisite,necessary,andsufficienttrainingforsuccessinlife?Howdidweallgetconvincedthatthisoneendmeriteddevotingsixteenofthebestyearsofourlivestowardit?Thatweshouldspendalmostourentireyouth—potentiallysomeof the most creative, enthusiastic, energetic, and fun years of our lives—inpursuitoflittlenumbersandletterscertifyingouracademicintelligence?Sir Ken Robinson, author of The Element: How Finding Your Passion

ChangesEverything,hasponderedthispuzzlingquestionalot.Inavideotalkinthe famousTED (TechnologyEntertainment andDesign) series, entitled “KenRobinsonSaysSchoolsKillCreativity”(whichbecameoneofTED.com’smostdownloaded talks ever), Sir Ken says: “If you were to visit education, as analien,andsay‘What’sitfor,publiceducation?’Ithinkyou’dhavetoconclude—ifyoulookattheoutput,whoreallysucceedsbythis,whodoeseverythingthattheyshould,whogetsallthebrowniepoints,whoarethewinners—Ithinkyou’dhavetoconcludethewholepurposeofpubliceducationthroughouttheworldistoproduceuniversityprofessors.Isn’tit?They’rethepeoplewhocomeoutthetop....AndIlikeuniversityprofessors,butyouknow,weshouldn’tholdthemupas thehigh-watermarkof all humanachievement.They’re just a formof life,anotherformoflife.”1LibertariancriticofourcurrenteducationalsystemCharlesMurraymakesthe

pointanotherway:“Weshouldlookatthekindofworkthatgoesintoacquiring

a liberal education at the college level in the same way that we look at thegrueling apprenticeship thatgoes intobecomingamaster chef: something thatunderstandablyattractsonlyalimitednumberofpeople.”2These critics are saying, essentially: training to become a college professor

and academic scholar is fine for thosewho trulywish to do so.But if you’vealreadygonethroughcollege,youarenowtheproductofasystemandculturalnorm that holds that, in order to prepare for success in life, you must spendsixteen years of your life essentially training toward an ideal of academicperfection.Ifyouhaven’tnoticedalready,thisisasillysystem.It’ssillyforaverysimple

reason.Formostfieldsyou’dwanttoenter—asidefrom,say,researchscience—beyond basic levels of academic intelligence, developing additional academicintelligence will have virtually no impact on your life prospects and success.Developingyourpracticalintelligencewillhavefarmore impactonthequalityandsuccessofyourlife.In a core section of his bookOutliers: The Story of Success, for example,

Malcolm Gladwell argues meticulously that, above a certain IQ (around 120,whichisconsidered“aboveaverage/bright,”butnoteven“moderatelygifted”3),additionalIQpointshavelittlecorrelationtoreal-worldsuccess.Dittoforgrades—beyondamiddlinglevelofacademicachievement,thereislittleevidencethatgrades(thecenterpointofourwakinglivesforalmosttheentiresixteenyearsofour educational track) bear any causal relationship at all to real-world results,success,achievement,orsatisfactioninlife.4In one segment, Gladwell compares the lives of two men born with

exceptionallyhighIQs,ChrisLangan,knownas“thesmartestmaninAmerica,”with an IQ over 200, and Robert Oppenheimer, scientific director of theManhattanProject.Thebrillianceoftheirmindsiscomparable,yetoneofthesemen (Oppenheimer) had a profound impact on world history, and another(Langan)hashadverylittle,despiterepeatedattemptstogethisworkpublished.What is the difference between these twomen?According toGladwell, the

main difference is that, in addition to his rocket-high IQ, Oppenheimer alsopossessed exceptional practical intelligence in navigating his way through thepeoplewhocouldinfluencehissuccessintheworld,“thingslikeknowingwhatto say to whom, knowing when to say it, and knowing how to say it formaximumeffect.”Langaninturnpossessedlittleofthiskindofintelligence,andthus was never able to gain much of a toehold in the world of practicalachievement.In his book,Gladwell shows that once a person has demonstrated passable

logical,analytic,andacademicskills,otherfactorshavemuchmoreinfluenceonreal-worldresults—specifically,creativity,innovativethinking,andpracticalandsocialintelligence.Totheextentthatwedeveloptheseaptitudesinourlives,wetendtodosooutintherealworld,notinformalinstitutions.5This book is your guide for developing practical success skills in the real

world.Ifocusonsevenkeyskillsthatwillbecrucialifyouwanttosucceedinyourworkandcareer.Thesepractical skillsarenotmeant tobea replacementforcollege.Indeed,aclassiccollegeeducation—initsmosteliteconception—isnotmeant to teachpractical skills at all.That’snot its purpose.Youcan learnmanywonderful things in college.You can be exposed to new ideas, broadenyourperspectiveon life, learn critical thinking skills, and immerseyourself inthegreatintellectualandculturaltreasuresofthehumanmindandspirit.But,evenifyou’vealreadygonethroughcollege,onethingI’mcertainwasn’t

on the curriculum in school was how to translate these abstract, academicteachingsintoreal-worldresultsinyourownlife.Yet,thisadditionaleducationaroundpracticalskillsisnotoptional.Learningtheskillsinthisbookwell isanecessaryadditiontoacollegeeducation,ifyouwanttoachievemoresuccessinyourworkandlife.Thisbookshowsyoutheway.Iwillturntothesevenkeyskillsinamoment.Butfirst,letmetellyoualittle

aboutwhoIamandwhyIdecidedtowritethisbook.

■MYSHOCKINGREALIZATION

Aroundtwoyearsago,attheageofthirty-two,Icametoashockingrealization.Not one penny of how I earned my income was even slightly related to

anythingIeverstudiedorlearnedincollege.Iwas bringing in a very solid income as a direct-response copywriter, on a

freelance schedule thatmanyofmy friendswithpaychecks andbosses envied(neveratmydeskbefore10:30A.M.,lotsoftimeforRollerbladinginProspectPark, Brooklyn, in the middle of sunny weekdays). One could say I learnedwritingincollege,butitismoreaccuratetosaythatIhadtounlearntheturgid,academic style of writing favored in college, in order to write anything thatmovedproductormademoneyformeoranyoneelse.What’smore,Iwasn’tmakingsolidmoney(somewherearound$75,000asa

freelance copywriter, plus additional money coming in from my own bookwriting,whichpushedmeover$100,000)simplybecauseIhadbecomegoodatwritingcopy.IwasearningmoneybecauseIhadbecomegoodatmarketingandsellingmy copywriting services. There are boatloads of good freelancerswhoarebroke,simplybecausetheydon’tknowhowtomarketandselltheirservices.ThinkIlearnedanymarketingorsalesatBrownUniversity?Rather,Ispentmytimewritingpapersdecryingthecapitalistsysteminwhichmarketingandsalestakeplace(andmostofthosepaperscamebackwithanAonthem).Beyondcareer, for thefirst time inmy life, Iwasalsohaving thefeelingof

beingsuccessfulinmypersonallife.IhadjustgottenengagedtoJenaandwasenjoyingaloving,stable,fulfillingrelationshipwithher.Thiswasafteraboutadecade(myentiretwenties)ofbeingatotalmessinrelationships.Itdidn’tjusthappenbyaccidentthatIwasnowenjoyingagreatrelationship;Ilearnedhowtobeabetterpartner,byinvestinginazillionworkshopsandreadingazillionbooksonthetopic,untilsomethingstartedtoshift.Iwasalsoenjoyingvibrantday-to-dayhealthforthefirsttimesincecollege.

Yearsofpartying(startingincollege),combinedwithpooreatinghabits,beganto take their toll in my twenties, as I began seeing a gauntlet of doctors andspecialistsforsymptomsofdepression,constantlowenergy,andmoodswings.Ididn’t get better until I started paying a lot more attention to my diet andlifestyle.Afterdoingthat,Ibegantofeelenergizedandvibrantonaconsistent

basisforthefirsttimesinceIwasakid.Inotherwords,forthefirsttimeasanadult,Iwasabsolutelylovingmylife.

MyprofessionalandpersonallifewereexactlywhereIwantedthemtobe.Yet,asItookstockofmylifeinthismoment,Irealized:thefactthatIhaddonewellin college—even the fact that I had gone to college in the first place—hadabsolutely nothing to do with my adult happiness, fulfillment, success, orcontributiontoothers.Zero.Zip.Ihadlearnedalotabouthowtoliveasasuccessful,happyadult.Yetnearly

all that learning had been self-education in practical matters, out in the realworldinmytwenties,outsidetheboundsofaclassroom.Thisgotme thinking:Whatwould education for a successful life look like?

You can define a “success” any way you want—wealth; career; family;spirituality; sense of meaning and purpose; vibrant health; service andcontributiontocommunity,nation,andhumanity—oranycombinationthereof.Whatwouldaneducationlooklikethatwaslaser-targetedonlytowardachievingthesereal-worldresults,andzealouslycutoutallbullshitnotdirectlyrelatedtolivingahappy,successfullifeandmakingapowerfulcontributiontothelivesofthepeoplearoundyou?Certainly, thiseducationwould looknothing likeanything taughtoncurrent

collegecampuses,oranywhereinsideournation’sentireeducationalsystem.Ifyou wanted to take this course of study, you’d have to do so on your own,outside of college, as your own teacher, because this course doesn’t existanywherewithinthehallsofacademia.SoIdecidedtowritethisbook,inwhichIposethesesimplequestions:What

doyouactuallyneedtolearninordertoliveasuccessfullife?Howandwherecanyoulearnit?While there are many ways I could have gone about answering these

questions, I decided to answer them by interviewing and learning fromsuccessfulpeople,likeBryanFranklin,whodidnotfinishcollege.I first got the idea to take this tackafter entering into a serious relationship

withJena,who isnowmywife.Jena,ayearyounger thanI,didnotcompletecollege.Yetduringhertwenties,sheamassedfarmorewealththanIdid,despitethedifferentialinoureducationalcredentialspointingsolidlyinmyfavor.WhatdidJenalearnduringherself-educationaboutmakingherwayintheworldthatIdidnotlearnduringmycollegeeducation?Around 90 percent of the people I interviewed and feature in this book are

literalmillionaires,andseveralareevenbillionaires.Somearefamous,manyarenot. I’ve also chosen to include, for around 10 percent of my interviewees,people like Jena,who are notmillionaires (yet!), butwho are clearly on their

way, who exemplify the spirit and lessons of this book, and who areaccomplishingamazing things in theworld,via the strategiesdescribed in thisbook.For the record, I’m not a millionaire myself, and I did complete college

(Brown, class of ’99). I’m not an example of the self-educatedmillionaires Iwrite about in this book.But I’ve learned a tremendous amount from them. Iwrite extensively about the changes I’ve experienced in my life applying theskillsandlessonsI’velearnedfromthem,soyoucanseehowtheseskillsapplytoallpeople,notjustthosewhoarealreadymillionaires,andnotjustthosewhodidn’tcompletetheirformaleducation.AllofthemillionairesandsuccessfulpeopleIinterviewedforthisbooksaid

“nothanks”tothecurrenteducationalmodel.Andwiththeirself-education,theyhavebuiltbusinesses,amassedfortunes,helpedotherslivebetterlives,andevenchangedtheworld.Thesearethepeoplewe’regoingtobelearningfrominthisbook.Theyhave

muchtoteachusabouthowwecaneducateourselvesinthepracticalskillsweneed, in order to be successful in a rapidly evolving, shape-shifting, and self-reinventingeconomy.Theyaregoingtoteachushowwecanget,forourselves,“The Education of Millionaires”: the real-world skills that these millionairesstudiedandlearnedinordertogetwheretheyareinlife.What they have to teach applies to you no matter what age you are and

whether or not you’ve been to college already. Lifelong learning andprofessionaldevelopmentarenecessitiesinthecurrentcareerenvironment;thisbookisyourguidetoself-educationforsuccessinthetwenty-firstcentury.The people in this book also have much to teach us about what kinds of

practicallifeskillsandcareer-orientedcontentyourchildrenshouldbelearningifoureducationalsystemistotakethenewrealitiesofthistwenty-first-centurydigitized,globalized,flatworldeconomyseriously—aneconomyinwhicheverytraditional assumption is being turned on its head, shaken up, and called intoquestion,includingtraditionalassumptionsabouteducation.We Americans are obsessed with success, and we readily snap up bookspromisinginsight into thelivesofsuccessfulpeopleandhowtoemulate them.Yet,upuntilnow, therehavebeenfewvoicesmakingthisobviouspointaboutsuccess (normally only spoken about in hush-hush tones, as if it were a dirtysecret):despitesixteenyearsormoreofschooling,mostofwhatyou’llneedtolearn to be successful you’ll have to learn on your own, outside of school,whetheryougotocollegeornot.

Iampassionatelypro-education.TherearefewthingsIcaremoreaboutthanreadingandlearningconstantly.Yet, the lives of the people profiled in this book show conclusively that

education ismost certainly not the same thing asacademicexcellence.We’veconflated them, at great cost to ourselves, our children, our economy, and ourculture. And, while education is always necessary for success, pursuingacademicexcellence isnot inallcases.AsMarkTwainsaid:“Ihavenever letmyschoolinginterferewithmyeducation.”6(Twaindroppedoutofelementaryschoolatageeleventobecomeaprinter’sapprentice.)The driving theme of the stories in this book is that, even though youmay

learnmanywonderfulthingsincollege,yoursuccessandhappinessinlifewillhave little todowithwhatyoustudy thereor the lettersafteryournameonceyougraduate.Ithastodowithyourdrive,yourinitiative,yourpersistence,yourability tomake a contribution to other people’s lives, your ability to come upwithgoodideasandpitchthemtootherseffectively,yourcharisma,yourabilityto navigate gracefully through social and business networks (what someresearcherscall“practical intelligence”),anda total,unwaveringbelief inyourown eventual triumph, throughout all the ups and downs, nomatter what thenaysayerstellyou.Whileyoumaylearnmanyvaluablethingsincollege,youwon’tlearn these

things there—yet they are crucial for your success in business and in life.Whetheryou’reahighschooldropoutoragraduateofHarvardLawSchool,youmustlearnanddeveloptheseskills,attitudes,andhabitsifyouwanttoexcelatwhatyoudo.Inthisneweconomy,thebiggestfactorinyoursuccesswillnotbeabstract,academiclearningbutwhetheryoudevelopthereal-lifesuccessskillsevincedbythepeopleonthesepages,andhowearlyyoudo.This is a book about practical education. Street smarts. It’s aboutwhat you

havetolearninordertobesuccessfulinlifeandhowyoucangoaboutlearningitonyourown,outsideoftraditionalschooling.Itisabouttheskills,habits,andmind-sets you need to make an impact on the world and find happiness andsuccessdoingso.Ifyou’ve alreadygone to college,you still probablywant tomakeabigger

markontheworldthantheoneyou’recurrentlymaking.Evenifyou’readoctororalawyer—andyouliterallycouldnotpracticeyourprofessionwithouthavinggraduatedfromcollegeandgraduateschool—thesereal-worldsuccessskillsareevery bit as relevant to you for accelerating your career. And they definitelyweren’tonthecurriculumatlawschoolormedicalschool.Ifyouhaven’tstartedcollegeyet—orifyou’reincollegeandwonderingwhat

youshoulddothereandwhetheryoushouldstay—thenthisbookwillalsobean

important read. If you do choose to go to college, or to stay there if you’realreadythere,thisbookcanhelpyougetthemostoutofyourcollegeexperiencebyhelpingyoutoavoidalotoftheBSyou’relikelygoingtoencounterandtopay more attention to learning things that will actually be valuable to yourachievingyourdreamslaterinlife.ThisisthebookIwishIhadwhenIwassixteen,seventeen,oreighteen.IfI’d

haditthen,Iwouldhavesavedalotofmisery,stress,anddrudgeryintherestofmyeducation.Iwouldhavebeenmorefocusedandclearonmypath.ItalsowouldhavebeenusefultomeassoonasIgraduatedcollege.IfI’dread

this book when I was twenty-two, I may not have spent a good part of mytwentieswanderingaimlessly.Infact,thisisthebookIwantnow,atagethirty-four,wellintomycareer.It

didn’t yet exist, so Iwrote it. I’m definitely still learning,withmore appetitethanI’veeverhadbefore.IfIcangivejustonepersonthevaluefromthebookIwishI’dreceivedatthe

ageofseventeen,eighteen,twenty-two,orlater,thewholeendeavorofwritingitwillhavebeenworthwhile.

■OURCURRENTEDUCATIONALSYSTEMISATYPEWRITER(WOULDYOULIKEAWI-FI-

CONNECTEDLAPTOPINSTEAD?)

The already-questionable connection between academic excellence andpreparation for success in life and career became all the more questionableduring the time I was writing this book, as the Great Recession of 2008–10unfolded.As Iwaswriting, a rash of articles came out in a number ofmajorpublications in which Americans expressed rage about their inability to earnsufficientmoney,giventheirexpensiveacademiceducation.Thebargainusedtobe:giveupfouryearsofyourlife(ormoreforgraduateschool),incurhundredsof thousands of dollars in tuition, debt, and forgone earnings during the yearsyoustudy,andwhenyougraduateyou’llbesetforlifeearnings-wise.Peoplewhoentered into thisbargainfourorfiveyearsagoarebeginning to

realizethatonlyhalfthebargainhasheldup:thehalfinwhichtheyspendfouryears,incurupto$100,000indebt,andforgoearningstheywouldhavegainedin theworkforce during their years of study.The other half of the bargain, inwhichtheywerevirtuallyguaranteedajobwithagreatsalaryupongraduation,hasvanished.Anarticle in theNewYorkTimes, called“NoLongerTheirGoldenTicket,”

coveredthetidalwaveofrecent lawschoolgraduates,oftencarryinghundredsofthousandsofdollarsinstudentdebt,whocan’tfindjobs.Forthosewhowereluckyenoughtofindorretainemploymentduringtherecentcolossalshakeoutinthelegalprofession,“itishardertomaintainthatsenseofesteemnowthatyourcontractwork is being farmedout to low-cost lawyers inBangalore, andyourclientwhoissplittingupwithherspousecanhandleitherselfwitha$31.99do-it-yourselfdivorcekitfromOfficeDepot.”7BeyondthegrimsceneforrecentlymintedJDs,MBAs,MAs,andPhDs,the

picturewasnobrighterforfreshcollegegraduates.Wenowliveinanagewhenitislikelythatthepersonpouringyouyourcoffeeatthecaféinthemorninghasspent four years studying literature, or even business and marketing, in adegreegrantinginstitution.Thatpersonislikelytobecarryingtensofthousandsofdollarsinstudentdebt,andmoreincreditcarddebtaccruedincollege,forthe

privilege of having studied to pour you your coffee with such literary andbusinessacumen.ANewYorkTimes articleentitled“JobsWanted,AnyJobsatAll”describes

KatieandKerryBarry,twinswhowerethenseventeenmonthspasttheirRutgersgraduation,aslivingin“anunwelcomecontinuumofmassrejection.”Thetwinshadcollectivelyappliedto150jobs:“amagazinefordiabetics,aWebsiteaboutboard games and a commercial for green tea-flavored gum; fact-checking atScholastic Books, copy editing for the celebrity baby section of People.com,road-trippingforCollegeSportsTelevision.Theydidnotgetanyofthese.Morethan a year has lapsed without so much as an interview. Apparently, even acannedresponsewasimpossibleinNewYork.”8Whiletherecentbusttimeswillhavehopefullypassedbythetimethisbook

comes out, more and more people of all ages are beginning to questiontraditional assumptions about how to make a mark in the world. Throughoutmostofthelastcentury,largebureaucraticorganizationsdominatedthepathofsocialmobility, from school age to retirement. If youwanted to be successfulandhaveanimpact,youstudiedhardinhighschool,gotintoagoodcollege,gotan entry-level job at a large corporate or government bureaucracy, and rosethroughtheranksofmiddlemanagement.Itisnowwidelyunderstoodthatthelatterportionofthistimeline—gettingan

entry-level job and rising through the ranks ofmiddlemanagement at a largebureaucracy—isnolongerthebestwaytodothings,fortworeasons.First, job security is dead, as anyone who has had a job recently knows.

You’regoingtohavemanydifferentjobs,employers,andevencareersinyourlife. Sowhere you get your first, entry-level one—the single thing that a BAcredentialreallyhelpswith—becomeslessandlessrelevant.Buildingaportfolioofreal-worldresultsandimpactsyou’vecreated,overtime,becomesmoreandmorerelevant.Second,theInternet,cellphones,andvirtuallyfreelongdistancecallinghave

created new opportunities for flexible, self-created, independent careers; thistrend has been helped along by the gathering storms of millions of hungry,highly educated young men and women in India, China, Eastern Europe, thePhilippines,andelsewhere,happy todo thework thatentry-levelOrganizationMenwould have done in years past, for a fraction of the cost. This emergingcompetition has encouraged many people in the West to “think outside theorganization” to create careers for themselves that can’t be outsourced,offshored,orautomated.MoreandmoreAmericansof all ages arewakingup to the reality thatyou

don’t need anine-to-five job tobe avaluable, contributingmemberof society

andtocreatewealthforyourselfandothers.Millionsofsmall-businessowners,entrepreneurs, computer programmers, graphic designers, independentconsultants, writers, and freelancers make valuable contributions to society(creatingfouroutoftennewjobsintheeconomy),outsidetherealmofworkingforabossninetofive(oreighttoeight).Until the last decade, the kinds of opportunities that got you ahead in the

world—medicine, law, engineering, or rising up through the ranks of a largecorporation—were all guarded by “gatekeepers” who checked your formalcredentialsvigorouslybeforelettingyouin.There were very few other ways to get ahead. The zeitgeist is changing,

however.Whiletheclassicprofessionsstillrequirecredentials,foryoungpeopletoday these professions are no longer the only (and certainly not the hottest)avenues toward social advancement, economic opportunity, and making adifferenceintheworld.A new breed of American is arising, and they are creating a new breed of

opportunity. For them, the AmericanDream still includes a wonderful familylife,ahome,andfinancialsecurity.Butitdoesnotincludewakingupeachdayandgoingtoworkforaboss.Theywanttoworkforthemselves,creatingvaluefor other people on their terms—perhaps on aWi-Fi-connected laptop from amobilelocation.These people, young and old, read books like The Four-Hour Workweek:

Escape9–5,LiveAnywhere,andJointheNewRichbyTimFerriss,EscapefromCubicleNation:FromCorporatePrisonertoThrivingEntrepreneurbyPamelaSlim,andCareerRenegade:HowtoMakeaGreatLivingDoingWhatYouLovebyJonathanFields.Daniel Pink, inFreeAgentNation:TheFuture ofWorking forYourself, his

2001bookprophesyingthecurrenttidalwaveofmicroentrepreneurialism,smallbusiness,andself-employment,calls them“self-employedknowledgeworkers,proprietorsofhome-basedbusinesses...freelancersande-lancers,independentcontractorsandindependentprofessionals,micropreneursandinfopreneurs,part-timeconsultants...on-calltroubleshooters,andfull-timesoloists.”9Thesenewkindsofopportunities,opentoanyonewhowantstopursuethem,

withoutanyformal,traditional,oracademicqualificationsnecessarytocompete,have arisen largely because of technology. As Pink points out inFree AgentNation,therewasatimeinournation’shistory,beforetheIndustrialRevolution,when most people were self-employed—that is, “the butcher, the baker, thecandlestick maker.” In these times, writes Pink, mass self-employment madesensebecause“mostofthethingspeopleneededtoearntheirlivingtheycouldbuyeasilyandkeepathome.”However,writesPink, “itwasonlywhen these

things—themeans of production, to useKarlMarx’s famous phrase—becameextremely expensive . . . that largeorganizationsbegan todominate....Capitalandlabor,oncesointertwinedthedistinctionscarcelymattered,becameseparateentities. Capitalists owned the equipment. Laborers earned their money byreceivingasliveroftheenormousrewardsthosegiantmachinesproduced.”10Pink argues that in the last decade, in one area of the economy—called

“knowledgework”—a shift has occurred asmassive andwith implications asfar-reachingas thoseduring the shift fromanagrarian to an industrial society.For knowledge workers in the developed world, the tools of their trade havebecome so ridiculously cheap that the “meansof production”haveonce againbecome affordable to individual workers. These workers no longer have todepend on bosses or large organizations to furnish them with the means ofproduction.Theycanquitthefactory-styleorganizationsandbecome“butchers,bakers, and candlestick makers” once again—that is, digitally connectedentrepreneursandsolo-preneurs.Pinkcallsit“DigitalMarxism:Inanageofinexpensivecomputers,wireless

handheld devices, and ubiquitous low-cost connections to a globalcommunications network, workers can now own the means of production.”11And increasingly,more andmore of them (especially younger oneswho havegrownupwiththeInternet)aredecidingtotaketheirmeansofproduction,strikeout on their ownwith their copy ofThe Four-HourWorkweek in their laptopbag,andflipabig,badmassivebirdtotheirformeremployers.And here’s something else these self-employed people, small-business

owners, and micropreneurs are starting to realize more and more: for them,formaleducationalcredentialsareirrelevanttotheneweconomicrealitytheyareoperatingin.In thisnewreality,noonegivesadamnwhereyouwent tocollegeorwhat

yourformalcredentialsare,solongasyoudogreatwork.I’mnotsayingwe’reall thewaythereyet.But it’sclearly thewaywe’reheaded.AssciencefictionwriterWilliamGibsonsaid,“Thefutureishere—it’sjustnotevenlydistributed.”Education is still necessary to learnhow todo thegreatwork that gets you

paid.But thesedays, almost all of the education that endsup actually earningyou money ends up being self-education in practical intelligence and skills,acquiredoutsideoftheboundsoftraditionaleducationalinstitutions.IaskedBryanifhefelthelearnedmorestartinguphisbusinessesduringand

afterschool thanhedidduringschool.“Oh,myGod.There’snoquestion,”heanswered.“Itwouldbethedifferencebetweenaverywell-plannedseven-coursemealdonebyoneoftheworld’stopnutritionists,andcomparethatinnutritional

valuetoagumdrop.”Let’ssayyouwant toeat theseven-coursemealdonebyoneof theworld’s

topnutritionists,ratherthanthegumdrop.Thisbookprovidesyouwithaguideforacquiringkeysuccessskillsyouare

veryunlikelytolearnincollege.Thesearethereal-worldskillstheself-educatedmillionairesIinterviewedinmybookallfocusedonlearning,insteadofabstractacademicskills.The typical college education consists of thirty-twocourses—four courses a

semester for eight semesters. The courses in The Education of Millionairesconsistsofsevenkeyareasoflifelongself-study.Thesecoursescanandshouldbe followed in addition to (before, during, and after) your traditional formalschoolinginaclassroom.Butthesearen’tlikenormalcollegecourses.Herearesomekeydifferences.

OK, drumroll please. Here they are, the courses in The Education ofMillionaires.

SUCCESS SKILL #1: How to Make Your Work Meaningful and YourMeaningWork(or,HowtoMakeaDifferenceintheWorldWithoutGoingBroke)SUCCESSSKILL#2:HowtoFindGreatMentorsandTeachers,Connect

withPowerfulandInfluentialPeople,andBuildaWorld-ClassNetworkSUCCESS SKILL #3: What Every Successful Person Needs to KnowAboutMarketing,andHowtoTeachYourselfSUCCESS SKILL #4: What Every Successful Person Needs to KnowAboutSales,andHowtoTeachYourselfSUCCESS SKILL #5: How to Invest for Success (The Art ofBootstrapping)SUCCESSSKILL#6:BuildtheBrandofYou(or,ToHellwithResumes!)SUCCESSSKILL#7:TheEntrepreneurialMind-setversustheEmployeeMind-set:BecometheAuthorofYourOwnLife

Thesesevencourses,whichcorrespondtothesevencorechaptersofthebook,

focusprimarilyonskillsrelatedtosuccessincareer,money,work,andbusiness.Ofcourse,foratrulyintegratedsenseofsuccess,inthefullestsenseoftheword,weallneedtolearnmanypracticalpersonalskillsaswell.Theseincludeskillssuch as how to find and maintain a wonderful, loving relationship, how tosustainvibranthealth,andhowtonavigateourspiritualbeliefs inaworld thatseemstogetmorechaoticeveryday.Itispossibletobeafinancialmillionaireandanemotionalandspiritualpauper.Allthemoneyintheworldprovideslittlecomfortifwearelonely,sick,orforlornoflove.ButIwillleavethosepersonalsuccessskills(crucialastheyare)foranother

book. Since this is a business book, I am focusing here on skills related tosuccess in therealmsofcareer,money,work,andbusiness.ThesevensuccessskillsIexplorehereareofcoursenotexhaustive,evenintherealmofcareerandfinancialsuccess.Buttheygoalongway.Myformatinthechapterdevotedtoeachoftheseskillsisquitesimple.First,

I provide some stories of successful self-educated people who learned andapplied these skills, to great effect, in their own lives. Then, I give someexamplesofhowIappliedthesameskillsinmyownlifeandtheresultsIgot.(IwouldneverrecommendtoyousomethingIhadn’tbattle-testedinmyownlife.)Then, based on the experience of my interviewees, as well as my ownexperience, I give some practical tips about how to go about learning andapplyingthatchapter’sskillinyourownlife.Welcometoyourownjourneyofself-education.We’reabout todiveheadlonginto thesuccessskills.Butbeforewetake the

plunge, Iwant tooffer twominordisclaimers, in the interestof fulldisclosureandtransparency.

■DISCLAIMER#1:MYVIEWSAREMYOWN!(ANDPROBABLYNOTSHAREDBYALLOFMY

INTERVIEWEES)

I should make something absolutely, beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt clear: myopinions,controversialassomeofthemmaybe,aremineandminealone;theyarenotnecessarilysharedbythepeopleIintervieworfeature.Myintervieweesallchosetosharetheiramazingstoriesofself-madesuccess

forthisbook,forthebenefitofusall.Theychosetosharethesestoriesbecausetheyallbelieve thatnomatterwhereyouare inyour life,nomatterwhatyourageoryourlifecircumstances,youcanstrivetoachievemoreinlife,tomakeagreaterimpact,toaimforhigherdreams.This book would not exist without the generous participation of the many,

many experts and self-educated people I interviewed. My interviewees are adiverse, brilliant, and cantankerous bunch, with a wide range of opinions onmanytopics,aswellasawiderangeofbackgrounds.Iamprofoundlygratefulfor theirparticipation, andamproud that I amable to share their cutting-edgeinsightsandtheirmovingstories.I’mcertain,however,thatsomeofmyintervieweeswilloutrightdisagreewith

some of my own views, as well as some of the views expressed by otherintervieweesfeaturedinthisbook.Thus,Iwanttoemphasizethatthereisagulfof difference betweenmy interviewees, having agreed to share their personalstories here, and their agreeing with everything or anything anyone else(includingme)saysinthisbook.The interviewees I feature in this book are responsible only for their own

views,clearlydelineatedbyquotationmarks,andformygeneralparaphrasesoftheir views, both ofwhich I have submitted to them to check for accuracy. (Iedited all interviews for flow, readability, and space.) I repeat: interviewees’participation in this book should not be taken as endorsement for any otheraspectofthisbookotherthantheirownviewsinquotationmarks.Igiveaheartythank-youtoallmyintervieweesfortheirparticipationinthis

book.

■DISCLAIMER#2:IINTERVIEWSEVERALCLOSEFRIENDSANDBUSINESS

CONNECTIONS

ThevastmajorityofthepeopleIinterviewedinthisbookwerestrangerstomebefore I interviewed them.However, several ofmykey interviews come frompeople who are very close to me. For example, I interview my wife, Jena.Anothermajorsource,EbenPagan,isengagedtomyclosefriendAnnieLalla,andIplayedalargepartinintroducingthem.BryanFranklin,whomyoumet in the IntroductionandaboutwhomIwrite

more in the coming pages, is one of my best friends. He officiated at myweddingceremony.AndI’vedonebusinesswithhiminthepast,bothasaclientandavendor,andprobablywillagaininthefuture.(AnothercompanyImentionin one of the stories, the Institute for IntegrativeNutrition,was a copywritingclientofmineinthepast,thoughisnotatpresent.)WheneverIhaveapersonalorbusinessrelationshipwithanyoneelsementionedinthisbook,Iwilldisclosethat.(One other thing: if over the course of interviews I’ve talked to someone

enoughthatIwouldaddressthembytheirfirstnameinconversation,Idecidedtousetheirfirstnamehereinthetext;otherwiseIusetheirlastnametorefertothem.)InnocasedidIreceiveanyfinancialorotherspecifiedbenefit forfeaturing

anyoneinthisbook.Nopayforplay,ever.(OK,enoughcaveats.Letthefunbegin...)

SUCCESSSKILL#1

HOWTOMAKEYOURWORKMEANINGFULANDYOURMEANINGWORK

(or,HowtoMakeaDifferenceintheWorldWithoutGoingBroke)

A twenty-one-year-old singer, songwriter, and guitarist named David foundhimselfinahospitalinParisonenight,beingtreatedformalnutrition,in1967.Thereasonhewasmalnourishedwasthathewasnotmakingalotofmoneyandcouldn’t affordproper foods, asheplayedgigsatbars,nightclubs, anddancesacrossFranceandSpain.Nogigtonight,noeattomorrow.Twoyearsbefore,hewasinhissixthforminCambridge,England(equivalent

tothelasttwoyearsofhighschoolintheUnitedStates).DavidsimplystoppedgoingtohisA-levels, theseriesofexamsthatdetermineuniversityentranceintheUK. All he really cared about was rockmusic, and he dove fully into it,playinginlocalbandsandeventuallylivingbyhiswits,gigtogig,inFranceandSpain.Hadyouseenhimin thatmoment inParis,sickly in thehospitalatagetwenty-one,lackingfundstofeedhimselfproperly,youmightnothavethoughthe had made a good choice leaving his A-levels, or that he had any decentprospectsinlife.Andwhilethatjudgmentmaybecorrectformoststarvingartists,inthecase

of this particular artist—whowas starving not just figuratively but literally—suchajudgmentwouldbeasoffthemarkasyoucouldget.DavidreturnedtotheUK,andlaterthatyear,adrummerheknewnamedNick

Mason asked him to join a little band they were putting together called PinkFloyd.Thebandwentontosellover200millioncopiesofitsalbumsoverthenext forty-plus years. The Dark Side of the Moon, the band’s most famousalbum, has sold upward of 45million copiesworldwide and ranks among the

greatest-selling, most critically acclaimed, and most influential albums of alltime.Asleadguitarist,leadvocalist,andsongwriterforthebandthatproducedso many hits for over forty years, David Gilmour(http://www.davidgilmour.com)iseasilyoneofthemostimportantmusiciansinthehistoryofrock.Icountmyselfasafan.IthankDavidpersonallyforprovidingthesoundtrack

tosomanyblissfulnightsinuniversity,philosophizingaboutthemeaningoflifeormaking love insteadof studying.Someof themosteducationalpartsofmycollegeexperience,truly.Andthemusicstillbringsjoy,inspiration,andawetomy life—and surely to millions of others—a decade out of college. DavidGilmour has made a massive difference to the lives of many people on theplanet.Theworldwouldbeamuchpoorerplacewithouthimandhismusic.Hehaslived—Iwouldsay—adeeplymeaningfullife.Yet, there is something profoundly unsettling about his story as well—and

indeed,aboutthestoryofjustaboutanyonewhohasmadeagreatdifferenceintheworld.Ayearbeforehebecamefamous,Davidwasroughlythesamemusician,with

roughlythesamemusicalgift,andthesamedie-harddeterminationtomakeanimpactontheworldofmusicandliveameaningfullife.Atthattime,however,theworlddidn’tcaremuchaboutwhatever impacthewanted tomakeon itorwhat “meaning” he wanted to create within it; in fact, in exchange for hismusicalgift,theworldbarelyrewardedhimenoughtokeephimselfalive.Oneof the most monumental musicians in the history of rock nearly died as astarvingartist,beforeheandhisbandgot“discovered.”Allofus—atleastthemostidealisticamongus—wanttomakeadifferencein

theworld,whether it’s in business, the arts, politics, philanthropy, science, ortechnology.Attheveryleast,wewanttomakeadifferenceinourcommunities.This is what feels meaningful to us: making a difference, having an impact,livingforapurpose.Yet, there’s a paradoxical aspect to “making a difference” and “having an

impact.”Theworlddoesn’talwayscarewhetherwewanttomakeadifferenceorhaveanimpactonit. Infact, itcanbedownrighthostile touswhenwetry.Theworlddoesn’tautomaticallyopenitsarmstousjustbecausewehavegoodintentions. It may laugh at our great sense of “purpose” or, more commonly,simplyyawnandturnitsheadtosomethingelse.At the highest levels of success, there’s a capricious aspect to making a

differencein theworldandlivingwithpurpose,whichwemustcometo termswithsquarelybeforewestarttalkingabout“secretstosuccess,”“successskills,”andsoforth.Indeed,IaskedDavidaboutthesecrettohissuccess,andhegave

meafrankanswer:“Igotverylucky.Luckplaysabig,bigpart in thekindofsuccessI’vehad.Theysayyouhavetomakeyourownluck,butI’mnottoosureof that sometimes. There are a lot of people I know who had the samedeterminationIhad, followedmysamepathand threwtheir lot into themusicbusiness without going to university, and didn’t end up making a successfulliving playing music. They were thereafter stuck in jobs which were fairlyhandto-mouth.Theywerenotdoingwhattheycouldhavedonewiththeirlivesifthey continued with their studies. It’s absolutely not a course I wouldrecommend toanyone,unless youwere absolutely 110 percent convinced thatyourpassionwassomethingyouhadtodoandyouwouldbewillingtoforsakealotofotherthingsforit.”Veryfewofus,whenwedreamaboutthekindofimpactwewanttomakeon

theworld,dreamaboutthingswecouldachievewithlittlerisk.Veryfewofusdream of staying anonymous middle managers, or paper pushers lost insprawlingbureaucraciesfortherestofourlives.Thatdoesn’tfeellikemuchofapurposeatall.No, our dreams and purposes are the stuff of romance, adventure, and

excitement.Wedreamofbecomingfamous,wealthy,ofmakingabigmarkontheworld.Wedreamofbecomingrockstars.Ifnotliteralrockstars,likeDavid,then someother kind of star: a famous athlete, actor,writer, filmmaker, artist,politician,laudedscientist,CEO,ormillionaireorbillionaireentrepreneur(suchassomeoftheentrepreneursIinterviewinthisbook).Orwedreamofmakingan impact in a traditional profession, such as law, medicine, or academia, ormakingagreat impact inourcommunity inapositionof leadershiporcharity.Perhapswedreamofbeingastarteacherandmakingadifferenceinhundredsofchildren’slives.Yet,suchdreamsofmakingadifferencealways involverisk.Themoreyou

wanttobeastarinyourrespectivefield—whetherit’sbeingateacher,adoctor,alawyer,oranartist,musician,orentrepreneur—themoreriskyouwillhavetotake inyourcareerchoices.Fewpeoplebecomestars in their industry,makeadifferencetothelivesoflotsofpeople,orfindasenseofpurposeintheircareersimplybystickingtothescriptandhewingclosetowelltroddenpaths.Youcantakeastadiumfullofhighlytalentedtwenty-one-year-oldswithlots

ofdriveanddetermination,allpassionateaboutmakinganimpactontheworldin the ways young people dream about, in fields such as music, art, writing,acting, filmmaking, politics, policy, science, technology, media, philanthropyandcharity,orentrepreneurialism.Outofthiswholestadiumoftalent,onlyoneortwooftheseyoungpeoplewillbecomesuperstarsintheirrespectivefields,onthelevelofaDavidGilmour.

Manyinthatstadiumwillendupflatontheirasses,broke.That’saterrifyingprospect.Inresponsetosuchprospects,outoffear,manyyoungpeopleinthatstadiumwillstopstickingtheirnecksoutintheircareers,clingingtosafescriptsin their careers, where there’s little risk of failure and equally little risk ofachievinganythingtrulyremarkable.Whatdistinguishestheseoneortwosuperstarswhoreachedtheirdreamsand

made a huge difference from the rest of the talented, ambitious, idealisticindividualsinthatstadium?I’ve askedmany superstars their secret for success.While they allmention

talent,persistence,drive,determination,believinginyourself,nevergivingup—thestandardchestnutsoftheself-helpliterature—themosthonestandself-awareof the superstars, such as DavidGilmour, add an additional factor to the list.They also pay respect to the role of serendipity, synchronicity, and randomchance.Thestarsshoneonthem.Thegodssmileduponthem.Therightplaceattherighttime.Simple,blindluck.Theydon’tcallita“luckybreak”fornothing.If there wasn’t risk involved, and the fear that accompanies that risk, we

wouldn’tbedreamingaboutit,we’dhavealreadydoneit.(Thegrocerystoreisalwayshiringcheckoutclerks. Ifyourdreamwas tobecomeacheckoutclerk,youcouldbelivingyourdreamrightnow.ButI’mwillingtobetthat’snotyourdream.)So, how dowe reconcile our deepest dreams ofmaking a difference in the

world—ourdreamsofleadingameaningful, impactfullife,alifeofpurpose—withthestarkrealitythattheworlddoesn’talwayscarewhatkindofdifferencewewanttomakeorgiveusanAforeffort?Navigating these rocky existential waters is one of the most important

aptitudesyoucoulddevelop.Errtoofarineitherdirection,andit’sveryunlikelyyou’llenduphappyinlife.Errtoofaronthesideofreachingforloftydreamswithinyourcareer,withoutanyattentiontoexistingmarketrisksandconstraints,and you may end up, as David did at twenty-one, in a hospital formalnourishment,at leastmetaphoricallyspeaking.Andfewpeoplewhoendupin that place of starving-artist-hood have the fortune to get out, as Davideventuallydid.Yet,errtoofarintheotherdirection,givingintofearandstickingtothesafe

path, without even a nod to the larger impact you want to make, the greaterpurposeyouwanttoachieve,andyoumayendupfeelinglikeyoumissedout.Youmay enjoy some level of predictability or security in your income, but itwon’tfeelverysatisfyingtoyouinside.Fewpeoplewouldcallthis“success.”Therefore, at the outset of any discussion of success,what you need is not

anothermotivationalrah-rahlectureon“believinginyourself”or“nevergivingup”or“workingharder,”thestandardfareofotherbooks.Whatyouneedisanhonestdiscussionofhowtonavigategracefullyamongdreams,risk,andruininthereal-worldmarketplace.

■THECONFLICTOFMAKINGANIMPACTVERSUSLIVINGAPREDICTABLELIFE

I’m going to say something that has probably never been in print before in abusiness book. It’s probably never been in a business book because, at facevalue,itsoundskindofdepressing.Thebiggertheimpactyouwanttomakeontheworldorinyourchosenfield

—thebolderyourpurposeis—thegreatertherisksyou’regoingtohavetotake.Whichmeans,thegreaterthechancethatyou’llendupmakingnoimpactatall.Otherthantheimpactofyourasshittingthefloorandfailingatyourpurpose.Inamoment,I’llelaborateonwhythisconflictbetweensafetyandmakinga

difference, between predictability and living your purpose, exists. I’ll alsoprovideadetailedplanfornavigatingtheserockywaters.Butfirst,considerthefollowing family drama, which plays out in thousands of households acrossAmericaeachyear.Dad andMomhave scrimped and saved for years,maybe even decades, to

send their daughter to college, so that she can have a leg up on life. WhenDaughter gets to college, she decides to major in drama, or art history, orfeministcriticaltheory.Afightensues:

PARENTS:Buthowareyougoingtoearnalivingfrombeingadrama[orart,creativewriting,philosophy, literature,poetry, feministcritical theory,underwater basket weaving, etc.] major?Where are the employment adsthatsay,“Nowhiringfull-timedramamajors”?

DAUGHTER:ButMomandDad,thisiswhatI’mpassionateaboutinlife.Doyouwantmetolivelifeasafacelessofficedrone,enrichingabunchofcorporatefatcats,andlettheartinsideofmedie?

PARENTS:Ofcoursewesupportyourpassionsinlife.Wejustwantyoutohave abackup plan in case the acting thing doesn’twork out.You’re sosmart,you’vealwaysbeensuchagoodarguer.Whydon’tyouthinkabout

becomingalawyer,likeyourcousinSue?Thenyoucanactontheside,onweekends.Actingisawonderfulhobby.

DAUGHTER:You just don’t understandme!Life isn’t just about boringjob security! There are bigger things out there, more meaningful things,thanhowmuchmoneyisinyourbankaccount.You’llalwaysregretbeingtheoneswhodidn’tallowmetogoformydreams[etc.,etc.].

Similarargumentsplayoutwhenhighschoolstudentstelltheirparentsthey’renot planning on going to college, or when college students tell their parentsthey’redroppingout.CameronJohnson,awildlysuccessfulserialentrepreneur,self-mademultimillionaire (andcollegedropout), recounts twosuchargumentswithhisparents.The first arose during his high school years, when he told them he wasn’t

going to go to college, as he was too busy building his already-successfulbusinesses.

“Michael Dell doesn’t have a college degree,” I told them. “Bill Gatesdoesn’thaveacollegedegree.”Theypointedout that IwasnotMichaelDellorBillGates. Iwas their

son,andtheywantedmetogetagoodeducation!1Cameron succumbed in that argument and started as a freshman atVirginia

Tech.However, soon after starting college, a similar argument arose,whenheinformedhisparentshewasleavingcollegetobuildhisbusiness.

Theysaid,“No,you’renot.”Isaid,“Mom,Dad,lookatallthebasketballstarsandfootballstarswho

go right from high school to theNBA, or the actors andmusicianswhodon’tbotherwithcollegebecausetheircareersarealreadyinmotion.Therehavetobebusinessstars,too,whodon’tneedtogotoafour-yearprogramto learn their field. If I go through fouryearsof college, I’ll just beonalevel playing field after four years—whereas now I have an advantage.SpendingfouryearsinschoolmeansI’llbefouryearsoutofthebusinessworld.EverythingchangeslikelightningintheInternetworld,andthey’llhavecaughtuptome.”Mydadsaid,“Acollegeeducationdoesn’thurtanyone.”Isaid,“Iagree,butit’llstillbetheretenyearslaterifIstillwantit.”Hesaid,“Cameron,youcanloseyourhouse,youcanloseyourcompany,

youcanloseyourmoney,youcanloseyourwife—butyoucan’tloseyour

education.It’stheonethingyou’llalwayshave.”I said, “That’s true, I don’t disagree, but Iam getting an education—a

real-worldeducation.EventhoughI’mnotintheclassroomeveryday,I’mstill learning, and at a faster pace than my friends in college, becausethey’re trying to learn about these things in the classroom, whereas I’mlearningthesethingsbyactuallydoingthem.”2

These types of family dramas and arguments, inmy opinion, boil down to

argumentsaboutoursenseofsafetyversusheroism in life.Safetyandheroismarealmostalwaysopposed.Imagineamovieinwhichtheheroexposedhimselftonorisksordangers, tooknochances,andinfactwrappedhimself inbubblewraptoprotecthimselffromeverydayslipsandbruises.Themovieconsistsofhim walking on the sidewalk, on a nice sunny day, in this protective bubblewrap,togotothestoretopurchaseafewingredientsfordinner.Finito.Soundlikeaveryexcitingmovie?Kids,intheiridealism,wanttomakeabigimpactontheirworld.Theywant

tochangetheworld,tofeelliketheirexistencemakesadifference.Theywantabigsenseofpurposeandexcitement.Theywanttobeheroes.Nokiddreamsofbeingananonymouspaperpusherorafacelessofficedrone.Parentswant their kids’ lives to feelmeaningful and satisfying aswell, but

theyseethatthekindsofcareersthatyoungpeopletendtodreamabout(artsandentertainment, literature, blogging, social media, sports, activism,entrepreneurialism,etc.)arealsoveryrisky.Andonthatpoint,theparentsareabsolutelycorrect:theseendeavorsaremore

risky.Inotherwords,there’sagreaterchanceyou’llendupflat-outbrokeifyoufollowthemthanifyoubecome,say,adentistoranaccountant.Sonaturally,intheir inviolable,nonnegotiable role asparents toprotect and lookout for theirchildren, they tend to advocate safer, less risky, more predictable, moreconformistpathsastheirchildrencontemplateacareer.Theytendtotalkabout“backup plans” and “fallbacks,” and to think about their children’s creativepassionsandquestsformeaningas“hobbies.”Whydoesthisconflictbetweensafetyandheroism,impactandpredictability

exist? For a very simple reason. Almost by definition, “having an impact” or“makingadifference”or“livingapurpose”involvesgoingbeyondwhatalreadyexists in any given workplace, organization, field, marketplace, or society. Itinvolvesinnovating,orexercisingleadership.BryanFranklin,whomwemetinthe Introduction, defines leadership as “creating a future for others whichwouldn’thavehappenedotherwise.”Ifwhatyou’retryingtoachievewouldhavehappened just the same without you, it’s hard to say that you’re having that

muchofanimpactorthatyourpurposeisverysignificant.Yet, tryingtochangethecourseof thestatusquo—that is, tryingtohavean

impact,livingintoagreatpurposeinyourcareer—isalsofinanciallyriskierthannot doing so. This is just as true if you’re a traditional professional (doctor,lawyer,ormanager) trying toachievebig thingswithinyourcompanyoryourfieldasitisforpeopleinartistic/entrepreneurialcareers,fortwosimplereasons:

■Peopletendtofeelsaferandmorecomfortablewiththeknownovertheunknown.An“impact”isachangeincourse,soifyouwanttomakeanimpactinyourfield,you’reaskingpeopletoventureintotheunknown.Themoreofachangeofcourseyourinnovationorleadershiprepresents,themoreyouareaskingpeopletoabandonsafetyandcomfort,whichisnotusuallysomethingthey’rewilling todowithoutovercomingagreatdealofresistance.

■ There may be entrenched interests who are quite happy with the waythingsarenowandwhoaren’t interestedatall inyour“impact,” thankyouverymuch.Infact,theymaysayyoucantakeyourimpactandshoveit!Trytorocktheboattoomuch,maketoomuchofachange,andthesepeople may try to oust you from the organization, community, ormarketplace, or even try to harm your reputation or career prospects.Anyone who has dealt with office politics knows this. Any artist orentrepreneurwhohastriedtodoanythinginnovativeknowsthis.

Ifyouwanttobecomewealthyorfamous,whichIpresumeyoudoifyou’re

buying and reading a book on success, then you’re going to need to make adifferenceinthelivesofmanypeople.(Bydefinition,it’simpossibletobecomefamous,andit’salsoverydifficulttobecomewealthy,ifyouimpactthelivesofonlyafewpeople.)Yet,whenyou’re trying tohave an impacton the livesof largenumbersof

people, twoadditional challenges arise,unique to the interactionsofpeople ingroups:

■Making an impact on large groups of people involves leading them insomeway.Yet,seekingtobealeaderisakintoseekingwhateconomistscall a “positional good.” A classic example of a positional good is apenthouseapartment.Youcan’thaveapenthouseapartmentunlessthereareapartmentsbelowit.Noteveryoneinsocietycouldhaveapenthouseapartment. Similarly, you can’t have leaders unless there are followers.Noteveryone inanygivensituationcanbea leader (unlessyou live in

Lake Wobegon, Garrison Keillor’s fictional town, in which “all thechildren are above average”). In the real world, not the world whereeveryonegetsaribbonandagoldstar,therewillalwaysbecompetitionto lead people. The more people you want to lead, the stiffer thecompetition. And the stiffer the competition, the less you can be sureyou’llwin.

■ Thosewho do end up leading often achieve leadership, amass wealth,fame, or support, ormake an impact on theworld, largely through theeffectsofwordofmouth.Followers/customers/fansconvertotherpeopleto followers/customers/fans, who convert more people tofollowers/customers/fans,untilabiggroup—whichbusinessauthorSethGodincallsa“tribe”—hasamassedaround thatgiven leader, company,or artist. This is how most artists, musicians, actors, writers, andentrepreneurswhobecomefamousandwealthydoso—throughtheviral-effects word of mouth.When word of mouth takes off, its effects areextremelyrapidanddramatic(the“tippingpoint”thatMalcolmGladwellwritesabout).Yet,wordofmouthisoneoftheleastpredictablethingsontheplanet.Noonereallyknowswhatthenextword-of-mouthsensationwillbe.There’sacapriciousnaturetowordofmouth,fame,andfandom,whichhas even abona fidegenius likeDavidGilmourgiving a strongnodtotheroleluckplayedinhissuccessasanartist.

Inyourcareer,wheneveryouarefacedwithtwopaths,youwillalmostalways

be facingachoicebetweenonepath that ismorepredictable (inwhichyou’remoreor lessacog inapredeterminedscript)andone thatoffers thechance tomakeabiggerimpact(e.g.,aleadershipposition)buthasmorerisksassociatedwith it.This isas truefora lawyerorcorporatemanageras it is forastart-upentrepreneuroramusician.Anotherwaytoseeit:atanypointinyourcareer,you’llusuallybechoosing

betweenonepath that is saferandonepath thathas thepotential to feelmoremeaningful to you, between one path that ismore certain and one that offersmoreofachance fora senseofpurposeandheroism. It’shard tobeahero ifthere’snoriskinvolved.Agoodwaytothinkabout“livingameaningfullife,”toafirstapproximation,

is“makingadifferenceinthelivesofpeopleyoucareabout.”It’snowonderoursenseofmeaningissotiedupwithmythsandstories—theheroesofmythsandstories take risks inorder tomake adifference inpeople’s lives. If you’renotmakingadifferenceinanyone’slife,it’sunlikelyyou’llfeelthatyourownlifehasbeenmeaningful.Youmayendup,likethetitlecharacterin“TheSecretLife

ofWalterMitty,”livingamediocrelifeandmerelydaydreamingofheroism.This is, as Thoreau put it, a “li[fe] of quiet desperation.” Truly making a

difference and living into a meaningful purpose has all kinds of dangersassociatedwithit,includingthedangersoffailure,rejection,evenruinandgoingbroke.So, how do we navigate our desire for safety with our desire to make a

difference in theworld?Howdowenavigate betweenour desire for heroism,adventure, and romance and our desire for some level of predictability in ourlives?Howdowereconcileouridealisticdreamswiththeharshrealitiesofthemarketplace?ThesearethequestionsIanswerintherestofthischapter,indeedintherest

ofthisentirebook.OnethingI’mnotgoingtogiveyou,Ipromise,isabunchofunrealistic fluff, yet another cheery pep talk about “never giving up on yourdreams.” Whenever I hear that kind of motivational guru-speak, I think ofsomeonestandingnexttomeasIcontemplateabetonaroulettewheel,tellingme: “Think big! Never give up on your dream that putting your entire lifesavingson thenumber sixcouldpayoffbig.And ifyou lose,doubledown—borrowifyouhaveto—andkeepgoing!Don’tgiveup!You’llhititbigoneofthesedays!”Thechanceofbecomingatruestarinanygivenfield,onthelevelofaDavid

Gilmour,orsomeoftheotherself-educatedmega-famousormega-richpeopleIfeatureinthisbook(suchasbillionairesJohnPaulDeJoria,PhillipRuffin,andDustinMoskovitz),isordersofmagnitudetinierthanthechanceofpickingthewinningnumberona roulette spin. It’smore likepicking thewinningnumberseveralspinsinarow.Idon’tadvocategambling.SoI’mnotgoingtotellyoutoquitcollege,orquit

yourcomfycorporatejob,topursueyouractingcareeroryoursingingcareeroryourwritingcareer.So,amItellingyoutogiveupyourdreams,stickwiththesocietalprogram,

getthatboring,safejob,anddojustasyourparentstoldyou?No.Theproblemis, there are serious (thoughmuch less frequently acknowledged) risks to thatpath aswell. If you’re not particularly passionate about accounting, corporatemanagement, law,or engineering (the traditionalprofessions), andyougo intothosefieldstopleaseyourparents,ortoplacateyourownfearsabouttherisksoffollowingyourcreativepassions,itseemsveryunlikelytomethatyou’llenduphappywithyourcareerchoice.Youwillalwaysbeplaguedbyanaggingsenseof“Whatif?”Sure, therearealotofrisksoffollowingyourpassions—theriskthatyou’ll

havetomovebackintoyourparents’basementasanadult,forexample,orface

neardeathasa“starvingartist.”But,asRandyKomisarpointsoutinhisbookTheMonkand theRiddle, there are also a lot of unacknowledged risks tonotfollowingyourpassions,ofstickingtooclosetothebeatenpathinthenameofsafetyandpredictability.Theseinclude:“[T]heriskofworkingwithpeopleyoudon’trespect;theriskofworkingfora

companywhosevaluesareinconsistentwithyourown;theriskofcompromisingwhat’s important; the risk of doing something that fails to express—or evencontradicts—whoyouare.Andthenthereisthemostdangerousriskofall—therisk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buyyourselfthefreedomtodoitlater.”3Randy is a partner at the legendary Silicon Valley venture firm Kleiner

Perkins Caufield & Byers. A serious meditator and student of Buddhism formanydecades(andafellowgraduateofmyalmamater,Brown),he’soneoftheonlypeopleinSiliconValleywhocouldtalkwithequalauthorityonstructuringmultihundredmillion-dollar rounds of private equity financing and the finerpointsofBuddhistphilosophy.ItalkedwithRandyathisofficeonSandHillRoadinSiliconValley.Hetold

methat,alotofthetime,peopleputofftakinganystepstowardlivingamorefulfilling life,with the ideaof “keeping their optionsopen.”Yet, according toRandy,theideaof“keepingyouroptionsopen”isanillusion.Randypointedout tome that thewords “decision” and“decide” stem from

the roots“cise”and“cide,” tocutoffand tokill, also the rootsofmanyotherwords related to cutting and killing, such as “incise,” “concise” (cutting outnonessentials), and “homicide.” Thus, a decision is to cut off, or kill, otherpossibilities.“Peoplefeel like,unlessthey’reaffirmativelymakingadecision, they’renot

making a decision. They think, ‘How can you fail if you’re not making anydecision, not cutting off any possibilities?’ The reality is, you’re making adecisionall thetime.You’remakingadecisionnot tofollowapaththatmightleadyoutofulfillment.“Eventhoughthechoicetodosomethingyoudon’tlove,to‘keeptheoptions

open,’ may seem like a passive decision and therefore less risky, you can’tpretendyou’renotmakingdecisions.Sotherealquestionis‘Whatrisksareyoutakingbythosedecisionsyou’renotmaking?’Notmakingadecisiontocreateafulfillinglifenowisinfactadecision—itcutsoffcertainpathsinthefuture.Thebiggestriskiswhatweclassicallyrefertoasthemiddleagedcrisis.Youbecomeforty-fiveyearsoldandrealizethatyou’renotthepersonyouwantedtobe.Youhaven’taccomplishedwhatyouthoughtyouweregoingto.Therealityisthatthevastmajorityofpeople today, evenwhen theyareon theirdeathbed, find that

theirregretslargelycenteraroundthingstheydidn’tdo,notthingstheydiddo.”Randy calls the safe-and-narrow path, which pretends to incur no risks but

which incurs thebiggest riskofall (regrettingyour lifeat theendof it), “TheDeferred Life Plan.” In his book, he gives a simple formula for living thisinfelicitousDeferredLifePlan:“Stepone:Dowhatyouhavetodo...Steptwo:Dowhatyouwanttodo....Theluckywinnersmaygettosteptwoonlytofindthemselves aimless, directionless. Either they never knew what they ‘really’wanted to do or they’ve spent somuch time in the first step and invested somuchpsychiccapitalthatthey’recompletelylostwithoutit.”4So,accordingtowhatI’vedescribedsofar inthischapter,wefaceaseriousdilemma:Eitherwefollowourpassionsandpurpose,andincurasignificantriskofendingupasa starvingartist,orwe followasafe,predictable,boringpath,andincurasignificantriskofendingupfullofregretinourlives.Neitheroptionsoundsverypalatable.Isthereawayoutofthisbind?Istherea

way tocombine the relative safetyandsecurity thatourparentsadvocatewiththe passion, meaning, creativity, idealism, individualism, and freedom thatteenagersandtwentysomethingsdreamabout?Isthereawaytogetthebestofbothworlds?Yes,Ibelievethereis.I’mabouttosharewithyouaveryspecificplanforlivingthemeaningfullife

ofyourdreams,makingadifferenceandescapingtherat-race/herd/cageof thepredeterminedsocietal/parentalscript,whilealsomakingitlesslikelythatyou’llenduppoorthanifyoufollowedtheaforementionedsocietalscript.Icallitthe“ArtofEarningaLiving.”Toexplain this art, letme tell you the storyof someonewhohasnavigated

thesedynamicsofdreamsanddangerswithgreateleganceintherealworld.Andno,he’snotagazillionaire,andhe’snotfamous.Buthe’smanagedtocreateanamazinglifeforhimself.

■ANTHONYSANDBERGANDTHEARTOFEARNINGALIVING

Forsomereason,whenmanypeoplereachacertainlevelofmaterialaffluencein life, and find that the things they had to do to get there are starting to feelmeaningless,manysuchpeoplebegintodevelopakeeninterestin...sailing.Andwhen theydo,AnthonySandberg is right there, ready to take themout

ontothewater.“That’swhentheycometosailwithme!Theyrealizethatmaybetheyweremissingoutonsomething.Myworldisaboutopeningadventureuptopeoplewhohavedeferredthattheirentirelivesinfavorofcheckingalltherightboxes and following the script.” Anthony runs one of the largest and mostsuccessful sailing schools in the world, the OCSC Sailing School on theBerkeleyMarina(http://www.ocscsailing.com).Hisstory isdirectly relevant tothischapter.Nowsixty-two,AnthonydroppedoutofDartmouthhis senioryear in1971.

TensionswereboilingintheUnitedStatesaroundtheVietnamWar,andduringthose final yearsAnthonywas at college, the campus protests against thewarwerereachingafrenziedheight.Anthonyspentmostofhistimeorganizingbusloadsofpeopletogodownto

Boston,NewYork, andWashington,D.C., toparticipate in theprotests.Whenthe invasionofCambodia started in1970, “schoolingdidn’tmean anything tomeanymore. Iwanted tobewherewhat’sreallyhappening inAmerica. I tookoffthatlastterm,andstartedorganizingstudentsfull-timeinD.C.SoInevergotadegree.IsupposeIcouldgofinishandgetonenow[chuckling],butI’mnotsureitwoulddomeanygood.”Sandbergwasthefirstpersoninhisfamilytoattendcollege.Hisfatherwasa

cookandhismotherwasawaitress.Hegrewupinlower-middle-classHawaii,andthenCalifornia,inwhathedescribesasatroubledfamilylife.Wanting to escape, he left home and high school at sixteen, got a job on a

ship, and sailed around the world. He returned to high school later that year,thoughhemovedoutofhishomeandwassupportinghimselffullyonhisownfromthatpointon.

Dartmouth was impressed with his self-determination and the writings heshowed them about his self-funded sailing adventure. They offered him a fullscholarship.While he did well his first two years there, toward the end of his time at

Dartmouth—inaddition to the littlematterofbarelyattendingclassdue tohisorganizing—he began to feel a profound cultural alienation from his peers astheyreadiedfor lifebeyondgraduation.“At thesametime,mysenioryear,allmy friends—who had long hair throughout college—started cutting their hairand buying suits. It was like watching lemmings getting ready to jump. Thebiological clock kicked in, and they had to please their parents or pleasewhatever theythought theprocesswas.Theydidn’tseemtometobe in touchwithwhattheywantedinlife.Infact,therewerenorewardsfordoingwhatyouwerepassionateabout.Therewererewardsforbehaving.”Afterleavingcollege,andaftertheprotestsdieddown,Sandbergdrewonthe

same enterprising spirit that got him into college in the first place, and hesupported himself from a number of entrepreneurial ventures. He started asporting goods business, then a leather goods business. He got crew jobs onmultimillionaires’ yachts in the Mediterranean, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, andSpain.HethenjoinedthePeaceCorpsinNepal.“Iwasspendingtimewiththerichestpeopleonearth,andthepoorestpeopleonearth.”WhenhegotbackfromthePeaceCorps,hekeptontinkering.“Iwascurious

about a million different things that I wanted to explore.” He got passionateaboutthebuddingsolarenergyindustry.Heapprenticedhimselfforsixmonthsto a top plumber—in those days solar energy involved water as a heatingelement—andstartedasolarinstallationandplumbingcompany,hiringlicensedplumbersbeneathhim.Atthistime,healsobeganteachingsailingpart-timeatsailingschools.Itwasatoneof theseschools thathegotapieceofadvice thatchangedhis

lifeforever.“Ihadaverywell-heeledandimportantclient.Hesaid,‘Anthony,without a doubt, you’re one of the best sailing instructors I’ve ever had. But,thereisnofutureforyouinbeingasailinginstructor.Youneedtocapturewhatyoudo,identifyit,andcodifyit,soitcanbetaughttomany,manypeople.Firstteachittoateam,andthenbeyond.’”A lightningbolthitAnthony through thatonepieceofadvice (readSuccess

Skill #2 on finding the right advisers in life). He became possessed with thevision of starting his own sailing school. At that time, sailing was only forsuperrich elites. There weren’t accessible sailing schools then, like there aretoday (with Anthony’s school being a prime example of one—he started thetrend).Hewantedtotakehispassionandloveforsailingandmakeitaccessible

forasmanypeopleaspossible.“Iwas living inmyplumbingvanat the time.Witha fever, stayingup late

everynightinmyvan,Iwroteoutabusinessplan.Everyaspect:howtheboatsshould be cared for, how people should be trained, how visitors should begreeted,whattheprogressionofstudieswillbe.“IstartedtheschoolbyborrowingboatsontheBerkeleyMarina.Howdoyou

borrowaboat?Well,haveyoueverseenanemptymarina?[Laughing.]They’refilledwithboatsthatareownedbypeoplewhodon’tknowhowtosailthem,andwhowill sell them to somebodyelseevery threeyears. Iwalked theBerkeleyMarina,saying topeople, ‘Look, I’ll takecareofyourboat,andI’ll teachyouhowtosail,ifyouletmeuseitformyschoolduringtheweek.’Ihadmypickoftheboats!Honestly,Ithinkakidcouldstilldothattoday,ithasn’tchangedabit.[Laughing.]AsIwasdoingthat,Iwouldgetoneclient,thenthree,thenfive.Ibootstrappeditentirely.Noinvestment,nodebt.Asix-dollarbusinesslicense.”Theschoolgrewandgrewfromthere.Itnowoccupiesaspectacularsix-acre

campus facing the Golden Gate Bridge. In his thirtyplus years in business,Anthony’sschoolhastaughtovertwenty-fivethousandpeopletosail,andnowemploys over eighty staff members, managing a fleet of over fifty boats andyachts.Helivesinagorgeousapartmentdirectlyoverlookingthebay,partoftheschoolcomplex.Inthecourseofhiswork,hehasledflotillasofsailingstudentsand adventurers throughout Antarctica, Patagonia, Turkey, Greece, theGalápagos,theCaribbean,CentralandSouthAmerica,Tahiti,Australia,andtheSouth Pacific, and regularly finds time for his ownwild sailing adventures aswell.Althoughhe’slivedanincrediblyrichlifesofar,andplanstokeeptheschool

going strong, Anthony is now in the process of figuring out what the secondstage of his life is all about. He knows it has something to do with teachingentrepreneurialism to kids. To that end, he’s been mentoring underprivilegedchildrenintheBayAreaonhowtostartbusinesses.“Idon’twanttoteachthemgeneral classes. I want to find the ten kids who want to learn how to be anentrepreneur. Ican teach them tostartabusinessoutofnothing.Giveme twotwigs,andwe’llstartabusinessoutofit.”Anthonywantstoteachkidsentrepreneurialismforaveryspecificreason.He

believesthefutureofourplanetdependsonyoungpeoplelearningtheseskills.“Weare inacriticalstaterightnow.We’vegotmaybetenyears tosaveour

oceans. And there are all kinds of problems of that magnitude. However, Ibelievethefutureofourworldisnotgoingtocomefromthenonprofits.Ithinkit’sgoingtocomefrombusiness—becausebusinessisincrediblypowerful.Ijustdon’tthinkthatholdingbakesalesandbeggingforlittlehandoutsbynonprofits

isgoingtoactquicklyorpowerfullyenough.Businessknowshowtogetthingsdone.Butithastohaveaconscience,ithastowanttomaketheworldabetterplaceandnotjustmakeaprofitatanycost.Itclearlydoesn’ttoday.”Anthony Sandberg may not be famous. He may not be a Silicon Valley

billionaire.Butheisawealthyman,ineverysenseoftheword.Andtoachievethis wealth, he never once deferred any meaning, purpose, adventure, orexcitementinhislife.Hehasalwaysgonetowardmeaning,purpose,adventure,andexcitement.Hislifeisprofoundlymeaningfultohimandtothemanypeopleheteachesandleads.“Ourmottoattheschoolis‘InspireConfidence,’”hesays.“It’snot‘Learnto

SailBetter.’It’saboutbeingconfidenttotakethatlittlejourneyfromtheshore,and then a little further, and a little further, and all of the sudden, the wholeworldbecomesyourplayground.”Sothisisthe“ArtofEarningaLiving.”Itistheartofcreatingacareerpaththat both provides a high likelihood of financial security and allows you tofollowyourdreamsandmakeadifferenceintheworld.Tounderstandwhat it involves, let’sgoback foramoment to theargument

betweenParentsandDaughteratthebeginningofthechapter.Theparentsandtheirchildarearguingabouttherelationshipbetweenmoney,

financial security, and safety on the one hand and passion, purpose,meaning,andmakingadifferenceontheother.The parents and the daughter—though they are on opposite sides of the

argument—are all operating with the same basic presuppositions:Money andfinancial security are completely separate from livingwith a sense of purposeandcreatingameaningfullife.Thesespheresbearnorelationshiptoeachother.Theparents are advocatingbasically a dull, boring life, inwhich thedaughterpursuesacareershecaresnothingabout(andevenfindsmorallyrepugnant)inexchange for financial security. The daughter is advocating a life of passion,purpose,andmeaning,withnothoughtorregardforhowshe’sgoingtopaythebills.TheArtofEarningaLivingistheartoffindingcreativewaysofbringingthe

spheresofmoneyandmeaningtogetherandmakingthemoverlapsignificantly.Icallitanartbecauseit’snotalwaysapparenthowtobestachievefinancial

stabilitywhile at the same timemaking a difference in awayyou care about.Remember,we’renot talkingabout“work-lifebalance”here—the“writeplaysinyour spare timeasahobbywhileyou’rea lawyer”philosophyespousedbytheparents.We’re talkingaboutcreatingapathwhereyourwork isyour life’s

purposeisyourincomeisyourmeaningis thedifferenceyou’remakingontheplanet. Significantly more elusive—yet infinitely more rewarding—than themuch-hyped“work-lifebalance.”TheArt ofEarning aLiving requires a great deal of self-inquiry intowhat,

exactly, the difference you want to make is, and also a lot of creative,entrepreneurialproblemsolvingtofigureouthowyoucouldmakedecentmoneywhilemakingthatdifference.You’re going to have to create a solution unique to you and your

circumstances. No similar solution will have ever existed before, for a verysimplereason:inthewholeofhumanhistory,noonehasyetmadethedifferenceyou want to make. If they had, the impact you want to make wouldn’t be a“difference” anymore, it would be a sameness! Making a difference, not a“sameness,”means doing things no one has done before, at least, not for thepeoplewhoselivesyouwanttoimpact.Anddoingthingsthatnoonehasdonebefore—thatis, leadership—involves

uncertainty,risk,anddanger.Whichmeans,asAnthonysuggests,losingsightoftheshore.Thegreatertheimpactyouwanttomakeinyourfield,market,career,industry,orprofession,orintheworld,thefartheryouhavetotravelfromshore.I’mnotgoingtopretendtherearen’tdangers in tryingtomakeadifference.

But in this book, I am going to give you a set of tools and skills that willminimizethedangersandmaximizethechanceofmakingadifference.Startingrightnow.

■FOURSTEPSTOALIGNINGYOURMONEYANDYOURMEANING:PUTTINGTHEARTOF

EARNINGALIVINGTOWORK

SinceI’dneverhaveyoutrysomethingIhaven’tappliedextensivelyinmyownlife,laterI’llbesharingwithyouthestoryofhowIusedtheseverytoolstogofrombeingbroke,miserable,anddesperatetobuildingmyowndreamcareerformyself,which is bothmeaningful tome and lucrative.But for now, let’s diveintotheFourStepstoAligningYourMoneyandYourMeaningdirectly.TherearethreegroupsofpeopleI’llbetalkingtointhissection:

A)You’dbehappyspendingtherestofyourlifeearningwhatyou’renowearning,ifwhatyou’redoingnowfeltmeaningfultoyou,butitdoesn’t.B)You’dbehappyspendingtherestofyourlifedoingwhatyou’redoingbecauseitfeelssomeaningfultoyou,butyou’renotearningenoughmoneydoingit.C)You’renothappywitheitherthemoneyyou’reearningorthemeaningofwhatyou’redoingtoearnit.Inotherwords,ShitCity.

I’mgoingtoaddresspeopleingroupsBandCfirst;I’lladdressgroupAina

moment.

■STEP1:GetonYourFeetFinancially

Ifyou’reingroupBorC,there’sreallyonlyonethingtodonext.Getonyourfeetfinancially.IwasingroupBbig-timeduringmy“wannabeliterarybadboy”phase,formuchofmytwenties,whichI’lldescribelaterinthischapter.Icouldhave happily gone on for the rest ofmy life writing that stuff (God save thereaders!), but the money simply wasn’t good enough for me; there was nomoney.If you’re in group B or C, get on your feet financially, however you can.

That’swhatmostofthepeopleinthisbookdid.Theygotfinanciallystable,fromayoungage,oftentheirmid-teens.Getasquarejob,acorporatejob,atempjob,aboringnine-to-five.Don’t feel anything is “beneathyou” so long as it pays.Wait tables if youhave to.Giveupyour “art,” “purpose,”or “meaning” for alittlewhile andknowwhat itmeans to be financially stable.Get a kinestheticfeelinginyourbodyofhowit feels tohaveenoughmoneytopayrent, topayyourbillsontime,totakeyoursweetieouttoanicerestaurant.Thebestwaytogetfinanciallystable,onceyouhavesomekindofjob—any

job—istoexhibit theentrepreneurial leadershipvaluesonthejob,describedindetail inSuccessSkill#7,“TheEntrepreneurialMind-setversus theEmployeeMind-set.”This is how I did it andhowall the self-educated entrepreneurs inthisbookdidit.

■STEP2:CreateMoreRoomforExperimentation

This step (and all the rest) applies to groups A, B, and C mentioned above.(Presumably those in group A are already financially stable and thus havealready completed Step 1.) The next step in Aligning YourMoney and YourMeaning, once you’re financially on your feet, is to create more room forexperimentation.Findingacomfortablemeetingground foryourmoneyandyourmeaning is

going to require a lot of experimentation.Experimentation takes time. It takesmoney.Andittakesroomtofallandtofail.Having the financial stability gained in Step 1makes it a lot easier to start

takingsomemeasuredrisksinyourlife.AnthonySandberg,forexample,startedhis sailing school when he already had money coming in from his solar andplumbingbusiness.ElliottBisnow,whomwe’llbemeetinginSuccessSkill#2,startedhisSummitSerieswhenhealreadyhadmoneycominginfromhisrealestatenewsletterbusiness.Mywife,Jena,workedavarietyofunfulfillingjobsbeforeshedevelopedherhealth-coachingandyoga-teachingcareer,whichwasmorefulfillingtoher.Andagain,shewaiteduntilshehadsolidmoneycominginfromherhealthcoachingandyogabeforeshetookthenextstepandopenedawellness center. FrankKern,whomwe’llmeet in Success Skill #3,worked avarietyofshitjobsashewasbuildinghisInternetmarketingbusiness.It’sjustsodifferent—andbetter—figuringouthowtomakeadifferenceinthe

worldandfindmeaninginyourlifewhenyourbillsarecoveredandyouhaveasecure roof over your head. It’sway less stressful than trying to do it whenyou’re broke. And, once the hurdle of supporting yourself is already passed,you’ll bemuch less likely to take a path that leads you to being broke again.Payingyourbillsontimeisaseductivefeeling,andonceyougetinthehabitofit,youwon’twanttogoback.Now, oneproblemyoumay encounter once you’re financially stable is that

thetimeit takestocreatethatfinancialstabilityinyourlife issogreat, there’snothing left over for anything but following the dictates of your job. This iswhereStep2comesin.You need to free up time and space for some experiments in leadership,

innovation, making a difference, and finding meaning. If you’re working

freelancegigs(asIwasduringthisperiod),thenthere’salwaysawaytofindafewsparehourseachdayforstartingapursuitthatmightfeelmeaningfultoyou.Ifyou’reworkingseventy-hourweeksatacorporatejob,however,therewillbeverylittlespaceleftoverforanythingelsebutthat.In thiscase,youshouldbegintakingsomerisksatwork.Seeifyoucanget

buy-infromyourbosstofocusmoreonresultsyouachieve,ratherthanfocusingon hours logged. There are some great books on how tomake this transition,includingWhyWorkSucksandHowtoFixIt:NoSchedules,NoMeetings,NoJoke,theSimpleChangeThatCanMakeYourJobTerrificbyCaliResslerandJodi Thompson;Chapter 12 of TimFerriss’sThe Four-HourWorkweek, titled“Disappearing Act: How to Escape the Office”; and also The Custom-FitWorkplace:ChooseWhen,Where,andHowtoWorkandBoostYourBottomLinebyJoanBladesandNanetteFondas.Flextime, working at home, telecommuting, working from your laptop and

yourmobilephone—these justaren’t the foreignconcepts theywereevenfiveyears ago. There’s really no excuse for not creating some flexibility in yourworkday now if you want it. The only excuse is your own fear and lack ofimagination—andthosearen’tgoodenough.

■STEP3:WithThisNewSpaceinYourWorkday,BeginExperimenting!

Withsomeincreasedflexibilityinyourworkdayandworkweek,oratleastsomebuy-infromyourbossabouttheideaofgettingevaluatedbasedonresultsratherthan hours, you can now experimentwith taking some risks towardmaking adifferencewithinyourorganization,workplace,orindustry.ReadSuccessSkill#7, and adopt an entrepreneurialmind-set at your workplace. Solve problemsthatyouweren’t“hired”tosolve.Contributeinhigh-leveragewaysyouweren’thired to contribute. Leading always feels more meaningful, impactful, andcreativethanfollowing.ReadSethGodin’sLinchpin:AreYouIndispensable?This is thebestbookI

know on the topic of exercising more leadership within your organization—whichSeth calls being a “Linchpin”—nomatterwhat your formal title or jobdescription is. Become a Linchpin in your organization. Most of the peoplefeaturedinTheEducationofMillionairesworked theirwayup theirearly jobsbydoingsoevenifthey’dneverheardofSethGodin.Ifyou’realreadyworkinginthefieldyouplantostayinfortherestofyour

life,andyoudon’twanttobecomeanentrepreneurwithinthatfield,thenyou’rerightwhere you need to be in theArt of Earning a Living.Keep seeking outopportunitiestoexercisemoreleadershipinyourworkplace(readSuccessSkill#7andapplytheentrepreneurialmind-setatyourworkplace).Keeplookingforwaystostickyourneckout,totakerisks,toinnovate,tomakeadifference,inthenameoftakingyourorganizationtothenextlevel.With thenewlyflexiblehours inyourdayandweek(fromStep2),youcan

also begin experimentingmore intensivelywith potential sources ofmeaning,passion, and purpose outside of work, from artistic endeavors to charity andcauses.Many people are quite content to leave things here: they have a career that

paysthebillsandinwhichthey’reincreasinglymakingadifferenceandfindingmeaning, through exercising leadership. And they also have time during theirdayorweektopursuemeaningfulpassionsoutsideofwork.SethGodin recommends this path formany people. He toldme: “For fifty

thousandyears,humansdidwhattheywerepassionateabout,andthentheydidsomething else to eat. I don’t think there’s anythingwritten down to say that

thosedaysaregoneforever.Wedon’thaveapoetryshortage.There’splentyofpoetry. No one gets paid to write poetry. If you want to write poetry, writepoetry.”There’sreallynotmuchdownsidetothispath.Itworks.Worstcase,youhave

aday job thatpays thebillswith increasingartistry, creativity, and leadership,and youget to explore your passions (for poetry, singing-songwriting, charity,etc.)ontheside.

■STEP4:StrikingOutonYourOwn(forThoseWhoWanttoChangeCareers,BecomeEntrepreneurs,orBecomeSelf-Employed)

If your current field, industry, company, or organization does not reflect yourdeepestsenseofpurposeandmeaning,however,thenyou’regoingtoneedtogobeyondStep3inAligningYourMoneyandYourMeaning.Youdon’twantyourpassion andmeaning to come either fromyour current job or organization, or“ontheside”—youwanttofindanewmaindish.Withtheflexiblehoursinyourday and week gained in Steps 2 and 3, begin experimenting with things thatmightonedaybecomebothasourceofmeaningandasourceofseriousincomeforyououtsideofyourcurrentjob.This might mean starting a small business on the side, moonlighting in a

second“start-up”career,pursuingself-studytoprepareforadifferentcareer,orfindingwaystoearnmoneyfromyourartisticandcreativepassions.Whatever it may be, if you want to make a living from it and leave your

currentjob,you’regoingtohavetodoadeepdiveintothesuccessskillsinthisbook, particularly marketing, sales, and networking. You’re going to have towrapyourownpassions, talents,andpurpose—thethingsyoucaremostaboutandarebestat—inthepackageofthesefundamentalsuccessskills.Ifyouknowhowtodothat,yougetpaidalot,andyou’relivingyourpassionandpurpose.Keep reading.Amajor pitfall in this journey is thatwe are so conditioned tothinkingofmoneyandmeaningasseparate,weoverlookcreativewaysthatwecanbringthemtogether.Ifyouuseyournoggin—andthesuccessskills inthisbook—you can find a zillion ways to interface your creative skills, passions,visions, and dreams with the already-existing worlds of capitalism andcommerce.I’mnotgoingtosaythiswillbeaneasyorrisk-freetask.However,the stories throughout this book should provide plenty of examples andinspirationonhowtodoit.AsIwasinterviewingSethGodin(whowenttoTuftsandgotanMBAfrom

Stanford), we were sitting in the main dining room of the architecturallystunning Capital Grille on Forty-second Street in Manhattan. Seth told me:“Peoplehavethisideathateitheryou’reacoginthemachine,justworkingfortheman,oryou’reout singingonstage,makingyour living thatway. It seemslikethere’salotinbetween—therearealotofpeoplewhomaynothavewhatit

takes tobecome thenext famousmusician,butwhoare findingways tomakemoneywithwhattheycareabout.“Think about this restaurant right now. It’s not really like any restaurant in

NewYorkCity that I’ve ever been in.Where did it come from? It’s not herebecausesomeonemadechairsorchina,whichareavailabletoeveryone.It’sherebecause someone’s puttingon a show.And they’re chargingmany timeswhattheywouldgetiftheyweresellingitfromastreetcart.“I’m saying that’s ‘art.’ Someone didn’t just copy it. Someone had to take

variouscomponentsandput themtogether, tocreatesomethingthatwasworthexperiencing,andsharing,andtalkingabout.Onthebackofthat,youcanbuildabusinessthatmakestonsofmoneysellingfood.“Thearthere,theexperienceofseeingit,that’sfree.Anyonecanwalkinthis

place,lookaround,getit,andleave.Thesouvenirpart—theexperiencepart,theowning-the-table-for-two-hourspart—that’swhattheymakemoneyfrom.“McDonald’s fooled us into believing that the purpose of industry was to

churn out standardized quantity at low cost. This place reminds us that, no,there’sanalternativetoracingtothebottom.Andthatis,racingtothetop.”Are you ready to race toward the top and combine money with meaning?

Keepreading—theremainingstoriesandskillsinthisbookshowyouhow.

■PORTRAITOFTHEARTISTASAYOUNGFUCKUP:HOWIWENTFROMBROKE,MISERABLEWANNABESUPERSTARTOFINANCIALLYSECURE,CREATIVELYENGAGEDPROFESSIONALAUTHOR

I told you Iwouldn’t recommend anything to you that I hadn’t applied inmyownlife.SohereismyownstoryofhowIappliedtheFourStepstoAligningYourMoneyandMeaning,inmyownlife.Throughfollowingthesesteps,Iwasabletotransformmyselffrombeingbasicallyamiserable,brokeloser,justfouryearsago,tohavingmycurrentcareer,whichisbothprofoundlymeaningfultomeandfinanciallylucrative.

■Pre-Step1:BrokeandMiserableLoser

Sevenyearsago,at age twenty-seven, Ibecamepossessedwith the idea that Iwantedtowriteandpublishmyfirstbook,amanuscriptofcreativenonfictionIwasworkingon,andbecomealiterarysuperstar.LaidofffrommyfirstpostcollegejobincorporateAmerica,afterthedot-com

bubble,ImovedbackwithmyparentsintotheroomIlivedinasateenager,withtheideathatIwouldenjoysubsidizedrentwhileIpursuedmypassionofwritingandtriedtomakeitasanauthor.MyparentstoleratedthisbecauseIalsoofferedtousemywritingskillsassistingmyfatheronaprofessionalprojectforwhichheneededhelp; thiswasmyday job,which also paidmybasic expenses andsomerenttomyparents.I ended up writing a wildly sexual, experimental, caffeine-potand-wine-

chargedattemptatautobiographicallybasedcomedicnonfiction,almostwhollydevoidofanystructure,weavinginmanicpoliticalrantsandfragmentsfrommysenior honors thesis in international relations atBrown (“BlackMasks,WhiteGuilt:CulturalAppropriation,MulticulturalConsumerismand theSearchforaMeaningful First World Existence”). My literary idols were Henry Miller,Hunter S. Thompson, Michel Houellebecq. I was certain my name would bejoiningtheirnamesatthetableof“badboys”inliterature.Themanuscriptwastitled,ironicallyenough,RockStarEnvy.Here is a selection from one of the twenty-two rejection letters sent tomy

agentatthetime:“Icouldn’ttellwhetherhewastryingtowriteasatire/behumorouswhenhe

discussed things like his ecofeminism, or whether he was trying to write astraightmemoir.Hisstorypickedupspeedandkeptmeinterestedwhenhelethis too brief anecdotes breathe and become a linear narrative, but the asides,rants,andportionsofhiscollegethesisdistractedmeandstoppedthestoryinitstracks.”Anotherletter,fromafamousliteraryeditoratamajorNewYorkpublishing

house,initsentirety:“I’mgoingtopassonthisproject.Mr.Ellsberg’swritingisnotstrongenough

toovercomethesimplefactthatheisnotaverylikableperson.”Atthetime,ofcourse,Iviewedtheselettersaspureconfirmationofmyworst

suspicions:thecorruptedaestheticsofmiddle-classconsumeristmediocrityandphilistinism, the complete venality of corporate publishing pandering to thosetastes, thewickedness of the profit-motivatedmedia-entertainment complex—unabletorecognizethegeniusofArteveniftheywerehitovertheheadwithatwo-poundmanuscriptofexperimentalnonfictionin-fragments.Over time,myviewsof thisepisode inmy lifemellowedandmatured.The

word “undisciplined” was used by several different editors rejecting mymanuscript, and I have come to see that they were right—in fact, all therejectionswereright.Iwasacockykid,convincedthatIwascreatinganewformofwriting(doing

away, for example, with the oppressive confines of narrative arc, plot, orcharacterdevelopment) and thatmyvisionwaspoised to takeover theworld,whethertheworldcaredornot.YoucouldsayIwastryingtoblazeatrail.AndperhapsIwasdoingso.But therewas a problemwith this trailblazing.No one reallywanted to go

whereverthetrailIwasblazingled.Infact,Ididn’treallyknowwhereitled.Inreality,itledtosomedark,tangledforestboginmydepressedsoul,withpeatsothickandbrushsodensethatthetrailbackoutgoterasednosoonerthanitwasblazed.After a second roundof submissionsofRockStarEnvy bombed, in 2006, I

finallygot themessage:Iwasnotgoingtomakealivingasabad-boyliteraryenfant terribleofmemoirwriting. If Iwanted to continue topay rent andbuygroceries,IwouldneedtobemoreflexibleabouthowIinterfacedmymainsetofskills(writingandeditingnonfiction)withmarketrealities.

■STEP1:FreelanceCopywriter(GettingonMyFeetFinancially)

AndsobeganmyjourneyintheArtofEarningaLiving,in2007,atagetwenty-nine.IbeganseekingouteverygigIcouldget.Editinggigs.Ghostwritinggigs.Copywriting gigs. I helped people self-publish their books. I wrote bookproposals for aspiring authors. Anything that had $$$ attached to it, andsomehowinvolvedwords,Iwoulddoit.(HowdidIgetall thesegigs?Mostlythroughnetworking.ReadSuccessSkill#2onhowtobeagreatconnector!)ImovedtoBuenosAires,forawhile,whereIknewIcouldliveverycheaply,

worked formostly Australian clients over the Internet (it’s a long story), andpursued my freelance commercial writing and editing writing full-time. Ibrought in$8,280ofgross incomein2007,whichIwasableto liveonwithacombinationoflivinginpesosanddrawingdownsomemoneyIhadsavedfrommylastcorporatejob.At the endof2007, Imoved into a$350-a-month room inSanFrancisco. I

keptmybusinesshumming.Therecessionhitin2008,butthroughmasteringtheskillsofmarketing,Iexpandedmybusinessby600percent,toalmost$50,000ingross incomeperyear inboth2008and2009,ona totallyflexiblefreelancer’sschedule.IalsomovedoutofthattinyroominSanFranciscointobetterdigs.Obviously, things improved from a monetary perspective. I was no longer

goingdeeperanddeeperintodebttocovermylivingexpenseswhileI“wentformy dreams” (as the motivational books put it), hoping some editor at apublishinghousewouldbestowuponmeawindfalladvance.I was developing a valuable set of skills. Not editing/writing skills, which

werealreadyfine.I’mtalkingaboutthesuccessskillsinthisbook,particularlysales,marketing,andnetworking.Outofnecessity(andfollowingthestepsI’llprovide in detail in coming chapters), I became good at connecting withpotentialclients,sellingthemontheideaofworkingwithme,andleadingthemtowheretheywantedtogointheirprojects.Moneystartedtoflow.IhadpassedthroughStep1oftheAligningYourMoneyandYourMeaning.(Step2in theAligningYourMoneyandYourMeaningisallaboutcreating

flexibility in your workday, which allows for more experimentation inintegratingyourmoneyandyourmeaning.Becausemy income inStep1wasalreadyderivedfromfreelancework,Ifortunatelyhadplentyofflexibility—one

ofthegreatbenefitsofbeingaself-employedfreelancer.SoIgottoskipdirectlytoStep3.)

■STEP3:FreelancerCopywriterwithaSidePassionofWritingBooks

Oncemoney started to flow in 2008 and 2009, and Iwas on financially firmfooting,Iveryquicklybeganaskingmyself:IsthishowIwanttospendtherestofmylife?ThisisthenextstepofAligningYourMoneyandYourMeaning.InhisbookTheMonkand theRiddle,RandyKomisaradvisesyou toaska

simplequestionaboutyourcurrentmodeofincome:Wouldyoubewillingtodothisfortherestofyourlife?Thepointisnotthatyouwilldoitfortherestofyourlife.Butwouldyoube

willing?Ifthiswasalltherewas—nobrightertomorrow,nomagicpromotionorraiseorinvestmentthatvaultsyouintotheshroudednextlevel.Justthis.Now.Wouldyoubehappywiththistherestofyourlife?If theanswer isno—if the thoughtofdoingyour currentgig for the restof

yourlifemakesyoutotallydepressed—thenyouoweittoyourself(havingonlyonelifetolive)tofigureoutwhatkindofpursuityouwouldbewillingtolivetilltheend.Andinsodoing,it’simportanttolookatthewholepackage,boththemoney

and inner rewards. Is thewholepackage, themoneyand themeaning,ofyourcurrentlifetolerabletoyouifthiswasitfortherestofyourlife?Ifeitherone(orboth) of these aspects is off, then you’ve got to start making the appropriateadjustments.Writing my “subversive” incoherent mess of a memoir might have been

metaphysicallyrewardingtomeatthattime(Pre-Step1).Butatacertainpoint,thewhole“starving,debt-ladenartist”thingwasnolongerappealingtome.Soatfirst,Iswungtotallyintheotherdirection(Step1)andfocusedentirely

on paying the bills. Which made sense for a while—it was like “financialtherapy,”weaningmeoffmyartisticallyunderearningwaysofthepast.ButassoonasIwasonmyfeetagainfinancially,andIhadsomeflexibilityin

myworkday topondersuch things (Step2),Randy’squestionpopped intomymind. And the clear answer to his query was no. I would not feel satisfiedspending the rest of my life as a book proposal writer, direct-responsecopywriter,andmarketingconsultant.Nottosayitwasabadsituation.Alotofpeoplewouldhavekilledforthatsetup,withsuchsolidmoneyonsuchaflexible

schedule.ButIhadtoaddsomethinginorderformylifetofeelmeaningful.I always knew that my great passion was writing books. Not editing other

people’s books, not writing book proposals for other people’s books ormarketingthem.Butwritingmyown.That’swhatIwasoriginallydoinginmy“starvingmemoirist”phase.Well,withSteps1and2handled,Inowhadtheflexibilitytowriteontheside,

exploring thispassion,yetwithouthaving todo it ina “starvingartist”way. Iwroteaproposal forwhatbecamemy firstpublishedbook,ThePowerofEyeContact.Myincomein2008and2009included$10,000eachofthoseyearsinadvancemoneyfromthatbook.Thatcertainlywasn’tenoughtoquitmydayjob,but it at leastcontributed tomy incomeandallowedme toexploreevenmorethispassionontheside.ForthesetwoyearsonmypathoftheArtofEarningaLiving,Iwassolidlyat

Step 3. I had a great freelance income on a flexible schedule, and I wasreengagingwithmypassionforbookwriting.

■STEP4:TowardFull-TimeAuthor

However,in2010,IgottheideathatIwantedmypassion—bookwriting—tobemymain income. This is Step 4 inAligningYourMoney andYourMeaningwith integrating yourmoney and yourmeaning fully. I continued to growmyfreelancingday job, ina stillshakymarket,by50percent in2010, to$75,000.I’mproudofthisgrowthinthefreelancingbusinessoverthepastfouryears—about75percentperyearannualized,includingtwoyearsofarecession.Icreditthisgrowthtothesales,marketing,andnetworkingskillsIdescribelaterinthisbook.(It’softeneasiertogetafargreaterreturnwithmuchlessriskbyinvestinginyourownearningpowervia salesandmarketingskills, than isavailableonthestockmarket.SeeSuccessSkill#5oninvestinginyourownearningpower.)Butinlinewithmynewresolution,Icontinuednurturingmysidecareer,ina

moreseriousanddevotedmannerthanbefore.Itpaidoffbig-timeforme.Icameupwiththeideaforthisbook,wrotetheproposalforit,networkedmywaytoafantastic literary agent, and received a six-figure offer from Penguin. Now in2011,Iammassivelytoningdownmyfreelancebusiness, turningmyattentionalmostexclusivelytomycareerasabookauthor,andstartingtoconceiveofthenextbookproject.MyownArtofEarningaLiving,sofar,culminatesinthisbook.Itisboththe

mostfinanciallylucrativeandthemostpersonallymeaningfulprojectI’veeverhadtheprivilegetobeinvolvedwith.Throughalotoftrialanderrorandgoingthrough theFourSteps toAligningYourMoneyandYourMeaning Idescribehere,Iseemtohavefoundthesweetspotofoverlappingmoneyandmeaninginmylife.Howwillyoumeldtogethermoneyandmeaninginyourlife?Thisisoneofthemostimportantskillsyou’lleverdevelop.Bydefinition,it

canonlybe studied in the realworld, outsideof class, because themethodofinstruction is trial and error, with real-world feedback. I hope the stories Iprovide in the book—and the steps I’ve given you here—offer inspiration forgettingstarted.

■WITHOUTFAILURE,THEREISNOLEARNING(OR,WHYENTREPRENEURIALISMISLIKE

DATING)

Oneofthecapacitiesthatwillbeinvaluabletoyouasyoubegintoworkthroughthe Four Steps to Aligning Your Money and Your Meaning is developing adifferent—and I believemore realistic—relationship to risk. Indeed, if there’sonesingletrait thatsetsall theself-educatedmillionairesI interviewedforthisbookapartfromotherpeople,it’stheirrelationshiptorisk.Critics ofmy bookwill likely say thatwhat sets them apart is they simply

tookbiggerrisksthanothers:thepeopleIinterviewedweresimplythewinnersattheroulettewheel,andIfailedtotalkaboutallthepeoplewhoplayedatthewheelandgotwipedout.(Thislineofcritiquewouldchargemewithafallacyofstatistical reasoning known as “survivorship bias”: making assertions aboutsomeprocessbasedonconclusionsdrawnonlyvialookingatthe“winners”ofthat process,without taking into account the experience of the—usuallymuchlarger—sampleoflosers.5)Andyet,Idon’tbelievethepeopleIfeatureinthisbooksimplytookabigger

betthaneveryoneelseandhappenedtogetluckyandwin.Rather,I’veseenthatthey have systematically and intentionally developed a style of working thatallowsthemtotake lotsofsmallbets—betafterbetafterbetafterbet—all thewhilemakingsurethattheydon’tgetwipedoutofthegameifoneormanyofthemgosouth.Inotherwords,Ibelievethatformostofthepeoplefeaturedinthisbookatraitevenmoreimportantthanluckwasresilience.Mostpeople,when they thinkof the ideaofstartingabusiness, see itasan

incredibly risky proposition, one that entails not just egg-in-the-face, but totalruin.Theyarenearlyhystericalabouttheriskstheycouldincuriftheylefttheirsafe, boring jobs. Images of would-be entrepreneurs living homeless on thestreet after theirventures failedkeepmanypeoplewhodreamof starting theirownbusinessesstuckincomfortable,boringcorporatejobsfortherestoftheirlives.I believe this is a distorted view of entrepreneurialism. Most of the self-

educated people featured in this book took pains to make sure that their“downsidewasnotsoexposed,”tousetheparlanceofinvesting:theymadesurethat a failed business would not mean total ruin; it would just mean a fewscrapes, a few good lessons learned, and up they are again at a new one.Nobiggie. They are calm, relaxed, and cool about failure, not hysterical andterrified,becausetheyviewfailureasnecessaryforlearning.TakethestoryofMikeFaith,ownerofHeadsets.com,whichdoesmillionsin

saleseachyearofheadsets forhands-freephoning.Mikewasmildlydyslexic,andstartedfallingbehindintheUnitedKingdom’sequivalentofhighschool.Henever felt he fit into an academic environment—abstract academic skillswereneitherhisstrengthnorhispassion—sohedecidedtoleaveschoolatagefifteen.Hiscareerafterthat,formanyyears,begantolooklikeaping-pongmatchof

entrepreneurialventures,oneafter theotherafter theother inrapidsuccession.He started in door-to-door sales at fifteen, selling window insulation, all thewhilelivingathomewithhisparents(livingathomewithparentsisapowerfulwaytolimitone’sfinancialdownside,asmanytwentysomethingsarenowbeingforcedtodiscover).Hewassogoodatsales,heboughthisfirstcaratseventeenwithmoneyhe

earned,andboughthis firsthomeat twenty-one,enablinghim to finallymoveout.Soon,hegot into thebusinessofbuyingupassetsofbankruptcompaniesandsellingthematauctionfora tidyprofit.Hethengot involvedin therisingUKpropertymarketofthelateeighties.Whenthatcrashed,helosteverything.“Bymymid-twenties,Ihadmademyfirstmillion,andlostmyfirstmillion.”Formanypeopleskepticalofstartingabusiness,thisistheendofthestoryin

theirminds:welcometolifeasadesperatepauper,theyimagine,thepenancefortakingtoomuchrisk.ButforMike,thiswasonlythebeginning.(Indeed,agreatmanyofthepeople

Iinterviewedforthisbookhaveatleastonebankruptcyundertheirbelt.)Here’swhere thedifferingmind-set around riskcomes in.Ruin?Eh, saysMike. “It’sgoodforyoutogothroughthatexperience.Ithinkforsomeonetobesuccessfulinbusiness,you’vegottohavethatedgewhereyou’repreparedtotakechancesandfail,and—here’sthekey—pickyourselfbackup.”Here’s where the resilience comes in. For Mike, his failure wasn’t

condemnationtoperpetualruin.Hestartedoutwiththeassumptionthatlifehasrisk.Ratherthanseefailureassomethingtobeavoidedatallcosts(asmostofussee it), he instead designed his life and mind-set around the inevitability offailureandhowtocopewithit.Insteadofviewinghisfirstbigfailureasruin,hesimply decided to view it as an opportunity for an interesting change in lifeplans.

Mikeandhiswifesoldalltheirremainingpossessionsin1990.With$1,000intheirpockets, theyfollowedgenerationsofenterprisingspiritsbeforethemandmovedtoAmerica.He took a day job at a software company, but soon he was back at his

entrepreneurialventuresontheside.Hestartedacompanysellingthelaborlawposters that human resources departments were legally required to display atworkplaces.Soonhehadahundredthousandcustomers.Thenhegotintosellingposters with area code and ZIP Codemaps and turned that into a $2millionbusinesswithinyears.“We were using phone headsets in the poster business. The headsets were

prettycrappy.Itwashardtogetanyserviceonthem.AndIcouldn’tbuywhatIwanted anywhere. I tried and I couldn’t get it.Tome, that’s enoughof a datapointtosaythere’sabusinessthere.BecauseifIcan’tfinditIknowI’mnottheonly one.Other people can’t find it.There’s an unserved niche in themarket,somethingpeople can’t findbut theywant. It’s just a questionof howbig theniche is. And I thought, ‘Everyone uses the phone, this is a big market.’ Idecided to be in the headset business. Six weeks later I was in the headsetbusiness.”Thecompanynowdoes$30millionayearinphoneheadsetsales.HearingMiketalk,youcouldbeforgivenifyouthoughtyouwerelisteningto

a different breed of human. The way he—and nearly all the entrepreneurs Iinterviewed in this book—relate to risk is completely different from the waymost of us do. To be sure, they aren’t banking their entire life future on onesingledreamorbust(say,becomingarockstar,àlaDavidGilmour).Butratherthannever try theirhandatanydreamatall, andsticking toa safe-but-boringcourseinstead,theykeeptryingonedreamafterthenext,maximizingtheirinnerandouterresiliencefortheinevitablefailures.Theyfailearlyandoften,andturncoursesonadime,untilsomethingbeginstogaintraction.“I can’t help it. It’s an addiction. It’s a compulsion,”Mike toldmewith a

mischievous grin, from his fancy San Francisco offices. Nearly everyone Iinterviewedforthisbookhasthisattitudeaboutstartingbusinesses.Whatmakesitdifferent from,say,agamblingaddiction, is that thesepeoplearemastersofmaking sure they stay in the game when luck inevitably turns against them.Unlike a gambling addict, they have consciously cultivated a lifestyle ofresilience. They are ready to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, adjustcourse, and try somethingelsewhen they fail.That is theessenceof learning.Withoutfailure,thereisnolearning.Thesepeoplearenotaddictsofgambling;they are addicts of learning in the realworld.And learning in the realworldinvolvesfailure.Lotsofit.“Peoplewhohavebeensuccessfulare still as likely toget itwrongas right

going forward. They just try more things,” Mike told me. “That’s thedifference.”Mike’sadviceforyoungpeoplewhowanttocombinetheirpassionwiththeirmoney?“Startwiththepassionandthedrive.You’vegottohavethathunger.Fromthatpassionanddesire,goactuallydosomestuff.Trysomelittlebusinesses.Getsomefailureunderyourbelt.Findoutwhatworksanddoesn’twork,anddon’tworryaboutthefailures,worryaboutlearning.”By far the most common objection many people raise in discussions aboutwhether it makes sense to try out an entrepreneurial side gig in service ofpursuingyourdreamsistheoft-citedstatisticthat95percentofsmallbusinessesfailwithintheirfirstfiveyears.Thisstatisticbringsupimagesof95percentofall small-business owners endingupon the streets begging for change to feedtheirkidsaftertheysellofftheirhousetopayoffbusinessdebts.“That statistic is a bunch of crap,” Josh Kaufman, author of The Personal

MBA:MastertheArtofBusiness,toldme.HepointedouttomethatthestatisticisbasedonthenumberofpeoplewhofileScheduleCforms(profitorlossfrombusiness activities) and other forms related to business ownership, then stopfilingsuchformsatsomepoint.Yet,ashesays,“It’scalculatedonthenumberofbusinesses that cease toexistwithin fiveyears,not thatgobankruptorwhoseowners’ lives are ruined forever and ever. Sometimes companies are makingmoney, but they’re not making enough to make it worth it, so they go dosomethingelse.Sometimesthebusinessgotacquired.That’sareallygoodthing.‘MybusinessceasedtoexistbecauseIgotpaidalotofmoneytosellittosomeothercompanyanditgotabsorbed.’Allofthemanywaysthatabusinesscouldcease to exist arewrapped up in that one number,which gets interpreted as adoomsday‘Ohmygosh,somanypeoplearefailinginbusinessandendingupinthesouplines!’kindofstatistic.”Oneofthebestwaystoavoidthiskindofhorror-storyscenariowhenreaching

foryourdreams,evenifyourbusinessdoesn’tendupworkingout,istostartaservicebusiness.Usually,overheadandstart-upcostsarelow,youdon’tneedtoborrow a lot (or any) to get started, and you can begin generating revenueimmediately.Evenifthebusinessdoesn’tworkout,theconsequencesoffailureareusuallyminimal,andifyoudoendupbeingoneofthose95percentwhofailtofileaScheduleCwithinfiveyears,you’renotgoingtoenduponthestreetbeggingforchange.It’sjustnotthatbigofadeal.Youcancloseupshoponthatbusiness,gobacktoyourdayjob,andtrysomethingdifferentanothertime,nobigdeal.“Theverybestthingsyoucandowhenstartinganewbusiness,”Joshtoldme,

“are,numberone,keepyouroverheadaslowaspossible,andnumbertwo,makesureyou’regettingrecurringrevenueasquicklyaspossible.Ifyourrevenueissemi-predictable,youcanjustgrowandgrowbasedonthecashthatthebusinessisthrowingoff,insteadofhavingtogetinvestments,loans,andsoforth.”Inhisbook,whichhepresentsasabusinesseducationinabookwithoutthe

need for $100,000 of debt (http://www.personalmba.com), Josh talks about aconceptcalled“iterationvelocity.”HequotesGoogleCEOEricSchmidt:“Ourgoalistohavemoreatbatsperunitoftimeandmoneythananyoneelse.”Josh(whohas an undergraduate degree from theUniversity ofCincinnati, butwhoeducatedhimselfinhisreal-worldbusinesssavvywithoutanMBA)writesthat“When creating a newoffering, your primary goal should be towork througheach iteration cycle as quickly as possible. Iteration is a structured form oflearningthathelpsyoumakeyourofferingbetter;thefasteryoulearn,themorequicklyyou’llbeable to improve.”Basically, itmeans, trysomethingnewbutsmallandlow-risk,seehowitworks,keepitifitworkswell,anddon’tbeafraidtoturnonadime(or“pivot,”asmanyentrepreneurssay) if itdoesn’twork.Itinvolvesintentionallyexposingyourself to lotsofsmall,survivablefailures,sothat you can get feedback from the realworld, adjusting course as quickly aspossibletoavoidinvestingtoomanyresourcesdownadead-endpath.I’m amazed at howmanypeoplewon’t go for their dreams because they’rescaredofthat95-percentfailurestatisticorsomeversionofit.Let’sconsiderananalogy.While I have absolutelyno scientific data toback this up, it seems tome a

reasonableguessthat95percentofalldatesarefailures.Now, imagine what would happen to our species if all people, when they

heard of the low success rates of individual dates leading past the first date,freaked out and said, “OH MY GOD! I’M NEVER GOING TO GO ON ADATEAGAIN!IMIGHTGETREJECTED!”Thisgenerationwouldbethelast.Fortunately,whenitcomestodating,humansseethatthereisabigdifference

between the high likelihood that any single date will fail and the very lowlikelihoodthatallofyourdatesfortherestofyourlifewillfail.Doingsomethingentrepreneurialis,muchlikedating,anumbersgame.Ifyou

cankeepyour financial andemotional losses loweach iteration, andnot jumpoffabuildingifthebusiness(ordate)fails,wellthen,youcankeeptryingandtrying. Eventually,most everyone can find a creative blending of passion andmoney thatworks for them, just as eventuallymost everyone can find a greatdatethatleadstosomethingmore.

Beyond the pure numbers game aspect of these two different humanendeavors,here’sanotherparallelbetweencreativeentrepreneurshipanddating:ifyoudon’tallowyourself togetcompletelydevastatedandwipedout fromafailure,youcanactually learn fromyour failures,and thus improveyouroddswitheachiteration.I could insert a lot of jokes here about the countless dating blunders and

bloopers inmy twenties; they could fill a book. But suffice it to say, when Ifinallywentonmyfirstdatewithmywife,Jena,Ihadlearnedenoughfromallthose blunders to avoid the clod-head mistakes of my past and to woo herproperly that one spring night in 2008. And that was the date that reallymattered.Youonlyneedone,inawholelifetime.

■DUSTINMOSKOVITZ’SSTORY

Inearly2004,DustinMoskovitzwasworkinga twenty-hour-perweek jobasacomputersystemadministrator,ontopoffortyorsohoursaweekofclassesandhomeworkasasophomoreatHarvard.And then therewas this little sideprojectheand someofhisdormbuddies

wereworkingon,calledTheFacebook.com.It’shardtobelieve,buttherewasatimewhenFacebookwasnotasurething

as one of the most significant phenomena in the history of humancommunicationandsociallife.Therewasatimewhenitwasafewkidssittinginadormroom,andithadsixtyorseventythousandusers—farfewerusersthanmanynow-foldedcompanieshaveboastedbefore.“Thebigriskwas,therewerethesebigincumbents.Wethought,iftheycould

just clean their act up, they would surely beat us. Friendster,MySpace, evenLiveJournalatthetimewasmillionsofusersbiggerthanus,”Dustintoldme.“A guy called Adam Goldberg started CU Community at Columbia the

semesterbeforewestartedFacebook.He’safriendofminenow.Hehadareallywell-designed social network. As soon as he saw us go our multi-collegestrategy,hestartedtodoit too,aggressively.Atthetime,itdidnotlooklikeaforegoneconclusion.Itlookedlikeagoodbusinessopportunity,buttherewereplentyofotherplayers,anditseemedplentylikelythattheycouldbeatus.Andwewerealso thinking,Googlecould just jump inatanymoment.Theyeasilycouldhavewonin2004.Now,ofcourse,it’sadifferentstory.”Dustin and his college buddies, roommates and fellow cofounders Mark

ZuckerbergandChrisHughes,famouslydecidedtomoveouttoPaloAltothatsummer,2004,withtheintentionofgoingbacktoHarvardinthefall.“Butbythe time the end of June rolled around, it wasmore like a hundred and fiftythousandusers,andwethought,‘OK,thisisactuallyprettydifficulttodo,evenwithout having sixty or eighty hours a week of classes, homework and paidwork.Westartedaskingourselves,‘Isitreallyfeasibletogobacknextsemester,and build this company, and do school?’ Very quickly, we came to theconclusion, ‘No, we’ll probably fail at both if we try that.’ So Mark and IdecidednottogobacktoHarvard.”

Atthispoint inhisstory,IaskedDustin:“Forsomanypeopleintheworld,gettingintoHarvardisprettymuchthepinnacleofachievement—thethoughtis,once you’ve graduated fromHarvard, you’re prettymuch set for life. So hereyouare,you’veachieved thatpinnacle,andyouhave thissitewhich isgettingincredible tractionwithin sixmonths, butwithout knowing for sure back thenthat you weren’t going to get beaten down. How did you decide to take therisk?”“Firstofall,”hesaid,“Harvardallowsyoutostopoutforanindefiniteperiod

oftime.SoIcouldgobackanytime.Myfriendsmightnotbethereanymore,Imighthavetostartoversocially.Thatwasarisk.Butitwasaprettysmallriskcomparedtotheopportunityatthetime.“Icalledmyparentsandsaid, ‘We’llstopout forasemesterandseehowit

goes.’ And my dad was like, ‘Great! I can’t afford the tuition next semesteranyway!’[Laughing.]“Bythesummer,itwasabigdeal.IntermsofconsumerInternetsites,itwas

growing really quickly.We had advertising on the site. Itwas clearwe couldmakesomemoneyoffofit.Wethoughttherewasarealbusinessthere.Wealsoknew,however,thatitwasn’tadonedealbyanymeans—thereweremanyotherentrantsforthiswinner-take-allprize,whichdefinitelycouldhavebeatenusinthoseyears.“Buthere’sthething.Weknewweweredevelopingskills.Thesewereplenty

marketable skills. People knewwhoFacebookwas.Andwe could go back toHarvardwhenever.Itjustdidn’tfeelthatrisky.”Aswe’veseeninthischapter,peopleoftenhaveasensethatifyouleavesome

stable situation, such as school or a comfortable job, in order to try a moremeaningful but less certain pursuit, you’ll end up completely forlorn anddestituteifthepursuitdoesn’tworkout.That’s almost always an exaggeration.Theoddsof startingoneof themost

significant social and business phenomena in history and creating a companywithamultibillion-dollarvaluationareexceedinglyminute.There’snoquestionin my mind that Dustin, Mark, and the rest of the early Facebook team aregeniuses, and incredibly hardworking. But I’m confident that they wouldconcedethattherewasalsoagreatdealofserendipityinjusthowmassivelyitpaidoffforthem.Does that mean your only options are either a tiny chance of striking it

massively rich or a big chance of going bust? Not at all. As we’ve beendiscussingthisentirechapter,there’ssomuchinbetween.Inablogpostentitled“One in a Million,” Seth Godin writes, “The ardent or insane pursuit of aparticular[risky]goalisagoodideaifthestepsyoutakealongthewayalsoprep

youforotheroutcomes,eachalmostasgood(orbetter).If...bendingthemarkettoyourwill and shippingon timeanddoing important and scarywork are allthingsyouneedtodevelopalongtheway,thenitdoesn’treallymattersomuchifyoudon’tmakethegoalyousetouttoreach.”6Thepointis,ifyou’relearningvaluablebusinessskillswhileyoualsopursue

yourdreams,youwineitherway.Youwin(obviously)iftheventureworksout,butlessobviously,youalsowinifitfails—fewthingsprovidebetterreal-worldeducationinbusinessskillsthanagoodhardfailure.But this win-win only applies if you’re actually immersing yourself in the

businesssideofwhatyou’redoingasyougoforyourdreams.Sethcontinues,“Doesspendingyourteenageyears(andyourtwenties)inaroompracticingtheviolinteachyouanythingaboutbeingaviolinteacheroraconcertpromoterorsomeotherjobassociatedwithmusic?Ifyourhappinessdependsonyourdraftpickorasingleaudition, that’sgivingway toomuchpower tosomeoneelse.”Learn the business side of your craft, and you’ll come awaywith applicable,marketableskillsnomatterwhat.ForDustin,ofcourse,goingforhisdreamspaidoff.Forseveralyears,Mark

Zuckerbergwas theworld’s youngest-ever self-madebillionaire.ButDustin iseightdaysyoungerthanZuckerberg.WhenFacebook’svaluationsoaredin2010,Dustin’schunksurgedtoovertwobillion,andhetookZuckerberg’splaceastheworld’s youngest. Dustin has already started his next venture, Asana(http://asana.com), which aims to revolutionize workplace collaboration asthoroughlyasFacebookhasrevolutionizedthewaywesocialize.Idon’tnormallyoutdressbillionaires,but inthiscaseIdid.Iwaswearinga

black Hugo Boss suit (no tie) to my interview with Dustin at a Mission-neighborhoodcafénearAsana’sofficesinSanFrancisco—andhewaswearingjeansandplaid.“Idon’treallytendtobuyexpensivethingsandhaven’tchangedmy lifestyle a great deal since startingFacebook.As such, I don’t havemuchinterest inmakingmynetworth accrue any further. I believe in the ability ofcapitalmarketstocreatepositiveimpactontheworld,butI’malsogoingtogivequiteabitofitaway.”Dustin and Zuckerberg have since signed Bill Gates and Warren Buffett’s

GivingPledge—inwhichtheyhaveallvowedtogiveawayatleasthalfoftheirwealth. In a letter announcing his pledge, Dustin writes, “As a result ofFacebook’s success, I’ve earned financial capital beyond my wildestexpectations.Today,Iviewthatrewardnotaspersonalwealth,butasatoolwithwhichIhopetobringevenmorebenefittotheworld....Overthenextfewyears,[mypartnerCariandI]willbegintoidentifythecausestowhichwecanmakethemost leveragedcontributions.Wewilldonateandinvestwithbothurgency

and mindfulness, aiming to foster a safer, healthier and more economicallyempoweredglobalcommunity.”7

SUCCESSSKILL#2

HOWTOFINDGREATMENTORSANDTEACHERS,CONNECTWITHPOWERFULANDINFLUENTIALPEOPLE,ANDBUILDAWORLD-

CLASSNETWORK

People thought twenty-year-oldElliotBisnowwaseither crazyor stupidwhenhe started calling up complete strangers, inviting them to join him on an all-expenses-paidskitriptoUtah,andthenchargingthecostoftheirflights,hotels,skiing,andmealsonhispersonalcreditcard.ButElliottBisnowisneithercrazynorstupid.In2005,Elliottwasenteringhis junioryearat theUniversityofWisconsin–

Madisonwhenhespottedagreatwaytomakeadifferenceforsomeonehecaredabout. His father had started a real estate investment newsletter, Bisnow.com,whichhadamassedaloyalfollowing,butwhichhadnorevenueyet.Elliottsawanopportunitytohelpthefamilybusiness.Hecameupwiththeideaofsellingadvertising in the newsletter and—to use a technical term—started selling theshitoutofthatadvertisingspace.“I’dwake up at fiveA.M. inmy dorm, every day, sometimes four thirty. I

would do follow-up e-mails on the business from five to six. I had a tennisscholarshiptocollege,soIwouldgototennispracticefromsixtoseven.It’slatefallinMadison,andI’mmopedingthroughtherainandsleettobebackinmydormroom.FromseventhirtytotenIwasmakingsponsorshipcallsandclosingbigsponsorshipdeals.JunioryearIdidn’tgotoclassthewholesemester.HereIaminmydormroom,closingten-thousand-orfiftythousand-dollardeals.Ihadmultiplecomputerscreens,multiplecellphones,I’mjustcranking,cold-calling,makingsales.”Oneday,duringhisfreshmanyear,Elliottsawabunchofsmokecomingout

fromunderthedooroftheresidentadviser’sroom.Curious,heopenedthedoorand foundAnthonyAdams silk-screeningT-shirts. It turned out hewas doingabout $1,000 permonth selling funny shirts. That paid for his college tuition,andtheroomwasfreeforbeinganRA.

Elliottaskedhim,“Howdoyouhaveyourownbusiness?”Anthonysaid,“Well,IhaveanLLC,Ihaveabankaccount,andIjustsellthe

T-shirts.”Elliott was puzzled. “I don’t understand—don’t you have to work for

somebody to do that? Who hires you?” Anthony explained to him what anentrepreneurwas.“Wait, youmean I could actuallymakemoneywithout having to work for

anotherperson?”ElliottaskedAnthony.Anthonynodded.“Well,what jobwillyoudoaftercollege?”Elliottasked.Thatquestionwas

metwithastarethathad“Youdumbass”writtenalloverit.Elliott’s youngmindwas thoroughly blown by this new concept—that you

didn’tneedtoworkforabosstoearnmoney.HefiguredhecouldstartaT-shirtcompany too. He spent the rest of the year trying, yet failed miserably.Sophomoreyear,hestartedaconsultingbusiness, tryingtogetall thestoresinMadison to hire him to bring in college students to brainstorm marketingsolutions for them. That one bombed too. (One particularly embarrassingfuckup:he intended to e-mail aprospect apitch,but insteade-mailedhim theExcel spreadsheet containing logs of all his sales calls for the same pitch,includingdetailednotesonhiscallswiththatspecificprospect.)But,Elliottsays,“Youlearnbydoing,andfailing.Bythesecondbusiness,I

understood how to put together the business.My pitchwas getting better andbetter.Bythethirdone—therealestatenewsletters—Ihadtwoyearsofpitchingandtryingtosellundermybelt.Thosetwoyearswereincredible—thelearningcurve.Nowwiththenewsletters,Ihadabetterproducttosell,andIactuallygotthegist.”ThroughElliott’ssalesleadershipandhistirelesshardwork(andskippingall

ofhisclasses),hebuilttherealestatenewsletterintoaseven-figurebusiness.Hedecided—sincehewasn’tgoingtoclassanyway—itwastimetotakealeaveofabsencefromcollegeandfocusongrowingthebusiness.Atacertainpoint,Elliottdesperatelyneededhelp—hewasmanagingwaytoo

much on his own. He decided he needed to hire some more people in thecompany.Buthehadnoideahowtoproceed.Howdoyouhiresomeone?Whatdoyoulookfor?Wheredoyoulook?Hefiguredtheremustbesomeotheryoungentrepreneursinthecountrywho

had faced these questions, so he began doing some research. He found that,indeed,therewereothersoutthere.HecameacrosslistslikeBusinessWeek’stop25 entrepreneurs under 25, and the “Top 30Under 30” from Inc. “Thesekidsbecamemynewidols,”Elliotttoldme.Usingthesalesskillshehaddevelopedinlaunchingthreebusinesses(twoof

themfailedandonewasnowsuccessful),hebegancold-callingyoungCEOsoffthe lists. If thekey togreatsales is tohaveagreatproduct tosell, thenElliotthad dreamed up perhaps the greatest pitch in all history: “Come on an all-expenses-paidski trip toUtahwithmeandabunchofother topyoungCEOs,I’ll fly you out there first class, we’ll all meet each other, and we can shareinformation and knowledge.” As Elliott says, “It’s not that hard to convincesomeonetogoonanall-expenses-paidskitrip.”Beyondtheskiing,mostoftheyoungCEOshadnevermeteachotherandwerethrilledwiththechancetomeetothertopyoungleaders.TwentyCEOsjoinedtogetheronthatfirsttrip,whichoccurredinApril2008.

They included Josh Abramson and Ricky Van Veen, cofounders ofCollegeHumor,Vimeo,andBustedTees;fellowcollegedropoutBlakeMycoskie,founderofTOMSShoes;andBenLerer,cofounderofThrillist.Theaverageageoftheparticipantswastwenty-six.Fiveweeksbeforethetrip,Elliottwasintheholefortygrandonhispersonal

creditcardstocoverthetrip.Evertheenterprisingmind,heusedhisself-taughtsalesskillsonceagaintocallupnewcorporatesponsorstoseeifthey’dpayforthetrip;hegottheentiretripcoveredbysponsors.The tripwas amassive success. “Theyhadnevermet a ton of other young

entrepreneurs. For three days, they were stopping their lives and meetingamazing other people, doing business together, learning from each other. Wemade these great friendships,”Elliott said.The tripwent sowell, in fact, thatElliott decided to do another trip six months later, for sixty young businessleaders.Naturally,hefoundsponsorstopayforthataswell.DustinMoskovitzattendedthesecondgathering,asdidTonyHsiehfromZappos.Thetripstookonalifeoftheirown,grewandgrew.Elliottbroughtonsome

friends to help him, Jeremy Schwartz (a Berklee College of Music dropout),Brett Leve, and Jeff Rosenthal, and the gatheringsmorphed intowhat is nowSummit Series (http://www.summitseries.com), an annual invitation-onlygathering of young entrepreneurs, innovators, and thought leaders, which hasbeencalledbyForbes“theDavosforGenerationY.”TheNewYorkTimessays,“ThereisnoblueprintforwhatMr.Bisnowandhisassociatesaredoing.Perhapsthe closest analogy is Davos, if the yearly forum held in Switzerland forbillionaires and heads of statewere somehow crossedwithMTV’s ‘The RealWorld.’”1ThetippingpointforSummitSeriesoccurredin2009,whentheWhiteHouse

Office of Public Engagement wanted to put on a roundtable with youngentrepreneurs.Someonefromtheofficehadheard thatSummitwas thehottestbusinessnetworkingconferencefortheFacebookgeneration.Sotheycontacted

Elliott and asked him and the Summit Team to put together the event for theWhiteHouse,whichtheydid.Bisnowandhisteamofmerrytwentysomethingshadarrivedatthecentralhallsofglobalpower.Now, Elliott rolls with Bill Clinton, Mark Cuban, and fellow non-college-

graduates Ted Turner, Sean Parker, Russell Simmons, and Twitter cofounderEvan Williams, all of whom have participated at Summit Series gatherings.AsidefromFacebookcofounder(andcollegedropout)MarkZuckerberg,Elliottisnowquitepossiblyoneofthemostwell-connectedtwentysomethingsontheplanet.AsaForbesprofileofSummitasks,“Doyouknowofamoreinfluentialnetworkingeventforanewgenerationofgeniuses?Ifso,letmeknow.”2Elliotthas left the familynewsletterbusiness ingoodhandsand is focusing

entirelyonSummit.It’shissecondmultimillion-dollarbusiness,andhehasalsoraisedover$2millionforcharity fromparticipantsat theevents. (By theway,ElliottneverreturnedtoMadisonafterhis“leaveofabsence.”)I met with Elliott and the other cofounders and executives—all in their

twenties—inMiami,wheretheywererentingagrouphometogether.Theeightofthemcollectivelychoosenewcitiestoliveineveryfewmonths,allovertheworld,wheretheymeetpeopletoinvitetotheirconferencesandworkremotelyvialaptopandcellphone.IaskedElliotthowheaccountsforhissuccessinlifeatsuchayoungage.He

toldmepoint-blank, “I attributemy success so far, 100percent, to the peopleI’vemet and learned from. It’s not even a question. [Motivational author, andcollege dropout] JimRohn says, ‘You are the average of the five people youspendthemost timewith.’Andonabiggerpicture,youareareflectionof thetwenty or thirty people who give you the best advice. Everything is aboutpeople.Itallstartswithyousurroundingyourselfwithgreatpeoplewhoyoucanlearnfrom.“Theproblemis,mostpeopleviewcollegeastheirlearningexperience,then

theygraduateintothe‘realworld’;assoonasthey’redonewithcollegeandoutinto the ‘real world,’ they’re done learning. I view life as learning. It’s alllearningforme,allthetime.I’mliterallynonstoplearning.Mostpeoplearelike,‘Assoonascollegeisdone,I’mdonewithbooks.’Ireadbookseveryday.Italktopeopleeveryday.I’malwaysoutlookingfornewpeopleIcanlearnfrom.”Thereitis.Fromoneoftheworld’smostsuccessfultwentysomethingleaders:

if you want to be successful, and make a huge impact in your life, findexceptionalpeopletolearnfrom,andsurroundyourselfwiththem.Sohowdoyoufindthesepowerfulguidesandteachersinreallife,outsideof

theclassroom?“Greatnetworkingisnotaboutquidproquo.It’snotaback-and-forth.It’saboutgive-give-giveasmuchasyoucan,andifIseeyousucceed,I’m

reallyhappy.And, if I’myour friend,you’regoing topullmeupwithyou. Ifyou have everyone in your network asking each other, ‘How can I help you?HowcanIhelpyou?HowcanIhelpyou?’you’regoingtogofarinyourlife.Ifyou’regenuine,andyouwant tohelppeople—give,give,give—itcomesbackaround.”I can hear the more cynical of my readers saying, “Well, that’s easy for

Bisnow to say. He was running a seven-figure business and had a forty-thousand-dollar credit line when he called to invite those CEOs skiing to getadvice from them. He could afford to take risks. I don’t have a seven-figurebusiness, and I certainlycan’t risk fortygrand incredit cardbills topulloff astuntlikethat.Howdoesthis‘giving’stuffapplytomeinmysituation?”Greatquestion.I’mgladyouasked!

■HOWIFOUNDTWOOFTHEMOSTAMAZINGMENTORSINTHEWORLD

When you’re just starting out on your path to success, and you want to findmentors farther along the path than you, what do you possibly have to givesomeonewhoismuchmorepowerful,connected,andsuccessfulthanyourself?Letmetellyouastoryoftwoofmymostpowerfulmentorsandteachersin

life,Bryan(whomwemetintheIntroduction)andcollegedropoutEbenPagan,oneoftheworld’smostrenownedandrespectedteachersofmarketingskillsforentrepreneurs—andhowIconnectedtothem.IfweweretopredictEbenPagan’sleveloffuturesuccessfromhishighschooland college career (as most parents, teachers, and school officials do), ourestimateswouldhavebeenquitelow.Hethoughtschoolwasa“wasteoftime”ashegrewupinOregoninthe’70s

and’80s, inwhathedescribesassemiruralpoverty.Hegotmiddlinggradesatbestwithaspottyattendancerecord.HespentmostofhisteenyearsplayinginaChristianrockband.Hedroppedoutofcommunitycollegeafteronesemestertotourfull-timewithhisband.“Iwas doing themusic thing for roughly five years,with different bands. I

wenton tourwithoneband, thenrecordedanalbumwithanotherband.Fairlysoon, however, I came to realize that it was very difficult to ‘make it.’Everyone’sgot adreamas anartist, and it’sverydifficult tomake thatdreamcometrue. Iwanted tohavesuccess inmylife. Iwanted tobeable to live thelifestyleIwanted.GrowingupinmytowninOregon,Ididn’tknowanyonewhowassuccessfulorwealthy,andIdidn’tknowanyonewhoknewanyonewhowassuccessfulorwealthy.“Just intuitively, though, it seemed like richpeopleand realestate tended to

intersect.SoIdecidedtogolearnaboutrealestateandgetmyrealestatelicense.ButIwasamiserablefailureinrealestate.IrecallIsoldone-and-a-thirdhomesmy first year. And thesewere cheap little homes. Total, I earned a couple of

thousanddollars.Iwasstillworkingpart-timeinamanuallaborjob.”Not an auspicious career start.However, ifwewere to use his high school,

college,andearlycareerrecordasapredictorofEben’sfuturesuccess,we’dbeway,wayoff.Asaresultofgettingintorealestate,Ebendiscoveredsomethingthatwould

laterprove tobecentral tohis life:he learnedhowtoeducatehimself insalesandmarketing.Hegotstartedwhenheattendedaworkshopbyarealestatesalesandmarketing trainer named Joe Stumpf, in Eugene, Oregon. “I immediatelyrecognizedIhadtosomehowworkforthisguyandsoakuphisknowledge.ButI didn’t know how I was going to do that—here he was, leading big groupworkshopsalloverthecountry,andIwasbarelyscrapingby.“SoIstartedcallinguphisoutboundtelemarketers.Theseguysaretryingto

sell you on something, so they’ll talk to anyone! I told them about myexperienceat theworkshopandbecamefriendlywiththem.Once,IfoundthissetofTonyRobbinstapesatGoodwillfortenbucks,andIknewoneoftheguysIwas talking to therewould like it, so Ipacked the tapesupandsent them tohim.Thingslikethat.“One day, they sentme some audiotapes of Joe. I called themup and said,

‘Theaudioonthisprogramisnotgood—Ithinkitcouldbealotbetter.’Ihadabackgroundinsoundfrommybanddays.Turnedout,coincidentally,theiraudioguywasn’tworkingout,andtheylethimgo.SoItalkedtothegeneralmanagerof the company, and Iwent towork for them. Iworked there for three years,doingaudiovisual seminars. I hadneverdoneaudiovisual seminars, but I tookmyknowledgeofgearandmadeithappen.“Thisturnedouttobethemostsignificantdecisioninmybusinesscareer—to

findsomeonewhoismassivelysuccessfulandgotoworkforhim.Throughthat,I got into the world of marketing and sales. I discovered a lot of the pastmarketing and sales geniuses, likeClaudeHopkins and Eugene Schwartz andJohn Caples and David Ogilvy, and read all of their books. I read RobertCialdini’s book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, which was veryimpactfulonme.“IstartedapplyingallIwaslearningaboutmarketingandsalestoconsultwith

realestatebusinesseshowtomarketandsell themselves.Andmyclientswerehavingsuchsuccesswithit,Iwasabletoworkaboutaweekamonthandlivequitecomfortablyonthat.”On the side of this successful consulting career, Eben began building up a

business selling products and services (mainly e-books, membershipcommunities,Web-basedtrainings,andin-personweekendworkshops)focusedonhelpingmenandwomenbemoreempoweredinrelatingtotheoppositesex.3

Hebuiltthisintoa$20millionbusiness(inlaterchaptersI’llgointomoredetailaboutsomeofthesecretsbywhichhedidthis).Somanypeople started askinghimhowhebuilt hisbusiness so rapidly, he

openedaseconddivisionofhisbusiness,whichteachesinfo-marketingskillstoentrepreneurs(http://gurublueprintblog.com).IntheworldofInternetmarketing,he’salivinglegend,widelyconsideredoneofthemostadvancedpractitionersoftheseskillsintheworld.Hiscompany,HotTopicMedia,nowbrings inaround$30millionayear in

revenue and employs about seventy people around the globe. He founded ithimself, and grew it over a decadewith no investors. He is now a self-mademultimillionaire, and would never have to work another day in his life if hedidn’twantto.Buthe’snotabouttoretiretoanislandintheBahamas—helovesleadingandgrowinghisbusinessandoftenworkstwelve-hourdaysbychoice.Heruns thisbusinessoffhisMacBook,andhespendshis timeeitherworkingfromhishomeoffice,whichhasamajesticviewoftheEmpireStateBuilding,oronthego,attendingandspeakingatconferencesaroundtheglobe.I first heard about Eben when a friend of mine joined Eben’s home study

program.My friend letme listen to one of the recordings, on how towrite adirect-response sales letter. I had been earning my living for several yearswritingbookproposalsonafreelancebasis.Withinashortperiodafterlisteningto thatone recording, Iwasearningmore fromwriting sales letters for clientsthanIhadeverearnedwritingbookproposals;I’doftenearn$1,000forafewhours’work,andmyclientswouldcomebackformore,becausethesalescopy—which I’d learned how to write through Eben—was earning them somuchmoney.IknewEbenwassomeoneIneededtolearnfromandconnectwith.Whenmy

friend toldmehehad signedup for a live coursewithEben, and that I couldcomeonabring-a-friendticket,Ileaptattheopportunity.Ofcourse,it’shardtoconnectwith a teacher personallywhen he’s on stage in front of twohundredpeople, most of whom have paid thousands of dollars to be there, and all ofwhomwanthisattention,advice,andhelp.Thatweekendblewmeaway.Onecomment in specific stuckwithme from

thatweekend.Apersoninthecrowdasked,“HowcanIconnectpersonallywithpowerfulmentorswhowillguidemeinmylifeandbusiness?”Eben said, “Leadership is like a fountain. Imagine the leaders are thewater

nearthetop,readytoburstoutofthefountain.Thewaterabouttoburstoutisbeingpushedupbywaterbelowit.Ifyouwanttosucceed,findleaderswhoaredoingamazingthingsintheworld,andpushthemup.Findpowerfulpeopleandhelpthemreachtheirgoals.Ifyou’reofservicetothem,theywillbeofservice

back.”Almostayearlater,IwasattheBurningManfestivalinNevadawithJena.I

heardthroughthegrapevinethatEbenwasatthefestivalandthathe’dbegivinga talk. Jena and I have a friend named Annie Lalla, who is an amazingrelationship coach, but who was struggling in her business because she wasresisting learning sales andmarketing skills. I forced Annie to joinme at thelecture, dragging her there kicking and screaming, so that she might learnsomethingaboutmarketingfromEben.Little did I know that I had just brought to Eben his future fiancée. (Now

that’squiteawayto“pushthewaterup”!)Ofcourse,atthetime,allitinvolvedwas us standing around him after the talk, shaking his hand and asking himquestionsabouthistalk.Butlaterit turnedintomuchmorethanthat,forEbenandAnnie...WhenwegotbackfromBurningMan,IsawapostlateonenightonEben’s

blog, saying he was organizing a small, private gathering in Ojai, California,withrelationshipteacherDavidDeida,oneoftheexpertsI’dlearnedmostfromabouthowtohaveagreatrelationshipwithJena.I leaptoutofmydeskchair,ran to our bedroom, woke Jena up, and yelled, “Eben is hosting a privategatheringwithDavidDeidalaterthismonth!Itcoststwenty-fivehundreddollarsapersontoattendandit’sinCalifornia.We’regoing!”Jenamumbledsomethingsemi-coherentabout talkingabout it in themorning,andwentback to sleep. IcalledAnnieandtoldherabouttheopportunity;shesaidshefellmadlyinlovewithEbenthesecondheopenedhismouthat thetalkatBurningMan(heisarather dashing fellow), but she hadn’t gotten further than hand-shaking afterEben’stalk.Shesignedupinstantly.Jenaquestionedmeaboutthewisdomofspendingthatmuchforaweekend.

But I told her: “One connectionwith a powerful teacher can change your lifeforever.Isthatworthit?”Shesurrenderedtomyenthusiasmandagreedtojoinme.All threeofus traipsedout toOjai togetherfromNewYork.IknewthatIwouldn’t be able to connect personallywithEbenwhen hewas on a stage infront of twohundredpeople.But at a gatheringwithonly thirty people, in anintensivepersonalgrowthweekendworkshopwherehewasgoingtobeoneofthefellowparticipants,Ihadashot.Attheworkshop,EbensawhowpowerfulandsolidmyrelationshipwithJena

was,andhestartedaskingmequestionsaboutmyrelationshipwithJena!Thiswasadreamcometrue.Iknew,now,thatIhadfoundmywaytohelpEbenandpushthewaterofhisleadershipupthefountain.Stunnedthathewasaskingmefor guidance, I gulped and gave him everything I had. He later invited Jena,Annie,andme tohangoutwithhim twicepersonally topickourbrainsabout

ourrelationships.HeisnownotonlyawonderfulfriendtoJenaandme,butalsoagreatteacher

andmentortousinourcareers;I’velearnedmorefromhimaboutmakingmywayintheworldthanIlearnedinsixteenyearsofformaleducation.Andtherest,betweenEbenandAnnie,washistory.EbenmovedfromLAto

NewYorktolivewithAnnie,andtheyarenowengaged.IfthatstoryofhowImetanamazingmentor—whohastaughtmewaymorefreeofchargethananycollegeprofessoreverdidfortensofthousandsofdollars—sounds like a long and twisty road, that’s because such stories in real lifealmostalwaysare.There’snoquick-shotformulaforconnectingwithpowerfulmentors.Elliottdid it through inviting leaders toski trips. Idid itviaBurningManandarelationshipworkshop.Thesemaybeextremelengths,butonegoodmentorcanliterallychangethedirectionofyourentirelife.It’sworththeeffort.Here’s a story about how I met a second great mentor in my life, Bryan

Franklin,whomIintroducedyoutointheIntroduction.I had kept hearing about this guy Bryan (http://www.bryanfranklin.com)

through friends of friends.Hewas supposed to be one of themost successfulexecutive coaches in the country. He was only thirty-eight, but he had beenearning$1millionayearforthepasttenyearscoachingexecutivesatsomeofSiliconValley’shottestfirms,includingGoogle,Apple,LinkedIn,andCisco,onsalesandleadership.Heranayearlongsales,marketing,andleadershiptrainingprogram that cost $18,000; a client of Jena’s had taken theprogram, and Jenasaidshewasamazedbythebusinessresultsshesawthisclientgettingfromtheprogram.ItallseemedkindofpreposteroustomewhenIfirstheardaboutthis.Imean,

c’mon. A thirty-eight-year-old earning amillion bucks a year coaching fifty-year-oldexecutivesatmultibillion-dollarcompaniesonsalesandleadership,anddoingsosincehistwenties?Whatthehelldidhehavetoteachthemonsalesandleadershipthattheydidn’tknowforthemselves?Andeighteengrandforasingleyearoftrainingwithhim?Nonetheless,Iwasintrigued.Whowasthisdude?Jenahadmethimonce,andwhenBryanfoundoutshelivedinNewYork,he

mentioned hewas interested in starting one of his yearlong programs there. Ididn’tknowmuchabouthimbeyondwhat Ihadheardabove,but Iwanted toknowmore. Igot in touchwithhimandsaid,“Iknowa lotofpeople inNewYork,andIcouldprobablygetyouinfrontofaroomfulofpeoplewhomightbeinterestedinhearingaboutyou.”Hesaidhe’dbeinNewYorkinafewmonths,

andhe’dtakemeuponmyoffer.JenaandIputthewordoutthroughourcommunity.Thepitchwasbasically,

“Wedon’tknowmuchaboutthisguy,butwhatwe’vebeenhearingisamazing,socomejoinusinafreelecturehe’sgiving,whichwe’reorganizing,andwe’llall learn from him together.” Enough people trusted our judgment, and theninvitedtheirfriends,thattheroomwaspackedwithoverseventy-fivepeople,foralecturecalled“HowtoTakeYourBusinesstotheNextLevel.”Thelecturewasworthit(you’llbehearingalotofthecontent,andmorefrom

Bryan,laterinthebook)andIknewIwantedtobeastudentofthisman.JenaandIeventuallypackedthreemoreroomsoverseveralmonths.Fromthis,heputtogether his firstNewYork yearlong sales,marketing, and leadership trainingprogram,inwhichJenaandIparticipated.JenaandIhostedhimandhisfiancéeJennifereverytimetheycametotown.

We promoted him in every way we knew how, introducing him to businesspartnersandevenclients.(IintroducedhimtoEben,andthey’vesincebecomegoodfriendsandBryanhasevenspokenatoneofEben’sliveevents.)JenaandIalwaysaskedourselves,Howcanwegivemoretohim?Howcanwecontributemore?Howcanwebeofservicemore?Howcanwehelphimgetwhathewantsmore?(Weevenstartedcoachinghimonhisnutritionandeatinghabits!Hewould

always come toour house eating junk food, andhad a gut to show for it.Wepesteredhimaboutthis,saying,“Youtalksomuchaboutpersonalgrowth—well,thisisoneareayouhaven’tmasteredyourself.It’stimetoshapeup!”Hefinallystartedlisteningtous.)Wefigured,ifallthishelpcouldwinustheopportunitytoevenjustbearoundhisbusinessmindforjusttenminuteshereandthereandsoak up his knowledge, it was worth it. He has become one of the mostsignificant teachers andmentors in our lives and businesses, and also a closefriend. I am profoundly grateful for the influence these two college dropouts,Bryan andEben, have had onmy life, an influence that touches this book oneverypage.

■INVESTINGINYOURCONNECTIONCAPITAL

So,ifyouwanttorecruitpowerfulmentorsandteacherstoyourteam,thesecretisgiving.Giving.Giving.Supportthem.Figureouthowyoucanhelpthem,anddoit.Bethewaterbeneaththem,pushingthemupthefountain.Beenterprisingaboutit—figureoutwaystogiveandtosupportthemthatwillblowtheirmind.And,whileyoumayhope togetsomethinginreturn,youmustalwaysdoit

withabsolutelyzeroexpectationofgettinganythinginreturn.Thevibehastobeoneofgiving,nottaking.Simplybegratefulfortheopportunitytohelpsomeonewho’sdoingamazingthingsintheworld.Verylikely,itwillcomebacktoyou(italwaysdoes,inmyexperience).Butyoucan’tfocusyourattentiononthat,oritdoesn’twork.Focusyourattentiononhowyoucanbeofservice.InmystoriesaboutconnectingwithEbenandBryanasteachers,Ihighlighted

examples of twodifferent kinds of things Iwas able to give them.These twothings,whichI’llexplainindetailinamoment,arebothexamplesofwhatIcall“connectioncapital.”Capital is something used to create value, which itself is not depleted

significantlyinthecreationofthatvalue.(Ahammerisusedtocreateahouse,butisnotsignificantly“usedup”—thewaynailsandwoodare—inthecreationof that house.) In a capitalist society, she who owns the most capital is thewealthiestandhasthegreatestmeanstobecomewealthierstill.Somepeoplespendtheirtimeamassingfinancialcapital—cash,stock,bonds

—and real capital such as buildings. In turn, I’ve noticed thatmany people Iinterviewedforthisbookspendaninordinateamountoftime,effort,andmoneyinvesting in the growth and maintenance of what I’ve called “connectioncapital.”Connection capital is anything that can help you expand your network of

connections(your“tribe,”asSethGodincallsit),andisnotsignificantlyusedupinexpandingthisnetwork.Thetwobiggestformsofconnectioncapitalare(a)youralready-existingconnectionsand(b)yourabilitytogivegoodadvice.YourAlready-ExistingConnections. I connectedEben toAnnie,who turned

outtobeoneofthemostimportantpeopleinhiswholelife.Icouldn’thavedonethisifAnniewasn’talreadyinmynetwork.Asaresultofthisconnection,Eben

becameatighterpartofmynetwork.IconnectedBryantoEben.Icouldn’thavedone this ifEbenwasn’t already inmynetwork.As a result,Bryanbecame atighterpartofmynetwork.It’s one of those rich-get-richer, need-money-to-make-money kinds of

situations. There’s no denying it: the bigger your network is, the bigger itbecomes.Themoreconnectionsyouhave,themoreyoumakestill.Forasimplereason:themorepeopleyouhaveinyournetwork,themoretheyconnectyoutootherpeople,andthemorepeoplewhowant to join it.LotsandlotsofpeoplewanttobeconnectedtoElliottBisnowbecauseheknowslotsandlotsofpeople.Thisisthesnowballeffectinaction;onceyougetagoodnetworkgoing,the

growthcanbefastanddramatic.Infact,nootherassetIknowofcangrowsoquickly. Because it’s comprised of people and of caring. And people, unlikedollarsorbondsorstocksharesorglobsofgoldorfactorymachinesorplotsofland,talktoeachotherandconnecteachotheroverthethingstheycareabout.ElliottBisnowheldhisfirst,smallskitripin2008,justtwoandahalfyears

before I amwriting this.Nowhe’sat thehelmofoneof thegreatestbusinessnetworkson theplanet. “Bisnow’sascent to themobile techelitehappenedsofast even he is surprised,” aWashington Post profile about him said in early2010,justayearandahalfafterthatfirstfatedskitrip.“NobodythoughtIwascool until a year ago,” the article quotes Elliott. “I wasn’t popular in highschool....Ididn’tfitintocliquesorsitatthecooltableatlunchtime.Samethingincollege.”4Beingable toconnectpeople toeachother isamassiveasset,which in turn

helpsgrowtheamountofpeopleyouknow,whichinturngrowsyourabilitytoconnect people.Get the snowball rolling, and itmay surprise you how fast itgrows.Thequestion is:Howdoyouget the snowball rollingwhenyoudon’t even

have a pebble of snow?Howdoyouuseyour network to growyour networkwhen you don’t have a network yet? This is a crucial question, which we’lladdress later in the chapter. But first, let’s talk about the second majorcomponentofconnectioncapital.

■ASWISSARMYKNIFEOFADVICE

The second major component of connection capital is your ability to giverelevantandvaluableadvice.Give advice? To someone who is more successful and powerful than you?

Huh?Absolutely.Here’show.Eben says that the three areas of life themajority of people spendmost of

their time worrying about are money, relationships, and health. In myexperience, very few people have all three of these areas buttoned up in theirlife,atleastnotasmuchastheylike.Ifyou’retalkingtosomeonewhomsocietydeems more successful than you, it’s probably the case that they are moresuccessfulinonlyonearea(business,marketing,sales,fame,etc.).Inmyexperience,almosteverypersonI’vemetwhois,bysocietalstandards,

muchmore successful than I, is also strugglingwith at leastone area or issueaboutwhichIknowquiteabitmorethantheydo.They’rehuman,justlikeyouandme,andhumanshaveproblems.I’mgoingtoteachyoutwoquestionsthat,ifyouputthemintouseatparties,

events, and conferences, will change your life forever and will grow yournetworkfasterthanyoueverthoughtpossible:

1.What’smostexcitingforyourightnowinyourlife/business?2.What’schallengingforyouinyourlife/businessrightnow?

Ifit’sapersonalcontext(cocktailparty,dinnerparty,etc.),askabouttheirlife;if it’s a business context (conference, networking event, etc.), ask about theirbusiness.Note:Theseshouldn’tbethefirstwordsoutofyourmouthwhenyouinitiallymeetsomeone.Ofcoursenot.You’vegottohavesometrustandrapportgoingintheconversationfirst.Butifyoustartpepperingthesequestionsinyourconversationswithnewpeopleyoumeet,andthenhonestlytrytohelpthemwithwhatever goals, aspirations, or challenges theymention in response, you’ll beamazedatthenetworkingmagicthatoccurs.IoftenfindthatwhenIaskthesequestionsofpeoplewhomI’dliketomentor

orguideme,Ihave insights, resources,orconnections thatcouldhelp themintheareaofwhatevertheyanswer.Whatevertheanswerstothesequestionsare,I

listenattentivelyandcompassionately,andif Iknowofsomeoneorsomethinguseful to these causes or issues, I recommend it. I am constantly seeking outwaysIcanbeofservicetothepeopleI talkwith, inwaysthataremeaningfulandimpactfultothem.Maybeit’sahealthconcernthattheymention,orarelationshipissue,maybe

even some specific aspect of their businesswithwhich I have experience andtheydon’t.Ireferthemtobooks,courses,andwebsitesthathavebeenusefultomeindealingwithwhateverissuestheymention,andcouldhelpthemaswell.IoftenmakeanoteandsendthemthebookI’vereferredthemto.Andofcourse,Irefer them tootherpeople Iknowwhocanhelp themwith that specific issue,goal, or problem. (See the section on the value of “Your Already-ExistingConnections”inthischapter.)Sometimes, just an ear to listen, an empathetic understanding, or a dose of

commonsenseguidanceisamassivegiftyoucangive.Youthinkrich,powerful,andwell-connectedpeopledon’tstrugglewithanythingintheirlives?In the case ofEben, through asking these questions Iwas able to give him

relationshipadviceandalsotoconnecthimtoBryan,whobecameagreatfriend.WhentherewassomequestionastowhetherEbenandAnniewouldbecomeanitem,Bryanendedup“layingitdown,”bro-to-brostyle,aboutwhyAnniewasaperfectmatch for himandwhyhe’dbe crazy to let her go. (I also introducedBryanandAnnie—seeapatternhere,abouthowthisstuffworks?)In a like manner, even though Bryan is by societal standards far more

successfulthanIam,Istillgivehimadvice—abouthealthandnutrition,whichisoneareaIknowalotmoreaboutthanhedoes,frommylifeexperienceandself-education.Furthermore,Ididn’tjustwaitforhimtoaskmeforthisadvice.Oncewehad

becomecloseenough,Icalledhimonit.Ibasically toldhimheneededtopaymoreattentiontohishealthandhiseatinghabits,anareaofhislifeIfelthewasneglecting.Thatisoneofthemostpowerfulthingsyoucangivesomeone,ever:awake-

up call. To my surprise, rather than rejecting, ignoring, or dismissing mysuggestions, Bryan actually listened and incorporated what I suggested. As aresultIwentfrombeingsomeonehelikedtosomeonehetrulyvaluedinhislife.Youhavetodoallofthisadvicegivingwithcleanintentions,withhumility,

and in a total spirit of service.Usually, you can’t do it right away.Youmustalready have built up some rapport and trust together. And you must do itextremelytactfully,withagreatdealofsocialintelligence.(Ifyoufeelyouneedto brush up on your own social intelligence—including your sense of tact—agreatplacetostart is thebookSocialIntelligence:TheNewScienceofHuman

Relationships by Daniel Goleman. I highly recommend this book: socialintelligence is something we learn almost nothing about in our formaleducation.)Withallthesecaveatsinplace,ifyoucangivesomeonealovingwake-upcall

inanareaoftheirlifewherethey’vegotamajorblindspot,orjustsomewell-placedadvicethathelpsthemovercomeaproblemorgetonestepclosertoanimportantgoal,theywillbeforevergrateful.I evengaveBryanquite a bit ofmarketing advice.Howdid I,who earns a

fractionofwhatBryanearns,andwhowaslookingtohimforbusinessguidance,givehimmarketingadvice?Simple. While he’s an absolute master of sales, and of word-of-mouth

marketing (the methods he’d used to fill his coaching practice and his othercoaching programs), I saw frommy own study of copywriting that he didn’tknow a lot about direct-response copywriting. I started coaching him oncopywriting,andevenwritingsomeofhiscopyforhim.Here are several areas where you can often give valuable advice to—and

thereforegreatlyserve—peoplewhoaremorepowerfulandsuccessfulthanyouare.You’dbeamazedathowopenpotentialmentorsaretoreceivinghelp.Andif you help them, they will help you. These areas below include, but expandupon,Eben’striumvirateofhealth,money,andrelationships.MARKETINGANDSALES.Ihavefoundthatmostpeoplewhohavebuilt

theirbusinessesaroundmarketingdon’tknowjackaboutsales.Andmostpeoplewhohavebuilttheirbusinessesaroundsalesdon’tknowjackaboutmarketing.Ifyou learn about both, as you should if youwant to be successful in life (seeSuccessSkills#3and#4),youcanoftenprovidebusinessadvicetoasurprisingvarietyofpeople,asIwasabletodowithBryan.In particular, you should learn about direct-response marketing and

copywriting,thetypethatEbenteaches.Direct-responseisallaboutgeneratingsales and revenue now (as opposed to “brand” or “image” marketing, whichconsumes large amountsofmoney togenerate revenue in somevague, distantfuture, ifatall).Ifyoucanhelppeoplegeneratesalesandrevenuenow,you’llneverbeawallflower;youwillalwaysfindpeoplewantingtotalkwithyouandwantingyouradvice.Afewmonths’worthofstudyingdirect-responsefromEbenandotherswhom

we’ll meet in Success Skill #3, and a year’s worth of applying it in the realworld, has taken me quite far; I’ve done consulting for several multimillion-dollar companies and nowknowmore about direct-response than probably 99percentofpeopleinbusiness.Idon’tsaythattobrag;Isayittohighlighthowlowthebar is—it’sarealblindspotformostbusinesses, indoctrinatedas they

are with the gospel of brand marketing. If you study the resources I list inSuccessSkill#3,youwillknowmoreaboutdirectresponsethan99percentofbusinesspeopletoo.I’vebeenastonishedat thecaliberofpeople I’vebeenable toconnectwith,

simplyfromthislittlebitofmarketingknowledge.It’slikeacoolpartytrick.Infact, Iwasataparty,where Ihad theopportunity tomeet the famousnovelistErica Jong. I askedherwhat shewasexcitedabout, and she toldmeaboutananthologyshewasputtingoutthenextyear.Asshetoldmeaboutit,Icouldseeright away that the marketing efforts planned by her big corporate publisherwouldbehelpedbysomedirect-responseeffortsontheNet.Ibegangivingherunsolicitedmarketingadviceforherbooklaunch.Afewminutes into this,shegrabbedapen,scribbleddownhercontactinfoonapaper,andsaid,“Ihave totalkwithyoumore.”Ericaisnowafriend,andnotonlyhaveIhadthehonorofhelpingherquiteabitonherbookmarketing,butshehasalsobeenextremelygenerouswithadvice,guidance,andhelpinmywritingcareer.I probably would not have been able to bring her into my life as a friend

withouthavingbuiltup theconnectioncapitalofvaluableadvice,whichIwasabletogiveheratthatparty,onatopicimportanttoher.Thefuncontinued.Erica invitedmetoapartyshewas throwing,whereshe

introducedme toherPRagent,SandiMendelson.Same thing. I startedgivingSandisomemarketing ideasaroundsocialmedia,whichIhadbeenstudyingagreatdeal.Sandiinvitedmetoherofficetocontinuethediscussions,andwe’vesince done business together. Sandi was also responsible for my meeting myliteraryagentEstherNewberg,whoplayedahugepartinthisbookcomingintobeing,asEstherconnectedme toPortfolio. Itall startedwithsomeunsolicitedmarketingadvicetoanovelist,ataparty.It’s almost a cliché and an inside joke amongmy friends now.Whenever I

meetnewpeople,Icompulsivelystartfindingoutwhat they’reupto,andthengiving themunsolicitedmarketing advice on it.Maybe it’s cheesy.But I’ll bedamned,itworks.Inalmostallcases,Ifindit’sgreatlyappreciated.Ifyoufindyourselfsaying,“Yeah,butIdon’tknowasmuchaboutmarketingasyoudo,”remember,IonlystudiedEben’sstuffforafewmonthsbeforeIstartedapplyingit in therealworld. Ifyoureallyaregoing to tellmeyoucan’tbebothered tostudysomethingforafewmonthsinordertogetallthebenefitsI’vedescribedhere,please,now,returnthisbookforafullrefund,plunkyourselfdownonyourcouch,andfliponthetube.Seriously!FOOD,WEIGHT,ANDNUTRITION.Mostpeoplewhoaresuccessful in

theworldsofbusinessandmoneyarehighlydriven.Andmanypeoplewhoarehighlydrivenignoretheirhealth;theirsuccesssofarhascomeattheexpenseof

theirhealth.Ifinthecourseofyourlifeandself-educationyouhavelearnedtoovercome your own chronic health challenges, or have achieved your idealweightorlearnedalotaboutnutrition,fitness,andhealthylifestyles,you’lloftenknowa lotmoreabout these topics thanmanysuccessfulbusinesspeopledo—particularly ifyoureadupon these topicsandexperimentwithwhat’sbest foryou in your own life.Aswith all advice, you need to be extremely tactful inbringing these topics up. But if the conversation steers in that direction, inresponse to your “challenges” question discussed above, you’ll often find thatpeoplearedesperateforadviceintheserealms.Youcanoftenbeoftremendousservice,muchmorethanyourealize.IwasabletodothisforBryanaroundhisformerly abysmal, now fantastic eating habits. As a result, I served himpowerfully,andinsodoingbroughthimcloserintomytribe.SPIRITUALITY,PURPOSE,ANDMEANING. If you’ve thought agreat

dealaboutthemoreexistential,philosophicalaspectsoflife,andhavecometosome personal wisdom or understanding in these areas through your own lifejourney,providingsupport intheserealmsisoftenagreatwaytoservepeoplewhoaremorepowerful and successful thanyouare. (SeeSuccessSkill #1onconnecting with your sense of purpose and meaning.) Stories of people who“make it” in the world of material success, money, and fame, and then feel“emptyinside,”areadimeadozen.Infact,theyaretherule,nottheexception,whenitcomestomaterialwealth.Our society is largely organized around pursuing material wealth. And

obviously,Ihavenothingagainstmaterialwealth,honestlygained; infact,I’mactivelyworking to bringmore of it intomyown life.Butmost people don’trealize,untiltheyhaveit(ifthen),thatbeyondbareminimums,increasingyourmaterialwealthdoesn’tbringremotelycommensurateincreasesinwell-being.Itjustdoesn’t.Thus,I’vefoundthat,almostwithoutexception,wealthy,successful,famous,

andpowerfulpeopleI’vemetstrugglewithspiritualandexistentialquestionsofmeaning,purpose,andinnerfulfillmentintheirlives.Theyareoftenthrilledtohavesomeonetalkabouttheseissueswiththem,andtolendanear.Infact,I’vefound that powerful mentors are often more likely to struggle with thesequestions on a day-to-day basis than less materially successful people. For asimple reason. Many less wealthy people either (a) are so desperate to getwealthierthattheybulldozeoverthesemorephilosophicalquestionsentirelyintheir mad race up the ladder, or (b) have already come to peace with theexistential questions of their lives, in which case they’re not struggling withthesequestions—they’rejustoutintheworld,servingtheirpurpose,orenjoyingtheirliveswithgratitude,orboth.

Ifthey’renottotallycaughtupinamassingmorewealthandpower,however,it’sthewealthyoneswhooftenstrugglewiththesequestions.They’vereachedthetopoftheladder,andtheyrealizethatthewholemadracetothetopwasinmany ways a farce to begin with—it simply doesn’t deliver the lastingfulfillmentitwassupposedto.Sotheybeginponderingthesebiggerquestionsofthemeaningoftheirlives.Of course, there aremanywealthy, connected, or powerful peoplewho are

totally switched on spiritually and existentially, and are using their power andinfluenceforagreaterpurpose,tochangetheworld.(Thesearethebestpeoplein the world to know because they are creating our future. Get under theirfountainandpushthemupasmuchaspossible.)But many others in this position are deeply confused, lost, unhappy, even

despairingintheirlives.Ifyouhavereachedsomepeace,reflection,orwisdomaboutthespiritualorexistentialquestionsofyourlife,youcanoftenofferagreatservice by sharing this peace and reflection with those whom you wish tobecomeyourteachersintherealmsofbusinessandmoney.Often,justhavingareal, honest, human-to-human conversation about life’s biggest questions cangainyouanewfriendforlife.HOBBIES, PASSIONS, AND CAUSES. You can often connect with

influential people through shared hobbies and passions. Of course, thisknowledgehasbeenkeepinggolfcoursesrunningforcenturies.Ihappentohavenointerestingolfwhatsoever,soI’mnotgoingtowritetoyouaboutgolf.ButI’vefoundthatcultivatingawiderangeofcool,hip,discussion-worthyhobbiesmaximizesyourchanceofbeingabletosharewithandgivetoamazingpeopleyoumeet.I’m passionate aboutCubanmusic and salsa dance, for example. Imetmy

wifewhenIwasteachingaCubansalsadanceclassatBurningMan.Thatwaswithout question the singlemost significant instanceof “networking” I’ll everexperienceinmylife.AnditallhappenedbecauseIhadcultivatedapassionforsalsadance.Ihaveafriend,HitchMcDermid,who,throughmanyyearsofstudy,becamea

top teacher of AcroYoga, a form in which one person (a “base”) lies on theground on his back and balances a partner (the “flyer”) through a series ofbeautifulandchallengingposes,onthebase’suprightfeetandarms.IfyoumeetHitch at a party, you may very well find yourself “flying” upside down,balancing on his outstretched arms and legs—definitely an interestingway tomeetandconnectwithsomeone!Infact,throughsomepeoplehemetataparty,Hitch got connected to the mega-famous electronica group ThieveryCorporation, and began providing AcroYoga to them backstage before their

shows.Ifyouknowalotaboutvintagewine,orgourmetcooking,orfinetequila,or

tango dance, or travel in Latin America or Southeast Asia, or Buddhistmeditation and philosophy, or massage, or kite boarding, or social mediamarketing, or contemporary art, or some other interesting, cool, hip, unusual,sexyhobbyor interest, it’svery likelyyou’llbeable toshareyourgiftamongpeople you want to connect with. (Of course, more “straight” hobbies likesailing,football,andbaseballcanworktoo.Thoughthere’sabitofa“jointheclub” effectwith these,whichmakes it harder to stand out and truly broadensomeone’shorizon.Areyoureallygoing to tellsomeonesomethingtheydon’talreadyknowaboutbaseballorfootball?)RELATIONSHIPS.InmostcasesI’veseen,there’snotmuchofacorrelation

between success in business and money, and happiness in relationships. Ifanything, I’ve seen a negative correlation. A friend of mine involved with along-running, high-level business networking group said that at the twentiethreunionof theoriginalfounders,nearlyallof themembers—mostlymen—hadbeenmarriedatthestartofthegroupandwerenowdivorced.Thereasonisobvious.Manypeoplewhoachievegreatsuccessintheworlds

ofbusinessandmoneydosoattheexpenseoftheirrelationships,byfocusingontheir business entirely and ignoring their relationships. And many businessluminariesI’vemet,bothmenandwomen,aresuchcontrolfreaksthat they’reterrifiedofthesurrender, lossofcontrol,andvulnerabilityinvolvedinopeningtheirheart.(It’scalled“falling”inlove,andnot“steppingsafelydownthestairsof love,” fora reason.)Simplyput,manyfinanciallyandmateriallysuccessfulpeopleareterrifiedofopeningtheirheartsanddon’tknowhowtoeveniftheywantedto.If,throughyourownexperiencesandself-educationinlife,youhavelearned

toopenyourheartandsurrendertolove,orjusttomanagetheupsanddownsofdating and relationships smoothly, you may be able to serve your desiredmentors by guiding themgently into deepening their relationships, opening toemotionalintimacyintheirlives,andfindingorcreatingmoreloveintheirlives.Ifyoudogivethisgift,thisserviceoftheheart,youwillhavegivenoneofthegreatestgiftspossible.Really, it’s all about becoming a “trusted adviser” to people you want to

connectwith.Beingatrustedadvisertoasuccessfulpersonis,simplyput,oneofthemostpowerfulwaystobecomesuccessfulyourself.YoushoulddefinitelyreadTheTrustedAdvisorbyDavidMaister,CharlesGreen,andRobertGalford,andNetworkingwiththeAffluentbyThomasJ.Stanley,twoofthebestbooksonhigh-integrity,no-sleazeconnectingI’veread.

Stanley’sbook listsmanydifferentwaysyoucanservepowerful, influentialpeople you’d like to connect with. (Remember, as with everything in thischapter,thegivinghastobedoneinthespiritofpureservice,oritfeelsicky!)These methods include “The Talent Scout,” “The Revenue Enhancer,” “TheAdvocate,”“TheMentor,”and“ThePublicist.”Readthebookformoredetails,buttheseareallfantasticwaystobeofservicetopeopleyouwanttolearnfrom.Anothergreat resource,whichadaptssomeof thesestrategies for thedigital

and social media age, comes from David Siteman Garland(http://www.therisetothetop.com). In his article “From Tim Ferriss to SethGodin: How to Interview and Build Relationships with theMost ‘Influential’PeopleintheWorld,”heemphasizesthesamepointeveryoneelseismakinginthischapter—whenyoufindcreativewaystoservepeopleyou’dliketoconnectwith,“askfornothing[inreturn]....Bydoing[that],youwillseparateyourselffrom98%ofthepack.”Hethenoutlinesaspecific,detailedprocessforfindingcreativewaystobeofservicetoinfluencersontheWeb.Thisisrequiredreadingforanyoneinterestedinthetopicofthischapter.5Hereisonesingle,verywiseblogpostthatwillprobablygofurtherinhelping

youachieveyourpurposeinlife—ifyouputitintopractice—thanentirecoursesincollege.Andit’savailableforfreeontheWeb,alongwithaninfinitenumberofequallypowerfulfreeresources,someofwhichI’llbepointingyoutowardinthisbook.(Seewhymoreandmorepeoplearebeginningtoscratchtheirheadsaboutthevalueof$100Kcollegetuitionbillsanddecades-longloanpayments?)Yourself-studyand learning inoneof these areasof advicegiving ishighlyliquid;itcanoftenbetradedforlearninginanotherarea.Becausefewpeoplearetrulywell-rounded,ifyoubecomewell-roundedintheseareasofmarketingandsales,healthandnutrition, spiritualityandpersonalphilosophy,and interestinghobbies and passions, you will almost always have something to help peoplewith.It’slikeaSwissarmyknifeofservice,readyinyourbackpocketforanyoccasion.And, as you give more, and serve more, you’ll eventually attract the right

teachersinalltheseareas,whowillhelpyoulearnmore...whichwillallowyoutogivemoreand servemore ... andonandon.Forget all thatquantumX-raystuffinthemovieTheSecret.Thisishowthelawofattractionworksintherealworld. “The happier you are in giving,” self-made multi-entrepreneur RussellSimmonstoldme,“themorepeopleareexcitedtobearoundyou.Youbecome‘sticky.’”

■HOWTOBECOMEAWORLD-CLASSCAPITALISTOFGIVING

Often, when a young person is starting out in the real world beyond school,wanting toconnectwithapowerfulmentor, teacher,orcontact, sherecognizesthis fundamental point of connectingviagiving.But shedoesn’t have a lot togive,soshevolunteerstogivetheonlytwothingsshehasonreadytapat thisstageinherdevelopment,hertimeandherelbowgrease,inhopesthatthesewillbuyhersomeaccesstotheinfluencer.Thisisfine,foratime.Historyisrepletewithstoriesofyoungup-and-comers

whogavethemselvesovertoamorepowerfulmentorintime-intensiveservice,and worked around the clock in apprenticeship, in exchange for valuableteachingsandconnections, laterbecomingsuccessful themselvesbecauseof it.Benjamin Franklin, an elementary school dropout, started out his illustriouspublishing andwriting career (author, among other things, of one of themostwidely read autobiographies in history) as a legally indentured servant in hisbrother’s printing shop at age twelve. (Though they don’t often involve legalindentureanymore,inmoderntimesthisiscalledaninternship.)However, ifyoustartoutmaking this tradeof timeandelbowgrease in the

hope of gaining teachings, make sure you’re able to convert those teachingsquickly into connection capital (i.e., into a network of connections and theexperience that allows you to give valuable, high-impact advice, therebyprovidingmorevaluetoyournetwork,drawinginmoreconnections).For a simple reason.Relyingon timeandelbowgrease and service asyour

mainformofgiving—potentiallyvaluableasthesegiftsmaybe—severelylimitsyour scope of giving. There are only somany hours in the day, and somanyhoursofelbowgreaseyoucangivebeforeyouconkout.Intwenty-first-centurybusiness parlance, this form of giving is “not scalable,” or “not highlyleverageable.”Theyreachtheirupperlimitofscopequickly.In turn, connection capital is a highly scalable, highly leverageable formof

giving.(IknowIsoundlikeadot-combusiness-planwriterhere!Buthey,Ilikeapplying this business-speak to concepts that are fundamentally poetic and

metaphysical.Humorme!)When I was hanging out with Elliott, he dashed off three introductions to

potential interviewees for my book, including one to self-educated fashiondesignerMarcEcko.Withintwenty-fourhours,IalreadyhadanappointmentsetuptointerviewMarc,oneofthemostinfluentialpeopleintheworldoffashion;there’s not a chance I would have gotten that interview so quickly (if at all)withouttheamazingintroductionfromElliott.This introduction tookElliottminutes tocompose,andyet ithelpedmeand

myprojectimmensely.Thosefewminuteshespentearnedhimalifelongfaninme.Would there be any chance he’d be able to win a similar amount of

appreciation, goodwill, fandom, and desire to serve him back on my part byspending hours and hours of his day, say, fetchingme coffee, schedulingmyappointments,andmakingphotocopiesforme?TheimageofElliottBisnow,oneof the world’s most connected twenty-five-year-olds, spending time fetchingcoffeeorwritingreportsforanyoneisabsurdlylaughable.Yet, that is precisely how many twentysomethings, including many

twentysomething college graduates, spend their days, in their entry-levelcorporate shit jobs. The difference between the lowly impact mosttwentysomethingsexperiencedayinanddayout in theirshit jobs(withall theattendant existential angst, feelings of resentment, and bitterness) and themassiveimpactElliottBisnowcanhaveonsomeone’sdaywithjusttwominutesofhistimeshowsthepowerofconnectioncapital.Bydevelopingconnectioncapital—thatis,your“emotionalbankaccount”of

trust and goodwill among your already-existing contacts, and your bank ofexperienceandknowledgefromwhichyoucangivevaluableadvice—youcandecoupletheimpactyoumakeonothers’livesfromthetimeyouspendmakingit.Youstillneedtospendsometimetohaveanimpact—Elliottstillneededtospenda fewminutescomposing thosee-mails.But those fewminutesweresoprofoundly helpful to me, as opposed to, say, twominutes of coffee fetchingfrom a similarly aged college grad in a corporate shit job, because those twominutesweremixedwithaverypowerfulformofcapital—specifically,Elliott’snetworkoftrustandgoodwill.It’s just like anything else in business. You mix labor with more capital

(technology,skills,supportservices,etc.)andyougetmoreproductivityoutofeachminuteoflabor.Now,economiststellusthateducationisoneofthemostimportant forms of capital investment—it’s human capital. And I agree withthementirelyonthatpoint.Where I disagree, obviously, is what form your investments in education

should take. Economists, when they talk about human capital investment, arealmost always talking about formal education. As I’ve been arguing, and I’llcontinuetoarguethroughoutthisbook:unlessyouwanttogointoaprofessionfor which formal credentials are strictly required—such as medicine, law,academia,andsoforth,orinwhichtheyarestronglypreferred,suchasrisingupthroughtheranksofacorporateorgovernmentbureaucracyalongwiththerestof the herd—then in my opinion, formal schooling past the basics is anextremelyweakformofinvestmentinyourownhumancapital.What kind of human capital do you truly develop in today’s formal higher

education?Theabilitytowritemediocre,turgidacademicpapers.Theabilitytocramall night for testson thingsyouwill forget thenextweekandneveruseagaininyourlife.TheabilitytostudyMonday,Tuesday,andWednesdaynights,andpartyThursday,Friday,Saturday,andSundaynights.Theabilitytonavigatea social landscape full of binge drinking andAdderall popping.The ability tofollow orders and do as you’re told. The ability to manage long-term loanpaymentson$20,000to$100,000ofdebt.These, anda starterbusinesswardrobe,willbuyyouamediocreentry-level

jobandalotofjobinsecurity.Yougetthesemeagerreturnsonyourinvestmentinformaleducationforthesimplereasonthat—whenallissaidanddone,whenalltheloftyrhetoricfromteachersandpunditsandpoliticiansaboutthevalueofhigher education evaporates under the harsh sun of a recession—these skillsdon’t add much of value to anything or anyone in the marketplace. So, onlymodest rewards flow to those who have invested their time and effort indeveloping them. That means shit entry-level corporate job, shit entry-levelcorporatepay—ifyou’reoneoftheluckyonestoevengetajob.Comparetheseformsofmodestlyvaluablecollegiatehumancapitalwiththe

kindsofthingsyoucan(andhaveto)learnonyourown,educatingyourselfoutin the real world: How to network and connect with powerful teachers andmentors(thesubjectofthischapter).Howtostartandmanageabusiness.Howtomarket and sell effectively (SuccessSkills #3 and #4).How to lead others.Howtodiscoveryoursenseofpurposeandmeaning(SuccessSkill#1).Theseforms of human capital produce mountains of value and are handsomelyrewarded,eitherby themarketplaceorbyyourown life satisfactionandwell-being.It is possible to learn these things in college, but they are usually learned

through extracurricular activities such as student government; leadership incultural,charitable,political,orGreekorganizations;sportsteams;peersupportgroups;andsoforth.Yetextracurricularsareessentiallyaformoffree(orlow-cost)self-education.Themoreyoufocusonthese,thelessyou’llbefocusingon

theformalcurriculumyou’repaying(andgoingintodebt)tostudyincollege.ElliottBisnowisvastlymoresuccessful thanmost twenty-five-year-olds(by

wild orders of magnitude) because he focused entirely on investing indevelopingthiskindofreal-worldhumancapital,thekindthatactuallyproducesreal-worldresultsandisvaluedintherealworld,ratherthanbullshitacademic-basedhumancapital,whichisonlyvaluedintheshelteredcontextofacademia,orbyout-of-touch, largebureaucraticemployers seeking freshdrones for theirentry-leveljobs.Elliottwasn’tbornwith thisvaluablehumancapital;hedidn’t inherit it.He

bootstrappedinvestmentsoftimeandelbowgreasetodevelopit,puttingintheeffortoflearninghowtosell,duringthosefirsttwoyears(whileskippingclass)inhisMadison,Wisconsin,dormroom.Thoseinvestmentspaidoffintheformoftheabilitytosell,whichishandsdownoneofthemosteconomicallyvaluableformsof human capital in existence (seeSuccessSkill #4).Heparlayed thesesalesskillsintofinancialcapitalintheformofhisseven-figurebusiness,whichgavehimaccesstocredit,whichallowedhimtobuythoseskitrips.Heparlayedthose ski trips into honest-to-goodness human relationships (i.e., connectioncapital)withpeoplewhoarethemselvestremendouslyconnected.Inotherwords, he investedhisother formsof capital (sales skills, financial

capital) into connection capital—the ability to help people massively in thespaceoftwominutesjustbymakingintroductionswithinhisnetwork.Multiplytwo-minuteperiodslikethat,dayinanddayoutasElliottgives,gives,givestoallthepeoplearoundhim(andtheygive,give,givebacktohim)inthishighlyleveraged way (small amount of time, big impact), and you begin to see thegeniusofwhatElliotthascreatedforhimself.Youbegintoseewhatseparateshimfromnearlyallothertwentysomethings,indeed,fromnearlyeveryoneelsein the working world: Elliott has decoupled his labor from his capital, andfocusedonbuildingsomeprettyamazingcapitalforhimself:aworld-classtribeofpeoplehehelpsandwhohelphim.Hehasbecomeacapitalist—acapitalistofgivingandservicetoothers.Thesecondformofconnectioncapital—thatis,thesecondformofgivingthatcanexpandyournetworkof teachers,mentors,andguides in life—isaswe’veseen,advicegiving.There’saparadoxicalaspecttothis—afterall,you’reseekingadvice,sohow

isgivingadvicegoingtogetyouadvice?Well,howdoyougetmorelove?Bygoingoutandaskingforlotsoflove?By

beggingforit?Pleadingforit?Thatmaywork,temporarily,onaveryinsecure

person,foralowgradeofneedy,desperatelove.Butthewaytogetreallyhigh-quality,pure-gradeloveinyourlifeistogive

high-quality,pure-gradelove.Byhigh-grade,Imeanclean—freeofneedinessortheexpectationofreturn,notwiththeintentionofgettingsomeback.Ifyoudoitwith that intention, it deteriorates intoneediness anddesperation.Givewidelyand generously, to all those around you (particularly focusing on your owntribe), and somehow it comes back to you. It’s just theway it works. I don’tknowwhy,butitworks.It’sthesameforallthingsofvalue.Togetvalue,givevalue.So,whatarethekindsofvalueyoucangive?We’vealreadytalkedabouttime

and elbowgrease. This iswhatmost twentysomethings give, for low pay andlow appreciation, in their bureaucratized corporate jobs in which they’re justfollowingorders,supplyinglaborforsomeoneelse’sbrilliantplan.That’sadeadend.Then, there’sgivingconnections.Onceyou’vegotagreatnetwork inplace,

that’sahighlytime-leveragedformofgiving.Meaning,onceyou’vebuiltupagreat network, it doesn’t takemuch time—just a phone call or an e-mail—toconnect two peoplewithin your network, or to connect someone you justmetwith someone you already know. These connections can be life-changing forpeople.And, assuming the connections are alwayswell thought-out, and theyprovide value for both people being introduced, it’s pretty much an infinite,inexhaustibleformofgiving.And finally, there’s giving great advice. Granted, it may take you years or

decadestobuilduptheappropriateknowledgebase,butonceit’s there,givingadvicefromitcantakejustminutes,anditcanbeincrediblypowerfulandlife-changing.Ifsomeoneishavingtroublewiththeirbusiness,ortheirrelationship,ortheirhealth,andyougivethemajuicysuggestionthatsetsthemontherightcourse and changes their life for years to come, you’ve just providedmassivevalueinthespaceofabriefsuggestion.You’veprobablymarveledatdoctorsorlawyerswhoearn$500or$1,000an

hour dispensing their advice. It seems almost incomprehensible—someoneearning overone hundred timesmore than a BA pouring coffee earns for thesamemarginalhourofeffort?Italsoseemslikeaprimafacieargumentformoreandbettergraduateeducation,ifyouwanttogetaheadinlife.Well,howwouldyou like toearn$6,000 perhour foryour advice,withno

collegedegree?Ishityounot.Welcome toamini-lesson in thepowerof learninghow togive reallygood

advice.

■HOWTOEARN$6,000PERHOURWITHNOCOLLEGEDEGREE

AfewyearsagoIwasdoingsomemarketingconsultingforaclientonaretainerof$5,000permonth.Onanhour-for-hourbasis,itwasprobablyworkingouttoabout $250 per hour. Not a bad gig. I was earningmore per hour thanmanylawyers, and certainly more than most PhD psychologists in private therapypractice—allwithskills Ihad learnedpurely throughself-study. I felt satisfiedwiththevalueIwasprovidingtheclient,astheywereearningmultiplesofmyretainereachmonthinhigherrevenueandprofit.At a certain point, though, it became clear that the companywould benefit

from a little heaviermarketing firepower than Iwas able to provide; itwas alarge company, and they had the cash flow to invest in even more advancedmarketingideasthanIknewhowtogivethem.So I suggested they bring in Eben—one of theworld’s foremost experts in

Internetmarketing—for some consulting. TheCEO looked at some of Eben’svideosonline,andhewasintrigued.HegavemethegreenlighttotalktoEbenandinquireabouthisconsultingservices.It turnsout,Ebendoesn’t oftendoconsulting.He’s sobusyworkingonhis

Internetbusiness,whichbringsin$30millionayearinrevenue(closeto$100Kperday),thatitjustdoesn’tpayforhimtotakehoursawayfromhisworkdaytofocus on paid hourly labor. If he spends several hours on someone else’sbusinessforpay,hegetsthepay,buthenevergetstheproductsofhislaborback.If he spends a few hours creating an Internet video that he sells, he can keepsellingthatvideofortherestofhislife.Thegiftthatkeepsongiving.Leverage.Scalability.Nonetheless, from time to time, Eben informed me, he did do consulting

work,particularly if itcamein throughafriend.Hewouldn’tkeepthemoney;he’dgiveittoacharity,theSafeConflictProject(http://www.safeconflict.org),run by his best friends, Amber Lupton (who did not complete college) andNathanOtto.Itwouldbehisformofvolunteerism.Hisfee?

Fiftythousanddollarsperday.Thatis,around$6,000perhour.Itsoundspreposterousonitsface.Earningmoreinonedaythanmanyrecent

collegegraduateswillearninanentireyearoflabor(ifthey’reluckyenoughtohaveajob),andmorethanmanypeoplearoundtheglobewillearnintheirentirelifetime.Before we take up arms and call for the socialist revolution to redistribute

Eben’s wealth to the poor twentysomething collegegrad cubicle farmers incorporatelandia,however,let’spauseandreflectforamoment.Whyisanhourofhishelpsohighlyvaluedonthemarketplace,whenanhour

ofarecentcollegegrad’shelpistypicallyvaluedat1percentorlessofhisrate?It’sbecauseEbenhasfocusedhiseducationonaccumulatingreal-worldskill

setsandknowledge—humancapital—whichhaveallowedhimtogivevery,verygood advice.Specifically, this adviceallowshim tohaveamassive impactonindividuals’andorganizationsbottom lines ina shortperiodof time, such thatthoseindividualsandorganizationsarewillingtopaytopdollarforanhourofhisattentionandadvice.Whatdoes thishave todowithour focushereonconnectingwithpowerful

people?Givinggoodadvice—aswecanseeinthecaseofEben—isoneofthemost highly valuable gifts you can give someone, and one of themost highlyleveraged ways to connect with people. This means that an hour of attentionfromsomeonewhohasreallygoodadvicetogiveisvaluedinthemarketplacealotmore than an hour of someonewho has elbow grease and “hardwork” togive.Imagineifyouradvicewasvaluedat$6,000perhourandyoucouldjustdole

out these$6,000hours to anyoneyoupleased.Thinkyou’dhavemorepeoplewantingtoconnectwithyou?Thisisanincredibleassettobeabletodrawonforgiving, giving, andgivingmore.Aswe’vebeendiscussing, it’s a phenomenalformofconnectioncapital.Inturn,mostofushavefocusedoureducation,intheclassroomandbeyond,

onmuchlower-leverageknowledge:Howtofollowordersandbeobedientlittleschoolboys or cubicle jockeys. How to do as we’re told. How to followworkplacemanuals,protocols,procedures,classroomassignments.Wegetpaidlessandarevaluedlessbyotherbusinesspeoplewithwhomwe

mightwanttoconnectbecausetheseskillsetshavealowerimpactonbusinessresults.We’ve basically just trained ourselves to be cogs in amachine. Now,withhighlyeducatedChineseandIndianshappytodothiskindofby-the-bookworkforus,manyofusarefindingthattheseskillswe’vebeentrainingsixteenyears to develop have no impact in the workplace at all; we’re out of work.

Softwareprogramsmighteventakeourjob.Eben,Elliott,andtheotherpeopleIinterviewinthisbookgetpaidmorethan

you and I do, and have more people wanting to connect with them in theirbusinessnetwork,becausetheyhaveahigherimpactontheworldandonotherpeople’sbusinesses thanyouor Ido.Specifically, they learnedhow tohaveahigherimpact,throughtheskillsetsandknowledgewe’llbetalkingaboutinthischapter,andinthisbook.Thissoundsslightlyoffensive.Higher impact?Don’tallhumanbeingshave

animpact?Don’tweallmatter?Of course we all matter. And of course we all have a massive impact—in

certainlivesatleast.Ourimpactonthepeoplewelove,andonthepeoplewholoveus, ismuchgreater than the impactanyoneelsewillhave,nomatterhowmuchorhowlittlemoneyweallearn.Butwe’retalkingaboutmoneyinthisparticulardiscussion.Andinacapitalist

economy,ingeneral(andwithsomesignificantexceptions)moneyflowstothepeoplewhomakethemostimpactonthemostpeoplewhohavethemostmoney.That’s just theway thegameworks.Youcanrailagainst it,youcancall forasocialist revolution. But as long as you’re still opting to play the game, youmightaswelllearntherulesofthegame.BrianTracy, one of themost successfulmotivational authors, speakers, and

salesandleadershiptrainersofalltime,andahighschooldropout(beforelaterenrollingdirectlyintoanMBAprogramwithnohighschoolorcollege),writes:“Theamountofmoneyyouearnisthemeasureofthevaluethatothersplaceonyourcontribution....Toincreasethevalueofthemoneyyouaregettingout,youmustincreasethevalueoftheworkthatyouareputtingin.Toearnmoremoney,youmustaddmorevalue.”6Personal development author and blogger (and graduate of Cal State,

Northridge) Steve Pavlina expresses a similar theme in his book PersonalDevelopmentforSmartPeople:TheConsciousPursuitofPersonalGrowth.Hetalksaboutthe“contributor”mind-setversusthe“moocher”mind-set,whichisthe essence of what we’ve been discussing in this entire chapter—the givermentalityversusthetakermentality.Hewrites:“Underthecontributormind-set,youreceivemoneyaspaymentforyoursocialservice.Themoneyyouearn issociety’s way of saying: ‘In exchange for your valued contribution, you arehereby granted the right to extract equivalent value from society at a time ofyour choosing.’ . . .Theonly real limit onyour income is howmuch societalvalueyoucancreate.Ifyouwanttoearnmoremoney,developyourskillsandtalentstofacilitatethecreationoflotsofsocialvalue.Focusongiving,andthe

gettingwilllargelytakecareofitself.”7Fromacertainperspective,theseviewpointsarequiteproblematic.Canthese

authors really say that theWall Street executives who received multimillion-dollar bonuses,while evaporating trillions of dollars of shareholder value andnearlycausingaworldwide financialmeltdown,wereproviding“socialvalue”worth millions of dollars? Is the guy who gets rich building yachts formultibillionairesreallyprovidingthatmuchsocialvalueinthegrandschemeofthings?Theseperspectivesignorevastfailuresinmarketefficiency,whichstemfrom

conglomerations of power and concentrations of wealth, which lobby forfavorablepoliciesanddistortmarketforces,makingamockeryoftheneatchartsofthe“efficientmarkets”fromEconomics101.Theworldrewardspeoplealotmorefinanciallyforpollutingriversthanitdoesforplantingtrees,eventhoughsocietybenefitsmorefromfreshairthanfrompollutedrivers.8Onaday-to-daylevel,however,withinyournormalcareerinanindustrialized

economy,thereismuchtowhatTracyandPavlinaaresaying.Bothauthorsrailagainstadoptingtheideathatyouwillearnthemoneyyouwanttoearninlifesimplybyshowingupforworkanddoingwhatyoudo,withoutregardforhowmuchtangiblevalueyouareactuallycreatinginrealpeople’slives.ZigZiglar,another legendarymotivational speaker,author, sales trainer,and

self-mademultimillionaire(whodroppedoutoftheUniversityofSouthCarolinatopursueacareerinsales),hassaid,“Youcanhaveanythingyouwantinlife,ifyouwilljusthelpotherpeoplegetwhattheywant.”Theproblemis,theconceptandskillsof“helpingotherpeoplegetwhatthey

want”—which is the main method by which we can connect with powerfulmentors and teachers in life, aswell as bywhichwewill earn themoneywewant to earn in life and achievewhat wewant to achieve—is nowhere to befound in our formal educational curriculum, from elementary school throughcollege.Welearnhowtostudyabstract things, rattleoff facts, take tests,writeacademicpapers,andbasicallyfollowinstructions.Inturn,Eben,Elliott,andtheotherpeoplefeaturedinthisbookfocusedtheir

self-educationongainingskillsthatallowthemtocontributetootherpeople,inhigher-leverage and higher-impact ways. Specifically, they’ve focused on theabilitytoprovidevaluable,high-impact,high-leverageadviceandleadershipinthemain areas of concernwe’ve identified earlier:money and business, salesand marketing, spirituality and purpose (which often are expressed in thebusinessworldbytheword“leadership”),andhealthandrelationships.Thesearetheareaspeopletendto“wantthings”in.Ifyoulearnhowtohelp

them get what they want in these areas—as the self-educated entrepreneurswe’relearningaboutinthisbookhavedone—youcanconnectwithanyoneyouwantto.Andyoucanearnalotofmoneyaswell.Becausetheseareareasnearand dear to people’s deepest desires, fears, worries, and dreams—and they’llwant tobearoundyouandconnectwithyou, ifyoucanhelp themwith theseareas.Ican’texplainexactlywhattherelationshipisbetweengivingwidelywithin

your network, with no expectation of anything in return, and giving in aprofessional relationship inwhichyou’regettingpaid,but Iknow that there isone.For some reason, themore you adopt the givingmind-set in your personal

relationshipsandyournetwork,withnoquidproquo,themorepeoplewanttobearoundyouandconnect toyournetwork.(Thatmuchisobvious.)Butalso,themore theywant tohireyou aswell. I don’t knowexactlywhy that is, butthat’sbeenmyexperienceandtheexperienceofothersI’veseen.Itmaybebecausepeopletrustgivers,andthereforewanttohiregivers.They

knowthey’llbetakencareof.Theyknowthey’llgetgreatvalue.Theyknowthatifanythinggoeswrong,itwillbecleanedupandfixed.Theyknowthatyou’renotjustdoingitforthemoney;you’redoingitbecauseyoucare.Thereversealsoholdstrue.Themoreyougetyourmoneyandmaterialneeds

met, the easier it is to take your mind off thesematerial needs and focus onhelpingothers.Ofcourse,there’snotadirect,linearrelationshipbetweenwealthandthegivermentality.Obviouslynot.Manywealthypeoplearestingy,misers,greedy, takers, hoarders, selfish. And many financially poor people areincrediblygivingoftheheart,andevenoftheirmodestfinancialresources.But, in general, it’s easier to give when your cup runneth over. Joseph

SimmonsdroppedoutofamortuaryscienceprogramatLaGuardiaCommunityCollege when his hip-hop career took off, as “Run” of Run-D.M.C.—apioneering group in the early eighties that undeniably changed the face ofpopular music around the globe. Now a practicing Pentecostal minister,ReverendRunencourageshisfollowerstogettheirfinancialhouseinorderandcultivateprosperity,forthepurposeofbeingmoreavailabletoserveothers.Hetellsthem,“It’shardtohelppoorpeoplewhenyou’reoneofthem.”9InLinchpin:AreYouIndispensable?,which is thebestbookeverwrittenon

the central importanceof givingwithin abusiness context,SethGodinwrites:“It’sdifficulttobegenerouswhenyou’rehungry.Yetbeinggenerouskeepsyoufromgoinghungry.”10There’snoquestion, thisattitudewe’reexploringhere isaparadox.Give to

get;gettogive.Giftsthatyougetpaidforandarepartofyourcareer,giftsthatyoudon’t get paid for and aren’t part of your career.Noneof it can really beanalyzedrationally.Atsomepoint,youjustwrapyourheadaroundtheparadoxand“getit.”Inthisview,thewealthiestpeoplearenottheoneswhoarehoardingthemostvalue—they’retheoneswhohavethemostvalueflowinginandoutoftheirlives.Multi-hundred-millionaireRussellSimmons,cofounderoftheDefJamrecord

labelandthePhatFashionsline,whodroppedoutofCityCollegeofNewYorktobecomea concertpromoter andartistmanager,writes inhisbookDoYou!:“Pilingupzeroesinyourbankaccount,orcarsinyourdriveway,won’tinandofitselfmakeyousuccessful.Rather, truesuccess isbasedonaconstant flowofgivingandreceiving.Infact,ifyoulookupaffluenceinthedictionary,you’llseeits root is aLatinphrasemeaning ‘to flowwithabundance.’So inorder tobetruly affluent, you must always let what you’ve received flow back into theworld.”11You may scoff at this sentiment coming from a wealthy person and think,

“Well,whydon’tyougiveallyourhundredsofmillionsaway?”Sorrytosoundharsh, but—to whomever is asking that in a begrudging manner: RussellSimmons is giving awaymore than you,and he’s keepingmore than you forhimself.Hegivesmoreandhegetsmore.He’ssimplymakingabiggerimpactthanmostofusdoontheplanet.He’sdoingmoreintheworld.Andhe’sdoingthatbecausehe’sdevelopedmoreaffluence thanyouand Ihavedeveloped, intheprecisewayhedefinesit:he’sgotmorevalueflowinginandoutofhislife.Accountants talk about stocksand flows.Themoney in abankaccount, for

example,isastock,whilethedepositsandwithdrawalsareaflow.Whenwetalkaboutwealth and affluence,weusuallyhave inmind the amount in the stock.What Simmons and Seth Godin and Run are suggesting is that affluence isperhapsbetterindicatedbytheamountoftheflow.Themorevaluethatflowsinandoutofourlives,themoreweandothersbenefit,andthemoreaffluenceisgenerated.Simmonsuseshis stocksand flows tirelessly to spawnallkindsofdifferent

charities and initiatives, focusing largely on youth empowerment and voterregistration.Hewouldn’t be able to have this effect if hewere poor. (In fact,mostcharities,nonprofits,andadvocacygroupsingeneralwouldnotexistifrichpeople weren’t funding them.) Maybe it’s time to stop begrudging self-madeaffluenceandinsteadseehowwecancreateitforourselves,sowetoocangiveasgenerouslyandwidelyasSimmonsisgiving.YoucanbegrudgeEbenPaganandhis$50,000dayrate.Butletmeaskyou

something.Ifyouhadthepowertoearn$50,000inaday—becauseyourskillset

wasthathighlyvaluedonthemarketplace—andgivethatmoneytoyourfavoritecauseorcharity,wouldn’tyoudoit?Ebendoesthisallthetime.You can begrudge Elliott Bisnow and the Summit team for living in nice

housesandtravelingtogethertoexoticlocationsallovertheworld.Butthey’vealso raisedover$2million for charityamong their tribe.Wouldn’tyou like toraise$2millionforyourfavoritecharity?Inmy experience, these people are just giving, giving, giving, all the time.

Theygivewhentheygetpaid—farandaboveandbeyondtheminimumamountnecessarytodoanOKjob.And,theygiveoftheirtimeandresourcesoutsideofwork.Give,give,give.Nowondersomanypeopleliketobearoundthem,andtheirnetworksareso

huge.Weliketobearoundgivers.Alltheworldlovesalover,andalltheworldlovesagiver.Furthermore(andevenmoreattractive):thesepeoplegivegenerouslywithout

denyingthemselves.One thingIsee incommonamongall thesuccessfulself-educatedpeople I’vemet—which is different from thewaymost other peoplethink—isthattheytendnottoseeacontradictionbetweenlivingacomfortablelifeforthemselvesandhelpingothers.Most of us tend to hold these two as separate.We tend to focus either on

improvingourownmaterialcircumstanceswithoutmuchattentiontoimprovingthe world, or giving ourselves over completely to some cause (impoverishedmartyrdom). These two spheres correspond roughly to the twomain types ofjobs recent college grads go for: entry-level corporate jobs and entry-levelnonprofitjobs.I never understood my fellow Brown graduates, who said they wanted to

“make a difference in the world,” and then went into $36,000 jobs lickingenvelopesat somenonprofitorganizationwhile eating ramennoodlesatnight.Whateverdifference spendingone’s time licking envelopes for$36,000ayearmakesintheworld,it’safairlylow-leveragedifference.Furthermore,whoeverendsuplickingthoseenvelopesdidn’tneedtostudyforfouryearsincollegetodoso,andmyfellowBrowngradswhotookthesekindsofjobscouldhavespenttheiryearsbetweentheagesofeighteenandtwenty-twolearningtheskillsandmind-sets of having a real impact on the lives of other people, the way thepeopleinthisbooklearned.Instead,theytakethesekindsofjobsbecausetheyassume that if there’smoney, profit, or commerce involved, it’s notmaking adifference,it’sgreed.Theentrepreneursinthisbook,inturn,understandthattruegivinggenerates

wealth,andtruewealthhelpsyougivemore.Theyunderstandflow.Theyunderstandaffluence.

Muchof the rest of this book is given over to self-education in the differenttools in theSwiss armyknifeof advicegiving, specifically : sales,marketing,connectingwith influential people, how to invest in and increaseyour earningpower,howtobuildapersonalbrand,howto takeresponsibility foryourownsuccess,andgettingintouchwithyourpurposeandmeaningontheplanet.Divingdeeply intoyour self-education in these real-world skills for success

andleadershippaysadoublebenefit.Notonlywilllearningasmuchasyoucanabout theseareas improveyourown life andbusiness.Theyarealso themainbusinessareasinwhichotherpeopleseekadvice.Developingexperience,skills,andknowledge in theseareas is adirect investment inyourconnectioncapitalbecause it allows you to give a highly leveraged gift (valuable advice andguidance)tomanypeoplearoundyou,increasingyourcircleofconnectionsandcontributionandalsodrawingtherightteachers,mentors,andguidesintoyourlife.Thisconnectioncapital,onceinplace,canpay“interestanddividends”fordecades to come, as you use it to provide value, both personally andprofessionally,tothepeoplearoundyou.Doyouseehowthisallworksbynow?It’sallreally,reallysimple.Givegivegive.Givegivegive.Givegivegive.Givegenerouslywithinyour

network, and to people you hope will be in your network one day. Alwaysinquirewithinyourself, andwithinyourdeepest creativity,howyoucanbeofgreater service.Withoutkeeping trackandwithout concern for a specificquidproquo.12Onceyougetatruenetworkofco-supportandmutualitygoingon,thegiving

and service and help start going around in this amazing community circle inwaysmorepowerfulthanyoucanimagine.

■HOWTOGIVEWHENYOU’REJUSTSTARTINGOUTANDYOU’VEGOTNOTHING

TOGIVE

Therearestillcynicsamongmyreaderswhoarestartingtogrumble.Iknow,Iknow. I had themoney to fly out toEben’s talk inLA, and to go toBurningMan, and to an expensive weekend in Ojai to connect with him. I had aconnectiontoBryaninmysocialcircle,andthenetworktobeabletointroducehimtoalotoffuturecustomers.Ihadalreadylearnedenoughaboutmarketingto give Bryan—a successful businessman—credible marketing advice. And Ihappened to be close friendswith the amazingAnnieLalla,marriagematerialthroughandthrough,whomIwasabletointroducetoEben.In other words, my networking cup already ranneth over. I had a lot of

“capital” to work with in my giving. But that’s precisely the point. I haddevelopedthiscapital—theabilitytoearngoodmoney,knowinglotsofpeopleinNewYork,gainingaccesstogreatmarketingteachings,andcountingamongmy friends amazing people like Annie—largely because of past connecting,giving,andnetworking. It’sacycle thatgrowsandgrowsover time,onceyougethiptothisdynamic.Themoreyougive,themoreyouget,andthemoreyouget,themoreyouhavetogive.But you ask, “What if I havenothing to give.What if I’mbroke and can’t

jauntaroundthecountrytoOjai,ortowildbacchanalianpartiesintheNevadadesert,tohobnobwithpowerfulmentors?WhatifIknownooneandhavenonetworktoconnectanyoneelseto?WhatifIhavenoadvicetogivewhatsoever?WhatifI’mjuststartingoutandbasicallyhavenothingonthisplanet?HowdoIgivetoamazingteachersandmentorsthen,hhhmph?”OK,OK, you’re really persistent on this point!Well,worry not. There is a

greatanswer.Theansweris:ifyou’rejuststartingoutonyourpath,andyou’vegot nothing else to give, then give your enthusiasm and your willingness toimplementotherpeople’sadvice.Thisisworthalotmorethanyouthink.KeithFerrazzi (http://www.keithferrazzi.com) is the author of theNew York

Times bestsellers Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success: One

RelationshipataTimeandWho’sGotYourBack:TheBreakthroughProgramtoBuild Deep, Trusting Relationships That Create Success—and Won’t Let YouFail. These two books are absolutely required reading if you’re interested inanything in thischapter—twoof thebestbooksonnetworkingandconnectingeverwritten.Keith,whograduatedfromYaleandholdsanMBAfromHarvard,is widely considered one of the world’s top experts on success throughrelationshipbuildingandotherso-calledsoftskills.IaskedKeithabouthowtogivewhenyoufeelyou’vegotnothingtogive.He

toldme:“Peoplealwaysaskthisquestion,whenthey’restartingout,whatdoIhavetogive?Butit’sjusttheopposite—youhavealottogivewhenyou’rejuststarting out. The greatest gift you can give another person is the feeling ofmakingadifference,alegacy,animportance.“I get toomany requests fromkidswhowill reachout tome and say, ‘Mr.

Ferrazzi, I sawyourspeech,or Iheardyouonsomethingorother.CanIhavedinnerwithyou,orcoffeewithyou,andpickyourbrainonthings?’Andthisistotallythewrongwaytogoaboutit.Iwanttosaytothem,‘Readmybooks,thentalktome.’TherudenessofwantingmetoregurgitatewhatI’vealreadywrittendownandspentyearstellingpeopleisridiculous.“Therightwaytogoabout it is tobegenerouswith thepersonyouwant to

connectwith.And in this case, the generosity is:you tella story. Tell a storyabouthowyoudrewinspirationfromtheirteachingsandtheirexample,howitimpactedyourlife,andallthewaysyou’repassingthatgiftontoothersnow.Ifyoumoveme enoughwithwhat you’ve accomplishedwithmy teachings andhowyou’reservingothers,thenyes,ofcourseIwanttohelpyou.I’vehelpedallkinds of young people who have reached out to me with their stories of theamazingthingsthey’vedoneapplyingtheconceptsinmybooks.WhenIinvestmytimeandeffortinhelpingayoungperson,thedividendIreceiveinreturnistheirgratitude,andtheirsuccess.”Keithtoldmeastoryofhowheputthisconceptintoactionwhenhewasthe

youngpersonseekingadvicefromapowerfulmentor.“WhenIwaskid,Ibuiltarelationship with the chairman of Baxter International at the time, VernonLoucks.Atleastonceaquarter,Iwouldpinghim,sendhimasimpleupdatee-mail,andlethimknowhowhisadvicewasbeneficialtome—howIappliedit,howit’sbeenhelpful,thenthankhimeffusively,praisehowmuchIrespecthim,andthenfollowuprightafterthatwithanotherquestion.Aquarterlater,I’dtellhimhowIappliedthatadvice,andwhathappenedthen.Itwasalovelycycle.Istayedintouchwithhimforyearsandyearsandyears,anditwasawonderfulrelationship.”ElliottBisnowtoldme:“Everybodylovestogiveadvice.Ifyouasksomeone

inagenuinewaytositdownwithyou,talktoyou,giveyouadvice,mostpeoplearehappytodoit. It’sshockinghowfewpeoplegoandaskforadvice.Ifyoucallsomeoneandsay,‘Hey,Ilovewhatyou’redoing,Ithinkit’sincredible.I’dloveyouradviceonsomething,’mostpeoplewillsitdownandgiveyouadviceandtalkwithyouandmentoryou.Butmostpeoplejustneverdothat.“There’s so many things that people just never do, which are available to

them.It’sallaboutnotgoingthroughthemotions.Goingtohighschool,goingtocollege,playingsports.This is justdoin’whatyou’resupposed todo, inanarchaicsystemthatdoesn’treallyteachyou.Thenotionthatcollegeislearning,and if you don’t go to college you’re not learning, is very silly. It’s all aboutlearning,allthetime.AndIfeltinordertomaximizemylearning,Ineededtolearn different things than science andmath and ancient history. In college, Irealized,Iwasapeopleperson.Justas,ifyouwanttobealawyer,youneedalawdegree—IrealizedIwasapeopleperson,andIneededtogeteducatedinthegameoflife.”Welcometoyoureducationinthegameoflife.

SUCCESSSKILL#3

WHATEVERYSUCCESSFULPERSONNEEDSTOKNOWABOUTMARKETING,ANDHOWTO

TEACHYOURSELF

TwentysomethingcollegedropoutFrankKernwas takingorders at a fast-foodGreekrestaurantinMacon,Georgia,whenacollegebuddyofhishehadn’tseensincedroppingoutwalkedintoordersomefries.Theoldcollegefriendswereexcitedtoseeeachother,butalsoabitsurprised

to find themselves on opposing sides of a fries transaction. Frank exclaimed,“Dude!Greattoseeyou,man!Iheardyouwereinmedschool.How’sitgoing,man?”And the friend replied, “Oh, it’s goinggreat,man!Hey,what areyouup to

thesedays?”“Um,well...I’mhere,um...workingatthisfast-foodrestaurant.”Around the same time, Frank suffered another disheartening experience. It

wasChristmastime,andhewantedtodrivetoseehisparentsfortheholiday.“Irealized Ididn’thaveenoughgas in the tank togo see themand thenmake ithome.And itwas like tenmiles away.And I didn’t have the cash to buy thegas.”Workingforminimumwage ina fast-food restaurant.Notenoughmoney to

buygasforatwenty-mileround-trip.Thesearethetypicalscenariosweimaginewhenwethinkofsomeonedroppingoutofschool.WhenFrankdroppedout,hisparentskickedhimoutofthehouse,saying,“Enjoylifeasafrycook.”Sofar,hewasnotprovingthemwrong.Butwhattheseculturalexpectationsfordropoutsmissisthatpeoplecanturn

around. Whether you’re a fast-food server or a cubicle jockey in a mindlesscorporateshitjobfreshoutofcollege,you’renotgoingtocreateanythingbetterfor yourself unless youmake a fundamental shift: fromviewing yourself as apassive follower of paths other people set for you, to actively takingresponsibilityforcreatingyourownpathtowardsuccess,howeveryoudefineit.Thus, how much education you have doesn’t really matter ; what matters iswhetheryoumakethisfundamentalshiftinmentality.

For Frank, the shift happened after these two humiliating experiences. Herealizedhewantedsomethingbetter forhimself.Hedecidedhedidn’twant tolivebrokeandpowerlessanylonger.Frank’sgrandfatherwasaself-mademultimillionairewhohaddroppedoutof

schoolaftereighthgrade.Hestartedouthisworkinglifeasayoungboyinsales,workedhiswayup through thecar-dealingprofession,andeventuallycame toownachainofcardealerships inMacon.Hehad thenparlayed thoseearningsintoverysuccessfulrealestatedevelopment.(Exceptforoneflop:hepartneredwith a fellowMacon resident,whohad a sixth-grade education, named JamesBrown—yes, the one whose music you dance to at parties to this day.Unfortunately,therestaurant,JamesBrown’sGoldPlatter,didn’tsizzlelikethemusicdid.)Frankwasawareofhisgrandfather’ssuccess,buthadn’tpaidalotofattention

to it. Now he began to think, “If he could achieve all that without a degree,maybeIcouldbethatsuccessfultoo.”In his youth, Frank hadn’t taken himself, or his future, very seriously. He

remembersfeelingprofoundlyalienatedfromschool.“Fromthirdgradeforwardit all went to shit. I started losing interest in school when I was getting badgrades for ‘penmanship’—and my mother would hassle me for getting badgrades for my handwriting. I remember thinking, ‘Who gives a shit? This isstupid.’”Frank’s idols in high school, in the late eighties,wereDuaneAllman, Jimi

Hendrix,JimMorrison.(Note:Whatdoallofthesemusicianshaveincommon?)“Ipartiedreally,reallyhard.Ididn’tthinkIwouldliveverylong.Tome,livingveryfastanddyingveryyoungwaswhatyouweresupposedtodo.SoIneverthoughtveryfarforwardintermsofcareerplanning.Iwasinaband;wewereterrible.Weplayedtypicaldrunkeneight-hour-guitar-soloSouthernrock.”Frankworkedasadeskclerkatahotelduringhighschool. Itwasaneight-

hourjob,fromthreeintheafternoonuntilelevenatnight.“Iwaslike,‘Ifthisiswhattherealworldislike,Idon’twanttoliveinthisworld.I’dratherjustdie.I’dratherjustblowitout—wreckamotorcycleorsomething,orgetshot,orOD.Ijustdidn’tcare.”Incollege,attheUniversityofGeorgia,Franklastedtheminimumamountof

timeyoucanlast,priortoacademicdismissal.Threeacademicquarters.Partyingtoohard,livingthewannaberockstarlife,kindoflikemywannabeliterarystarphaseinmytwenties,thoughapparentlywithalotmorealcohol.Iaskedhimifhe thought of himself as some kind of romantic rebel at this time. “No, thatwouldglamorize it. Iwas really just akidwhowas lost,whodidn’thaveanyhope.I’mgoingtopartyashardasIcan,andmaybeI’llendupsomeoldbiker

dudeorsomething. Ididnotwant to live, if Ihad to live inwhat Icalled‘thecage,’whichwasanine-to-fivebullshitjob.”Afterdroppingoutandmovingout,hegotajobasaPizzaHutdeliveryguy,

then various food prep and dishwashing jobs, then a job installing electricundergrounddogfences,allthewhileplayinginhisband.(It’sinterestinghowpeoplewhooptoutof“bullshit”corporate jobsusually insteadendup inevenmore “bullshit” service jobs, if they don’t possess the type of entrepreneurialskillsandmind-setswe’relearninginthisbook.Theyseenine-to-fivecorporateoffice jobsand low-pay service jobsas theonly twooptions formakingone’swayintheworld.)Overthenextseveralyears,hebouncedinandoutofcollege.Wheneverhe’d

get tired of whatever minimum-wage job he was working, he’d reenroll incollege, with the idea that he’d get his degree and get a better job. Yet, hisnatural skepticism toward formal schooling continued. “I was studying in theSchoolofBusinessatMaconCollege,andlookingattheguyswhotaughtthere,andrealizingnoneofthemwererich.Weallparkedinthesameparkinglot,andthe professorswere driving old usedHondaAccords.And Iwas like, ‘Wait aminute!’”Sometimeduringthisping-pongbackandforthbetweenenrollingforcollege

anddroppingout forminimum-wage jobs, he hit rock bottom.Andvowedhewasgoingtocreatesomethingbetterforhimself,outsideofbothcorporateofficejobsandminimum-wageservicejobs.Whichiswhenhebeganhangingoutwithhis grandfather intensively, studying his life, and soaking up every bit ofknowledgehehad.“In theend, I learnedmorefromhimthan inallofmyschooling.Hewasa

salesman, to the bone. He taughtme the importance of sales.What I learnedfrommygrandfatherwas,thekeytomakingmoneywastocausesomethingtogetsold.Whetheryousellityourself,oryouemploysomeonetosellitandyougetsomeofthemoney.Hewouldalwayssay,‘Theonlywaytomakemoneyistobuysomethingatonecostandsellitatahighercost.Ifyoudothat,andyouhustle,youmakeasmuchmoneyasyouwant.’“Iaskedhimtotakemeunderhiswing,andhetaughtmenotsomuchaskill

set,butamind-set.Themind-setthatwas:‘Youcandoanythingyouwant.Thepeoplewhoareprofessingtobeexperts,tellingyouwhatyoucanandcan’tdoinlife and how to do it, are just a bunch of fucking jackasses. The model thatsociety teaches you to become successful is highly flawed.’ And he used hispersonalstoryas theexampleof that,becausehehadnoeducationpasteighthgrade.“WhenIwasstilltakingsomecollegeclasses,Iwouldcomevisithiminthe

evening,andhewouldsay,‘Well,howmuchdidyougetpaidforgoingtoclasstoday?’ He had very strong opinions about all kinds of stuff. He was of theopinionthatifyouhadajob,youwereapussy.”His grandfather’s message of self-employment hadn’t fully sunk in during

highschool(hehadbeentoobusypartyingandtryingtobearockstar),butnowhewas readyfor themessage.Allof thisstudyandmentee-shipwithhisself-madegrandfatherstartedmakingitsmark.“Ifinallysawthattherewasanotherway.Isawthat thereweremenandwomenout therewhodidnothavejobs—theywerebusinesspeople,makingalotofmoneyanddoingalotofgoodintheworld,withoutworkingforaboss.WhenIgottomeetalotofhisconnections,very few of them had ever followed the traditional path of getting a collegedegreeandthengettingajob.That’swhenIbecameatruebelieverinmycurrentbelief,whichisthatthewaytogoistoownyourownbusiness.Period.OnceIhadthatbeliefinstilled,Iknewtherewasnootherwayforme.”Frankbeganrootingaroundfordifferentbusinesseshecouldstart.Eventually,

hefoundhiswaytothewritingsofDanKennedy.AndsomethinghappenedtoFrank,which also happened tome, and prettymuch everyone elsewho findstheirwaythere:everythingchangesafteryoufirstencounterDanKennedy.DanKennedygraduatedfromRevereHighSchoolintheearlyseventies,andthen took a job in sales, while he began to teach himself direct-responsecopywriting.He is nowone of theworld’s highest-paid copywriters, routinelyearning$100,000ormoreforasalesletter,plusroyaltiesonsales.Heiswidelyconsideredoneofthegreatestlivinggeniusesindirect-responsemarketing,bothasapractitionerandasateacher,andprettymucheveryoneinthefieldlooksuptohimandhaslearnedfromhim.Hewrites:“Iama100%self-educateddirectmarketing expert. No college, no apprenticeship. Just a study of everything Icouldgetmyhandsonanddiligentapplication.”1Atsomepoint,ifyou’reinterestedinmoney,andthemakingofit,youshould

immerse yourself in the work of Kennedy (http://www.dankennedy.com). Hewillpissyouoff,infuriateyou,makeyoushakeyourfist,makeyouslamdownhisbookatsomepoint,butstill,youneedtoreadhim.WhatyouwillgetfromKennedy,ifyouopenyourselftohismessage,isthe

GospelofMarketing.Atsomepointwhilereadinghim,itwillclickforyou—asitdidforme,andforFrank—andyouwilljust“getit.”Inparticularyouwillgetthat, if you’re serious about financial results in your life—whatever businessyou’re in, however large or small, and whether you’re an employee or anentrepreneur—youneedtobecomealifelongstudentofmarketing.Period.InKennedy’swords:“Thebreakthroughrealizationforyouisthatyouarein

themarketingbusiness.Youarenot in thedrycleaningorrestaurantorwidget

manufacturingorweddingplanningorindustrialchemicalsbusiness.Youareinthe business ofmarketing dry cleaning services or restaurants or widgets orweddingplanningorchemicals.Whenyouembracethis,itmakesperfectsenseto set your sights onmarketingmastery. If you are going tomake somethingyourlife’sworkandchiefactivityandresponsibility,whynotdoitexceptionallywell?”2Sowhat ismarketing, anyway?Self-educatedmillionaireCameronJohnson,

anotheravidstudentofmarketingingeneralandofDanKennedyinparticular(amongotherteachersImentionhere),offersaclearperspective.Whenever Cameron Johnson has started one of his dozen-plus profitable

businesses, many of which he’s sold for nice payoffs, he asks a few simplequestions: “What do people in this industry need? What’s bothering them,hasslingthem,costingthemmoney,keepingthemfromgettingwhattheywant?...[C]ustomerswithneedscomealongeverysingleday.Therearealwayspeopleandnicheswithunfulfilledneeds.Withthisapproachtobusiness,youdon’tneedtorelyon luck, timing,or theficklenessoffadsandcrazes—justonyourownability to observe and create.Choose a niche, find a need, and then seewhatcouldhelpthosepeopledotheirjobbetter.”3Thisistheessenceofqualitymarketing.Thereasonmostofushatetheword

“marketing” is that most of the marketing we experience did not follow thisbasic idea.Rather, themarketershappentohavesomethingonhandtheywant(orwerehired)tosell,andtheytrytopushitonus,asifbyforce.In turn, if the product or service is designed to solve a specific unsolved

problemormeetaspecificunmetneed, and if themessage is targetedwell, sothatyouhappentobesomeonewiththatunsolvedproblemorunmetneed,youwill behappy to hear about the product or service. Think about the last timesome product came along that solved a pesky, annoying, painful problem thathadbeenbotheringyouforyears—perhapssomehealthproblem,ortechnologyproblem, or home repair problem, or even a psychological or existentialproblem.Thinkofhowexcitedyouwerewhenyouheardthattherewasfinallyaneffectivesolutiontothatproblem—thatishowgoodmarketingissupposedtofeel.There’s another advantage to starting off by solving an already-existing

unsolvedproblem.Notonlydoesitfeelbettertothecustomer,italsofeelsbetterto you, the entrepreneur or executive. Sean Parker, who was the foundingpresidentofFacebookanddidnotattendcollege,wasadamantaboutthispointwhenIspokewithhim.“Thepeoplewhoaremostsuccessful,theyhadaproblemthatwasgnawingat

them,andtheycouldn’tbecomfortableunlesstheydidsomethingtosolvethatproblem. Itwas so clear to them that they needed to do this thing, that everyminutetheyweren’tdoingit,theywereunhappy.Itwasaboutanoutcomeintheworld,more thansomeromanticnotionofmaking itbigasanentrepreneur. Itwasaboutsolvingaproblem.”What problem did Seanwant to solve,when he first spotted TheFacebook,

beforeitwasFacebook?Itwasn’ttheproblemofhowtocheckoutyourfriends’friends’hotroommatesandcoworkers—thoughIadmitthat,whenIwassingle,Ididappreciatetheirsolutiontothatproblem.Seanspoketomewithutterclarity,purpose,andpassionabouttheproblemhe

setouttosolve.“Therewasnoglobal,persistent,legitimateconceptofidentitythat traveled with you from site to site. There was no single sign-in orauthenticationsystem.Therewasnoverifiablenotionofidentity.”ThatwasthebigunsolvedproblemSeanwantedtosolve.“Microsofttriedit

withMicrosoftPassport.NoonetrustsMicrosoftenoughtodothat.AOLtrieditwithMagicCarpet.SuntrieditwithLibertyAlliance.Theywerethesebigtop-downefforts,andIfeltliketheonlywaythiswasgoingtohappenwasthroughabottom-upmovement.Butthebottom-upmovementwasgoingtohavetocomethroughsomeotherapplication.“I took one hack at it with [online address book] Plaxo. It was the wrong

answer,though.WhenIsawTheFacebook,itseemedliketherightstartingpoint,apieceofclaythatcouldbemoldedovertimetosolvetherightproblem.Thefounder,MarkZuckerberg,wasthemostambitiousandsmartestpersonI’devermet who had built a social network. He was also the most receptive to myfeedback in terms ofwhere I thoughtwe needed to go. If you look atMark’sactionsevenafterIleftthecompany,intermsofcreatingFacebookConnectandthe authentication network, and getting otherwebsites to use Facebook’s dataand trying to take your friend network elsewhere, he’s executing that visionflawlessly.Andnowthattheplatform’sbuilt,he’sansweringthequestion‘HowdoweintegrateitintothefabricoftheInternet?’”Being that thoroughly consumed with solving a problem will carry you

throughalotofbusinessupsanddowns.WhenSeanwasstartingPlaxo,whichultimatelyfailed,hewasflat-outbroke.Buthekeptgoing,fueledbyhisvisionofsolvingamajorproblem.Hetoldme:“Ilivedoutofasuitcase,homeless,forthefirstyearIwastryingtostartPlaxo,pitchingventurecapitalists.Itgottothepointwheremylastsweaterhadaholeinit.WhenIwasinoneofthepartnerpitcheswithMikeMoritzofSequoiaCapital,whobecamemyinvestor,IhadtobeconsciousofthefactthatIhadaholeinmysweater,soIcouldn’tliftmyarmup beyond a certain point, where he’d see I had this hole in my sweater. I

literallyhadnomoneytobuyclothes.Unlessyou’redrivenbyadesiretosolveaproblem,you’renotgoingtobeabletostickthatout.Ifyou’redrivenonlybyadesire for the status that is associated with being an entrepreneur, you’re notgoing to be willing to deal with the humiliation of sleeping on people’scouches.”SeanfamouslyconnectedwithMarkZuckerbergwhenTheFacebookwasan

infant, and played a crucial role inmaking Facebookwhat it is today, addingcentral innovations like photo sharing and friend-tagging, and introducingZuckerbergtoPeterThiel(whomwe’llmeetlaterinthebook),Facebook’sfirstinvestor.FacebookisnowwellonitswaytobecomingthesinglepointofloginanduserauthenticationforalargeswathoftheInternet.Sean,witha7percentstakeinFacebook,isnowworthbillions.Sothefirstpartofmarketinghasnothingtodowithcommunicationsoradsormessages.Ithastodowiththeconceptoftheproductorserviceitself,andhowwellitisdesignedtomeetneeds/solvetheproblemsofaspecifictargetmarket.Goodmarketing,SethGodinwritesinPurpleCow:TransformYourBusinessbyBeingRemarkable,“start[s]withaproblemyoucansolveforacustomer(whorealizeshehasaproblem!).”4Goodmarketing,inotherwords,isnotsomethingyoudoafter you create the product; the fact thatmostmarketing is done thiswayiswhywehatetheword“marketing”somuch.Ifyoustartwithmarketing—thatis,withthinkingabout,anticipating,andmeetingtheneedsofamarketinan original, effective, compelling way—then thatmarket will be glad to hearaboutwhatyou’reoffering.Onceyou’vedesignedaproductthatactuallysolvessomeone’srealproblem

(rather than justsolvingyourownproblemofneedingmorecash!),you’llstillneedtoletthosepeopleknowaboutit.ThespecifictypeofcommunicationDanKennedy teaches,andwhich I recommend formost smallbusinesses, iscalleddirect-responsemarketing.Thismayhaveabadringtoyou,becausethere’salotof very bad (and sleazy and cheesy) direct-responsemarketingout there: junkmail,late-nightinfomercials,“ButWait,There’sMore!,FreeGinsuKniveswithYourOrder—OnlyifYouActNow!,”andsoon.But,therearealsosomeveryhighintegrity(andnon-cheesy)waystopractice

direct-response,aswe’llbelearninglaterinthischapter.Andwhenyougetintoit, it’s shockingly cost-effective in getting the word out about your company,product, service, cause, mission, or whatever other gift you’re giving to theworld.It’s thepreferredmarketingmethodforbootstrappers,peoplewhodon’thavemassive venture investments to burn through in the course of achieving

theirgoals.What all forms of direct-response have in common is that they’re aimed at

causing a specific response to occur—whether it’s joining your newsletter,purchasingyourproduct,makingadonationtoacause,orcallingapoliticiantoadvocateforimpendinglegislation.Whateveryou’reuptointheworld,direct-responsewillhelp.Mostmarketingyouseeoutintheworld(includingthemarketingyou’lllearn

in undergraduate and MBA courses) is what’s called “brand” or “image”marketing. It’s loosey-goosey. It’s not aimed at any response in particular. Itgobblesupmassivebudgets,withtheaimofpaintingapretty“picture”inyourmindof theproductorservice,orgivingyouawarm,fuzzyfeelingwhenyouthinkaboutit—inthehopesthatthatprettypictureorwarm,fuzzyfeelingmightcauseyoutobuyit,maybe,oneday,downthelinewhenyou’reinastoreandyouhappentoseetheproduct.Ifyou’reinbusinessforyourself,youdon’thavetimeormoneyforthat.You

needresultsnow.Andifyouworkfora largecorporation,youshouldbecometheir resident expert in direct-response and wow themwith the results you’reable to get for them. (Not in your job description?Wah,wah,wah. Read thesectioninSuccessSkill#7onwhyyoushouldripupyour jobdescriptionandflush the shreds down the toilet—if youwant tomake an honestmark in theorganizationandriseupthroughtheranks.)In his wonderful bookNo B.S. Direct Marketing: The Ultimate, No Holds

Barred, Kick Butt, Take No Prisoners Direct Marketing for Non-DirectMarketingBusinesses,whichisinmyviewthesinglebestintroductiontodirect-responseavailable,Kennedylists“BigCompany’sAgendaforAdvertisingandMarketing,”whichincludes:

1. Please/appease its board of directors (most of whom know zip aboutadvertisingandmarketingbuthavelotsofopinions)

2.Please/appeaseitsstockholders3.Lookgood,lookappropriatetoWallStreet4.Lookgood,appropriatetothemedia5.Buildbrandidentity6.Winawardsforadvertising7.Sellsomething

Hethenlists“YourAgenda”foradvertisingandmarketing,whichincludes,initsentirety:1.Sellsomething.Now.5

If you’re an entrepreneur, or self-employed,marketing is one of yourmostimportantjobs,period.However,ifyouworkforalargecorporation(oraspireto),andyou’renotin

themarketingdepartment,youmightwonder:Whatrelevancedoesallthistalkaboutlearningmarketingpossiblyhaveforme?Thereareseveral importantreasonsyoushouldlearnmarketing,evenifyou

workforalargecorporationandaren’tplanningacareerinmarketing.1. Marketing is a mentality. It’s a worldview that puts customers’ emotionalreality first, and inquiresdeeplyabout theirneeds,wants, anddesires.Doyouthink adopting that mentality might be good for other parts of the business,besidesthemarketingdepartment?2.There’snobetterwaytoriseuptheranksofyourorganizationthanbringinginnewbusiness,orcomingupwithideasthatbringinnewbusiness.Notinyourjobdescription?Ifyou’reseriouslythatattachedtoyourjobdescription,onedaysomeoneisgoingtocomealonginyourdepartmentwho’swillingtogotheextramileandgowaybeyondyourjobdescription.Whomisthebossgoingtothinkoffirstwhenit’stimeforconsideringpromotions?And,ifyou’reusingyourjobdescriptionasanexcuseforavoidingproactiveleadershipandinitiative,whomdoyouthinkyourbossisgoingtothinkoffirstwhenit’stimetohandoutpinkslips? Few employees are more popular with the higher-ups than those whocomeupwithworkableideasabouthowtobringinmorerevenue.3.Ifyou’venoticed,yourjobmaynotseemsosecurethesedaysasitusedto.Now is a good time to start thinking aboutwhat skills you’re bringing to thetable if you find yourself looking for work in the future. Not only will thesemarketingandcopywritingskillshelpyoupromoteyourselftofutureemployerswhen you need to (see Success Skill #6 on personal branding, for MarianSchembari’sstory),butthereisnoskill,andImeannoskillatall,morehighlyprized by potential employers than a demonstrated ability to bring in newbusiness.Employersloverainmakers.Theyhirerainmakersfirst,andwillnever,everfirethem,solongastheycontinuemakingrain.Learntobearainmaker.There may even come a time when you are finding it difficult to find

employment.Insteadofsittingaroundmoaningandwatchinganemptyscreeninresponse to thehundredsof resumesyou’re sendingout,youcould trygettingsomefreelanceconsultinggigsinyourfieldwhileyoulookforwork.It’sagreatwaytomeetprospectiveemployers(vastlymoreeffectivethanjobhunting),and

you’ll also have somemoney coming in to smoothover the transition to yournext job. The marketing skills you can learn through this chapter will beinvaluable in helping you get these freelance gigs. Who knows, the self-employmentbugmightevenbiteyou,andasyouenjoythesefreelancegigs,youmightjust“neglect”tofindanewbosstoreplacetheoldone!FrankKern(http://frankkern.com) “got themessage”of thedirect-responsegospel, as preached by Kennedy and others, and is now himself one of thehighest-paidmarketingconsultantsintheworld.HeengineeredaproductlaunchovertheInternetthatdidover$18millioninrevenueinthetwenty-fourhoursinwhichtheshoppingcartwasopen.Hisretainerforhisconsultingservicesstartsat$170,000peryearperclient.

And,followinghisteacherKennedy,hissalesletterstartsat$100,000peryearplus 15 percent royalty (the royalty on sales often ends up bringing in muchmorethantheup-frontfee).Henowworksafewhoursaday,fromabeachhouseoverthewaterinSan

Diego.AlongwayfromservingfriesinMaconandnothavingmoneytobuyatankofgas.IaskedFrankforhismainmessageandwordsofwisdomforreadersofthis

book.“Understand that no matter what you’re doing, even if you want to be a

ballplayer, a rapper, amovie star—nothing happens until something gets sold.Ever. The reason actors make so much money is because their face sells thefuckingmovietickets.It’snotabouttheirabilitytoact.Thereasonthemusiciangetsrichisbecausehesellsalotofseatsandrecords.Orhissonggetsusedinamovie—it’sa license,asale.Thekey tomakingmoney,and therefore livingalifeoflessstress, is tocausesomeonetojoyfullygiveyoumoneyinexchangeforsomethingthattheyperceivetobeofgreatervaluethanthemoneytheygaveyou.Thekeythereis‘joyfully.’Mostsalesandmarketingyoustudy,youlearnhowtotrickpeopleintopartingwiththeirmoney,orbadgerthemintodoingit,ormakethemsomiserablethattheythinkyou’retheironlysalvation.Noneofthosesituationsinvolvetheword‘joyfully.’“We’re in the informationage, for the loveofGod!Wedon’tneed to teach

kidstrigonometry.That’swhytheymakecomputers.It’snotlikewe’regoingtoget stranded on a desert island, without a computer, and need to somehowformulateanalgebraicequation.Ithinkitwouldbeveryintelligenttoteachourkidsthelanguageoftheworld,whichisthelanguageofmoney,thelanguageofsales, and the language of influence. Because they’re either going to be an

influencer,orthey’regoingtobeinfluenced.They’reeithergoingtobealeader,or be ledby someone else.There’s alwaysgoing tobe two sides to that coin.Whichsidewouldyouratherhaveyourkidbe?”

■HOWIBECAMEAHIGHLYPAIDMARKETINGCONSULTANT(ANDSAVEDMYMARRIAGE!)WITHTWOMONTHSOFMARKETINGSTUDY

Ifyou’renotalreadysoldontheimportanceoflearningmarketing,seriously,putthisbookdownandgoandjointheInternationalSocialistOrganization—Ihearthey’rerecruiting.Fortherestofyou,Ipresumeyou’reprettyexcitedaboutwhat’spossiblefor

yourself,foryourdreams,foryourgoalsinlife,foryourmaterialcomfort,andfor your ability to give your gift and get your message out into the world,throughlearningmarketing.Inthischapter,I’mgoingtogiveyouaworld-classeducationonhowtoteach

yourselfmarketing.Readthosewordscarefully.I’mnotactuallygoingtoteachyou(much)marketinghere.That’sjustnotthescopeofthebook.Youknowtheadageabout“teachamantofish”?I’mnotgoingtoteachyouhowtofish.I’mgoingtodosomethingbetter.I’mgoingtoteachyouhowtoteachyourselfhowtofish.Inmanyways,that’stheintentionofthewholebook,witheverylifeskillwe

talk about in this book. We’ll be discussing skills such as networking andconnecting, marketing, sales, writing powerful business prose, clarifying yourpurposeinlife,learningsocialmedia,takingchargeofpersonalfinance,buildingamazing relationships.Suchawide rangeofamazing topics—there’snoway Icoulddojusticetoalloftheseinasinglebook.So,whatIaimforineachcourseinthisbookistogiveyouaguide(andthe

inspiration)togetstartededucatingyourselfintheseareas.Iaimtopointyouinthe right direction. That’s all a good teacher can really do anyway. The restyou’llbelearningonyourown.That’swhyit’scalledself-education!I’m going to sharewith youmy guide for self-education inmarketing in a

moment.Butbefore Ido, Iwant to share apersonal storyabouthow learningtheseskillshasimpactedmylifeinamajorway.Ihopethisstorywillshowyouthatlearningmarketingisnotalljustaboutmoney.

Ifell inlovewithJenaonourseconddate,and toldherso.Shesaidshewasfallinginlovewithmetoothatverydate.ImovedfromCaliforniatoNewYork,tobewhereshelived,amonthlater,inJune2008.Threemonths after that, inSeptember2008, thebottom fell out of theU.S.

economy.Overnight, Jena’sweight-loss coaching practice, her life’s dream andwork,

became empty of clients, as people slashed their personal expenses.Her saleswent down drastically, while expenses stayed the same. The books werecompletelyinthered.Ourrelationshipwasyoung,andIhadpreviouslynevergivenanyattentionto

herbusiness,wantingtokeepthatseparatefromourlove.Andbesides,shehadateam of very impressive advisers, including an MBA and many seasonedcorporateveterans,guidingher.WhatgoodcouldIdowhenshe’sgettingadvicefromthem?Ithought.Nonetheless, Jenawascominghomecryingeverynight.Shewas staying in

the office until 11:00P.M. trying to save the babyof her business, then she’dcomehomeandwe’doftenstayupuntil1:00A.M.asIcomfortedherfromthestressesofherdayand tried to reassureher.But the situationwasnot lookinggood. She faced the unsavory choice—which so many other small businessownersfacedduringthattime—ofpouringsavingsintoabusinessthathadjustcollapsed, during a nasty recession when there were few assurances that themoneywouldevercomebackagain,orgettingoutandmovingonfromthislifedreamofowningherownbusiness.Iwasalsoundera lotof stress financially, as I’msureyouwere tooduring

thosemonths.Thecombinationofmy financial stressandherswasputtinganenormous amount of pressure onour fledgling relationship.As I’ve told Jena,theonly time I ever questioned tomyselfwhether our relationshipwould lastwasduringthosefallmonthsofintensestressandpressureonbothofus.ButIwasn’tgoingtogiveupsoeasily.“Moneyandlovearealreadymixing

inthisrelationship,”Itoldmyself.“Moneyisallwetalkaboutthesedays!”SoIovercamemyself-imposedbanonmixingbusinessandlove.IvowedtofindawaytohelpturnJena’sbusinessaround.Iknewitwasoneoftheonlywayswecould save our relationship because there was just too much pressure on itotherwiseandallourdreamsseemedtobefallingapart.Byacoincidence,IhadjustbeenintroducedtotheworkofEbenPaganand

Dan Kennedy, via my friend Brent Smith. Brent is a dating coach (and non-college-graduate)whowas earning $10,000+ aweekend takingmillionaires toMonaco and training them in dating skills

(http://www.absolutepowerdating.com). He was a voracious student of everywordEbenandKennedywrote,andhetoldmetocheckouttheirwork.IlistenedtosomeofEben’srecordingsandstartedreadingsomeofKennedy’s

books,andinstantlyIcouldseethatJena’sbusinesswouldbebenefitedbytheirdirect-responsemarketingapproach.Jenadidn’tknowwhatdirect-responsewas(I barely did either at that point), and her adviserswere not recommending iteither.Isawanopportunitytomakeadifferenceanddecidedtogoforit.Whatthehell,it’snotlikeeitherofushadmuchtoloseatthispoint—everythingwasprettymuchcrashinginonus.ItwasaHailMarypassofmarketing.Thecrucialturningpointformewaslisteningtoarecordingthatwaspartof

Eben’s “GuruMastermind” home studymarketing course. The recording wascalled“HowtoWriteaKillerSalesLetter”andfeaturedEben’smaincopywriter,CraigClemens,whohasgeneratedover$50millioninsalesthroughhiscopy.The key revelation from that recording, for me, was that when you’re

communicatingwithamarketingmessage,youneed toget inside theheadsofyourprospects, figureoutwhatmattersmost to themin their lives,and talk tothemabout that, not aboutwhatyouwant to sell them.Theydon’t care aboutwhatyouwant tosell them.“Ifyouaren’t talking toyourprospectabout theirstrongest and deepest wants, needs, and desires, you are doing them adisservice,”Craigsaidontherecording.Thisonepieceofadviceupendsthevastmajorityofmarketingyou’llseeout

thereandmarketingtrainingyou’lllearninundergraduateandMBAmarketingcourses.Mostmarketingfocusesonwhatthemarketerwantstosell.That’swhywefindmostmarketingsoinvasiveandannoying.Becausewedon’tcareaboutwhatthemarketerwantstosell.Goodmarketing,inturn,speakstotheprospectabouttheirdeepestemotional

realities,theirinnermostdesires,andabouthelpingthemachievewhattheywantin those realms.Thus, thebestmarketing is all about humanconnection, on agenuine level. If you can trulyhelpyour prospect achieve their deepestwantsanddesiresintheareayourproductorserviceaddresses(andifyoucan’t,youshouldn’t bemarketing it in the first place), then you are actually doing yourprospectsagreatservicebycommunicatingwith themabout theirproblemsorissues,becausefewpeopleevermeetusonthatlevel,eveninourpersonallives.Itfeelsfantastictobeheard,met,andunderstood.Ifyoucandothatwithyourprospects,thentheywillmostcertainlywanttodobusinesswithyou(providedwhatyou’resellingisanappropriatematchforthem).The recording gave a specific process for getting inside of the heads of the

people you’re communicating with, so you can talk with them about what ismost important to them. If you talkwith themaboutwhat’smost important to

them(insteadoftalkingaboutyourpitch,whichIguaranteeislowinthelistofwhat’simportanttothem),theywilllisten,andtheywilltrustwhatyouhavetosay.TheprocessCraigofferedwassimple:makealistofyourprospects’biggestfears,frustrations,desires,dreams,andnightmaresaroundtheissueyourproductorservicehelpsthemwith.Listtwenty-fiveanswersforeachofthesecategories.IgaveJenathehomeworktomaketheselists,answeringfromtheviewpoint

ofherprospectiveweight-lossclients.ThiswasthefirsttimeI’devergivenher“homework”aroundherbusiness,soshelookedatmefunny—butshewasinnopositiontoprotest,givenhowdirethesituationwas.She created a beautiful portrait of the inner emotional reality of her

prospective clients, via the answers to this exercise. And with that portrait, Ibegan constructing an e-mail to send to her list, which spoke directly to herprospects’mosturgentneeds:

Areyou absolutely, positively sickof constantly feeling self-consciousofyourbody?Areyoutiredoflookingintoyourclosetandseeingalltheclothesyouwishyoucouldfitintoagain?Doyoufeelthatyourweightisholdingyoubackfromdoingwhatyouwanttodoinlife?Doyourcravingsfeel“outofcontrol”?Doyoufeelboggeddownbylethargyasaresultofcarryingaroundextraweight?Doyoufearthatyou’llnevermanagetolosetheweight?Doesthefearofdiabetesorheartdiseaselurkinthebackofyourmind?Areyouafraidthatyouwillberelegatedtoa“smalllife”becauseyoudon’thaveenergytobeoutandaboutcreatingsomethinglarge?Do you feel your body is not trustworthy, that itwill screw up the plansmadebyyourmind?Doyourcravingsexpandtobecomeall-consuming,sabotaging“theweight-lossplan”?Are you concerned you’ll never find the time to implement healthiereating?Areyousickoffeelinglikeafailurebecauseyoufailtoloseweight?

Ithenwrote,inJena’svoice,astoryshehadtoldmemanytimes,abouthow

she had struggledwith every one of these painful bits of self-doubt and self-hatred,beforeshefinallyfiguredouthowtogetherhealth,eating,weight,andbody image in order. At the end of the e-mail, I provided a specific way for

potential clients to get in touchwith her if they had been strugglingwith thesameissuesandwouldliketohavethesameresultsasJena.Jenahadneversentanythinglikethistoherlist.Ittotallyflewinthefaceof

the“brand”marketingthatherboardofadviserswasrecommendingtoher.Shehad mostly been sending nice, corporate, boring “Here are the services weoffer”–type e-mails to her list.These e-mails, of course, never resulted in anysales, but at least theywere safe and comfortable and didn’t risk rocking theboat.Jenawasscaredaboutthisnewe-mail—itwassomuchmorevulnerableand

human, so much more emotionally raw, than the normal corporatecommunications.Butsherealizedthiswasthetimetotrysomethingnew.Thise-mail focusedonherprospects’ needs,notonher need to sell themstuff. (Didyouseehowmanytimesitcontainedtheword“you”?)Shegulped,andpressedSend.The e-mail created howls of protest from some members of her board of

advisers.“You’regoingtoruinthebrandwe’vespentyearscreatingwiththis!”But, it also brought in $8,000 of new coaching business in the space of a

singleweek.Jena had never seen results like that in the entire history of her business,

despite many highly educated advisers giving her marketing advice. (That e-mail,whichshehassenttonewsubscriberstoherlistmanytimesoverthelasttwoyears,hasgeneratedover$150,000innewcoachingbusiness.)Shebecameaninstantconverttodirect-responsemarketing.Shesignedupfor

aliveeventwithEben,listenedtohisrecordings,andreadeverybookshecouldgetherhandsonbyDanKennedy.Throughherefforts, shecompletely turnedherbusinessaround,rejuvenatingit.Withinmonthsitwasintheblackagain—andgrowingrapidlyinthemiddleofarecession.Aswe both expanded our self-education inmarketing after this experience,

thefinancialpressureonourrelationshipdisappeared,tobereplacedbyeaseandabundance.Weweren’t evenengagedyet,but Idobelieve thatEbenandDanKennedy saved our marriage, because our new relationship might not havesurvivedthefinancialstressoftheearlyrecessionhadJenaandInotdiscoveredtheir teachings and implemented them in our lives and businesses.We have acompletelynewrelationshiptogetherbecauseofit.Anoteon integrity:anobjectionyoumighthave toall thisdirect-marketing

stuff,andareasonyoumightdismissit,isthatyouthinkit’smanipulative.Forexample, itmightseemmanipulativetotalkwithprospectsabouttheirfearsofhealthconcerns,ortheirfearsofneverlosingtheweighttheywanttolose.Theseareimportantconcerns.Whenyoutalkwithanyoneabouttheirdeepest

fears,desires,anddreams,thereisapotentialformanipulation.That’swhyyoumust always check in with yourself and approach these encounters with thehighest integrity and the most giving, generous intentions. You must trulybelievethatwhatyouareofferingwillbenefittheprospectenormously.If,inthecourse of talking with them, you come to see that what you’re offering isn’tactuallyagoodmatch for theirneeds, thenyoumustactivelydiscourage themfrombuyingitand,ifpossible,referthemtoabettersolution.However,ifyouhaveaproductorservicethatyoutrulybelievewillbenefit

someone, then—asmy friend themarketing coachMarie Forleo says—you’reactuallydepriving themof thesebenefits ifyoudon’tcommunicateeffectivelyanddiscusstogetherwithyourprospectwhetheryourofferingmightbeagoodfit for theirneeds.You’rebeingstingyandselfishwithyourgifts, she says, ifyoudon’ttakethetimetolearnhowtogetyourgiftsoutintotheworld,intothehands of the people who can benefit from them. Good marketing—honestmarketing,high-integritymarketing—istheartofgettingyoursolutionsoutintotheworld, into thehandsof thepeoplewhoneed themandwilluse themandderiverealbenefits fromthem.It’s theartofspreadingyourgiftsaswidelyaspossibleintheworld.Afinalcodatothestory:IparlayedthisexperiencehelpingJenaintoasub-

career doing copywriting and marketing consulting.Within half a year I wasbringing revenue in the high five figures, consulting for individuals andbusinesses in my network; in fact the copywriting and marketing consultingsubsumedmy book proposal writing business, which had beenmy bread andbutterforthepreviousseveralyears.I don’t think what I achieved would be that difficult for anyone else to

achieve.It’savailabletoanyonewhowantstoputsometimeintolearninggooddirect-responsecopywriting.Like Eben and Dan Kennedy and Frank Kern, I didn’t have any formal

“credentials”todothisconsulting.Ididn’thaveanMBAinmarketing,orevenaBA in business.What I had, instead, is something infinitelymore valuable: agrowing portfolio of real-world results. If you can help people get the resultstheywant, and you can show them proof that you’ve helped other people getgreat results, people just don’t give a damn about your credentials. They careaboutresults.While you can’t go out and practice law or medicine or psychotherapy or

engineering without academic credentials, for most other fields, boosting upyour formal credentials is absolutely thewrong thing to be focused on. Focusinsteadonlearninghowtogetresults,real-worldresultsthatpeopleactuallycareabout,andwhichspeaktodeepdesires,wants,andneeds.Yourcompetitorscan

wipetheirasseswiththeirformalcredentials.

■AQUICK-AND-EASYGUIDETOTEACHINGYOURSELFMARKETINGINTWOMONTHS

OK,soyou’resold.You’rereadytolearnhigh-quality,high-integritymarketing.Well, how do you begin? This guide will show you how to start. You’ll beamazedathowmanyfreeorlow-costresourcesthereareoutthereforyou,andhowquicklyyoucanbeginputtingyourlearningintoactionandgetreal-worldresults.Step1.Createane-mailaddressthatisnotyourmaine-mailaddressanddoes

notgo toyourmain inbox. I’mgoing tobeaskingyou to signup for a lotofdifferent free e-mail newsletters, and they will flood your e-mail account, somakesureit’snotyourmainaccountorinbox!Step2.Gotothefollowingwebsites.Notonlyshouldyoureadeverythingyou

cangetyourhandsoninthearchivesofthesesites,butyoushouldalsosignupforthefreee-mailnewsletteravailableoneachsite,withthee-mailaddressyoucreatedinStep1.YoushouldsignupforthesenewslettersbecauseallofthepeopleI’mgoing

to recommend are master copywriters. You can get an entire education inmarketingandcopywritingjustbycomparingandcontrastingthedifferentstylesofthesemarketers.OnceyoubegindivingintosomeoftheresourcesImentionabove,you’llseethatthereisno“one”waytomarket,no“one”toneyouneedtoadopt.Therearesomanydifferent tonesandstyleshere, fromDanKennedy’sover-the-tophardsell,tothewickedlyfunnycopyofMarieForleoandexerciseguruMatt Furey, to Jonathan Fields’s super-sweet soft sell, and everything inbetween.Ifyouareoffendedbyaparticularstyle,or it’s justnotforyou, thenfindamarketeryouvibewithmoreand learnfromhimorher instead. (Allofthese newsletters include links at the bottom, which allow you to removeyourselffromthemifyounolongerwishtoreceivethem.)Onceyou’veexposedyourself to lotsofdifferentstyles (tosee the rangeof

what’soutthere),you’llprobablyfindoneortwoteachersorsiteswhosevaluesand sensibilitiesmatchyourown.Start focusingyourenergyon learning fromthem—whileneverfullylosingawarenessofwhatothersaredoingoutthereas

well,fordiverseideasandperspectives.(Ifyouknowhowtodosuchthingsinyoure-mailprogram,setupfiltersor

rulessothateachmarketer’se-mailsgotoadifferentmailboxorfolder—it’sjusteasiertomanagethatway.)Note:Manyof thepeople I recommendhere, includingEben,MarieForleo,

and Jonathan Fields, are personal friends. In no case am I receiving anycommission, payment, or other benefit for recommendingyou to anyonehere.Beaware,mostofthepeopleontheselistswilleventuallysendyoutolandingpages,where they sell their products and services. Learn asmuch as you canfromtheselandingpages,asthey’reoftenmasterfulexamplesofmarketing.Butobviously,doyourownduediligencebeforedecidingtobuyanything.Bytheway,allofthepeopleImentionbelowgraduatedfromcollege,unlessI

mentionotherwise.Buthey,wewon’tholdthatagainstthem.Copyblogger.comThis site (http://www.copyblogger.com), run by Brian Clark, is an absolutetreasure trove of free information on high-integrity marketing. Brian haspioneeredastyleofmarketinghecalls“thirdtribe,”whichattemptstocombinethe best from the two camps—direct-response marketing and social mediamarketing—yet leave behind the worst aspects of each. Specifically, direct-responsemarketersaregreatatsellingstuffandmakinggobsofmoneybut,aswe’vediscussed,haveinthepasthadareputationforbeingpushy,cheesy,andsleazy.Socialmediapeople (bloggers,etc.)have in thepast focusedongivingawaytonsoffreecontent,servingtheircommunities,andbuildinggreattrustfortheirbrand,butinthepasttheyhavehadalotofdifficultymakingmoneyfromtheirefforts.(Theimageofthe“brokeblogger”hasalmostreplacedtheimageofthe “starving artist” for the digital era’s preferred cliché of high-mindedimpoverishment.)Copyblogger.com attempts to bridge and synthesize these two worlds,

teachingyouastyleofmarketingthatcombinestheintegrity,trust,honesty,andvulnerability of the social media tribe with the money-earning genius of thedirect-response tribe,while leavingbehind the sleaze, cheeseof the latter, andthevowsofpovertyoftheformer.I’mastonishedattheamountoffreeeducationavailableonthissite.Amonth

ofdivingintensivelyintoitsarchivescouldhavemorereal-worldbenefitforyouthanentireyearsofhighereducation.Oneofmyfavoritepickson thesite isaserieson“HowtoWriteMagnetic

Headlines.”You’ll notice the influence of this series onmy chapter titles andsubheadings.6

MarieForleo.comMarieisapioneerinthefieldofentrepreneurialismandmarketingforwomen.However, I think everyone, men and women, should study her stuff becausethere’s something very important in her “feminine” touch to marketing (visithttp://marieforleo.com). In the past, direct-response was an all-boys club, andtherewas a lot of dick swinginggoing on,with very aggressive, testosterone-laden hard-sell pitches and an emphasis on “Sell! Sell! Sell! More! Faster!”withoutmuchconcernforhowthoseonthereceivingendfeltaboutit.Marie’sgreat insightwas,womendon’twanttoreadthiskindofmarketing,

andmostwomenbusinessownersdon’twanttocreateit.Allelseequal,Mariecontends,womentendtoprefertodobusinesswithpeopleandcompanieswithwhom they have an ongoing business relationship, not a one-off transaction.They don’twant a bunch of aggressive pressure and don’t respondwell to it;they tend to respond more to a gentler approach, based on trust, sharing,community,andconnection.Mariewasaheadof thecurveon thisbecause thewhole trendofmarketing

now—withtheemphasisfromsocialmediaonopenness,transparency,honesty,andcommunity—isheadinginthatdirection.Beyond all this feel-good stuff, she’s also wickedly funny, which is reason

alonetoreadher.She’sentertaining,andnothingsellslikehumor.MattFurey.comMatt is one of the most respected copywriters and practitioners of marketingthrough e-mail on the planet. He’s known for kick-ass storytelling in hiscopywriting.Funny, irreverent, highly conversational.Aworld-class legendarycopywriterandmarketer.Getonhise-maillist(visithttp://mattfurey.com)—youcanlearnatonfromhimemulatinghisstyle.JonathanFields.comYoucan’t find amore soft-spoken, authentic, sweet, genuinemarketing expertouttherethanJonathanFields(visithttp://www.jonathanfields.com).Youcangetanentirebusinessandmarketingeducationreadinghisblogandgoingthroughhisarchives.Mostly,hejustwantstohelpyou—andveryrarely,he’lltrytosellyou something too. A master of high-integrity, high-trust, low-hype, soft-sellmarketing.SethGodin(http://sethgodin.typepad.com)Inever,everceasetobeblownawaybythebrillianceandcutting-edgeinsight

ondisplayonthisblog.Seth’sblogisn’treallyaboutmarketing,at leastnotasthe word is usually used. It’s about changing the world. And to change theworld,you’vegottamarketthechangeyouwanttocreate.Otherwise,noone’sbuyin’it!That’sthegeneralvibeofSeth’swork,andyouwilldowelltostudyeverythinghewrites.Thearchivesonhisblogareanentirebusinesseducationforfree.Ireaditreligiously.OtherGreatMarketersYoucanaccessafreearchiveofmasterfulsaleslettersbythelateGaryHalbert,one of the greatest copywriters of all time (visithttp://www.thegaryhalbertletter.com).Andyou canget a very content-rich freecourseincopywritingfromGaryBencivenga,anotherlegendofmarketingandcopywriting(visithttp://www.marketingbullets.com).Ialsorecommendyougetonthee-maillistsofthepeoplewe’vebeentalking

aboutinthischapteralready(and,toaddtotheircredibility,notoneofthemhasa college degree): Dan Kennedy (http://www.dankennedy.com), Eben Pagan(http://www.gurumastermind.com),andFrankKern(http://www.frankkern.com).Finally, gotta say it, get on my wife Jena’s list (visithttp://www.pleasurableweightloss.com). Many of these other people I’vementioned are die-hardmarketing trainers;with Jena, you’ll see the results ofsomeonewithareal-worldoff-linebusiness,whotaughtherselfmarketingfromthegroundupinashortamountoftime.Shewritesherowncopy,anditrocks.Step3.WhenmyfatheronceaskedthelegendaryNormanMailerforwriting

advice,Mailersaidthemainsecretwas:“ApplyAsstoChair.”Meaning,inthiscase,sitdownatyourdesk,infrontofyourcomputer,andstartputtingthisstuffintoaction.Don’twaitforthetimetoberight.(Itneverwillbe.)Don’twaitforeverything tobeperfect. (Itwon’tbe.)Don’twaituntil you“learn just a littlemore.”(There’salwaysmoretolearn!)Mostof themarketingexpertsI’vementionedhereofferfreearticles,online

videos, teleseminars andwebinars, andother free resources,which comprise acollectivetreasuretroveforeducatingyourselfinreal-worldmarketing.Nomatterwhatyou’reupto,whetheryou’retryingtosellyourownfreelance

servicesortryingtoendworldhunger,whetheryouworkinacompanyofoneoronehundredthousand,theseskillswillhelpyougetyourproductorserviceormessage,oryourcompany’sproductorserviceormessage,inthehandsofthepeoplewhoseliveswillbenefitfromit.(Ifnoone’slifewillbenefitfromit,thenwhyareyoumarketingit?Timetofindadifferentlineofwork!)However, noneof these teachings doyou anygooduntil youput them into

action.You’re not going to get it perfect the first time you try. Therewill be

bumps, bruises, slips, trips, and falls along the way. But your failures willthemselvesbeacrucialpartofyourlearningprocess.Theworldneedsyourgiftnow.Itcan’twaitforyoutokeepittoyourself.The

wayforyoutogetyourgiftoutintotheworldistolearnmarketing,thatis,learntheartof talkingwithpeopleabout theirdeepestneedsanddesires, andaboutwhywhatyou’reofferingmighthelpthemmeetthoseneedsanddesires.Thetimetogetstartedisnow.

■MARKETINGSECRETSFROMTHEPOMQUEEN

My family friend Lynda Resnick wanted to go into advertising when shegraduatedhighschool,buttheadvertisingagenciesweren’thavinganyofit.“Noonewouldhireme.Iwentinforjuniorartdirectorjobs.TheykepttellingmeIhadpromise,butIshouldgobacktoschool.Butthatwasn’tanoption.Ihadtowork. Although my father had the money to send me to the college of mychoice,hedecidednotto.HesaidIneverstuckanythingout.Well,atseventeen,thatwassomethingIwouldspendtherestofmylifeprovingwrong,”shetoldme.Lyndawent toacitycollegeforafewmonths,butwassobored,sheleft to

startworkingfull-time.Likemanypeoplewithoutacollegedegree,Lyndatookajobinretail,atadressshop.Buthere’swherethesimilaritiesendbetweenthecareertrajectoryofLyndaandthatofmostotherpeoplewithonlyahighschooldiploma.“Theshopownerscomplainedconstantlyabout thelackofbusiness,”Lyndawrites.7Mostpeopleinsuchjobstendtothink,“That’snotmyproblem—they’renot

payingme enough toworry about that. It’s their responsibility to generate thebusiness, I just do what they say and collect my paycheck.” They toil ten,twenty, thirty,orfortyyearswithsuchamentalityandwonderwhytheyneverraisedtheirstationinlife.Lynda,however,exercisedsomeinitiativeandleadership.(SeeSuccessSkill

#7ontheentrepreneurialmind-set).Shewrites:“Tohelp themout, Idrewenchanting little femalecharacters that embodied

themodeof the times.ThenIworkedupheadlinesand text toaccompanymyillustrations.Theownersplacedthesehomespunadsinthelocalpapers.“Itworked.Customerscameintalkingaboutthecharmingadvertising....The

owners were only too happy to . . . keep me in the back room creatingadvertisinginsteadofsellingonthefloor....Iwasnolongerasalesgirl;Iwasintheearlystagesofbecomingamarketer.”8Lynda had essentially worked herself—through the back door—into the

positionofmarketingdirector.Sheleftthedressshopandtookanotherjob,thistimeatthein-houseadvertisingdepartmentofalargercompany.Shealsostartedfreelancing on the side. (See the section in Success Skill #1, Four Steps toAligning Your Money and Your Meaning.) She told me, “I did a directmailcampaignforacharminglittlestoreinthe[SanFernando]Valley.Itmadethemsuccessful overnight, and itmademe successful overnight.After that point, itwaseasiertofindclients.“I didn’t think of it as ‘starting a business.’ I just did advertising jobs. It

startedgrowing,andIhadtohiremorepeopletodothem.Ididn’tstartoutliketheydotoday,withsomegrandbusinessplanandabunchofventuremoney.Itjust...evolved.”Lyndaleftthelargercompanyandstartedherownadvertisingagency at age nineteen, Lynda Limited,whichwas highly profitable from thestart.Thiswasonlyafewyearsaftertheadvertisingagenciesshehadappliedtoupon her high school graduation told her she’d need a college degree for anyentry-level jobwith them. (See Success Skill #5 on bootstrapping your careerandsuccess—Lyndaisatextbookexample.)Shelaterinterviewedforapositionasseniorartdirectoratherownfirm,oneoftheverypeoplewhohadturnedherdownyearsearlier!Lynda(http://blog.lyndaresnick.com)hasprovenherselftobeoneofthegreat

marketingminds in history. Ever drink one of those double-globed bottles ofdark, tangy POMWonderful Juice? That’s her brainchild. Hardly anyone hadever heard of pomegranates, let alone pomegranate juice, before Lynda camearound.Now it’s available in practically every supermarket inAmerica. She’shadastringofhitslikethatthroughouthercareer.Inherbook,RubiesintheOrchard:ThePOMQueen’sSecrets toMarketing

JustAboutAnything,Lyndacontinuesthethemewe’vebeendevelopinginthischapter. Good marketing is not about pushing your stuff onto an unwillingaudience.It’saboutlisteningtoyouraudience.Really,reallywell.Atitsbest,itisnotasleazyendeavor,butadeeplyempathicone:

Sincemy college career had beenmeasured inmonths ... I never took amarketingcourse.EverythingIknowaboutmarketingIlearnedonthejob.My lack of [formal] education would have stalled a career in nuclearphysics,butitneverhinderedmycareerinmarketing.Youcan’tlearnhowtobeagoodmarketerfromatextbook....Themost important lessonofall isself-taught.Ultimately,marketingis

allaboutlistening.Ifyoudon’tlistenandyoudon’tcare,you’llneverbeagoodmarketer.Youwant tobe theequivalentofagoodfriend—someonewhocares,someonewholistenscarefully,someonewhotriestoanticipate

another’s needs. The rest—marketing research, statistical analysis,economics, and finance—are really important tools, but in the end, youhavetouseallthatinformationtoinformyourownhumaninstincts.Thatiswhereyourownsoundjudgmentandtheempathyquotientcomein.9

SUCCESSSKILL#4

WHATEVERYSUCCESSFULPERSONNEEDSTOKNOWABOUTSALES,ANDHOWTOTEACH

YOURSELF

Some years ago, Robert Kiyosaki, author of the internationally bestsellingpersonal finance bookRichDad, PoorDad:What the Rich Teach Their KidsAboutMoney—ThatThePoorandMiddleClassDoNot!,wasinSingaporeandgrantedaninterviewwithalocalnewspaperjournalist.Astheywerechattingbeforetheinterview,thejournalistmentionedthatshe

hadwrittenseveralnovels,buttheyhadnotbeensuccessfulinthemarketplace.SheconfessedtoRobert,“Someday,I’dliketobeabestsellingauthorlikeyou.”Roberthadseenherarticlesandsawshehadwritingtalent.Heaskedherwhy

shethoughtshehadn’tbeensuccessful.Robertnarrateswhathappenednext:

“My work does not seem to go anywhere,” [the journalist] said quietly.“Everyone says that my novels are excellent, but nothing happens. So Ikeepmy jobwith the paper. At least it pays the bills. Do you have anysuggestions?”“Yes, Ido,” I saidbrightly.“Afriendofminehere inSingapore runsa

schoolthattrainspeopletosell.Herunssales-trainingcoursesformanyofthe top corporations here in Singapore, and I think attending one of hiscourseswouldgreatlyenhanceyourcareer.”Shestiffened.“AreyousayingIshouldgotoschooltolearntosell?”Inodded.“Youaren’tserious,areyou?”AgainInodded.“Whatiswrongwiththat?”“Ihaveamaster’sdegreeinEnglishliterature.WhyshouldIgotoschool

to learn to be a salesperson? I am a professional. Iwent to school to betrained in a profession so I would not have to be a salesperson. I hatesalespeople.Alltheywantismoney.SotellmewhyIshouldstudysales?”Shewasnowpackingherbriefcaseforcibly.Theinterviewwasover.Onthecoffeetablesatacopyofmyfirstbook,IfYouWanttoBeRich

and Happy, Don’t Go to School: Ensuring Lifetime Security for YourselfandYourChildren.Ipickeditup,aswellasthenotesshehadjotteddownonherlegalpad.“Doyouseethis?”Isaidpointingtohernotes.Shelookeddownathernotes.“What,”shesaid,confused.Onherpad,shehadwritten“RobertKiyosaki,best-sellingauthor.”“It says ‘best-sellingauthor,’notbest ‘writing’author.... I ama terrible

writer.Youareagreatwriter. Iwent tosalesschool.Youhaveamaster’sdegree. Put them together and you get a ‘bestselling author’ and a ‘best-writingauthor.’”Angerflaredfromhereyes.“I’llneverstoopso lowas to learnhowto

sell.Peoplelikeyouhavenobusinesswriting.Iamaprofessionallytrainedwriterandyouareasalesman.It’snotfair.”1

The journalist exhibits the precisementality that I hopemy own bookwill

sledgehammer out of you, if there’s even a molecule of that mentality stilllurkingwithinyou.Icallitthe“I’mAboveLearningHowtoSell”mentality,andit’sprettymuch

thebreadandbutterofournation’shighereducationsystem.Whattheysellyouistheideathat,ifyougetenoughoftheircredentials,enoughlettersafteryourname,thenfinancialsecurity,agreatcareer,andreal-worldsuccesswilljustfallinyourlapwithoutyourhavingtodoanything.To theextentyouhaven’tachieved thematerial resultsyouwant in the real

world, it’s because you’ve bought into this “I’m Above Learning to Sell”mentality.Expungeitfromyoursystem.Now.Everylastdropofit.I’m not just talking about selling products and services formoney. (If you

workinalargecorporationandyou’renotinthesalesdepartment,forexample,you may not be in a position to sell your company’s products or services toclients.)Nomatterwhatyou’reuptoinlife,youhavetosellsomething,whetherit’ssellinganemployeronwhyheshouldhireyou,sellingyourbossonwhysheshould promote you, selling the members of a corporate meeting on yourbrilliantidea,sellingyouremployeesordirect-reportsonwhytheyshouldputinmoreeffort,sellingadonoronwhysheshoulddonatetoyourcause,orsellingsupporters on why they should join your movement to save the whatever oroverthrow the what-have-you. Sales is simply persuasive face-to-facecommunication. It’s relevant anytime you are talking with someone and youwantaspecificoutcometoarisefromtheconversation.No single skill you could possibly learn correlatesmore directly with your

real-world success than learning sales. And yet—surprise, surprise—it’snowhere to be found on the curriculum of formal education, from elementary

school through graduate school. No wonder there are so many broke andunemployedpeoplewithundergraduateandgraduatedegrees.(Anddon’ttellmethattherearemorebrokepeoplewithoutthedegrees.True,

butbesidethepoint.Iftheylearnedtosell,likenearlyallthedropoutsIfeatureinthisbookdid,theywouldn’tbebrokeforlong.)RobertKiyosaki(http://www.richdad.com)isfamousforhavingtwodads,his

biological father,whomhedescribes inhisbooksas“poordad,”andamentorwhotookhimunderhiswingearly,whomhedescribesas“richdad.”HispoordadhadaPhD,workedathighlevelswithinthestateeducationbureaucracyofHawaii,and—Kiyosakisaysinhisbooks—neveraccumulatedmuchmoney.Hisrichdadmentor,Kiyosakisays,hadaneighth-gradeeducation,wasasuccessfulentrepreneur,andmademillionsbythetimeofthementor’sdeath.Robert, who listened to his poor dad’s advice and graduated college, but

listenedtohisrichdad’sadviceonalmostallothermattersrelatedtomoney,toldme: “I learned nothing about sales in school. I love education—but educationthatmakesmerich.InmyfirstjobafterleavingtheMarines,IwenttoworkforXerox. Iwas formally trainedbyXerox to sell.Everyday, fiveor sixhours aday,I’mbeingtrainedtosell.Howtoovercomethefearofrejection.Thebiggestlesson Ihad to learnwashow to fail faster.Thatwas thebiggestonebecauseeveryday,I’dtakethreesalescalls,takethreerejections.Soallmyrichdadsaidtomewas,‘You’vegottoincreaseyourrejections.Thefasteryoufail,themoreyouaregoingtolearn.’That’swhywhenIleftXeroxatfiveo’clock,Iwouldgoupthestreettothisnonprofitcharity,helpinghomelesskids,andIwoulddialfordonationsatnight.Ihadagoaleverynightofgettingrejectedthirtytimes.ThemoreIincreasedmyfailurerate,themoresuccessIhadatXerox.”Youcan’ttrulylearnanythingaboutsalesuntilthe“I’mAboveLearningHow

toSell”mentalityisfullyexpungedfromyoursystem.So,justincaseyournoseisstillturnedupevenoneortwodegreesattheideathatyoushouldlearntosell,I’msharingwithyoualittletalkItranscribed,byBryan,whomasteredtheskillofsellinginhistwenties(it’spartofwhyhe’ssosuccessful)andwhohastaughtmeagreatdealofwhatIknowaboutsales.Ithinktherelevanceofthistalktowhatwe’vebeendiscussingsofarinthisbookwillbescreaminglyobvious.

■THEMYTHOFHIGHEREDUCATIONBYBRYANFRANKLIN

There is amyth in our system about careers andmoney thatmost of us havetotallyboughtinto.Andthereasonthemythisinoursystemisbecauseitwasputtherebythemarketingmachineofhighereducation.Themythisthatifyougetbetteratyourcraft, ifyougetbetteratwhatyou

do, you will be more likely to be successful. So, if you’re a doctor and youbecome a better doctor than others (by going to the right schools, studyingharder,etc.),thenyou’llbeamoresuccessfuldoctor.Ifyou’reamechanicandyoubecomeabettermechanic,you’llbeamoresuccessfulmechanic.Ifyou’reasoftwareengineer,andyoubecomeabettersoftwareengineer,you’llbeamoresuccessfulsoftwareengineer.Thisisthemyth.Whydoesthehighereducationmachinewantustobelieve

thismyth?Well,whatare theyselling inallof theirgraduateandprofessionalprograms? They’re selling, “Be better at your craft. Just take our master’sprogram!”Yet, if you take thepoolof theworld’sbest at a particular craft—medicine,

law,writing,music,corporatemanagement,acting,anything—theirsuccessisalloverthemap.Someofthemarewildlysuccessful,someofthemdon’thavetwonickels to rub together.You take theworld’sbest actors, froma craft point ofview,and someof themare superstars.Someof themareaskingyou ifyou’dliketoseeadessertmenu.Furthermore,ifyoutakeanycraftandyoulookatthemostsuccessfulpeople

inthatcraftasagroup,theirskilllevelisalloverthemap.Somearefantastic,and some are laughably bad—in fact, for someof them, you can’t understandhowtheygottowheretheyare,givenhowbadtheyare.Thisisn’ttrueonlyinacting,it’strueineveryfield.That’s because success is its own skill. There’s the skill of the craft. Then

there’s the skillof success. It’s an independenteducation.Myexperience is, ittakesaboutthesameamountofefforttolearntheskillofsuccessasitdoestolearntheskillofthecraftitself.So,itmighttakeyearstoreallylearnwhatyou

need to learn to become a great engineer, or an attorney, or amusician, or amanager.Well, guess what? It’s going to take years to fully own the skill of being

successfulatyourcraftaswell.Fortunately,youcan learn thisskillofsuccesswhileyoualsolearnyourcraft.Butdon’tgetfooledintothinkingyouonlyneedto get good at your craft andyou’ll be set financially.That’s the lie of highereducation.Ofcourse,I’mnotsuggestingthatyoushouldbebadatyourcraftorneglect

it.Whileitistruethatyoudon’tactuallyneedtobeverygoodatwhatyoudotobesuccessfulatit(becausesuccessisitsownskill),it’sjustnotveryclassy,orfun,tobesuccessfulatyourcraftwhenyou’renotthatgoodatthecraftitself.Irecommendthatyoubecomeawesomeattheskillofyourcraft,butalsobecomeawesomeat the skill of success.Anddon’t everget caughtup in thedelusionthatthey’rethesamething,becausetheyjustaren’t.So,theskillofsuccess.Whatisit?Inmyexperience,theskillofsuccessbreaksdownintothreethings.Theskill

ofmarketing.Theskillofsales.Andtheskillofleadership.First,marketing.Throwawayeverythingyouthinkmarketingisbecausemost

of the marketing you’ve been exposed to, which makes you sick to yourstomach,iscrappymarketingthatdoesn’tworkanyway.Fortunately,youdon’thavetolearnthat.You justhave to learneffectivemarketing, andeffectivemarketing is really

simple. It’s theability togetpeoplewhodon’tknowaboutyou toknowaboutyou.That’sit.Ifyoucangetpeoplewhodon’tknowaboutyou,oryourserviceoryourcompany,tobecomeawareofyou,thenyou’resuccessfulinmarketing.They didn’t know about you, something happened, and now they know aboutyou—that’s successful marketing. [Michael’s note to reader: direct-responsemarketing,whichItalkedaboutinthelastchapter,combinesmarketingasBryanhasdefinedithere,plussalesashedefinesitbelow,inonefellswoop.]The second skill of success is sales. For some people sales is worse than

marketing,andforothersmarketingisworsethansales.Eitherway,wehavethisbeliefinourculturethatthesetwothingsareicky.Thatsenseofickinessisoneofthethingsthatperpetuatestheliethatifyoujustgetbetteratyourcraft,you’llbefine—youcanjustdowhatyoudo,withoutfocusingonmarketingorsellingwhatyoudo,becausemarketingandsalesareickyandlow-integrity.It’sjustnottrue.Youhavetobegoodatthesethingsinordertobesuccessful.

Ifyouthinksalesissleazy,manipulative,ordisgusting,it’sbecausewhatyou’vebeenexposedtoisbadsalesmanship.Anytimewe’reexposedtopeoplewhoaretotallyincompetentattheirjob,itfeelslikecrap.Ifyou’rebeing“soldat,”and

they’renotconnectingwithyouatall,andtheyhavenoideawhatyouwantorneed,andthey’rejust“blahblahblahing”onabouttheirproductorservice,theyactuallydon’tknowthe first thingaboutsales,and their incompetence iswhatfeelslikecraptoyou.When sales is done well, it’s a really simple discovery conversation. The

conversationbasicallyfollowsthefollowingcontours:“Hey,whatdoyoureallywant?Whatmatters toyou?Well, this ismyability toprovide that.Does thatseem like a match to you?” It’s just that simple. Sales is the ability to takesomeonewhoknowsaboutyou,butwhohasnevergivenyoumoney,andturnthemintosomeonewhoknowsaboutyouandwhoisalsogivingyoumoney,ifwhatyou’reofferingisagoodmatchforthem.That’sit.IntheFortune1000,whatpositionisthemosthighlypaid?Youthinkit’sthe

CEO?Nope.It’sthe#1salesrep.Secondmosthighlypaid?The#2salesrep.Thirdmosthighlypaid?VPofsales.Fourth?CEO.The person making the most money in the company is often two or three

levelsdownfromtheCEO.Why?Becausewithoutthatstarsalesrep,20,30,40,50,or60percentofthebusinessofthatcompanywouldnotexist.Whyisthatindividualabletomakesuchanimpactonthebusiness?Becausethatsalesrepunderstandstheskillofselling.Thethirdskillofsuccessisleadership.Leadershipboilsdowntotheabilityto

changetheheartsandmindsofpeople.Notcontrollingpeople; it’samyththattheleaderhascontrol.Yourleadershipconsistspreciselyinyourabilitytodefineafutureyoudon’thavecontrolover.Theleaderdoesn’thavecontroloverwhattheemployeesdo;shehas to influence theemployees todowhat she thinks isbest. The more you understand that you have no control at all, and you’redealingwith a bunch of peoplewith freewillwho are going to dowhat theywantanyway,themoreyourealizethattheskillofleadershipreallyboilsdowntotheskillofinfluence.Ifyou’retakingonaroleofleadingothers,peopledon’tdowhatyousay justbecauseyousay it; theyonlydowhatyousay if they’reinspired.Whichmeans,youhavetostudy“Whatinfluencespeople?”[Michael’snotetoreader:SethGodin,inTribes:WeNeedYoutoLeadUs—

whichyouabsolutelymustreadifyoucareaboutthethemesinthischapterand

thelast—spreadsthemessagethat“Leadershipis thenewmarketing.”Iwouldalso add that leadership is the new sales. And good sales is really a form ofleadership.Andgoodmarketingisalsoreallyaformofleadership.Whendonewith integrity, they all blend into each other; they are really all aspects of thesamephenomenon.Whatisthatphenomenon?Bryancallsit“guidingothersintoafuturethatwouldnothavehappenedotherwise.”]If you can get people who don’t know about you to know about you

(marketing),andyoucanconvertthemintocustomers(sales),andoncethey’recustomers, you can lead them from point A to point B, you can accomplishanythingontheplanet.When youwrap these skills of success around your craft, you can become

wildly successful at whatever it is you do. Creating stained glass. Being alawyer. Running a company. Being a real estate investor. Because beingsuccessful at all of these disciplines—indeed atany discipline—requires thesethreefundamentalskillsofsuccess.Ifyouwanttotakeyoursuccesstothenextlevel,it’sreallysimple.Justpress

Pause on learning about your craft. Admit that you’re good enough for now.(Youcanalwaysgetbetterlater.)AndpressPlay/Recordonyourlearningaboutmarketing,sales,andleadership.Ifyouinvestinbeingbetteratmarketing,sales,andleadership,thenthesky’sthelimittoyoursuccess.Thereisknowledgeintheworldabouthowtodothesethreethingswell.They

maybeamysterytoyou,ortheymaynotbe,butthey’renotamysteryatlarge.Thereareactuallysimplethingsthateveryoneofuscandotobequitegoodatthesethings.Infact,thebarissolow,formarketers,salespeople,andleaders—thebarissolaughablylow—thatyouhavetogetlikeaDinthesethingstobeextraordinary.It’stheeasiestclassyou’llevertake.

■HOWILEARNEDSALESBYREADINGJUSTONEBOOK

I amgoing tonow teachyou how to teachyourself the skill of high-integrity,zero-sleazeselling.I’mgoingtoteachyouthisbytellingyouthestoryofhowIlearnedtosell.Formostofmylife,frommyadolescencethroughoutmytwenties,Iheldthe

attitudeofthejournalistinKiyosaki’sstory.“I’mAboveLearningHowtoSell.”Aroundagefifteen,Ibecameaconverttoradicalenvironmentalism,andIbeganpilingupvariousworldviewsand ideologies that separatedmemoreandmorestridently from mainstream capitalist society. First it was vegetarianism, thenveganism, then Buddhism, then ecofeminism, then deep ecology, thenprimitivism. Then vegan-Buddhist-ecofeministdeep-ecologist-primitivism. Iwon’t even try to explain what all those terms are, but suffice it to say thatthroughoutmyteensandtwenties,Ididn’treallybelieveinthevalueoflearningsales.Overthisperiod,Ididslowlybeginsheddingsomeofthemorerigidaspects

ofthesebeliefsystems.Butforme,thecrisisandtippingpointoccurredinmylate twenties, when I was almost totally broke as an aspiring writer (which IwroteaboutinSuccessSkill#1),andIrealizedIneededtostoppretendingasifmoneywasirrelevanttomylife,andstartlearningaboutthewaymoneyactuallyworked.Fast-forwardtoagethirty-one.Bythatage,Ihaddefinitelystartedtogetsome

financial mojo going in my life and was supporting myself decently as afreelance book proposal writer. But I still hadn’t really learned sales. I stillbasically subscribed to theview,whichBryandissected forus: If I’mgoodatwhatIdo,shouldn’tthatbegoodenoughtomakepeoplewanttopaymeforit?I’mnotgoing to force people tobuy something theydon’t alreadywant.Thatwouldbeuncouth,wouldn’tit?WhatIstilldidn’trealize—andwhatmostpeoplewhoareresistanttolearning

salesdon’trealize—isthat there’salotofroombetweenjusthangingoutyourshingle and hoping people show up, on the one hand, and forcing and

manipulating people to buy things they don’t want, on the other hand. Mostpeople, for reasons of integrity, don’t want to do the latter. (And thankgoodness.)Buttheythinktheonlyotheroptionistodotheformer,sothat’swhattheydotosellthemselves:diddly-squat.Thisiswherethemistakelies.There’salot of room between these two poles, between pressuring people and doingdiddly-squat.Between those twopoles lieoptions that both close the saleandexhibithighclassandintegrity.Whatfirstwokemeuptothisdistinctionwasahalf-daycoachingsessionJena

and I paid for with Victor Cheng (http://www.victorcheng.com), a businessgrowthexpertwhoisoftenquotedbyreportersfromFoxNews,MSNBC,Inc.Magazine,Entrepreneur,Forbes,Time,andtheWallStreetJournal.AfterourepiphanywiththesalesletterforJena’sbusinessatthebeginningof

2009(describedinSuccessSkill#3),webothwereforever“sold”onthevalueofmakingseriousinvestments in improvingourmarketingskills.(SeeSuccessSkill#5oninvestingforsuccess.)SoweflewouttoCaliforniaandjointlyhiredVictorfora$4,000half-dayofcoachingforJenaonherbusiness;IgottobeaflyonthewallandsoakuptheteachingsasVictorcoachedher.In thissession,Victor taughtJenaanapproach tosales inspiredby thebook

SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham. It turns out that a team of over one hundredresearcherswith a budget of $1million, led byRackham, analyzed thirty-fivethousandreal-world,in-personsalessessionsmadebytenthousandsalespeopleintwenty-threecountriesovertwelveyears.Alltofigureouttheanswertoonesimplequestion:“Whatthehellworksinsales?”(Myphrasing,nottheirs.)Thebasicanswerisquitesimpleandrefreshing.Everythingyouthoughtsales

was about, including the scripts, pressure, pitching, gimmicky “closing”techniques, sleazy guilt tripping, truth stretching—inotherwords, all the stuffthatmakes youwant to run the otherwaywhen you hear theword “sales”—doesn’tactuallyworkverywell.Particularlynoton“majorsales”inwhichthebuyer perceives the price point as significant, the sale happens over manyconversations, and the buyer is likely going to have an ongoing businessrelationshipwithyouoryourfirmafterthesale.Whatworksthen?It’ssimple.Whilewenormallythinkofsalespeopleasfast-

talking slicksters, it turns out that the more the prospect talks—about theirproblems, their fears, their frustrations related to the needs your product orservice addresses—the more likely they will want to do business with you.Whichmeans, effective sales isn’t about spewing off a slick pitch. It’s aboutaskingalotofquestions.Therightquestions.Andthenlistening.What are the right questions? Any question that gets the prospect deeply

connectedwiththeirfrustrations,fears,anddesiresaroundtheproblemthatyour

productorserviceaddresses.Victor demonstrated his approach on Jena. Iwas astonished.He knewvery

littleaboutJena’sbusiness,weightloss,yetsimplybyaskingtherightquestions,he was able to sell her very effectively on her own services! In this improvdialogue, Victor spontaneously played the salesperson, and Jena played ahypothetical“prospect”inherbusiness:

VICTOR:Sohowmuchweightdoyouwanttolose?

PROSPECT:Abouttwentypounds.

VICTOR:Andwhydoyouwanttolosethatweight?

PROSPECT:Iwanttofeelgoodandattractive.

VICTOR:Andwhyisfeelinggoodandattractiveimportanttoyou?

PROSPECT:I’dliketobeinarelationship,andIjustdon’tfeelconfidentaroundmen. Iwalk into a room and I feel like I’m invisible, or likemybody’sdisgusting.Ifeelsooutofcontrolaroundfood.VICTOR:Andifyoudidhavemoreconfidenceinyourlife—walkingintotheroomandnotfeelingself-conscious—howwouldthatimpactyourlife?

PROSPECT: Well, hopefully I’d get into a relationship and have morefriendsandbelesslonely.Andhopefullyitwouldbenefitmycareertoo.

VICTOR:Let’stalkaboutthefirstone.Talkaboutbeinglonely.Howdoesthatfeelrightnow?Whatisitlike?

PROSPECT:It’sterrible.Igohomeandjusteatcookiesforcompany.It’saviciouscyclebecauseallIcanthinkofisthecookies.AfterIeatthepacketof cookies I feel sick and I don’twant to go out, even ifmy friends arecallingmetogoout.

VICTOR:Whatwouldhappenifthisproblemdidn’tgetresolved?

PROSPECT:I’dbealone,I’dbemiserable,I’dhavenokids.

VICTOR:Andhowwouldyoufeelaboutthat?

PROSPECT:Terrible.Iwanttobeamother.Iwanttohaveafamily.Iwanttofulfillthatrole.

VICTOR:Andwhatyou’retellingmeis,theweighttodayisquitepossiblygetting in thewayofyour life, theunfoldingpathofyour life.What is itworthtoyoutofixthatproblemandhavethelifeyou’vealwayswanted?

PROSPECT:Alot.

VICTOR:Onascaleof1to10,with1beingnotimportantatall,and10beingextremelyimportant,immediately,whereareyou?

PROSPECT:9.5.Aswewentmoreintothissalesdemonstration,Victorcommentedtous:“You

see,Ihaven’t‘sold’anything.AllI’vedoneisaskquestions.Butthequestionsgobeyondthesuperficial.Theygointothedeepestlevelsofwhytheywantthischangeintheirlife.“The reason this method works is that people’s underlying motivations are

verydifferent.Twopeoplecouldwalkintoyourbusinesswantingtolosetwentypounds, but for very different reasons, at either the conscious level or theunconsciouslevel.Ifyousay,‘Icanhelpyoulosetwentypounds,’withoutgoingintowhytheywantit,thenyou’renodifferentfromanybodyelse.Butifyoucanget into the underlying motivations—they’re not buying the twenty-poundweight-losscoaching.They’rebuyinganewcareer.Orashotathavingagreatrelationship.Orashotatbeingamother,withkids.“Andifyoucantalkwiththemaboutthat,andhelpthemsolvethatproblem

—the underlying motivation—then they’ll want to do business with you.Becausetheycantellyouactuallygetwhat’sgoingoninsideofthem,youcareabout what they care about, and you’re helping them with something that isactuallyverydeeptothem,notasuperficialproblem.Ifyoutrytosellasolutionbeforeyou’vemutuallyagreedontheproblemyou’retryingtosolve—whichiswhatmostsalespeopledo—peoplemostlyaren’tinterested.”WhatIlearnedfromVictor,andfromreadingSPINSelling, is this: ifyou’re

talkingwithsomeoneabouttheirinnermostneedsanddesires,thelastthingyouwanttodoisthrowabunchofmanipulativepressureonthem.Allthat’scalledforis:gettotheheartofthematter.Whydotheyreallywantthischangeintheirlife?What’sreallybehindthedesireforthischange?

And,onceyou’veinquiredthoroughlywithyourprospectaboutwhat’sgoingonatthatcoreemotionallevel,ifitturnsoutthatwhatyou’reofferinghonestlyandeffectivelyaddressesthat,thengreat—you’reamatch,andit’slikelyyou’lldobusinesstogether.Andifnot,thenyoureferthemtosomeonewhocanhelpthem with that. At no point would you ever try to manipulate or pressuresomeoneintobuyingsomethingthatisnotagreatmatchfortheirdeepestdesiresandneeds.AfterVictor’sdemonstration,both Jenaand IboughtSPINSelling and read

and absorbed everyword. This single book obliterates the need for anymoresleazy, pushy, aggressive, annoying sales tactics on the planet. And salesbecomes—breathe a sigh of relief—an honest conversation between twoauthentichumanbeings.OnceJenaandIbeganhonestlytalkingwithandlisteningtoourprospects,on

an emotional level, about their deepestwants, needs, fears, and desires, ratherthan subjecting them to some sales “pitch” about our services, our businessesbegan flourishing. It turnsout—surprise, surprise—peopledon’t reallywant tobe“pitched”at.Theywantyou to listen to them; theywantyou tohear them;theywant you toget them; and theywant to trust your integrity that youwillonly sell them something they’ll end up being happy with, so that you cancontinuetodobusinesstogetherinthefuture.Andifyoucancommunicateallofthese,authentically,they’llwanttodobusinesswithyou.Of course, I never learned any of this in college. In fact, I never learned

anything incollegeabouthowtogetpeople towant tohiremeordobusinesswith me. Which, if you think about it, is kinda strange. Selling a kid anexpensive, potentially debt-laden investment in human capital, so that hemayincreasethevalueofhislaborinthemarketplace,withoutbeingsureheknowshow to sell that labor to the marketplace, is sort of like selling a kid anexpensive,debt-ladencar,withoutbeingsureheknowshowtodrive.Victor says: “Themostusefulclass I took incollegewaspublic speaking. I

use itasurprisingamount.Thesecondmostusefulclass I took incollegewashowtobealistener—Itookapeercounselorclassforsuicideprevention,whichwasallabouthowto listenwithout judgments.Thus, themostusefulclasses Itookincollegewerenotpartofthemainacademicexperience.Alotoftheskillsyou need to be successful—and I mean, you need them if you want to besuccessful—they’rejustnottaughtincollege.Eveninmostbusinessschools.“Irememberoneyear,IlookedatthecoursecurriculumforHarvardBusiness

School, Wharton Business School, and Stanford Business School. Betweenthem, they offered somewhere around four hundred classes.Out of those fourhundredclasses,therewasnotoneclassonsales.Whartonhadoneclassonsales

forcemanagement,buttherewasnoclassonsales.“If you talk to billionaires and millionaires, and you ask them, ‘How

importantwassalestobuildingyourbusiness?’you’llfindout,it’slikehalfthebusiness.Andnoneof the topschools teach it.Yet it’sessential.So there’sanobviousdisconnectthere.“It’s a huge problem,when people don’t knowhow to sell. Formal schools

teach skills, but they don’t teach how to sell ormarket those skills. So, thegraphicdesignersays,‘Idesigngreatgraphics.Ioughttogoinbusinessmyself.’Or the medical doctor who works for a practice says, ‘I’m good at helpingpatients.Ioughttohavemyownpractice.’“These people are frustrated. They want control over their own work and

destiny.Theythink,‘I’mworkingfortheman,andhe’spayingmetwentybucksanhour todowhateverwork.Andhe’s chargingeightydollars anhour to theclient.’Theyseethat,andtheythink,‘Thatguy’smakingsixtybucksanhouroffofme!He’s takingme for a ride! I’m fed upwith this, I’m going to go intobusinessformyself,soinsteadofmakingthetwentydollarsanhour,I’mgonnamaketheeighty!’“So the person sets up shop, they get their business cards printed up, they

openforbusiness,andwhathappensonthefirstday?Absolutelynothing.“Whattheytookforgrantedwasthebusinessownerdevelopedtheprocessfor

gettingclients.Without that,yougetnomoney. Itwasworth thesixtydollars.Theydon’trealizewhythesixtydollarswasearnedbythebusinessowner.Thepractitionerjustseesitassomeonestealingtheirmoney.Untiltheytrytogointobusiness for themselves, and then they suffer for a couple of years, and theydon’ttrytolearnthoseskillsofsalesandmarketing,andcanonlytolerateitforsolong,andthentheygiveupandgobackworkingforsomeoneelse.“Mostpeoplewhoaresuccessful in their field,you’ll find,areverygoodat

selling.Either selling their ideas, selling toget customers, or selling to recruitpeopletosupporttheirvision.Mostcollegesdon’tteachthat.Butit’sveryhardtoimagineabusinessbeingsuccessfulwithoutsomebodybeinggoodatselling.It’sacrucialskilltodevelop,througheitherdirectexperience,ormentorship,ortraining,orworkshops.“Readaboutit,studyit,andfrankly,justdoit.Alotofitistrialanderror.All

experiencecomesfrommistakes.Eithermakingthemyourself,orlearningfromsomeone else who has. It all counts. But unfortunately, experience is notsomethingyougetincollege.Masterycomesfromdoing.Eitherdoityourself,orlearnitfromsomeonewhodid.”Victor’s point about learning from other people’s experience is crucial. The

book SPIN Selling summarizes the research and experience of one hundred

researcherswho spent amillion bucks and twelve years trying to figure out akindofsalesthatbothmakesthecustomerhappyandclosesthedeal.Thefruitsof this effort are available at your localbookstore, oronline, for around thirtybucks.The originators of SPIN Selling (http://www.huthwaite.com) also offer two-

daysalestrainingsallaroundthecountryforaround$1,600.Ihaven’tattendedonepersonally,butjusttheirbookalonehadsuchaprofoundimpactonmylifeandbusiness,thatwouldbethefirstplaceI’dlookifIwantedamoreintensivein-personstudyofsales.Mypointisnotnecessarilythatyoushouldgooutandplunkdown$1,600on

asalestrainingrightaway(thoughI’llbetitwouldbewortheverypenny).Mypointis, theinformationandtrainingtolearnthisstuffisavailabletoyou,atapricewithinreachformostpeoplereadingthisbook.Think about it. A typical college course costs between $500 and $5,000,

dependingontheoveralltuitionforthesemesterandhowmuchgrantaidyou’regetting.Whatdoyouthink,inthelongrun,isgoingtohaveabiggerimpactonyourlife?A$1,600training,fromoneofthetopsalesexpertsintheworld,abouthowyousellyourideas,projects,andservicesintherealworld?Oracoupleofcoursesofyourtypicalcollegefare?HerearesomecoursesavailabletodayoncampusesacrossAmerica:

The Vampire in Literature and Film, at the University ofWisconsin atMadison.Fromthecoursedescription:“Sincetheproblematicimageofthevampirevacillatesbetween therealand the imaginary, thiswillbea trulyinterdisciplinary course, spanning analysis drawn from medicalanthropologytothediscussionsonliteraryandcinematicrepresentationsoftheancientcreatureofhorror.”2ColorMeCool:ASurveyofContemporaryGraphicNovels,atmyalmamater,Brown.Fromthecoursecatalog:“Surveysavarietyofcomicbooksand graphic novels, both mainstream and independent. The emphasis,however,willbeontheindependentgraphicnovel.Studentswillalsoreadhistoryandcriticismtounderstandbetterthecontextfromwhichthebooksemergeandtograspmorefirmlytheirvisualandtextualaesthetics.”3TopicsinComparativeMedia:AmericanProWrestling,atMIT.Fromthecoursedescription:“Thisclasswillexplore theculturalhistoryandmediaindustry surrounding the masculine drama of professional wrestling.Beginningwithwrestling’s roots insportandcarnival, theclassexamineshow new technologies and changes in the television industry led toevolutionforprowrestlingstyleandpromotionandhowshiftsinwrestling

charactersdemonstratechangesinthedepictionofAmericanmasculinity....Studentsmayhavepreviousknowledgeofwrestlingbutarenotrequiredto, nor are they required to be a fan.” TheMITwebpage for the courseproudly links to PDF files of term papers written by previous students,including thepaper“Women’sRoles inProfessionalWrestling,ExaminedthroughtheLita-TrishRivalry.”4

What’s actually happening at colleges across America, among professors,

students, and college administrators, is an elaborate game of “Let’s Pretend.”Professors and administrators pretend that bullshit courses like thesemight bevaguely related to something valuable to a student’s later life. And studentspretendthat,bytakingthesecoursesforeasyAs,they’regettingan“education.”For four years, all goeswellwith the game, and all groups are happywith it,nonemore so than on graduation day,when the proud student gets a piece ofpaperfromtheprofessorsandadministratorscertifyingto theworldthatsheisnow“educated.”However,thewholecharadeimplodeswhenthestudentgoesoutintothereal

world, thinking that themarketplacewill valueher acuity invampire-ologyorwrestlinganalysis. It remindsmeofaT-shirt Isawonce:“Ihavea liberalartsdegree.Wouldyoulikefrieswiththat?”Buthavingadegreeinmarketing,economics,orbusiness,orevenanMBA,

isn’tmuchbetter.Aswe’veseen,eveninbusinessschools,youdon’ttendtogetthe reality-basedskillsandexperience thatwillactually leadyou to success inyourcareer.Jena and I spent the equivalent of one college course at a private college,

$4,000,tohireVictorforahalf-dayofprivatecoaching.Thathalf-day,includingthe referral to readSPIN Selling, helped double both of our businesses in themiddle of a nasty recession. In the spirit ofVictor’s admonition to learn fromotherpeople’sexperiences,youdon’tevenneedtospendthe$4,000togetthatparticularpieceof advicenow—youcanget it righthere.Spend$30onSPINSelling by Neil Rackham. It will be worth entire years of today’s collegeeducation.

■IFYOUWANTTOHELPPEOPLE,LEARNHOWTOSELL

David Ash has spent a great deal of time in the Downtown Eastside ofVancouver, one of the poorest andmost crime-ridden neighborhoods inNorthAmerica.There, he has helped chronically homelesswomenget backon theirfeet.Mostofthewomenhavebeenhomelessforyearsorevendecadesonend.Mosthavebeenvictimsofseveresexualorphysicalabuseandhavestruggledwith seriousmental illness and/or substance addiction (heroin, crack, cocaine,crystalmeth).Andmanyofthemeitherareorhavebeenactiveinthecity’ssextrade;mostareHIV-positive.Davidhashelpedthemgetoffthestreets,starteatingsquaremeals,cleanup

offdrugs,findappropriatehelpfortheiremotionalandmentalhealthissues,andget treatment for their illnesses. He is not, however, a social worker; at leastthat’snothismaingig.He’sa realestate investor.Heownsa135,000-square-foothockeyarenaandsportscenterforkidsinhiscommunity,alongwithmanyother commercial and residential properties in a large portfolio. With hiswinnings fromhiscareersuccess,heboughtwhat isnowperhaps thepropertynearesttohisheart:arun-downboardinghouseintheDowntownEastside,whichhehasturnedintotheVivian,aminimum-barriertransitionalhouseforwomenwhogetkickedoutofeveryothershelterintown.ButDavid, fifty-one,wasnot always so successful, nor sophilanthropically

oriented.Infact,formanyyearsinhischildhoodandteens,itlookedlikehislifewasheadinginthewrongdirection.Davidgrewup inworking-classWestEndofMontreal,partof theEnglish-

speakingsectionoftown.“Ihungoutwiththewrongguys,Ididn’tdowell inschool, Iwas high-strung, probablyADHD.Bothmy parents left school afterseventhgrade,soeducationwasn’tamajoremphasisinmylife.“Mymother grew up a ward of the court—at age two, in themidst of the

Great Depression, she was taken from her single mother, who was a teenageorphan. She moved from foster home to foster home, where she sometimessuffered physical and sexual abuse. When I was about twelve, she collapsed

under the burden of these painful experiences. She had a major nervousbreakdownandwashospitalized.For therestofmychildhood,shewasinandout of psychiatricwards, coming homeheavilymedicated, attempting suicide,thenstartingthewholecycleagain.Unfortunately,sheeventuallyleftourhomeandwentonherown.Sherefusedhospitalizationandotherattemptsathelp,andendeduponthestreets.“Schoolwas a gong show forme.My educational career started offwith a

bang. I failed grade one. It went downhill from there. In grade seven, I hadskipped 264 periods, they told me when I came back for grade eight. I washavingfunwithmyfriendsonthestreets,withvirtuallynosupervisionathome.Ifinallydroppedoutingradeeleven.”Davidmoved toOttawa to livewithhisbrother, and tookona jobas apot

scrubberataYMCA.Formostpeoplewhohearthiskindofstory,that’stheend:kiddropsoutofhighschool,getsadead-endjob,doesn’tgoanywhere in life,becomesanotherhighschooldropoutstatistic.Yet,here’swherethosestoriesgowrong.Ifyouhavethewillandthedriveto

betteryourself,youusuallycan,nomatterhowmuch(orlittle)formaleducationyou have. There’s no doubt that, on average, dropouts do worse in life thanpeoplewho complete their formal education. This is probably because peoplewhodropout—onaverage—haveeithera lowerwill tosucceedorhave facedexceptionalpersonalchallengesataveryyoungage.Butaveragesalwaysbelieagreatdealofvariationwithin. Ifyouhappen to

haveordevelopthewilltosucceed—orareluckyenoughtofindapersonwhoinspires it within you—you can learn everything you need, with or withoutformaleducation.“Ifthere’sonethingIhadalotof,itwasstreetsmarts,”Davidcontinues.“At

onepoint,ImetarealestatesalesmaninOttawawhosawsomethinginme,andhesaid,‘Youshouldbecomearealestatesalesman.’Keepinmind,myparentshadneverownedahome.Ididn’tevenknowwhattheword‘mortgage’meant.Butsomethingaboutmerespected thisman,andIdecided to takeasix-week,full-timerealestatelicensecoursehetoldmeabout.“IdecidedIhadtodosomethingwithmylife,andsalesseemedlikeanatural

fit, sinceyoudon’tneedmuchformal training,and theupsidewassignificant.I’dgottenmessagesmywholelifethatIwasn’tgoingtoamounttoanything,butIhadastrongsenseofself,andIknewIwantedthis.Ineverconnectedthestufftheyweretryingtogetmetostudyinhighschooltoanykindofcareerbenefit,buttheconnectionherewasveryclear.”Davidcommitted totally topassing the course—the first timeheever really

committed to any educational endeavor in his life. Each day, he would head

straight home to the apartment he sharedwith his brother after class ended atthree, sit at a littledesk, crackopenhisbinder, and start readingapage. Ifhedidn’tunderstandit,he’dreaditagain.Andagain.Sometimeshe’dspendhalfanhourononepage.He’dthenrewriteeachpageinhisownshorterversion.Everynight until hewent to bed, all day Saturday, and all day Sunday,with Fridaynights off. “I studied four timesharder thanmost ofmyclassmateswhowerematureadults.Manywereeducatedprofessionalswithuniversitydegrees.”Davidpassed the course—hepassedonecrucial test bya singlepoint—and

got an entry-level sales job at Century 21. They started sending him tomotivational seminars available to all the sales reps. “Therewas a guy at thefrontoftheroomgivingamotivationaltalkonpositivementalattitude.Andofcourse,comingfromwhereI’dcomefrom,fromthehomeI’dcomefrom,andmy educational experience—I had never heard those three words, ‘positivementalattitude,’puttogetherbeforeinthesamephrase.Soyou’vegotthisguyin the front of the room saying that, with a positivemental attitude, you canachieveanythingyouwantinlife.He’ssayingthat,nomatterwhereyoucomefrom,nomatterwhatyourbackground,ifyouworkhard,ifyoudothis,ifyoudothat,youcanachievegreatthingsinlife.“I’msittingthere,anditwaslikeareligiousrevivalmeetingforme.Mysoul

swelled.IfeltlikeIwastheonlyguyintheroom,andhewasspeakingdirectlytome.Itwasthefirst timeanyoneinmylifehadsaid,‘Youcandosomethingwithyour life,nomatterwhoyouare,nomatterwhereyou’refrom.’Iboughtwhat he was selling, I went out the door, and I believed it, and I startedconsuminganyandallmotivationalmaterialIcouldgetmyhandson.ThinkandGrowRich by Napoleon Hill. For all the guys I know that have started withnothing, that book has probably led to more people becoming financiallyindependentthananyotherbook.“Ibecameacommittedself-studier inmotivationandsuccess for therestof

mylife.Books,seminars,workshops. Inmyparents’view, lifewasbasicallyaburden and challenge, to be survived at best. The stuff I was studying nowknockedmeoutofthatmentality.Asamatureadult,Inowseethatmuchofthisthinking, which is powerful and practical, is actually incomplete.” David hassincegivenhislifedeepermeaninganddirectionwithastrongpersonalfaith,asaChristian.“However, I reallydocredit these investments inmotivationalandself-helppsychologywithhelpingmerealizeIcouldachievewhatIwanted toachieve in life. It broke down some major mental barriers created in mychildhood.”(SeeSuccessSkill#5,oninvestinginyourownhumancapitalandearningpower.)David began learning the craft of sales, first in real estate, then in life

insurance sales. Soon he was earning upward of $100,000 per year, in histwenties,withnohighschooldiploma.Ifyougetgoodatsales,followingallthestepsIdescribeinthischapter,sixfiguresisabsolutelywithinyourreach.Salesisthemagicskillthatopensdoorsandfillsbankaccounts.However,David’s path to successwas not free and clear yet; he still had a

majorroadblock.“Asiscommonforsalesguys,”Davidsays,“Iwaslookingatthetopline,notthebottomline.”Hewasenjoyingthemoneythatwascomingin, living a high-rolling life, and not really paying attention towhere itwent.Soonhewasbankrupt.“Iwas twenty-nine,andIsaid, ‘OK,I’vegot togetmyact together.’That’s

whenIreadTheRichestManinBabylonbyGeorgeClason,aclassicbookonthe importance of financial discipline and savings. I had no system, I had noplanning, no structure, I was just this guy making money and spending it,figuringitwouldallworkoutintheend.Ihadnorealdiscipline.Ifigured,I’vegottogetsomeprocesshere,becauseIhadtoomuchmoneycomeandgoasayoungman.”His wife, Lise, read the book at the same time he did, and they started

institutingsomeverybasicprinciplesoutlinedinthatbook:saving10percentofall they earned, investing it for the future. That was the beginning of thetransformationtowardfinancialresponsibilityintheirlives.They’dsaveup,buyalittlerentalproperty.Thenthey’dsavetheincomefromthat,buyanotherone,exercise strict financial discipline, until theybuilt up tobuybigger properties.He now owns office buildings, retail centers, and a huge hockey arena in hiscommunity,employingaboutthirty-fivefull-andpart-timepeople.Hecurrentlyownsandmanagesaquarter-millionsquarefeetofcommercialrealestate.Eventually,withhisnewfoundwealth,Daviddecidedtocomefullcircle.He

spent $1.2million to buy a twenty-four-room boardinghouse in themiddle ofDowntown Eastside Vancouver, renovate it, and convert it into the Vivian,namedinhonorofhismother.TheVivianiswhat’sknownasa“minimumbarrier”environment.Thewomen

who live there have typically failed out of other rooming houses and shelters.Theybecomelocked inacycleof jails,psychiatricwards,and thestreets.TheaimoftheVivianistogetthemoutofthiscycle.(Seehttp://www.thedagroup.caforamovingvideoabouttheproject.)Davidsaysinthevideo,“Eventuallymymother’smentalillnessoverwhelmed

her,andshedigressedtoalifeonthestreets—alifeverymuchlikethelifethatthesewomenherelead.In1999shedied,alone,onthestreets,inHalifax,NovaScotia. These experiences tore us apart as a family.We loved her dearly, wewanted to help her, butwe couldn’t help her.Now that I have the capacity to

helpwomenlikeher,ofcourseI’mdeeplycommittedtodoingthat.”Davidismakingamassivepositiveimpactonthesewomen’slives—inmany

casessaving their lives—andhewouldnothavebeenable todo ithadhenotlearnedtheartofsalesatayoungage.Withsales,youcanachievejustaboutanythingyouwantinlife.Thetougher

thechallengeyouface,thebiggerthechangeyouwanttomake,thebettersalesskillsyou’llneedtodevelop!Whatimpactareyougoingtomakewithyournewfoundsalesskills?

■MARIJO’SSTORY

Ayoungsinglemotherofthreeinvestedalmostonefifthofherentireremainingsavingsinanurgentbidtoprovideabetterfutureforherchildren.Theinvestmentwas$0.25,outof$1.35remaininginhercheckingaccount.Itwas1965,andMarijohadbeenaskedtoleaveherCatholichighschooljust

aftersheturnedseventeen,hersenioryear,whenabumpstartedtoshowonherbelly.Shemarriedthefatherthatyear,andwentontobeastay-at-homemomofthreeforeightyears.Whensheturnedtwenty-five,Marijoandherhusbanddivorced,butherexdid

notkeepcurrentonhischildsupportpayments,payingasporadic$50hereand$20 there.Asaprevious full-timehomemaker,withoutahighschooldiploma,she had never held a paying job before. Her parents were shocked andembarrassedbyherbehavior.(“First,Catholicgirlsdon’tgetpregnantatsixteen.And second, if they do, they don’t get divorced,”Marijo explained.)Her twosisters,highschoolstudents,spentmostoftheirfreetimehelpingwiththekids.She was surviving. Still, her life savings were about to hit zero, and she

decidedtodosomethingaboutit,fast,soshecouldsupportherchildren.Marijo toldmewhathappenednext, aswe sipped tea in the comfort ofher

well-appointed living room.Theconversationwasenhancedby thesoundtrackof themast of her own sailboat clanging lazily in thebreeze, just beneathherliving room window, opening directly over the exclusive marina in the SanFranciscoBay,whichhouseshersailboat.

Itookaquarteroutoftheremainingmoneyinmycheckingaccount,gotontheLinChicago,andwentdowntown.Youcouldgetatransferandcomebackfortwenty-fivecents.Thatwasjustwithinmybudget....[Laughing.]Igotoff,andwalkedintothefirstdooroffthetrainstop.Ithappenedto

beacharterbuscompany.Iwalkedthroughtherowsofbusesinthegarage,into the office, and said, “I’d like to talk to the person who hiressalespeople.”Andtheguybehindthecountersaid,“Wedon’thaveanysalespeople.”“Well,howdoyougetcustomers?”Iasked.

“Theycallusup.”AndIsaid,perfectlyinnocently,likeitjustpoppedoutofmymouth,“So

that’swhytherearesomanybussesparkedinthegarage!”Hewastakenaback.Hedidn’tlaugh,forsure.Hedidn’tlikeit.Butthere

wassomethingaboutthatcommentthatrangtrue.Isaid,“OK,howaboutthis.Whydon’tyoumakealistofthetenpeople

youwishwouldcallyouup,whohavenevercalled.Yourdreamcustomers.IfIcanbringyouthreeofthemascustomers,willyouhireme?”He laughed, and he said, “Sure.” He wrote down the Chicago

Blackhawks,theBoardofEducation,askiclub,andsomeothernames.Thenextday,IcalledandfoundoutwhodoesfieldtripsfortheBoardof

Education.Itookanotherquarter,wentintotown,andmetwiththewoman.Itoldhermysobstory.Isaid,“Please,justonefieldtrip.Idon’tcarewhereitis,whatit’sfor.Ijustneedsomething.”Shesaid,“Oh,honey.”Shereachedoverherdesk,andhandedmeastack

of files,whichcontained field trips for thenextyear.Shegavemeordersforeverydayforliterallymonthstocome.My dad drove me to the Blackhawks office. I used my sob story

mercilessly, and I got an order. The ski club was easier. I just talked tosomeoneonthephone,andwithinaweekIhadagreementsfromallthree.Igotthejob.Seventy-fivedollarsaweek.Nocommissionatfirst.Iwas

terrifiedofcommission.I justwantedapaycheck.IknewifIgotseventydollars a week, I could live. That’s what I asked for, and he gave meseventy-five.InthethreeyearsIwasthereastheirfull-timesalesperson,theprofitof

each singleyear exceeded the revenues of theowner’s entire tenyears inbusinessbeforeIgotthere.Inmylastyearthere,IarrangedadealwhereIgotonedollar foreverykid that tooka tourIsold to theschools.Hadhekept his word, that year I would have made $300,000. This was in thesixties,sothatwaslike$2millionintoday’sdollars.Hesaid,“Youdon’treallyexpectmetogiveyouthatkindofmoney,do

you?”Ithinkhegavemea$10,000bonusorsomething.Iwassuchawimpthen.Iwasgrateful.WhenIwasreadytoleavethecompanyandmoveontonewthings,he

beggedme to stay.He offeredme 51 percent of the company if Iwouldstay.Isaidno.

MarijoFranklin gotmarried again.Her husband adoptedher three children,

andwithhimshehadafourthchild—BryanFranklin.Withherfinelydeveloped

sales skills, she took a job with the Chamber of Commerce, sellingmemberships.Soonshebecameoneofthetop-grossingrepresentatives,amongapoolofaroundeighthundredsalespeople.Withthatrecord,shedecidedtowalkinto thenationaloffice.“I introducedmyself to thevicepresidentofsalesandsaid,‘Ithinkthewayyou’reteachingpeoplehowtosellisreallywrong,andifyouwantedtogeteverybodytosellmore,Icouldhelpyouwiththat.”(Weneedto come up with a female-centric equivalent phrase to “massive balls”. . .Massiveovaries?She’sgot’em!)Shegot thejobdevelopingthenationalsalesteam.Thisis intheearly’70s,

whenwomenjustdidn’tdothatkindofthingincorporations.Onherfirstdayonthejob,ontheexecutivefloor,sheaskedwheretheladies’roomwas.Therewasno ladies’ room. (“We never thoughtwe’d need a ladies’ room on this floor,”someonesaidtoher.)Marijowentontoholdanumberofhigh-levelsalespositions,andtheninthe

earlyeightiesbecameoneofthefirstexecutivecoachesinthenation,pioneeringthe field. “At that time, when I said I was a ‘coach,’ people said, ‘Oh, whatteam?’” Most women in daily contact with high-level executives weresecretaries; certainly, most executives weren’t asking (or paying) women foradvice ! In the late eighties she founded the California Leadership Center(http://www.california-leadership.com), and has built long-term clientrelationships with some of themost powerful leaders in Silicon Valley. She’searnedmillionsofdollarsthroughouthercareer—andnowspendstimeteachingreal-world skills to at-risk youth and their parents, as part of a program shefoundedtohelpthemcreatefuturestheycan’tevenimagine.Oneofthemostpowerfulthingsaboutlearningsaleswell,asMarijodidwhen

she finally decided to take full responsibility for her young children, is that itknocks down nearly all traditional barriers around formal credentials,stereotypes, hiring protocols, and prejudices. Learn how to sell by creatingtrustingrelationships,andeverythingelsefallsintoplace.Thetoolsarereadilyavailabletoyou.Allyouneedisthewill.

SUCCESSSKILL#5

HOWTOINVESTFORSUCCESS

(TheArtofBootstrapping)

■FROMHOMELESSTOBILLIONAIRE

Atagetwenty-three,JohnPaulDeJoriafitwhateverstereotypesyoumighthaveabout peoplewho only have a high school diploma,with no college.Hewasearningverylittlemoney,hiswifehadjustlefthimandhistwo-and-a-half-year-old son,hehadbeenevicted fromhis apartment for lackofpayments, andhemovedwith his son into a borrowed car.He drove around at night, homeless,collectingsodapopbottlesfortherecyclingrewardof$.05forlargeand$.02forsmallbottles,justtogetbyanotherday.ButJohnPaulwasdeterminednottolethissonstarve.“Weweredownand

out,”hetoldoneinterviewer.“Ihadachildtofeed....Therewasn’tanytimeforpoorme.”1Fortunately,JohnPaulhadtwothingsgoingforhim:astrongworkethicanda

street-smarteducationinhowtogetonhisfeetafterbeingknockeddown—oftenliterally.Hehadreceivedthiseducationthankstohishardscrabbleupbringingonthestreets.Hisimmigrantparentsdivorcedwhenhewastwo,andhewasraisedbyhissinglemotherinthebarriosofEchoParkandEastLA.Hebrieflyflirtedwithganglifeinthebarrio,butsoonhedecidedtostayontherightsideofthelaw.Hewascertainlynotafavoritewithhisteachers,however.Whenateachercaughthimpassingnoteswithafriend,shecastigatedtheminfrontoftheclass:“These two people will never, ever succeed at anything in life.”2 (His note-passing friend,MichelleGilliam, laterMichellePhillips,went on tobecomeafoundingmemberoftheMamasandthePapas,whichhassoldover100millioncopiesofitsalbums,andshestarredintheTVshowKnotsLanding.)But,inthisrough-and-tumblelife,onethingJohnPaullearnedfromayoung

agewashowtohustleandgeneratecashforhimself.“MybrotherandIstartedsellingChristmascardsandnewspaperswhenIwasnineyearsold.I’dgetupatfour-thirty in the morning with my brother, to fold and deliver papers everymorningjustsowecouldlivealittlebetter,”hetoldaninterviewer.3Nowa single,homeless father, JohnPauldrewon this reserveof ingenuity,

resourcefulness,andenterprise—gainedonthestreetsasakid—topullhimselfupbyhisbootstrapsandprovideforhisson.“I had probably ten different jobs during that period,” John Paul told me.

“Everythingfromsellinginsurance—IworkedforConnecticutGeneralandJohnHancockboth.Idrovealinentruckaround.MyGod,IworkedforDictaphone!IworkedforA.B.Dick,whichisaphotocopycompany.IendedupworkingforTimeasacirculationmanager,attwenty-six.”Thingshad stabilized to a certaindegree for JohnPaul andhis son,but life

wasn’t rosyyet.Theywere living inabiker friend’shouse,eatingavery leandiet. “We lived on a very simple diet of rice, potatoes, lettuce, cereal, cannedsoup,andmacaroniandcheese,butwemanaged.”4However,JohnPaultoldme,atacertainpointhebegantohungerforabetter

future for himself and his son. “I asked my boss what it takes to be a vicepresident,andhesaid,‘Well,youaretwenty-sixyearsold,youareahighschoolgraduate, but no college. Come back and ask me in ten years when you arearoundthirty-five.’Ithought,‘Idon’twanttodothiswhenIamthirty-fiveyearsold.’”A friend connected John Paul to a job in sales in the hair care products

industry. He had developed sales skills during a brief period sellingencyclopediasdoor-to-door(longbeforetheageofWikipedia!).“It’soneofthegreatestexperiencesofalifetime.Itteachesyouhowtoovercomerejection.Nomatterwhatyoudo,whetherit’saservice,whetherit’saproduct,whetheryouworkforsomeoneelse—youneedtohavesomekindofexperiencewhereyoulearntoovercomerejectionanddon’tletitgetyoudown.Basically,youknockonahundreddoorsandtheyallturnyouaway.Well,doornumberonehundredandone,youarejustasenthusiasticasyouwereondoornumberone.Thatwasagreatexperience.”JohnPaulandafriendnamedPaulMitchell,ahairdresser,hadanideatostart

ahairproductscompany.Theythoughttheyhadabacker,butwhenthebackerchanged his mind, John Paul asked Paul what he could spare. Paul Mitchellcameupwith$350,andJohnPaulmatchedit.With$700,theystartedJohnPaulMitchellSystemshaircareproducts(http://www.paulmitchell.com).Theduo focusedon two things: creatingagreatproduct and selling itwell.

“You don’t want to be in the order business. You want to be in the reorderbusiness.Bigdifference.Mygoalwasnot to sell something to somebody.Mygoalwastosellsomethingthatwassogood,theywanttoreorderitagain.Andthat’stheideathatwecameupwith,”JohnPaultoldme.Theyspent their$700ondesigning thebottles in thecompany’snow-iconic

black-and-white—because it was cheaper to print than color. The rest of thematerials were purchased on thirty-day terms, which gave them a very shortwindow to make the company work. John Paul and Paul believed in theirproducts and—using John Paul’s sales skills—hustled the hell out of them. “I

went knocking on doors, beauty salon doors, door-to-door selling our productandPauldid the same thingoff the stagewhenhedidbeauty shows.Andwekindofworkedtogetherasgrassrootson....[F]inallywhenthebillwasdue...[w]edidn’thaveenoughtopaythebill,soitwas,‘Thecheck’sinthemail.’Fivedays later, we had just enough to pay the bill.”5 John Paul toldme, “No onewantedtoinvestinus.Butoncewewereunderway,itdidgroworganically.Ittookusabouttwoyearstopayourbillsontimeandhavetwothousanddollarsleft in thebank formypartnerandme. Initially, that’showweknewweweresuccessful at John Paul Mitchell Systems.” The company kept growingorganically, and growing, and growing. It now does over a billion dollars inannualsales,itsproductsaresoldinoveronehundredthousandsalonsinnearlyahundreddifferentcountries,andthecompanyemploysthousandsofpeople.JohnPaulMitchell,nowabillionaire,hassincediversifiedintomanydifferent

businesses,includingPatrón,nowtheworld’stop-sellingbrandofultra-premiumtequila (andoneofmyownfavorite libations).Hedevotesa lotofhis time tophilanthropy.HisfavoritecharitiestendtofocusonprovidingfoodandsheltertoimpoverishedpeopleintheUnitedStatesandaroundtheglobe,includingAfricaandThailand.But,unlikemostwealthypeoplewhodonatetohelpfeedandhousethepoor,

JohnPaulisoneofthefewwhohashimselfbeenhomeless,andonthebrinkofstarvation,barelyabletoprovideforhissonatthattime.Fortunatelyforhim,hisfamily,hiscustomers,his thousandsofemployees,andall thepeoplehehelpsaroundtheworld,JohnPaul learnedintheschoolofhardknocksanimportantskill:howtopullhimselfupbyhisbootstraps.Thisisthetopicofthischapter.

■THEFINANCIALLIFEOFACOLLEGEDROPOUTVERSUSANIVYLEAGUEGRAD—MY

WIFEVERSUSME

Matingwisdom of times past—and still proffered by somewith oldfashionedvalues today—holds that a woman should have slightly less educationalattainmentthanthemanshemarries,andcertainlylesswealth.In theeducationdepartment,mywifeand I followed the traditional script. I

obtainedoneof thefinestandmosteliteprivatecollegeeducationsmoneycanbuy.Mywife,Jena,droppedoutofcollegeduringherjunioryear.Intermsofwealth,however...well,knowingthisbook,youcanguesswhat’s

comingnext.Mywife’s networth is roughly $500,000. In turn—while I’m proud of the

earningsgrowthI’veachievedoverthelastfouryears—Ihaveonlyrecentlydugmyself out of the debt I accumulated during my profligate and underearningtwenties.Howdoesacollegedropoutamassanetworthof$500,000bythetimeshe’s

thirty-two?Ithastodowithhowsheinvested.No, I amnot going to tell you some amazing trading secret ormagic stock

portfolio—because that’s not how she did it. She did it by investing—andcontinually reinvesting—her time and money into her own earning power, astrategy I call Bootstrapping Your Own Education and Success. (I’ll explainmuchmoreabouttheterm“bootstrapping”shortly.)Let’slookintothisstoryinmoredetailbecauseitcontainscluestooneofthe

most important courses you’ll ever take in your life: how to invest your time,money,andotherresourcesforsuccess.Thisisoneofthekeysecretsthathaveallowedalltheself-educatedpeopleIinterviewinthisbook,includingJohnPaulandJena,tobecomesuccessful.In 2001, at the age of twenty-two, Jenawas living near an ashram in Pune,India, and studying yoga there. She had dropped out of college three years

earlier,duringherjunioryear,tofollowapassionforyoga.Shehadbeenlivingin India for theprevious twoyears, travelingaroundon$6,000 shehad savedfrom teachingEnglish inMartinique for ninemonths right after dropping out.Shehadbeenvisitingashramsandmeditationcenters,andevenlivedinnatureforsixmonths,barefoot.Shelivedinhammocks,intents,evenincaves.Sofar,thisdoesnotsoundlikethestoryofawomanwhowasabouttoamass

halfamilliondollarsofnetworthoverthenextdecade.Atacertainpoint,however,Jenawokeuptoherfinancialsituation.Shehad

beenlivingasamoreorlesspennilessnomadicspiritualseekerinIndia,andsherealized that—while this was cool for her early twenties—the penniless partwasn’t going to stay cool for much longer. (I also spent my early twentiespursuingexistentialratherthanfinancialrewards,beforeIrealizedthatthepiperhad to be paid. Big difference between Jena and me, though: she wised upfinanciallyinherearlytwenties,whereasIremainedinmystateofdenialaboutmoneythroughouttherestofmytwenties.)“Iwas very scared,” she says. “I remember,many times in India, thinking,

‘OhmyGod, I’vegottenmyselfcompletelyoutof thesystem.’ Itwas like thetruism ofwomenwho give up their careers for the kids, and then the fear is,everyyear,they’rethatmuchlessemployable,thatmuchmoreoutofthesystemofmoneyandcareer.Inthatspirit,IwasconcernedthatIwasscrewingmyselfintermsofmycareer.”OneofJena’sneighborsinPune,whowasvisitingfromNewYork,frequently

smelled the food Jena was cooking, and they struck up a friendship, sharingmanymealstogether.It turnedout that thisman, JoshuaRosenthal, rananutrition school inNew

York called the Institute for Integrative Nutrition(http://www.integrativenutrition.com), licensed by New York State as avocationalschooltotrainpeopletobecomehealthcoaches.Joshua said to her at one point, “Jena, I see how passionate you are about

goodfood.Youshouldcome tomyschool inNewYork.”Sensingher time inIndiawascomplete,Jenadecidedthiswastheperfectnextstepinher journey.SheflewtoNewYorkatagetwenty-three,landingonemonthafter9/11.Jena’sfamilyandfriendsthoughtshewascrazytravelingtoNewYorkatthattime,butshewasdeterminedtomakeachangeinherlife.ShestayedinitiallywithherauntinJamaica,Queens.Aseriousviolinistsince

shewasalittlegirl,Jenasupportedherselfinthoseearlydaysbyplayingviolinfortipsduringherhour-longtripeachwayintoManhattanandback.She’dmake$50duringeachdirectioninrushhour.Jenagotherfirsthealth-coachingclientwhileplayingviolininthesubway.A

manwalkedup toher,askedher if shewasastudent,andshe repliedyes.Heaskedherwhatshewasstudying.Whenshesaid,“I’mstudying tobeahealthcoach,”hesaid,“Ineedtobeyourclient!”(What is a health coach?They are like personal trainers for healthy eating.

They provide a level of week-to-week, even day-today, attention andencouragement to eat healthier food andmake other healthy lifestyle changes;suchattentionandencouragementwouldbeprohibitivelyexpensivefordoctorstoprovide.)With her certification from IIN (and no college degree), Jena began seeing

clientsfirstincafésandinherlivingroom.Asherpracticegrew,herratesbegantogoup, first from$97permonthof coaching, to $150, to $200, to $250, to$300andup.Withintwoyears,herpracticehadexpandedtothepointwhereshewasrentingaprivateofficenearUnionSquarethreedaysaweek.“Myworkethicwas in fulldrive.Mygoal initiallywas tohave tenbillable

hourseachofthoseofficedays, thirtyhoursaweektotal,atanaverageofonehundreddollars per hour. I didhealth coaching andprivate yoga instruction. Ifound clients through networking on my off days and weekends, throughmorningBusinessNetworkInternationalmeetingsthatstartedatseven-fifteeninthe morning, by doing little lectures here and there, on Craigslist, and onQuentin’sFriends.”(Michael’s note to readers: Quentin’s Friends,

http://www.quentinsfriends.com, is one of the best personal and professionalnetworkingresourcesIknowof.I’vebeenanavidmembersince2003.Iamnotpersonally involvedwithBusinessNetwork International, http://www.bni.com,but italsohasanexcellentreputation,withchaptersworldwide.Theseare twoexamples of themany low-costways now available to increase your businessnetwork. High-quality business networking is no longer only for graduates ofexpensivealmamaters.)As a result of all this hard work, Jena was bringing in about $3,000 in

revenues per week, with business expenses of only the $1,500monthly roomrental.Herannualnetbeforetaxes,then,wasaround$130,000.Ihaveseenthisagainandagainandagain.Ifyoucanhelpsomeoneachieve

something that is valuable to them, such as losing weight, having a healthierrelationship, meeting a life partner, expanding their business—or many othervaluable things you can learn from life experience and self-study rather thanfrom an academic degree—and if you’re willing to learn some high-integritymarketing and sales around your skill set (see Success Skills #3 and #4), it’sreallynotoutofreachtoearn$100,000peryear.Itjustisn’t.Jenawasmarried, at that time, to a self-educated circus arts performer and

entrepreneur she met in New York who had started an extremely successfulaerialartsschoolinBrooklyn.Hebeganearningsixfiguresaswellduringtheirmarriage. But the two both had a voracious instinct for bootstrapping theirbusinessesandkeepingpersonalcostslow.(Bootstrappingisaconceptcrucialtothisbook,whichwe’llbe learninga lotmoreabout in thischapter. It involveskeeping costs low while you generate revenue.) They once split a tinywindowless room in a shared apartment in Brooklyn, for $275 each. “Beingconsumerswasn’tourfocus,itwasbeingcreators.”EarningsixfiguresandlivingextremelyfrugallymeantJenahadalotofcash

left over eachmonth.After a brief but serious scare in her businesswhen the2008recessionfirsthit,shediscoveredthepowerofmarketingandsalestogetherincomebackontrack.(ItellthisstoryinSuccessSkill#3,onhowtolearnmarketing.)Atthatpoint,shebeganplowinghersavingsheavily,notintostocksandreal

estate,butintolearninghowtoincreaseherownearningpower.SheinvestedinstudyingwithallthemarketingandsalesteachersImentionedinSuccessSkills#3and#4.Andthatiswhenherownearnings—andnetworth—tookoff.After the initialscare in2008,during theworst recession inageneration, in

2009–10,whileeveryoneelsewasrunningforcover,sheexpandedherbusinessbycloseto30percent.(Thisshowsthepoweroflearningtheskillsforsuccess.)She clocked over $230,000 in sales in her private coaching, group coachingprograms,teleseminarseries,andvirtualprogramsin2010—andthispartofherbusinesshasalmostnooverhead.ThevastmajorityofcollegegraduateswouldenvythepositioninlifeJenahas

createdforherself throughherhardworkandself-study:earninggreatmoneyona flexibleschedule,whilemakingapositive impactonmanypeople’s livesandbeingabletotreattherecessionasanafterthought.So, in sum,howdidJenaamassa formidablenetworthduringher twenties

withoutacollegeeducation,whileIamassedaformidableIvyLeagueeducationduringmytwentieswithoutmuchnetworth?Theanswerissimple.Jenabootstrappedhereducationandherearningpower.

Ididn’t.Bootstrappingisaconceptcentraltothethemesinthisbook.Intheworldof

business, it’s a strategy that involves getting to the point of profitability asquickly as possible—even if the profits are small—and then continuallyreinvesting profits to fuel growth. This is how John Paul DeJoria, Jena, andnearly all the otherswe’vemet so far in this book, includingBryan Franklin,Anthony Sandberg, Elliott Bisnow, Eben Pagan, Frank Kern, David Ash, andMarijo Franklin, built their initial success. In order to take this tack, the

emphasisfromtheget-gohastobeonfrugalityandongeneratingrevenuerightaway. It derives its name from the phrase “pulling yourself up by your ownbootstraps.”And, while the concept of bootstrapping is usually applied to business

strategy,itcanalsobeappliedtoyourownlife.That’swheretherealrelevanceto this book comes in.You can bootstrap your own education (including yourcontinuingandprofessionaleducationasanadult),andyoucanbootstrapyourpersonal investments of time andmoney in your own career, just as you canbootstrapabusiness.The essence of bootstrapping is keeping expenses low, generating income

rightaway(evenif it’s justa littlebit),andcontinuallyreinvestingasmuchofthatincomeaseffectivelyaspossibleintoexpandingyourfutureincome.Jena was a model bootstrapper from the start. She had a strong cash-

generation ethic from a young age. (I call it a “cash-generation ethic,” ratherthana“workethic,”becausemanypeoplehaveaworkethicwhiletoilingawayat low-leverage jobs, thus not generating much cash.) She started working apaperrouteattwelve,thenataseriesofretailandwaiterjobsstartingatfifteen.She began supporting herself fully (including rent and food) at eighteen, anddeveloped a formidable penchant for frugality, for savings, and for alwayskeeping her net worth positive and growing, from a young age. She got hereducation inexpensively, through life experiences (you learn a lot travelingthroughIndiafortwoyearson$6,000youearnedyourself)andthroughlow-costvocationaltraining.In her early twenties, with no college debt, she busted ass networking and

prospecting, got thirty client-hours a week as a freelance yoga instructor andholistic health coach at $100/hour, kept business expensesvery low, and livedfrugally,cookingherownfood,paying$275amonthinrentforasharedroominNewYorkCity,andchoosing to take thebuildingupofherbusinessashermain form of recreation, over passive consumption. She was often saving$40,000ayearormore,themajorityofhernetincome,yearafteryear—whichismorethanmanypeoplewith$500,000ormoreof incomesave.Youstart tobuild up a significant nut pretty quickly if you keep doing that.Around threeyearsagoshethenbeganinvestingthosesavingsinhigh-qualitybusiness,sales,andmarketing trainings thatshehadstrongreason tobelievewould lead toanimmediateincreaseinherincome.Andtheydid.Voilà.To get a better sense ofwhat bootstrapping your own continuing education

and personal investmentsmightmean for you going forward, let’s look at theoppositeofbootstrapping—lotsofup-frontexpendituresanddebt,withlittleup-frontincomegeneration.ThisishowagreatdealofAmericans“invest”intheir

human capital, and it’s how I myself lived during my twenties. Rather thanbootstrapping,itmightbecalled“chargingthebootsoncreditcard.”Hey, I’ve got an investment opportunity for you. It’s going to require aninvestmentofabout$45,000to$200,000onyourpartoverseveralyears.Givenyour current finances, you’re going to need to borrow a large part of thatamount, that is, investonmargin,but that’sOK, theratesarepretty low. (Onething you should know, though, is that if the investment goes under, you’repersonallyonthehookforthatmoney,untilyoupayitdown,fortherestofyourlife.Thereisnowaytodischargethedebtinbankruptcy,andyourfuturewagesandsocialsecuritybenefitscouldbegarnishedifyoucan’tpay.)The business I’d like you to invest in is, well, sort of in the

exploratory/developmentphase. Itdoesn’t reallyknowwhatbusiness it’s in, tobefrank,orwhatproductorserviceitsells.Infact, itmaynotevenknowthatforafewyears.Thechiefexecutiveinthebusinessmayhavetomovebackinwith her parents at some point during this time—before she figures out thebusiness’smission,revenuemodel,orcorecompetency.(Oh,andbytheway,theCEO is quite immature. She is often irresponsible and from time to timebecomesdistractedbysideprojects,likepartying.)The business you’re about to invest in has absolutely no knowledge or

experience in sales ormarketing. It doesn’t even really knowhow to keep itsownbooksorbalanceabudget,andoftenrunsupalotofcreditcarddebt.It’snotevensureitwantstobeabusiness;theCEOmaywanttostartanonprofit,pursueapassioninacting,orgohelporphansinBotswana.Thechiefexecutivehasnobusinessnetworkorcontacts tospeakof,and infacthasnoexperiencewhatsoeverrunningabusiness.Wannainvest?Unfortunately, this is precisely the way many people in America go about

investing in themselves today. It’s the opposite of bootstrapping. It’s high-expenditure,high-debtupfrontnow,andrevenue(ifatall)muchlater.Thinkaboutit.Mostinvestmentsinhumancapital(i.e.,education)aremade

four,five,orevensevenyearsbeforethe“business”beinginvestedin(you)willproduceanyadditionalrevenuefromtheinvestmentincapital.Fromabootstrapper’sperspective, that’san incrediblyfoolish investment. If

youwanttotakethebootstrappingapproachtoself-investmentanddevelopmentofyourhumancapital—thewaythepeopleinthisbookdid—thewaytodoitisincrementally,step-by-step.Make small, incremental investments in your human capital and earning

power.BuysomeofthebooksIrecommend.Takeworkshopsoronlinetrainingprogramstolearndifferentsuccessskills.Investinyournetworkofconnectionsand mentors by going to high-quality conferences, workshops, expos, tradeshows,meetups,andretreatsrelatedtoyourfieldandtothesuccessskillsinthisbook. Find a high-quality business or career coach. Then, when theseinvestments pay off in a year or two, use the increased earnings from theseinvestments tomakeevenmoreinvestments inyourearningpowerandhumancapital,againandagain,inasnowballeffect.ThisishowmostofthepeopleIinterviewedinthisbookwentfrom“ragsto

riches.”It’sanapproachtoinvestinginyourhumancapitalsodifferentfromtheapproach most people take. Which is why they get such different—and farsuperior—resultsthanmostpeopleget.

■CYANBANISTER—BOOTSTRAPPINGYOUREDUCATION

WARNING!Donotdothisfromyourworkcomputer:Whenyouareathome,gototheWebandtypeinhttp://www.zivity.com.There, you will find the world’s first Web 2.0 adult photography social

networkdevotedtoappreciatingthenudefemaleforminarespectfulway.Don’tworry, it’s all very tasteful; it was started by a classy woman named CyanBanister, whom we’ll meet in a moment, and it’s designed to be friendly towomen, both as models and as users of the site. Dubbed as “Playboy meetsMySpacemeetsAmericanIdol,”Zivityallowspaidsubscriberstovoteontheirfavoritemodels,whogeta largeshareofproceeds.Theemphasis isonartisticvalues, respectful interaction between fans and models, and elegant self-expressionratherthansleazyexploitation.Howdoesonestartaworld-famoussocialnetworkforadultthemedart?Not

byfollowing the traditionaleducationalandcareerpathsprescribedbysociety,tobesure.CyanBanister,whohappenstobefivedaysolderthanI,droppedoutofhigh

school inFlagstaff,Arizona, at age sixteen. “Mygrandfather toldme I’d be ahugefailureifIdidn’tgotocollege.MymotherwasveryconcernedthatI’dliveinaDumpsterinFlagstaff.”ButCyanneverlivedinaDumpster.Shehadalreadymovedoutofherhome

at fifteen, and has supported herself fully and comfortably since that time. “Ifigured thatmost ofwhat Iwanted to accomplish in life startedwith a job. Ididn’t know exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew that it all started withgettinginthereandworking.Myfirstjob,Istartedinretailandfoodservice.Ifiguredout pretty quickly, in a periodof threeyears, thatmy futurewasn’t inretailor foodservice. [Laughing.]ThenI starteddoingconstructionwork,andfiguredoutthatthat’salsonotwhatIwantedtodo.“AfriendofminethatImetatacoffeeshopgotalaptop,andshowedittome

onedayoveracupofcoffee.IknewinstantlythatthatwaswhatIwantedtodo.Itwaslikeabitflip.Itwasover.Thatwasmycalling;thatwaswhatIhadtodo.

Nothingelsematteredtomeatthatpoint.“I started reading books, going out to coffee shops and hanging out with

peoplewhowereintocomputers.IgotajobatanISP[Internetserviceprovider]doing dial-up tech support, and slowly worked my way up to a sysadmin[systemsadministrator],workedmywayuptoamanager,andjustcontinuedonthatpathforatleasttenyears.”(Fortipsonhowtoworkyourwayupacareerladderwithinacompany,readSuccessSkill#7.)WhileCyanwasnotgainingaformaleducationduringallofthistime,it’sa

huge mistake to say she wasn’t gaining any education. She was obviouslylearning a lot during this whole period—and a lot of it was more useful andultimately more lucrative than anything she would have learned in a formalenvironment. She was defining and learning about what her passions andinterestswere,tryingoutdifferentcareerpathstoseewhatsuitedher(aloteasierto dowhenyoudon’t have student debt yet), learning about computers, abouthowtodojobinterviews,abouthowtoworkherwayupacorporatehierarchyandplayofficepolitics,abouthowtoleadandmanageothers.One of the key things she was also learning—and this is crucial to our

discussion—washowtosupportherself,tomanageherfinances,andthesimpledetailsoflivinginsocietyasaselfsupporting,independentadult.“WhenIfirstbeganlivingonmyownandsupportingmyselfatagefifteen,I

spent a lot ofmy time figuring out things like, ‘Who takes your trash away?’‘Howdoyougetelectricity?’Ihadmyelectricityshutoff,mytrashwaspilingupoutside. I couldn’t figureouthow these thingsworked. Ihad togoaskmyneighbor:‘OK,soI’venoticedyourtrashdisappears,butminestays.What’sthedealwiththat?’Andshesaid,‘Well,youkindofhavetopaythecity...’AndIwas like, ‘Really? You have to pay people to take away trash!?’ The wholelearning process of how to live life as an adult, they don’t teach you that inschool.Therewasnothinginschoolthattaughtmehowtopaybills,howtobearesponsible adult. Iwas learning that stuff at sixteen.My friendswhowent tocollegestartedlearningthatstuffattwenty-two,ifthen.”In an agewhen 40 percent ofAmerican twentysomethingsmove backwith

their parents at least once, this is somethingmany people in our society nowdon’tbeginlearninginearnestuntiltheirearlythirties.Byhavinglearnedhowtosupportherselfintherealworld,Cyanboughtherselfacrucialingredientforinvestinginherowncareersuccessandearningpower:abufferthatallowedhertoexperimentwithentrepreneurialcareerpaths,withouthavingtoworryabout“livinginDumpsters.”Mostsignificantlyforherlaterlifetrajectory,duringthistimeCyanwasalso

learning a great deal about starting her ownbusiness, andmadequite a bit of

money on the side, beyond her day jobs. “Sometime in between all of this, Istartedmyfirstbusiness.ItwasaT-shirtcompany.Eventhoughmypathinlifewas not to become a T-shirt maker, that venture got me exposed to ideas ofentrepreneurialism. That was my first time learning about distribution,marketing,sales.Iwasnineteenyearsold.ThiswasbeforeitwouldhavebeenpossibletosellontheInternet,somostofmysaleswerelocal.ButIgottothepoint where I had to buy my own printing press, with friends. It was wildlyprofitable.”WhileCyandidlaterstartaventure,Zivity,whichreceivedventurefunding,

herstorybeforethatpointisaperfectexampleofwhatIcall“bootstrappingyoureducation.” Bootstrapping your education involves getting on solid footingfinancially, and then making incremental investments in your earning power,overtime,outofthecashflow—soyou’reconstantlylearningandnevergoingintodebt.Here are some key points that all the people featured in this book, who

bootstrapped their own self-education and self-investment as Cyan did,addressedearlyonintheirlives:

Assumingyouwanttoearnmorethanyoucurrentlydo,willitbeinthesamefieldthatyou’recurrentlyworkingin,orinanewfield?Ifyouwanttoearnmoreinthesamefieldthatyou’recurrentlyworkingin,aretherewaysyoucaninexpensivelylearnabouthowtomarketandsellmore effectively within this field? (Learning more about effectivemarketingandsalesastheyapplytotheorganizations/fieldsyouworkinisalmostalwaysthebestandfastestwaytoearnmoremoneyinyourcareer.SeeSuccessSkills#3and#4.)Ifyouwanttoearnmoremoneyinadifferentfieldorindustrythanyoucurrentlyworkin,howcanyougaintheexperienceyouneedinyournewchosenfieldwithoutabandoningyourcurrentcashflow?Perhapsyoucouldlearn at night or on weekends, or start small and moonlight in the newbusiness.Perhapsyoucan“learnwhileyouearn”insomeway.Maybeyoucanfindpeopleouttherewhoarealreadysuccessfulinthatfield,whocanmentor you for free, or with whom you can apprentice for free. (SeeSuccessSkill#2onfindingamentor.)What are your specific life goals and dreams? (See Success Skill #1.)Figure out themost laser-targeted, lean, focused, efficient, cost-effective,well-researchededucationalinvestmentsyoucouldmaketoputyourselfonthepathofreachingthosegoalsanddreams.(Myguessis,unlessyouwanttogointoatraditionalprofession,whichrequiresaformalcredential,such

investmentsprobablylieoutsideofformalacademicinstitutionsandinsteadwillinvolveself-education.) If you wanted to get the education you needed to reach your dreamswithoutgoingintodebt,whatwouldyoudo?Thepoint isnot thatdebt isalwaysbad—it’s that thedecisionsyoumakewhenyou’re spendingyourownhard-earnedmoneynow,ratherthanspending“playmoney”oncredit,tend to be more realistic, focused, and reasoned, and less risky andspeculative.

■PHILLIPRUFFIN—BOOTSTRAPPINGYOURCAPITAL

PhillipRuffin’sfirstpaidemploymentafterdroppingoutofcollege—onhiswaytobecomingabillionaire—involvedrepossessingapetmonkey.In the fifties,Ruffin toldme,“Ibeganworkingasanassistantmanagerata

department store.Which means you work for a buck an hour, for a hundredhoursperweek.Theyhadapetstoreinsidethestore:birds,monkeys.Irealizedmylifehad tochange,whenIgot theassignment to repossessamonkey.Thisguy had bought a monkey on credit, and he owed twenty-nine dollars orsomething. I had to go to the house.The kidswere crying as I picked up themonkeyandtookhimbacktothestore;themonkeybitmeonthewayback,butIhadgloveson.Idecided,‘Ireallydon’tlikethisjob—Ihavetodosomethingdifferent.’”DuringhisfirstyearatWashburnUniversityinTopeka,Kansas,afewyears

earlier,Ruffinhadstartedahamburgerstand,tohelppayhistuition.Prettysoonthe standwasmaking solidmoney. “So Iput the secondhamburger stand in,”Ruffin toldme, “and I kind of forgot about college for a little bit.” He soondroppedoutofWashburntofocusongrowingthehamburgerchain.(Thiswasinthemid-fifties, right around the timeRayKroc, ahigh schooldropout, startedbuildingahamburgerfranchisecalledMcDonald’s.)Ruffincontinuedtobuildthechainup,andsoonsoldhisinterestfor$29,000,

which in1955wasaround$230,000 in today’sdollars.“I immediately lostallthemoneyinanoildeal,”hetoldme.Sohetookthejobastheassistantmanager—acareerhedidn’tstayinmuchlongerafterthemonkeybite.“Istartedback incollegeatWichitaStateUniversity. Istudiedbusinessand

didn’tlikeit.Itwasnotinterestingtome.Icouldn’tconcentrate.Theprofessorkepttellingmeallthisabstractstuffabouteconomics,butitwasclearhe’dneverbuilt a business up from the ground as I already had. I kept thinking aboutbusiness.Iwenttwoyearsthereandquit.“I found a little convenience store. It was called 11-to-11 Market. I had

managedtoscrapeupfifteenhundreddollars.Iborrowedthebalancefromthe

bank. Iworked fromnine in themorning tomidnight everyday, sevendaysaweekmyself. I started expanding in the convenience store business—thiswaswhenpeopledidn’tevenknowwhatconveniencestoreswere.Iputoneinandanotherandanother.“In 1968, we put our first self-service gasoline station in Blackwell,

Oklahoma. We were pioneers in self-service gasoline. It was a very goodbusiness for a long time.Weweremaking a lot ofmoney. In themeantime, Ibought a bank, some shopping centers, stripmall centers.Wewere financingmostly through profit, plus bank loans. I purchased a lot of real estate. Ipurchasedadairy,whichsuppliedmilktomystores.In1987,IbuiltaWichitaMarriott, my first entry into the hotel business.We started picking up a fewhotelshereandthere.”AtthispointinRuffin’sstory,Ihadtoaskhim:“Itseemslikeeverythingyou

touchturnstoprofit.Youjustbuyabusiness,profitfromit,buysomemore,andtheydowell.What’syoursecret?”Hereplied,inclassicbootstrapperform:“Wewatchedourpenniesanddidn’t

doanythingextravagant.Thesewererealbusinesses,earningrealdollars,notabunchof riskyhype. Itwas a lotofwork.Wewereworking twelve, fourteen,fifteenhoursaday.“Wereinvestedprofits,plusborrowedmoneyfromthebanks,andpaidthem

back and then expanded to more hotels and stores. That’s just the way weoperated.Weneverhadalotofdebt.”Aftermanymorehoteldeals,andadeal to leaseouthisconveniencestores,

whichnettedhim$2.2millionincasheachyear,RuffinheardthattheFrontierhotelontheVegasStrip—thesecondhoteleverontheStrip,builtin1942—wasfor sale. But no one was buying. “The reason no one would buy it was thelongestunionstrikeinhistory—sixandahalfyears.NobodyinVegaswantedtobuyitbecausetheyhadunionproblemsoftheirown.ButIwasn’tinVegas.AllIdidwasmeetwiththepresidentoftheunion,andwecutadeal.Ofcourse,thedealcostmoney.Wehadtobringbackthoseemployeesthathadbeenlaidoffforsixandahalfyears.Everybodytriedtosolvetheproblem,evenCongresstriedtosolvetheproblem.Itjusttookmoney.Wehadtobringthepeoplebackin,paythembackwages,andgivethemseniority.Ididn’tbuythehoteluntilafterIhadthemeeting.Wesolveditbeforeweboughtit.Oncethestrikersweregone,theFrontierdidmorebusiness.Peopledidn’twanttowalkthroughthoselines.Thatiswhatgavemetheopportunitytofixit.“In2007,El-AdoutofNewYorkofferedme$1.2billion,whichisthehighest

per-square-footoffereverinVegas.Sofromnothing,toabillion.That’showithappened.Whentheywiredthatmoneyintomybank,BankofAmerica,Idon’t

thinkthey’deverseenthatkindofawireintoaprivateaccountbefore.”Forawhile,Ruffinjustwatchedhisbillion-plusincashsitthereandgrow.In

aproblemmanypeople—includingmostcollegegraduates—wouldliketohave,he got bored of this. “Frankly, we didn’t know what the hell to do with themoney.I’dneverbeenabigbuyerofstocks.Idon’tliketoinvestinotherguys’businesses.Youknowwhattheydo—theyhavebigbonuses,theyhaveallkindsofstockoptionsforthemselves.Wesatonthatmoneyforawhile.Ididn’tlikejust sitting on money. That kind of money will make you very good money.Eighty-ninemillionayear,wedid.ButIdidn’t likethebusiness.Ididn’tevencareaboutgoing towork. I just sat thereandwatched thescreen,watched themoneycomein.”Ruffin soon found himself back in the action. “A friend of mine said he

thoughtMGMmight be having some cash problems andmightwant to sell aproperty.IhadalwayslookedatTreasureIsland.OnceIhearditwasforsale,IgotameetingwithKirkKerkorian,”Ruffintoldme.(KerkorianisanotherfamousLasVegascasinomagnatebillionaire.Kerkorian

droppedoutofeighthgrade,becameanamateurboxer,thengotapilot’slicense.At the outbreak ofWorldWar II, he started flying combat aircraft across theAtlantic fordelivery to theBritishRoyalAirForce.Thiswasextremely risky,becausetheaircraftbarelyhadenoughfuelcapacitytoflytheselongflights.Helater went into the airline business, and then the hotel business, becoming amultibillionaire.)“Hesaidhewasat$850million,”Ruffintoldme.“Ofcourse,Iwassittingon

thatcash.Isaid,‘Well,I’mat$700million.’Hesaidno.Isaid,‘Let’ssplitthedifference,750.’Hesaid,‘That’snotsplittingthedifference,775is!’Weendedupshakinghandsat750.”IpaidformyfewnightsinRuffin’slovelyTreasureIslandHotelandCasino

(http://www.treasureisland.com),whenIflewintotowntointerviewhim,toseethefruitsofhislaborfirsthand.Ruffin,whoonceworkedrepossessingmonkeysasacollegedropout,nowownsthesprawlinghotelandentertainmentcomplex.A fewweeks before I arrived there, another non–college graduate billionaire,Guy Laliberté, was there, celebrating the record-breaking eight thousandthperformanceofMystère,thefirstVegasproductionputonbyLaliberté’sCirqueduSoleil;theshowisonpermanentresidenceatTreasureIsland.Ruffin enjoys a long-standing spot on the Forbes 400, with a net worth of

severalbillion.HeishappilymarriedtoformerMissUkraine,modelOleksandraNikolayenko-Ruffin,withwhomhehasason.Inhisofficebehindthecasino,Iaskedhimwhatwordsofadvicehehasforyoungpeopleseekingsuccessinlife.“The advice I would give to young people?Quit your job. Don’t work for

anybody.You reallycan’tmakeanymoneyworking for someoneelse.Maybeit’sahamburgerstand.Maybeit’sacoffeeshop.Youcandothat.It’sveryriskytoquityourjobandstartonyourown.Youhavetobecommittedtoitandyouhavetobewillingtoworkthehours,becauseyoucan’thavealotoflabor.Youcanstartalmostanykindofbusinessyourself.Itdoesn’ttakealotofcapital.It’sverydoable.Youhavetoworkyourassoff.Bewillingtoworkyourself.”IthinkRuffin’sadviceapplies,evenforthosewhoarenotreadytostarttheir

ownbusinessorwhowishtostaywithacareerasanemployee.Thesedays,allemployeesareentrepreneurs—entrepreneursinthebusinessofyou.Weallknowthe days of thinking your employer will provide for you until you retire andbeyondaregone,alongwiththedaysofpayphonesandhandwrittenletters.So,ifyoucan’trelyonyouremployerforsecurity,whatcanyourelyon?Your own human capital. This is your greatest investment, and if you are

savvyaboutinvestinginit—asthepeopleinthisbookhavebeen—itwillneverletyoudownandwillkeepprovidingvalueandcash for the restofyour life.The value of bootstrapping, saving, and building up capital—whether it’sfinancial capital or human capital—is that it keeps on giving, year after year,without being depleted. Once you own it, it keeps on paying in one way oranother.IaskedRuffin,“Haveyoueverthoughtofwritingabookyourself?Youhave

suchafascinatingstory.Ithinkitwouldmakeagreatbook.”Hereplied,“WhywouldIwanttowriteabook?”“Well,therearealotofreasonstowriteabook.”He said, with a smile and a chuckle, in his charming Southern drawl,

“Michael,I’mgoingtomakemorefromthiscasinotodaythanyou’llmakefromyourbook.”Helookeddownataneatsheetoffiguresonhisclean,nearlyemptydesk.“Imade$820,000yesterday.Notabaddayofbusiness.”That, friends, is the power of building up capital. You may not become a

billionaire casino magnate, but you can always invest in your own humancapital.Ifyouinvestinbuildinguptherightkindofhumancapital—thesuccessskillsdescribed in thisbook—itwillkeeppayingyoudividendsfor therestofyourlife.

■MARCECKO,MATTMULLENWEG,ANDLIFELONGLEARNINGASANADULT

InhighschoolinNewJersey,MarcEckoroutinelycarriedaround$600ormoreincash inhispocketandhadweekswhenhewasclearing$1,000 inbusiness.No,hewasnotarichkid(helivedonthe“wrong”sideofthetraintracks,wherethe lower-middle-class and working-class families lived). Nor was he a drugdealer,norwashestealingthemoney.Marchadlearnedhowtoairbrushgraffiti-styleillustrationsontopeople’shats,

jackets, shirts, and even their cars. His services were in high demand. “Myneighborhood in Lakewood, New Jersey, was very diverse—lots of working-class Jews, blacks, andLatinos.Hip-hopwas the emerging cultural trend, andtheculturalnarrativewasdrivenbyblackpopularculture.HerewasaJewishkidgrowingupamongallthisdiversity,notreligious,reconcilingmyownidentity.Iwasafatwhitekid—toofattobreak-dance,andIdefinitelywasn’tgoingtorap.“ButIwasintoart.Becausegraffitiwastheaestheticthatyoungpeoplewere

talkingtoeachotherthroughifyouwereintohip-hop,IfiguredI’dconnectwithmy art. Iwas a decent artist.Grandma gotme a book calledSubway Art [byMarthaCooper andHenryChalfant]. I gotmy airbrush in eighth grade.Onceyougot thecompressor and thepaints, itwas likeahundredand fiftydollars,whichwasalotofmoneyforaneighthgraderintheeighties.Myparentswerelike,‘Youbettermakegoodontheinvestment.’Iwasjustanartist—butitwasagatewaytobusiness.“My public school education is where I learned a lot of my marketing

prowess. I startedabusinesscalledEckoAirbrushing.Either itwasmystonerfriendswhowantedmetopainttheircar,ormyhoodfriendsthatwantedmetopaintpicturesof theirbabyon their jacket.Not tobevulgaroranything,but Iwasdoingbetterthanmostdrugdealersinmyschool.“That, for me, became my school. That was my business school. To be a

fifteen-year-old kid standing in line at the Sears service center whenever thecompressorwouldbreakdown,notbeingtakenseriously,havingtonegotiatemywaytogetmystufffixedsoIcouldfulfillmyorders.Orderingpaint.Hunting

down the best how-to videos—there wasn’t the Internet then. I followed thethreadofthatairbrush,andthataircompressor,tolearningatremendousamountabout business—management of my time, commitment, communication,information,andtechnology.“Iwasmaking really goodmoney.Come senior year, I’d have someweeks

whenI’ddoacoupleofthousanddollars.Ihadrespectablesavings,everythingIwanted.”WhatdidMarcdowiththatsavings?Didheputitinthestockmarketor aCD account? In classic bootstrapper form, he put his earnings right backinto his business and his earning power. “Marketing tools, taking slides andphotos.Gettinghatsembroideredandgivingthemawaytomyclients.Goingtolocal town fairs and setting up a booth. I was always reinvesting in mybusiness.”Even thoughMarcwasmaking seriousmoney for a high school kid in the

eighties, and was learning more about running his own business than mostpeopleeverdo,acounselorgot thebetterofhim.“Myguidancecounselorsatschool were like, ‘It’s really cute, these T-shirts, but you really think you’regoing to feed themouthsofyourbabiesdoing this?’At family events, peoplewouldbe saying, ‘You could earn seventy-five, eightyK if yougo to college,andifyougetalawdegree,youmightbeabletoearnsixfigures!’”Marcpaidheedtothisadviceanddecidedtofollowhisfather’sfootstepsinto

the Rutgers College of Pharmacy. He kept his business going on the side,however. In 1992,Marc decided to create a customized airbrushed jacket forMichael Bivins, of the R&B group Bell Biv DeVoe, whowas appearing at alocal concert.Marc could barelymove due to shoulder surgery, but his sisterhopped onstage and hand-delivered the jacket directly to Bivins, with ahandwrittennote in thepocket. “I get a call at three in themorning,hewantsmore custom work. Soon I’m nineteen years old, getting backstage access toconcerts,hangingoutwithallthesehip-hopartists,doingartforthem,andthenIwould go back to pharmacy school in the day. Therewas no passion there. Icouldn’t get past the periodic table. It didn’t make sense to me. There wassomething inme thatwasbeatingaboutart, someenergy thatwasdominatingme.”Failingatclassesashefocusedonhisartandbusiness,Marchadameeting

withthedeanoftheschool,Dr.JohnColaizzi.HesawMarc’spassionforartandhis real-world success, andhewas remarkablyunderstanding. “Hesaid tome,‘You don’t ever want to be in the place where you coulda, shoulda, woulda.You’reyoungnow.Godoitwhileyou’reyoung,andyou’vegottheparachuteofyouth.Youcancomebackifitdoesn’tworkoutforyou.’Ileftschoolandneverlookedback.”

Afamily friend introducedMarc to amannamedSethGerszberg.TheNewYorkTimes says,“Gerszbergradiateshustle.Spendfiveminuteswithhim,andyouwon’tbesurprised to learn thathedroppedoutofcollegebecausehewasmaking$5,000aweeksellingsalvagedarchitecturalornaments,ofallthings.”6Gerszberg invested $5,000 cash for a 50 percent stake in the company, andremainsMarc’sbusinesspartnertothisday.Throughmanytwistsandturns(anda flirtationwith bankruptcy), the duo pioneered the category of “urbanwear,”turningMarcEckoEnterprises (http://www.marceckoenterprises.com) into oneofthemostrecognizedbrandsinglobalfashion,withannualrevenuesofover$1billion.Marcdidnotgraduatefromcollege,buthenowhasaPhD.In2009,hewas

invited back to Rutgers to receive an honorary doctorate, and delivered thatyear’scommencementspeech,withDeanColaizziproudlylookingon.I interviewed Marc in his impressive offices on Twenty-third Street in

Manhattan.Educationisoneofthetopicshe’smostpassionateabout,andinaneloquentriffonthesubject,heintroducedmetoawordI’dneverheardbefore.I’vebeenanavidreaderofseriousnonfictionsincefifteen,soit’snotthatoftenIget introduced to new words, but this one couldn’t be more relevant:“andragogy.”Itsliteralmeaning,Ifoundout,is“man-leading,”andiscontrastedwith “pedagogy,” which means “child-leading.” I Googled it, and in theWikipediaentryfortheconceptIfoundapitch-perfectdescriptionofthewayalltheself-educatedmillionairesI’dbeeninterviewingeducatedthemselves.Evenfromayoungage,theyeducatedthemselvesasadults,notaschildren:

Adultsneedtoknowthereasonforlearningsomething...Experience(includingerror)providesthebasisforlearningactivities...Adultsneedtoberesponsiblefortheirdecisionsoneducation;involvementintheplanningandevaluationoftheirinstruction...Adultsaremostinterestedinlearningsubjectshavingimmediaterelevancetotheirworkand/orpersonallives...Adultlearningisproblem-centeredratherthancontentoriented...Adultsrespondbettertointernalversusexternalmotivators...The termhasbeenusedby some to allowdiscussionof contrast betweenself-directedand‘taught’education.7

It turns out that themillionaires I’ve been talking towho did not complete

their formal education didn’t forsake education at all. They were simplyfollowingandragogyratherthanpedagogy.Thinkoftheoppositeoftheabovedescriptionofandragogy:Fewreasonsever

giventolearnsomething,otherthan“Youneedtolearnthistogetagoodgradeandgraduate.”Conditioningkids tobe averse tomakingmistakes, rather thanteaching kids that going out, trying lots of ambitious stuff, making a ton ofmistakesintheprocess,andlearningfromthosemistakesistheessenceofhowyoubecomegoodatsomething.Forcingabunchofcontentdownkids’ throatsthathas little relevance to their lifegoalsand thusbears little interest to them,ratherthanteachingthemhowtosolveproblemstheycareabout.Andofcourse,lotsandlotsofexternalmotivators.Thisispedagogy—teachingforchildren.Itischaracterized,inessence,bybeatingeducationintomostlyunwillingkids.(Sometimesliterally.Marchasjustbecomeinvolvedinanationalmovement

toendcorporalpunishmentinAmericanschools.Heinformedme,tomyshock,thatcorporalpunishment inschools is legal in twentystates, thatover222,000students are physically disciplined each year by an educator, and that over20,000needtoseekmedicalattentionbecauseofit.“Youcan’thitaprisonerinall fifty states in theUnion.But you can hit students, as discipline, in twentystates,” he told me. Anthony Adams, Elliott Bisnow’s dorm adviser fromSuccess Skill #2, is also a leading voice in this movement. The startlinganachronismoflegalizedstatecorporalpunishmentbeliesthecentury-oldrootsof our educational system—turning kids into compliant factory workers upongraduation. It also shows how irrelevant pedagogy has become to currenteconomic realities. Could you imagine trying to beat someone—literally orfiguratively—intostartingacompanyorcomingupwithabrillianttechnologicalinnovation?)Thankgoodness thepeople in thisbookstarted treating themselvesasadults

early on—because few people in the educational system ever will. Though Idoubt many of the self-educated people in this book have heard of the term“andragogy,” theyareallmastersof it.That’swhythey’rerichandsuccessful,while most people—who have had their instinct for creative self-educationbeatenoutofthembysixteenyearsofpedagogy—arenot.ItturnsoutthatnearlyeveryoneIspoketoforthisbookhasthisincommon:aserious passion for lifelong learning. Put another way, they do not front-loadtheir education early onwith pedagogy rammed down their throats, removingthemselvesfromtheworkforceandtakingonlotsofdebttodoso.Rather,theyfollow lifelong learning through continual, steady, gradual investment inthemselvesovertimeasadults.MattMullenwegispassionateabouttheimportanceofdevelopingahabitof

lifelong learning and reading, both professionally and personally. During thetimehewasstudyingattheUniversityofHouston,intheearly2000s,hebeganto teach himself to program in a language called PHP, through free online

tutorials. He didn’t have a particularly technical background—his passion inhighschoolhadbeenjazzsaxophone—butsoonhestarteddoingsimpletasksinPHPfromthisself-teaching.“‘Oh,Icanputahitcounteronmylittlewebsite.’Some stupid little thing like that,” he toldme. “The PHPManual online, andcomments under it. That had everything I possibly needed. You can learnpracticallyanythingyouwantintheworldonline.”Butsoonhisprogramminggotmoresophisticated,andwentwaybeyondhit

counters.Infact,itwentontorevolutionizetheInternet.Thiswastheveryearlydaysofblogging,andMattdecidedtocreateabloggingplatforminPHP,calledWordPress.As more and more people starting using the platform across the Web, his

notorietyrose,andCNETcontactedhimwithajoboffer.“ThiswasthekindofjobIhopedtohavewhenIgraduated—greatsalary,greateverything.SoIaskedmyself, ‘What am I waiting for?’” Matt dropped out of the University ofHoustonafterhissophomoreyeartotakethejobatCNET.However, Matt says, “One characteristic of a lot of entrepreneurs is that

they’rerelativelyunemployable.Idon’tthinkIwasthebestemployeeatCNET,honestly.Iwasreallyfocusedonmyownprojects,reallyintoWordPress.”Thebloggingplatformwasstartingtotakeoff,andMattdecidedtoleaveCNETtofocusonhiscreationexclusively.Now,WordPress (http://wordpress.org) is thelargest content-management system and blogging platform in the world;somewherearound13percentofallwebsitesintheworldrunonWordPress,andasofthiswritingitslatestversionhasbeendownloaded27milliontimes.Manypublishing commentators have blamed the Net in general, and blogging inparticular,forthedeclineofinterestinseriouslong-formreading—thatis,books— in favorofmore superficial, bite-sized“multitasking-friendly”blipsonline.Yet Matt Mullenweg, a major player in the blogging revolution, couldn’t bemorepassionateabouttheimportanceoflong-formreadingandwriting.AtacaféneartheWordPressoffice,intheSanFranciscoEmbarcaderoarea,

Matttoldme:“AcommonqualityIseeofpeoplewhoaresuccessfulisthattheyarevoraciousreaders.Thebookasaformatisunderratedinthedigitalage.I’mthe first one to say blogs are fantastic, obviously. But they tend to be shorterform. Longer-form works stretch my mind more.When you write a book, itconsumesyou.Whatyougetwhenyoureadthatbook,then,issomeone’sentirelifeforseveralyearsormore,distilledintoonework.That’sreallypowerful.“I feel like these thingshave super-cycles, and I thinkwe’re at thenadirof

long-formwriting. I thinkwemighthave just passed it, and itwill rise again.The e-book revolution puts an entire library into something as small as apaperback.Forme,asIstoppedreadingbooksinfavorofInternetcontent,Ifelt

myselfgettingdumber.Severalyearsago,Ithought,‘Man,Idon’tthinkI’massmartasIusedtobe.’Ijustfeltalittleduller.SoIrealizedIhadtostartreadingagain.WhenIwasstarting[mycompany]Automattic,Irealized,‘IhavenoideawhatI’mdoing,soIneedtoreadasmuchaspossible.’Ane-bookistendollarsthese days. Anyone can afford a book. Take some of the best books onentrepreneurship.MaybeInnovationandEntrepreneurshipbyPeterDrucker.OrTheArtof theStart byGuyKawasaki,which Iwas really inspiredbywhen Iwasfirststartingout.What’sholdingyouback?It’syourtimeandafewdollars.Orgotothelibraryifyoudon’thaveafewdollars.Andyoucanhaveaccesstotheworld’sgreatestwisdomonanytopic.”

SUCCESSSKILL#6

BUILDTHEBRANDOFYOU

(or,ToHellwithResumes!)InAugust2009,IsawatweetfromafamouspublishingindustryexecI’dbeenfollowing, Debbie Stier (http://debbiestier.com), then senior vice president ofdigitalmarketingatHarperCollins,which read, “WillSomebody inPublishingPleaseHireThisWoman?”Intrigued, I clicked through the link, where I read about a recent college

graduatenamedMarianSchembari,whohadjustdonesomethingremarkable.Likemanyrecent liberalartsgraduates,Schembaridreamedofworkingina

major publishing house. And likemany recent graduates, shewas not havingmuchluck.“IgraduatedfromcollegeinMay,andbymid-August,Iwasreadytoslitmywrists,becausenothingwashappening.Ihadappliedforjobswithallthemajor publishing houses and even the not-so-major publishing houses inNewYork.Basically,Iwasjustdoingwhatmycollegecareercentertoldmetodo.Ihadareallygreatresume.Iwouldspendtwohourstryingtopersonalizeacoverletter andmake it perfect, then send it out, and then hear nothing. All of thethingsthatpeopletoldmetodoinordertofindajobdidn’twork;noonecalledme back. I was just getting lost in the abyss of thousands of desperate jobseekers.Iappliedforajobinasmallpublishinghouseandtheguytoldmetheygotfivehundredapplications.Itwasnotthegreatestjob,itdidn’tpayanythingandhehadpeopletramplingovereachothertogetit,”shetoldme.Mariantriedtotakeadifferenttack.She spent $100 on Facebook ads, with the headline “I want to work for

HarperCollins” where the company name mentioned was custom-targeted topeoplewhohadlistedoneofthesixmajorNewYorkpublishersastheirplaceofemployment.

IWanttoWorkforHarper

I’mMarian. I recentlygraduated fromDavidsonCollege.Mydream is toworkforHarperCollins.Canyouhelp?Clicktoseemyresumé.

DebbieStier,whoworkedatHarperCollinsat thetime,sawoneofMarian’s

adspopupinherownFacebookpageandwroteapostpraisingMarianforherinitiative and ingenuity. Now this fresh college grad had one of the mostrespectednamesinU.S.publishingopenlyurginghercolleaguesintheindustrytohireher.Wordofheremploymentcampaignwentviralwithinthepublishingindustry. Marian later wrote on her blog, “At least one person from everypublisherIfocusedone-mailedmetotellmetheypassedmyresumeontoHR,wantedtomeet,orevenjusttosaytheylikedmyidea.”Impressed with this young woman’s initiative and creativity, I wrote an

unsolicitede-mailtoher:

Ihaveasuggestionforyouthatwillprobablybetheonlypieceofadvicealongtheselinesyouwillget:

Why seekanemployer?Withyourdrive, initiative, and talent, youcouldmakeasuccessfulgoasafreelancepublishingconsultant.

I’ve been happily self-employed for 3 years now, and I currently makemuchmorethanIwouldbemakingifIhadspentthattimetryingtoriseupfromanentry-levelpublishingposition.

I do all thiswhileworkingmyownhours inNYC, livingcomfortably inBrooklyn,choosingprojectsthatinterestme,andfrommylaptopsoIcando it anywhere (I spent 5months in 2007 doing thisworkwhile sippinglattesinWi-FicafesinBuenosAires!).You’vegotthedrive.You’vegotthetalent.Youcouldmakethishappenforyourself.Isay,thinkoutsideofthebox.Youdon’tneedsomepublishertopay you $35Kwhenyou couldmakemuchmore than that on your own,withyourtalents.

It’srarethatsomeonehasthego-getterattitudethatyoudoandyouwillgofarwhateveryouchoose.

Marianwrotebacktome,thankingmeformysuggestionsbutsayingthatshewas going to take an entry-level job that came her way through all the viralhullabaloo around her Facebook campaign. This was a position with a majorliteraryPRfirminthecity(ajobalmostanyrecentliberalartsgraduatewantingtobreakintotheNewYorkCitypublishingworldwouldhaveenvied).Afewmonthsintonine-to-fivelife,however,theself-employmentbugbither.

Shewantedtobreakoutonherown,andshewrotemeagain,askingforadvice.I started mentoring her on how to make the transition to being a freelanceconsultant. Shemade the leap, leaving the comfort and safety of the job, andstarting with a few freelance social media consulting gigs she got throughDebbieStier.Intheyearandahalfsinceshestruckoutonherownasafreelancer—andjust

twoyearsoutofcollegeat the timeI’mwritingthis—Schembarihascreatedalivelyandpopularpublishingindustryblogforherselfthatroutinelygetsfiftyormore comments every time she posts (http://marianlibrarian.com, powered, ofcourse, by Matt Mullenweg’s WordPress); has attracted thousands of Twitterfollowerswhoretweethermaterialconstantly;hasbeenquotedonABCNews,CNN, andTime; has been cited as an expert onnetworkingonMSN; andhaseven appeared on a list of “the next generation of publishing leaders”(http://www.digitalbookworld.com). (Think she’d have any chance of gettingthat kind of recognition within one year of taking the entry-level jobs at apublisher,whichshewasseekingbutnevergotoffered?)Asaresultofallthisnamerecognition,demandforherservicesisbooming,

and she is now charging $100/hour for her consulting (any recent liberal artsgrads out there like that figure?). All of this smack-dab in the middle of theworsteconomicdownturnsincetheGreatDepression.Marianiscertainlydoingalotbetterthanherfellowclassmates.“Ithinkone

personwhomIgraduatedwithhasafull-timejob;everyoneelseisstrugglingorhas takenabunchofpart-timejobs.ThisguyIgraduatedwithhadabunchofhonorsandfancyawards—hewasvery,verysmart.He’sworkingatStarbucksbecausehecan’tgetajobanywhereelse.”In addition to her lucrative freelancing over the Internet and Skype, which

allows her to divide her time betweenLondon,NewZealand, andNewYork,Marian also now sells a course she’s created online, called the “Pajama JobHunt,”sothatotherscanhavethesamesuccessshe’shadinusingsocialmediaandpersonalbrandingtogetjobs.Marian’sadvicetorecentgrads?Shetoldme:“Everyindustry,fromwhatI’ve

found,hasthetop20blogsandpeoplewhoaretheonlineinfluencers.Youneedto get online and make friends with them, and read everything you can andcomment on those blogs.Let’s say youwant to get into nonprofit, youwouldGoogle‘nonprofitsonTwitter’andyou’llalmostcertainlyfindthatsomeonehaswrittena listof the ‘Top25Non-ProfitsonTwitter,’or the tophospitalsoradagenciesorwhatever.Literally,itdoesnotmatterwhatindustryyouwanttobein,thereisacommunityofthosepeopleonTwitter.Networkwherethosepeopleareandmakefriendswiththem.Imeanit’sreallynotthatdifficult.GetaTwitterprofileandjuststartengagingwiththatcommunityaroundyourdesiredindustryandprofession;youthenbecomeknowninthatcommunityandthenitbecomeseasiertogetajob.“Ignoreyourcareercounseloranddon’tevenstressaboutyourresume—have

agoodonebecausepeoplewillaskforit,butdon’tputtoomuchemphasisonit.Build an online presence. Inmygeneration, thewholeFacebook socialmediathingisforconnectingwithyourfriendsandpostingpicturesofyoudoingJell-Oshots.Butyoucandosomuchmorewithit.”In short,noneofMarian’s successdepended in the slighteston the fact that

shehadacollegedegreeandapolishedresume,oronanythingshestudied inschool.Itdependedonherbeingsavvyaboutbuildingabrandforherself.

■THECONCEPTOF“BRAND”EXPLAINEDINONESENTENCE

Perhaps no singleword in the English language hasmore overblown puffery,smokeandmirrors,andverbaldiarrheawrittenarounditthantheword“brand.”If youwanted to, you could spend a small fortune on a library full of booksabouttheconcept,andyoucouldgodroptwenty-fivegrand,ahundredgrand,oreven amillion bucks on some corporate consultant to “brand” you, the wordhavingbecomeaverbaswellasanoun.I’mabouttocutthroughallthebullshitandgiveyouaonesentencedefinition

oftheword:Yourbrandiswhatpeoplethinkaboutwhentheyhearyourname.Voilà, I’ve just saved you tens of thousands of dollars in hiring “brand

consultants,” and years wading through books full of trendy, semimysticalcorporate-speakabout“brandleverage.”Ifpeoplethink“trustworthy,confident,intelligent,funny,hip,savvy,andup-

and-coming”whentheyhearyourname,thenthatisyourbrand.Ifpeoplethink“wannabeloser”whentheyhearyourname,thenthatisyour

brand.And ifpeople thinkabsolutelynothingwhen theyhearyourname, thenyou

havenobrand.Andthat,friends,isabigproblem.Becauseyourbrandisoneofyourbiggest

assets—farmore important, inmost cases, than your resume.Great brand, noresume—noproblem.Greatresume,nobrand?Welcometoposition#347ofthestackoffivehundredequallygreatresumes.Yourbrand—a“reputation that precedesyou”—will allowyou to command

bigbucksforyourtimeandinsight,asithasforMarian.Itwillopendoorsforyouinyourcareerunimaginableifyoudon’thaveabrand(i.e.,ifpeopledon’tthinkmuchofanythingwhentheyhearyournameorlookyouuponGoogle).Peoplegotocollegeinlargeparttobuilduparesume,andthenspendyearsandyears adding to that resume. But they spend zero time building up theirreputation. That’s a huge, huge mistake, and a huge misallocation of time,

money,andattention.Onthistheme,SethGodintoldme:“Ifyoudecidedtogoout,andinsteadof

finishing school, decided to learn things on your own that you thought wereimportant—then that’syourstory.Everyoneneedsa story toget a job.On thebackofyourfirstbook[pointingtomybookThePowerofEyeContact],itsaysyouwent toBrown. That’s your story.Your story could be that you have themostpopularblogonairlinesafety.Andifyoureallyhavethemostpopularblogintheworldonairlinesafety,andyou’relookingforajobdoingPRonairlinesafety, that’s a really good story.That’s better than the story that youwent toBrown.”WhenSethsaid this last remark,aboutairlinesafety,my jawhit the floor. I

actuallyknowtheauthorof themostpopularblogonairlinesafety.She is thesenioraviationcorrespondentfortheNewYorkTimes.ShehaswrittenonebookonaviationsafetyforHarperCollinsandisatworkonanotherbookonthetopic.She was director of investigations for Kreindler & Kreindler, a leadingtransportationlawfirm,from2001until2008.She is Marian Schembari’s mom, Christine Negroni

(http://www.christinenegroni.com).Andguesswhat?Shedoesn’thaveacollegedegree. She attended a small college for three years, got a job at a televisionstationthesummerafterherjunioryear,andlovedherworksomuchshedidnotreturn.ShecutherchopsreportingonaviationforCNN,eventuallybecametheirchiefaviationcorrespondent,andtookofffromthere.IaskedSethifheknewofChristine,andhedidn’t.Butincomingupwithhis

example,heessentiallyconjuredherreal-lifestoryoutofthinair.Shebuiltupanamazingbrand forherself as anexpert in aviation safety, from thegroundup,with few formal credentials. Looks like Marian took a play from Mom’splaybook!Seth continued on his riff: “Let’s say you got into Harvard and didn’t go.

That’s a better story than you got intoHarvard and you did go.And amuchcheaperstory.Andittakesfourlessyears!”IimaginesomekidsendingacopyofheracceptancelettertoHarvard,alongwithacopyofherletterdecliningit,and saying to a potential employer, ‘Here’s what I did with the four yearsinstead. Ihave thebrains toget intoHarvard,andIhave the initiative togetaHarvard-quality education onmyown, and I think outside the box.Hireme.”Thinkmorethanafewforward-thinkingemployersmightbeintrigued?“Thereareall thesestoriesavailable topeople,”Sethcontinued.“There just

happenstobethisoneparticularlyeasy/expensiveone,whichis‘Youheardofthiscollegebecauseithasafootballteam,thereforeyoushouldhireme.’“We’re afraid, ashamed—when we don’t have that story—to tell the other

one, theonewhich ismoreuniqueand showsmorepersonality. I haveaverycontroversial post Iwrote, called, ‘Why bother having a resume?’ The reasonyou shouldn’t have a resume is that any job you can get because you have aresumeprobablyisn’tajobyouwant.”IntheblogpostGodinreferences,hewrites:

I think if you’re remarkable, amazing or just plain spectacular, youprobablyshouldn’thavearesumeatall....Ifyoudon’thavearesume,whatdoyouhave?How about three extraordinary letters of recommendation from people

theemployerknowsorrespects?Orasophisticatedprojecttheycanseeortouch?Orareputationthatprecedesyou?Orablog that is socompellingand insightful that theyhavenochoice

buttofollowup?Somesay,“well,that’sfine,butIdon’thavethose.”Yeah,that’smypoint.Ifyoudon’thavethose,whydoyouthinkyouare

remarkable,amazingor justplainspectacular?Itsounds tomelike ifyoudon’thave those,you’vebeenbrainwashed intoacting likeyou’re sortofordinary.Greatjobs,worldclassjobs,jobspeoplekillfor...thosejobsdon’tget

filledbypeoplee-mailinginresumes.Ever.1In my own case, I will leave it for others to decide if they think I’m

“remarkable.”ButonethingIknowforsureis,sincethebeginningof2007,notonepennyofmyincomehascomefromanysourcethathashadanythingtodowithmyhavingshownaresumetoanyone.Allmyworkforthepastfouryears,asa freelancerandauthor,hascome throughpersonal referrals,andagrowingtrackrecordofdemonstrableresultsandprojectsifyouGooglemyname,allofwhichareaspectsofmyownpersonalbrandI’vebeencultivating.Youdon’tdevelopthosethingsincollegeorgradschool,youdevelopthemby

doingstuffintherealworld.Andthenmakingsurethere’saGoogletrailrelatedtowhat you’ve beendoing.That’s your brand.Create stuff. Sell stuff.Marketstuff.Leadstuff.Makesureit’sgoodstuff,thenmakesurethere’sagoodGoogletrail about it, so when potential employers or clients Google you (as they allwill), the brand impression they come away with (the thoughts that come tomindwhen they hear your name again) are, “This person gets shit done.”Orsimply,“Wow.”

■MARIAANDROS—THEIMPORTANCEOFBUILDINGYOUROWNNAMEASABRAND

Maria Andros—who does not have a college degree—started out herprofessional life as a makeup artist. She began working for some of the bigmakeup companies in Vancouver, doing makeup on high-profile shoots andcampaignsfor them.Sheeventuallynetworkedherwayinto thecorporatesideof the companies, and then into a position as a corporate buyer for a largeclothingretailer.Despitethisrisethroughthecorporateladders,shebegantofeelthat familiar feelingamongsomanywhoworkfor largecompanies :beingananonymouscoginamachine.“I was working ten- to twelve-hour days and I was only making

approximatelyfiftythousanddollarsCanadian.IrememberIwasexhaustedanditwasreallyfrustratingformebecauseIjustdidn’tfeelthatIwasvaluedthere.IhitaplacewhereIhadreallylostmypassion.Ifeltverystuck.IfeltthateverysingledaywasGroundhogDay.“You wake up in the morning, you go brush your teeth. You walk to the

kitchen,youmakeyourbreakfast.Youget ready forwork,youdrive towork.You get to work. You count the hours until your first coffee break, then itslunchtime.Andthenyougethomefromwork.You’reexhausted.Youdon’tevenwanttotalktoyourspouseoryourfriendsbecauseyouaresotired.Yougetonthecomputerandyoujustnumboutandyousurf theInternet.Thenyougotobed and repeat.Thatwas howmy life felt. I knew I had tomake a change. IknewIhadtodosomething.Ididn’tknowhowIwasgoingtodoitorwhatitwasgoingtobe,butIhadtodosomething.”In 2006, Maria went online to see if she could get some ideas for some

alternativetoherGroundhogDaycorporatelife.ShesawonYouTubethatmanypeople were building their own followings by making low-cost videos ofthemselves,almost like theirownTVstationabout them.ShehadbeenonTVbefore for makeuprelated stories and felt intuitively that her future lay inbuildingabrandforherselfonline.With the video function of her digital camera, she began uploading simple

videosaboutherquesttolearnaboutbusiness,video,andcreatinganewlifeforherself—“vlogging” about her journey as she went, and sharing the tips andtricks shewas learning.ShecreatedaYouTubechannel forherself andablog(powered, of course, by Matt’s WordPress), and started getting the word outthrough blogging and Facebook. She started learning about search engineoptimization (SEO) and began optimizing her titles and descriptions for hervideos to get traffic from people searching for topics related toentrepreneurialism,self-employment,careerdevelopment,andsocialmedia.Soon she found herself with a small but growing and devoted following

online. Some people started asking her to coach them on their own videomarketingefforts,andlikethat,shehadclients,andmoneystartedcomingin.Maria started togain theattentionof somebiggerbloggersandwebsites. “I

started going to live events and conferences, showing up everywhere, and thepeople there, including the speakers onstage, would have heard of my socialmedia and video presence.A lot of them knewwho Iwas before I evenmetthem.”That’stheessenceofbuildingyourownbrand.Peoplehavingheardofyou—

and having a positive impression—before you’ve even met them. If you cancreate thateffect,doorsopen foryou.Aclosesecond, if that’snotpossible, ispeoplegettingagoodimpressionofyouveryquicklywhentheyGoogleyou.MariaAndrosisnowwidelyconsideredoneofthetopexpertsaboutbuilding

one’s brand and business through online video. She left her job, markets herservicesunderherownnamenow(http://mariaandros.com),andhasbrokenwellintosixfiguresofearnings,onacompletelyflexible,boss-freeschedule.Ahugequestionmanypeoplehave,whentheyventureintobuildingabrand

forthemselves,iswhetherthebrandshouldbetheirownnameorwhethertheyshould come upwith some name that caters to the industry/niche/market theyworkin.Mariaisadamantthat,evenifyouworkfororownanothercompany,youshouldalwaysbuildupbrandingaroundyourownnameaswell.“Nomatterwhatyou’reupto,youneedtomarketyourselfandyourname.MakesureyougetYourName.com.Ifit’salreadytaken,putsomecreativetwistonit,butmakesureyouhaveyourownhomeforyourownbrandontheInternet,whichservesasthemeetingplaceforblogging,YouTube,Twitter,Facebook,andLinkedIn.”I’ve seenmanypeoplemake themistakeof trying to “brand” somekindof

conceptornicheratherthantheirownname.Ifthey’rebuildingacareerinthetelecommunicationsindustry,forexample,they’ll trytobuildtheirbrandusingsomegeneric-soundingsitelike“TelecomInsider,”thinkingthatitsoundsmoreprofessionalorthatitoffersbetterkeywordsandSEO.Unless you come upwith some insanely catchy brand other than your own

name,oryouareplanningtobuildupabusinessthatyoueventuallywanttosell,thisisusuallyamistake.Peoplecaremuchmoreaboutotherpeoplethantheydoabout companies or keyword-laden URLs. Even if you work for anothercompanyorarebuildingacompanytotallyseparatefromyourownidentity,youshouldseparatelyandsimultaneouslybuildupyouronlinebrandaroundyouasaperson, not around a concept, a company, or a niche.Companies, niches, andkeywordscomeandgo.Yourownpersonalbrandstayswithyouforlife.The single best passage I’ve ever read about branding, from the countless

booksonbrandingI’veread,comesfromthebookTheBrandCalledYou:MakeYourBusinessStandOutinaCrowdedMarketplacebyPeterMontoya.ItrelatesdirectlytoMaria’spoint:

Ifyou’vegivenintothetemptationtonameyour[personalbrand]AllianceCapital Investment or Thinkwell Marketing and Design or some otherdreadfulthing,stopwhatyou’redoingandpayattention.Youmustnameyour[brand]afteryourself.Period.Noonecallstotalk

toAllianceCapital;theycalltotalktoyou.NoonerefersThinkwell;theygiveyournameandnumbertotheircolleaguewhoneedsadvertising.Youcreatethevalue,notyourcompanyname.Let’sfaceit,theonlyreasonyouchosethatsillynamewassothatpeoplewouldthinkyou’relargerthanyouare.Buttrustme,you’renotfoolinganyone....Still doubtful? . . . [L]et’s try an exercise. On a piece of paper, write

down15to20luxurybrandnames....Ifyou’relikeme,youhavealistthatlookssomethinglikethis:

FerragamoVersaceMercedes-BenzDomPérignonRolexRolls-RoycePradaRiedelKohlerLaurenBang&OlufsenBMWBentleyYvesSaintLaurent

L’OréalCartierArmani

Takea lookatyour list.Howmanyof the luxurybrandsyou listedare

someone’sname?Onmylist,theonlyonesthataren’tareRolexandBMW.Every other one began as a person who started a company, built it overtime, developed a reputation for excellence, and along theway crafted astellarPersonalBrand.2

MariaAndros’snameopensdoorsontheInternet,andinbusinessandcareer

opportunitiesforherself.Sheisnolongeranonymous,oracog.Sheisabrand.Andshediditbydoingamazingthingsinherfield,andthencreatingahighlyvisibleGoogle trailofall theseaccomplishments, acrossmultiple socialmediacommunities.Allinsteadofbuildingupaformalresume.Googleisthenewresumeforthetwenty-firstcentury.Howdoesyourresume

look?

■ROBERTSCOBLEANDTHEWORLD’SGREATESTJOB

RobertScoblehasoneShakespearepaperlefttowrite—seventeenyearstardy—ifhewantstocompletehiscollegedegreeinjournalism.Robert graduated fromhigh school in the early eighties and beganworking

retail in a camera and consumer electronic store. “I was taking one class asemesteratWestValleyCollegeinSaratoga[SiliconValley],tryingtofigureoutwhatIwantedtodowiththerestofmylife,”hetoldme.Likemostofthepeoplein this book, he started supporting himself very early, earning $27,000,whichwaslivablemiddle-classmoneybackthen.After kicking around like this for many years, in 1991 Robert started a

photojournalismdegreeatSanJoséState.Hestartedwritingacolumncalledthe“Spartan Nerd” in the school paper, which got noticed by a Valley computerprogrammingmagazine.Inhissenioryear,in1994,themagazineofferedhimajob.LikeMattMullenweg,duetohisowninitiative,Roberthadessentiallybeenofferedthejobhewantedupongraduation,beforegraduation.Heleftcollegeforthe job.“Withinayear, Iwassitting in thefront rowofBillGates’skeynotes,meetingallkindsofinterestingpeople,organizingconferences.”Flash-forward to December 2000. “I was trying to find new things for the

conferencetodo—newsessions.Iwastalkingtofiftyorsixtyspeakers.‘Whatshouldwe do this year thatwe didn’t do last year?What’s new?’ Two of thespeakerssaid,‘Blogging.’Ididn’tthinkitwasimportanttodoasessiononit.IusedthisnewthingcalledGoogle,anditsaidthereareonlytwohundredblogsin theworld.But I got curiousmyself, and started one!What I didn’t realizewas, this was a disruptive technology that was riding on the back of anotherdisruptivetechnology,Google—andasGooglegotbigger,blogginggotbigger.Igotmoreintoit,startedgettingmoreandmoretraffictomyblogandmybosswaspissed that Iwasdoing thisblogging thing—healmost firedme. I finallyquitmyjobin2001,becauseIgotsickofmybossgivingmesomuchtroubleformyblogging.”Itwasa lot easier forRobert toquit and findanother jobeasilybecausehe

alreadyhadanonlinereputationby thispointathisblog,http://scobleizer.com(nowpowered by—youguessed it—WordPress). “NEChiredme for the salesdepartment,mostly because ofmy blog.When Iwent into the interview, theyhadastackofmyblogpostsprintedoutrightthere.”Fromhis job atNEC,Robert got invited to a “MostValuableProfessional”

meetingatMicrosoftofthetopcorporatecustomers.Atthatmeeting,someoneconfronted CEO Steve Ballmer publicly, saying, “You need to create a betterimageforMicrosoft.”Ballmerresponded,“OK,I’llgiveadollartoanyoneinthisroomwhocomes

upwithagoodidearighthere.”Robert stood up and said, “Put a more public face on the company.” He

explainedhow,outliningwhatamountedtoastrategyforcorporateblogging—longbeforetheconceptof“corporateblogging”existed.Ballmersaid,“That’sagreatidea,”pulledoutadollarfromhiswallet,signed

it,andgaveittoRobert.ButRoberteventuallygotmuchmorethanadollarandanautographoutofthatinteraction.A fewmonths later, Robert got a call from aMicrosoft executivewho had

beenatthatmeeting.Hesaidtohim,“You’redoingsomethingatNECthatI’venever seen anyone from a manufacturer do—you’re out talking to everyone,blogging,connecting.IwantyoutocometoMicrosoftandteachushowtodothat.”ScobleinterviewedoverfivehundredpeopleatMicrosoft,everyonefromthe

janitor to fellownon-college-graduateBillGates, andbloggedaboutwhatwasgoingonatthecompany,fromaninsiderperspective.Eventuallyhegottiredofrestrictionsonhisblogging,sohequitin2006.Nottoomanypeoplewhohavesuch comparatively free-ranging corporate jobs choose to quit, but such is thepowerofhavingan incrediblepersonalbrand—youcanwriteyourownticket.He quickly found a job at a podcasting start-up, then was wooed by FastCompany, and now works for Rackspace (http://www.rackspace.com), theworld’slargestWebhostingcompany.Iaskedhimwhathisjobdutiesare.“I’mthepublicfaceofRackspaceinthe

Valley.ThecompanyisinTexas,sotheexecutivescan’tbehereeverynight.I’man ambassador and connector for them. I go to a lot of events, conferences,parties.Ialsoknoweverytechjournalistintheworld.Ibuildrelationshipswithpresspeople.Ifwehaveapressevent,Iknowwhomtoinvite—andIhavetheirbusiness card. I also travel around the world and interview the leading-edgestart-ups. I understandwhat’s goingon in the industry, and if I see somethinghappening, I tell the executives, ‘You better kick into gear in this area.’” IfRobertwantstotravelsomewheretopursueahotleadforthecompany,hejust

goes.“Idon’tevenaskanymore.I’mgoingtoDavosnextweek.”Sounds like one of the greatest jobs anyone could wish for. Not toomany

peoplehavecorporatejobslikeRobertdoes—completefreedomtotravelwhenhe wants, go to which events he wants, and talk to whomever he wants,whenever he wants. And the reason is, not too many people have been aspassionate, savvy, and persistent about building up their personal brand andnetworkofconnectionsasRoberthas.He’sbecomeoneofthemostinfluentialtechbloggersintheworld,andliveslifecompletelyonhisownterms.I asked Robert if he ever considered writing that last Shakespeare paper,

seventeen years late, and get his BA. He burst out laughing. “I have alwaysjoked around that if I actually gotmy journalismdegree,my salarywould godown.Becauseajournalismdegreeisnotworthanything.”His career advice? Build up your presence as much as possible on new

platforms,media, and communities as they arise—the ones that already exist,andtheoneswecan’tevenimagineyet,thatwillnodoubtburstontothescene.“HuffingtonPost.com didn’t exist five years ago. TechCrunch didn’t exist fiveyears ago.YouTubedidn’t exist sixyears ago.Facebookdidn’t exist sixyearsago.Twitter didn’t exist five years ago.That’s theworldwe’re living in now.Whydon’t you build aLinkedIn page instead ofwatchingTV all night long?The savviest kids today already know how to build networks that work forthem.”Robert believes that time spent building your presence and network ofconnectionsonline—yourpersonalbrand—isoneof themost important thingsyou can do, because it will open doors for you that simply wouldn’t openotherwise.HesaidheGoogledme rightafter I e-mailedhim for the interview request.

“Withinminutes,Iknewsomethingaboutyou.Iknewhowtoplugyouintomyworld.Iknewwhatsizeinfluenceyouhad,andinwhichspheres.Iknewyournetworkandwhomyouwereconnectedto.”Luckily,Ihadalreadybeentakingmy own advice and building up my online bio on my own site (usingWordPress),plusFacebook,Twitter,andLinkedIn.

■DANIELLELAPORTE—RADIATINGHERWAYTOSUCCESS

In her late twenties, Danielle LaPorte found herself in the position manytwentysomethings with college degrees now find themselves: broke anddepressed.Shehadmovedback toCanada,aftera stintworking in theUnitedStatesflamedoutduetothedot-comcrash.“Iwastotallylost.Ihadafucked-upidentity.Iworepajamasforsixmonths.”(Note:ThiswaslongbeforeMarian’s“PajamaJobHunt”!)Soshedidwhatmanytwentysomethingsinthispositiondo:shedecidedtogo

tograduateschool.Artschool,tobeexact.“Iremembersittinginoneofmyfirstclasses—itwaslikeanintroclass,Ihadn’tbeenacceptedorrejectedyet.AndIjustthought,‘Thisisthemostpedantic,wanking,navel-gazingcrap.’Ihadthismomentwhere I looked at everyone and I thought, ‘You are going topay forthis?’Whichisgood,becauseIgotrejectedfromartschool.Isavedtheletter.”Daniellehadafewthingsgoingforher,however.Shedidn’thavealotofdebt

from her undergraduate education. (In fact, she didn’t have an undergraduateeducation.) She had ventured into working straight out of high school.Bartending. (“Everyone should bartend at some point. It’s Psychology 101.”)ThenajobatTheBodyShop.Shestartedoutpumpingpeppermintfootcreamataretailstore.Sheaskedfor

andgotaseriesofpromotions,allthewayuptoassistantmanager,thenajobonthe corporate side of the company, in their Department of Social Inventions.Then a job in the United States at a high-profileWashington nonprofit thinktank.How did she get all these promotions? Read the next chapter, on the

entrepreneurial mind-set—her strategy was straight out of that mentality. Shealwayslookedforthehighest-leveragethingthatcouldbeaccomplishedinthatmoment,andthengotitdone,neverwaitingfor“permission”or“instructions”tomakethingsbetter.Shejustdidit.“I justkeptdoingbigthings, thenaskingforpromotionsonceIdidthem.Doing,asking,doing,asking.”Thispoints tothesecondthingDaniellehadgoingforhernowthatshewas

looking for her next turn in life: audacity. Her own personal style radiatedcharming,seductiveaudacity.She had always gotten where she wanted to go by cultivating her own

personalquirks, charms, anduniquepersonality, rather than fittingherself intosome socially expected corporate box and fitting in. “I was so grateful that Ineverwenttoauniversity.Ineverhadaboxtogetoutof.”She decided she wanted to spread this message—the importance of

cultivating, rather than suppressing, your own individual style and expression(your“personalbrand,” touse the languageof thischapter) in theprofessionalrealm.Shewantedtowriteabookonthetopic.Problemwas,shehadneverwrittenabook,andhadlittleformalauthorityto

doso.Allshehadwasherownmoxie,andheroutsizedpersonality.“I’dnevereven takenawritingcourse. I’mnoteven sureaboutmygrammar sometimes.‘ShouldthatbeIorme?’[Laughing.]ButIwrotetheproposal,andIcansellicetoEskimos,dirttofarmers.Thisistheotherthingaboutnaïveté.Iwaslike,‘I’lljustcall.’Justpickupthephone.Ilandedoneofthetopagentsinthebusiness.It’seasytosellwhenyoubelieveinstuff.Icallit‘RadiateandStatetheFacts.’Youjustpoundoutyourdevotion,yourcommitmenttowhatyou’redoing.Thenstatethefactsinaverymeasuredwayaboutwhatyou’redoing.That’sit.Iamgoing to radiate and state the facts and if you get it, great. If you don’t, thenwe’re not right for each other.” Danielle, a master of radiating her infectiouspersonality,gotthedeal,andherfirstbookcameoutin2008.Soonshedecidedtobuildupherbrandaroundherselfinstead,herownplace

ontheInternet.Shestartedherownblog(http://whitehottruth.com),dishingoutherownblendofbusinessandmarketingadvice. Ifyoucheckoutherwriting,it’s dripping in her own personality. Not toomany business consultants writeblogpostswithtitleslike“MyDominatrixofDecisionRidesaHedgehog”and“Why Self-Improvement Makes You Neurotic.” But Danielle LaPorte does.Whichiswhy,Ibelieve,peoplearedrawntoherwritingindroves,andlineuptoconsultwith her—rather than lining up for themasses of businesses out therethat “play it safe,” hide their personalities out of fear, and end up with zeropersonality(andfewcustomers)atall.Danielle held “Fire Starter Groups” in sixteen cities to help teach budding

entrepreneurs to start the fires of their own creativity. “I held groups in pole-dancingstudiosandinboardrooms.Whateverittakes!Ididhundredsofone-on-onesessionstodevelopfreshteachingmaterial.”Shethenparlayedthismaterialintoane-program,“TheFireStarterSessions,”whichgrossed$170,000 in thefirstyear.She currently charges $1,000 for a one-hour consulting session, and you’ll

have towait severalmonths ifyouwant tobookone.She’s just soldhernextbookproject,basedontheFireStarterSessions,toRandomHouseforaquarterofamilliondollars.Ibetalotofpeoplewhogotacceptedtogradschool—ratherthan rejected,as shewas—wouldenvy that.Let’s face it.A little lineonyourresume saying you went to grad school doesn’t have much personality. Athriving,high-trafficblog,oozingwithpersonalityandbrilliance,a full$1,000perhourconsultingpractice,anonlinee-course,andabookdealwithRandomHousedoes.Muchofthesuccessofthepeopleinthischapter—fromMarianSchembarito

Maria Andros to Robert Scoble to Danielle LaPorte—stems from theirfearlessness in cultivating and expressing their original, authentic personalbrand.Ofcourse, inorder toexpressyouroriginality,youhavetobeoriginal—and

it’s an oxymoron to teach someone to be original.But one thing that helps isremovingfromyourmindthedecadesofprogrammingwe’vereceivedinschooltoplayitsafe,conform,fitin,sticktothecrowd,don’tstandout.That’saticketstraight to thepurgatoryof thecenterofa foot-high resumestack, rightwheremostrecentcollegegradsendup.Ihopethestoriesinthischapterhaveprovidedinspirationandexamplesofhowtoescapethestack—indeed,howtoescapethetyrannyoftheentireresumeformat—andmakeyourpresenceknown.

SUCCESSSKILL#7

THEENTREPRENEURIALMIND-SETVERSUSTHEEMPLOYEEMIND-SET

BecometheAuthorofYourOwnLifeTenyearsago,HalElrodwasdrivinghomeonthefreewaytoFresno,California,with his girlfriend, after speaking at a motivational conference related to hiswork.Abuddingpublicspeaker,hehadjustreceivedthefirststandingovationofhislife,andhewasthrilled.Infact,hewassoexcitedbyhistriumphthathewanted to call his mother and father and share the news with them. But helooked down at his clock and saw that it was 11:34 P.M. He rememberedthinkinghedidn’twanttowakethem.Thatwasthelastthoughtherememberedfortwoweeks.He woke up from a coma in the hospital six days later, though he has no

recollectionoftheweekfollowingthecomaeither.That night, a man had been hanging out at a bar near where Hal spoke,

drinking.He’donlyhadafewbeers,buthewasintoxicatedenoughthat,whenheenteredthehighway,themandidn’trealizehewasenteringontheofframp.Theman“merged”right,intowhathethoughtwastheslowlane,notrealizing

that he was now driving at 70 miles per hour headlong into the fast lane ofoncomingtraffic.StraighttowardHal.Hal’s two-doorMustangcollidedwith theman’sChevy truckhead-on, each

going70milesperhour,withnobrakesbeforeimpact.Hal’s airbag engaged, protecting him from the initial impact. But theworst

wasstilltocome.TheMustangspunout,endingupperpendiculartotheroad,withHal’sdoor

facing oncoming traffic. The car behindHal’s didn’t even have time to brakebeforehittingHal’sdoordirectly.Hal’s femur suddenly snapped andwas sticking out of his thigh.His pelvis

wassmashedbetweentheoncomingcarandthecenterconsoleofhisowncar.Allthebonesinhisleftelbowwerecrushed,heseveredtheradialnerveinhisleftarm,allthebonesinhislefteyewerecrushed,andhiseyeballwasbasicallydangling.Hisearwashangingontohisskinbyaquarterofaninch.Theceilingof thecarbuckledandslicedaVfromthefrontofhisskull to thebackofhishead.Halwastheonlypersonwhosufferedanymajorinjuriesintheaccident;the

drunkdriver,Hal’sgirlfriend,andallotherdriversinvolvedintheaccidentweresafe.WhenemergencyservicesusedaJawsofLifetooltopulltheroofback,Hal

startedspewingblood.Itturnedoutthatthecarhadbeenkeepinghimalive—hehadsuchalargeholewherehisfemurhadpiercedthroughthatthepressurefromthedoorwaskeepinghisblood insidehisbody,preventinghimfrombleedingout.WhenemergencyservicespulledHaloutofthecar,thebloodcameoutwith

such fury that he flatlined—his heart stopped beating—making him, by somedefinitions,clinicallydeadforthenextsixminutes;withchestdecompressions,theywereeventuallyabletoresuscitatehim.Sixdayslater,Halcameoutofhiscomainthehospital;hehadflatlinedtwo

moretimesduringthatperiod.He was twenty at the time of the accident. A C student throughout high

school, he had been a student for a year at the College of the Sequoias, acommunitycollegeinVisalia,inCentralCalifornia.Heleftafterhisfirstyeartogo into sales, found he had a knack for it, andwithin a yearwas earning sixfiguresatanannualizedrate.Atsomepointinhissalescareer,hehadlearnedaboutaconceptcalled“the

five-minute rule” from one of his sales mentors. This mentor, a high schooldropout and now a successful sales manager, had told Hal: “You’re going tohavecustomerswhoaren’tgoingtobuyfromyou.Somemightberudetoyouorcut your appointment short.You’re going to have dayswhen you don’t reachyourgoals.And it’sOK tobenegative sometimes.Butnot formore than fiveminutes.You’vegottolivebythefive-minuterule.Bitch,moan,complain,vent,getitoutofyoursystem,whateveryou’vegottodo.Butjustforfiveminutes.Beyondthat, there’snobenefit todwellingon it. Instead, focus100percentofyour energy onwhat’s in your control.What can you do now?How can youlearnandbenefitfromtheexperience?Howcanyoumoveforward?”Onceheregainedconsciousnessandmemoryinthehospital,twoweeksafter

the accident, the disfigured Hal remembers calling upon this advice andexperience,gainedduringhissalestraining,tohelphimcopewithhisaccident.

“IveryquicklycametotherealizationthatIhadtoacceptwhathadhappenedtome.AndwhileIfeltplentyofnegativeemotionabouttheaccidentbeforethatrealization,afterIhadthatthought,mynegativefeelingsarounditdisappearedalmostovernight.“Atonepoint,unbeknownsttome,mydoctorscalledinmyparents—bothmy

physicianandmypsychologist,whowashelpingmedealwiththetrauma.Theysaidtomyparents,‘We’reveryconcernedwithHal.Webelievehe’sindenial.This is very common with accident victims that have been through such ahorrificaccident,andsustainedsomuchdamage.Theygointoastateofdenial,inwhich they can’t facewhat happened. Every timewe seeHal, he’s alwayslaughingandsmiling,he’stellingjokesandmakinguslaugh.That’snotnormal,not for someonewho’sbeen throughwhathe’sbeen through.Weneedyou totalktohimandsitdownandfindouthowhe’sreallyfeeling.Becauseuntilheaccepts what’s happened to him, and faces it, the emotional healing can’tbegin.’”Halcontinued:

Mydad came inonenight, sat next tome, andgot real serious.He said,“Hal,Iwanttotalktoyou.TurntheTVoff,Iwantyourattention.Howareyoufeeling?”“Uh...great,Dad,why?”“Well, I know you have friends here, you’re laughing, you’re joking,

you’rereminiscing,tellingstories.Butwhenyoudon’thavepeoplearoundtodistractyou,whenyou’renotwatchingTV,when it’s late at night andyou’re falling asleep and you’re by yourself, and you’re thinking aboutwhathappenedtoyou,howareyoufeeling?Areyousad?Areyouangrywith thisdrunkdriver fordoing this toyou?GodknowsyourmomandIwant tokill thisguy!Areyoudepressed?Thedoctorsaysall these thingsarenormal,butit’simportantthatwetalkaboutit.”Ireallythoughtaboutit.AmIdepressed,amIsad,amIangry?Ilooked

intomyself.ThenIlookedathim,andIsaid,“Dad,Ithoughtyouknewmebetter than this. I’m great! In fact, I’m grateful. I can’t change whathappenedtome.There’snopointinfeelingbadaboutit.IfIfeeldownonmyself,orsadordepressed,thatdoesn’tchangeanything,itjustmakesmemiserable.”Itoldhimaboutthefive-minuterule.“It’sbeenweekssincetheaccident.I’mwaypastmyfiveminutes.”Irealizedthattherewasliterallyzerobenefittofocusingmyemotionor

energy on things that have already happened in the past, so I’m totallyfocusedonhowIcan turn this intoapositiveexperience,andwhat Icanlearnfromit.

I toldmy dad: “I’m already seeing how I can turn this into a positiveexperience. There are two things I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve alwayswanted towrite a book.Maybe I couldwrite a book about this someday.And,thelastyearsinceI’vebeengivingspeechesatsalesconferences,mydream has been to become amotivational speaker.Well, up until now, Ireally didn’t have that amazing of a story to tell anyone. You andMomwereprettygoodtome,Ihadagoodchildhood,Ididn’thaveanydramatospeakabout![Laughing.]ButthisissomethingIcouldsharewithpeople.Isee it’smy responsibility to overcome this in the best possible way, andhavethebestpossibleattitude,sothatonedayIcanteachotherpeoplehowtodothesamethingwiththeirchallenges.”

ThedoctorssaidHalwouldneverwalkagain.Halhassincerecoveredfully,haswrittenabookcalledTakingLifeHeadOn!,

and now makes his living traveling as a motivational keynote speaker(http://www.YoPalHal.com), sharing his message—about taking responsibilityforyourchallengesandcreatingthelifeofyourdreams—withhighschoolandcollegestudentsaroundthenation.NoneofuswouldchoosetoundergotheordealHalunderwent,norwouldwe

wishituponanyoneelse.Yet,here’saremarkablefactaboutHal’sstory.HalElrodprobablygotmore

outofalife-threateningaccident,whichsmashedhimtobits,thanmostpeoplegetoutoftheirentireformaleducation.That’snottosaythatcaraccidentsaregoodthings—ofcourseI’mnotsaying

that.MayneitheryounorIeverbeinjuredlikethat.ButHalElrodchosetoturnthisimmenselychallengingeventintosomethingthatultimatelyhadaprofoundpositiveimpactontherestofhislifeforthebetter.Thus,byhisownvolition,hegot farmorevalueoutof thishorrificexperience thanmostpeopleeverdobypassivelyfollowingwhateverpredeterminedpathsocietyhadlaidoutforthem.Theturnofeventsthatoccurredaroundthataccidentmayhavebeenoneofthemostpositivethingsthateverhappenedinhislife—becausehechosetomakeitso.We don’t get to choose what happens to us. But we get to choose what it

means.Andinthatchoiceisatremendouspower.Thischapter,thefinal,longest,and most important chapter in the book, is about that choice: the choice tobecome theactive ingredient inyourown life. It’scalled“TheEntrepreneurialMind-set”—and you can exercise it whether you’re an entrepreneur, anemployee,orstillastudent.

■FROMFINBUSINESSCLASSTOAMULTIMILLION-DOLLARBUSINESS—HOWTOESCAPEVICTIMIZATIONANDENTITLEMENT,

ANDSTOPMAKINGEXCUSES

Inhisearlytwenties,JoePolishgotinvitedbyanoldhighschoolbuddytojoinhimon aweekend Jet Ski tripwith amultimillionaire self-made entrepreneur.Joejumpedattheopportunity,ashewasextremelydown-and-outatthattimeinhis life—running a small carpet-cleaning business thatwas perpetually on thevergeofbankruptcy—andheneededachangeinhislife.Joetoldme:

I figured Iwouldgoandpick thisguy’sbrain.At theendof theday,weweresittingonthetailgateofapickuptruckatalakeinArizona.Thiswasmychance.Isaidtotheguy,“Ihearyoudorealwellinbusiness,andIhavea carpet-cleaning companywhich isn’t doing aswell as I’d like it to. I’dliketogointoanotherbusinesswhereIcanmakesomerealmoney.Ihearthat you do pretty well, so I was wondering if you had anyrecommendationsofwhatsortofbusiness Icouldgo intowhere Icandoreallywell.”Hesaid,“Thereareotherpeopleinyourbusinessthataremakingalotof

money?”“There’s a couple of cleaning companies in Phoenix thatmake over a

milliondollarsayear,”Isaidtohim.“Butthey’vebeenaroundalongtime,they’vegotgoodnamerecognition, they’reestablished.Where’swithme,it’salmostimpossibletomakethisbusinesswork,andallpeoplecareaboutisprice...”andblahblahblah.Iwasmakingalltheseexcuses.Ithoughttheseexcuseswerelegitimate.Ihadbeenworkingreallyhard.I

wasnot rippingpeopleoff. Iwasdoing the right thing—Ideliveredgoodwork. I truly cared about my clients. I explained to him how I’d gottencertified,I’dgottentraining,I’dlearnedthiscraftoverthelastyearandhalfor two years since I dropped out. I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’tsuccessful.

AfterImadealltheseexcusestothisguyastowhyIwasn’tsuccessful,he said, “Well, if there are other people doingwell in your industry, andyou’re not, there’s nothing wrong with the business you’re in, there’ssomethingwrongwithyou.”And I said, “Well, no, no, no, you don’t understand . . .” and I went

through a whole other list of excuses as to why the business wasn’tworking.“I’mgoodatwhatIdo.It’sjustareallytoughbusiness.Iwanttogetintoadifferent,betterbusiness,whichwillbeeasier.”Hesaid,“Look,youngman.You’relikemostpeople.Youthinkthegrass

isgreenerontheotherside.What’sgoingtohappenifyougointoanotherbusinessisyou’regoingtospendanothersixmonths,anotheryear,anothertwoyears, learning the technical skillsofanother industry, soyoucangooutand repeat the samebadbusinesshabits thathavecausedyou tobeafailureinthisbusiness.“Whatyouneedtodo,youngman,islearnfundamentalbusinessskills.

Becauseonceyoudo, you can apply those to any industry.But until youlearnhowtomakeabusinesswork,itdoesn’tmatterwhatindustryyougointo,you’restillgoingtofailatit.”Thatwasprobablythemostprofoundadviceevergiventome,atatime

inmylifewhenIwaswillingtohearit,andhaveitsinkin.Joe had gone to college for two years atNewMexico StateUniversity.He

thenlefttogotoChandler-GilbertCommunityCollegeinArizona.HegotanFinthecourse“OwningandOperatingaSmallBusiness”whilethere.AndaCinthecoursePrinciplesofMarketing.Butafriendtoldhimthatanotherguywasmakingoodlesofmoney in thecarpet-cleaningbusiness.Hehated school—hefound the classes too abstract and removed from day-to-day realities andconcerns—anddecidedtoleaveandseeifhecouldsupporthimselfinthisnewbusiness.For the first two years, the business was a complete failure. Part of this

stemmed from some seriouspersonal problems.Hehad a difficult upbringing.Hismotherdiedwhenhewasfour,andhemovedaroundalotasachild,oftenlivingintrailerparks,incircumstancesthatinvolvedphysicalandsexualabuse.“Ihadzeromemoriesofanythingpositive inmychildhood.Byhighschool, Iwasverymessedup.Iwasprettymuchadrugaddict.Inmyworstpossiblestate,Iweighedahundredandfivepounds,fromfreebasingcocaineforthreemonthsstraight.Iwascompletelylost.”By the time of the lake trip, however, Joe had gone past rock bottom, had

cleanedup fromdrugs, andnowwas ready for change inhis economic life as

well.Whichwaswhyhewasreadytotakethiswealthyman’sadvice:

He didn’t give me a solution to my how-to-make-money problem. (Thesolution, it turned out,was simply learningmarketing. Iwas good at thetechnicalskillsofthebusiness—Icoulddeliverthejobs.Ijustsimplydidn’thaveenoughpeoplehiringmyservices. Ididn’tknowhowtomarketandpositionmyself.Ididn’tevenknowwhatmarketingwas.)No,theguynevergavemetheanswers.Butwhathegavemewasahuge

paradigmshift.I left thatJetSki trip,andIrememberdrivingbacktomyhome.Irememberthinkingtomyself,“IliveinAmerica—thisisoneofthegreatest countries in theworld, inmy opinion the greatest country in theworld.I’myoung.I’vegotfulluseofmylimbs.Iabusedmyselfwithdrugsearlyoninmylife,butmybrainstillseemstoworkprettywell.AndI’vegot access to a lot of stuff. If there’s other people having success inbusiness,andI’mnot,theyknowsomethingthatIdon’t.SoIactuallyhavetolearnwhatitisotherpeopleknow.What I did—thanks to this man’s inspiration—was get rid of an

entitlementattitudeandgetridofavictimmentality.Idecided,“I’mgoingtofigureouthowtodothis.”ImadeapacttomyselfthatIwouldnotgetout of the carpet-cleaning business until I figured out how to make itsuccessful.

Joe decided he would do whatever it takes to succeed. Which meant, of

course, education. But not bullshit, abstract, theoretical education. Useful,relevanteducation.Self-education.Heimmersedhimselfcompletelyinlearningdirect-responsemarketing—largelythekindsofmaterialsIdescribedinSuccessSkill #3. He studied copywriters such as Gary Halbert, and fellow college-nongraduates Claude Hopkins, David Ogilvy, and Dan Kennedy, and startedimplementing what he was learning into his business.Within a year, Joe hadturned his carpet-cleaning business into a six-figure business. Soon, so manyother carpet-cleaning proprietors wanted to know his secrets that he began asecondbusiness teaching themmarketingskills.Heeventuallysold thecarpet-cleaningbusinessitself,andnowhismarketingtrainingbusinesshasgeneratedmillions in revenue. He’s also become one of the most respected teachers ofmarketingskillstosmallentrepreneurs,andhoststhe#1mostpopularmarketingpodcastoniTunes(http://ilovemarketing.com).

Nowaself-mademulti-deca-millionaire,JoePolishsharedwithmeapieceofwisdom he himself gained from one of his best friends, business author andmentorDanSullivan.Joetoldme:“Therearetwodecisionsyouneedtocometoinordertobefree,andtobemoreeffective.Firstisthatyouarenotentitledtoanything in the world, until you create value for another human being first.Second,youare100percent responsible forproducing results.Nooneelse. Ifyouadoptthosetwoviews,youwillgofar.”

■THEENTREPRENEURIALMIND-SETVERSUSTHEEMPLOYEEMIND-SETEXPLAINED

What is themaindifferencebetween the self-educatedpeople I’ve featuredallthroughoutthebook—whohaveenjoyedmassivesuccessintheirlives—andthemajority of other people, who are wondering how to bring more success,happiness,andachievementintotheirlives?Itallboilsdowntoonething.They’vechosentodowhateverittakestocreate

the lives that theywant, including exercising the effort and initiative to figureoutwhat “whatever it takes” is.What theydidn’tdo is sit around,waiting forsomeone else to feed them the answer, give them the right opportunity,makethings safe or easy for them, give them some “Fail-Safe, Guaranteed Plan ofAction,”orgivethempermissionorauthorizationortherightcredentialstogetstartedfiguringwhatneedstogetdone,andgettingitdone.Bryan Franklin and his partner in business and life Jennifer Russell have

called this shift—toward taking your success in your own hands—“TheEntrepreneurialMind-setversustheEmployeeMind-set.”Ibelievethatthismind-setshiftisthesinglekeydistinctionthatseparatesthe

self-made success—on ample display in the stories of this book—from thepassivity,feelingsofvictimizationandhelplessness,and“quietdesperation”(touseafamousphrasefromThoreau)inwhichmostpeoplesadlyfindthemselves.Keepinmind,thisdistinctionhasnothingtodowithwhetheryou’reactually

anentrepreneuroranemployee. It’saboutmind-set .Manyemployeesdisplaythe entrepreneurial mind-set (they’re usually the ones who get promoted andpromotedagainandagain),andmanyentrepreneursdisplaytheemployeemind-set(they’retheoneswhotypicallygooutofbusiness).The entrepreneurial mind-set, according to Bryan and Jennifer (who

codeveloped this concept), involves six key distinctions. Most people in thisbook have never heard of either of them, yet nearly everyone in this book—indeed, nearly everyonewho creates success for themselves in their careers—intuitivelyfollowsthesedistinctions.Itis,perhaps,theDNAofcareersuccess.The Entrepreneurial Mind-set versus the Employee Mind-set (courtesy of

JenniferRussellandself-educatedmillionaireBryanFranklin)

Ifyouwanttobeanentrepreneur,Ihavefound,thesedistinctionscontainthekey tools forcreatingyourownentrepreneurial success. Ifyouwant tohaveakick-ass career in a corporation as an employee, these distinctions contain thekey tools for distinguishing yourself from the cubicle herd and getting on theradar of people who make promotions and look for leadership talent in yourorganization,fast.Onekey: rather than lookingat thischart todetermine“whereyou fit,”and

sittingbackwithsmugsatisfactionifyouthinkyoualreadyfallontheleftside,the personwith the true entrepreneurialmind-set is always on the lookout forways in which the employee mind-set might have grown back into herconsciousness.Sheroots itoutagainandagainas though it isanoxiousweedthemomentshespotsanytraceofit.

■FocusingonContributionversusFocusingonEntitlement

Focusingyourlifearoundcontributionmeanspayinggreatattentiontowhatyoucan contribute to any given person or situation you care about, banishing allsense of being entitled or “deserving” of one outcome or another entitlementfrom your mind. It’s the “give, give, give” philosophy espoused by ElliottBisnow,EbenPagan,SethGodin,RussellSimmons,andothersinSuccessSkill#2aboutconnectingwithpowerfulmentorsandinfluencers.Bryansays:“Contribution isanacquired taste. Ifyou look inyour life right

now, I’m sure you’ll find placeswhere you are very solidly in an entitlementmind-set—whereyoubelievethatjustbysuckinginairandthenblowingitoutagain,youdeservetobegivenbenefitsandrewards,withoutanyreferencetotheactualcontributionyou’vemadeanditsresults.“Anythingyoubelieveyoucancountontobethere,withoutregardforwhat

youyourselfaredoingtoensureit’sthere—that’sentitlement.Whenyouloseajob, or a client, do you have the sense that you lost something that youhad?(That’sentitlement.)Or,doyouimmediatelythink,‘Wow,Ineededtocontributemorethere.HowcanIcontributemoreinthefuture?’“Ican’texpressenoughhowmanypeopletherearewithanentitlementmind-

set,upanddowncorporatehierarchies. It’ssorampant.Forexample, there’sacertain ‘How dare they!’ attitude many employees have after being laid off.That’sentitlement.Theemployeeassumesthatbecausethecompanyhiredthem,they’reentitledtoajob.“Thatattitude,thatyou’reentitledtoajob,evenapromotion,nomatterwhat

resultsyouproducethere,isadeathsentencefordoingthekindsofthingsthatactually lead to your getting promoted and becoming indispensable in theorganization;itisitselfaleadingriskfactoringettinglaidoff.”

■FocusingonOutcomeversusFocusingonOutput

Thepeopleinthisbookdidnotassumethat,bygoingtoclassfivedaysaweekand dutifully doing homework and papers and studying for tests, somewonderfuloutcomewasgoingtoarisefromallthisdiligentoutputofwork,justlikeparentsandteachersandsocietysaiditwould.Rather,theyengagedindeepinquiryaboutwhatoutcomestheyspecificallywantedtocreateintheirlives,andthenrelentlesslyengagedinonlytheactivitiesdirectlyrelatedtoproducingthoseoutcomesintheirlives.Self-educated serial entrepreneur ScottBanister,who sold his IronPortWeb

security appliance company to Cisco in 2007 for $830 million, is a livingexample of focusing on outcome instead of output. Scott was studying at theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the late nineties, with theintention of becoming a professor of computer science. On the side of hisstudies,hebeganteachinghimselfHTML(hypertextmarkuplanguage).Hesoonapplied for and got a job as a webmaster, and then started various Webcompanies, including a banner ad company with college buddyMax Levchin(wholaterwentontocofoundPayPal).“We tell kids school is important, andmost kids, includingmyself, believe

that,andkeepgoingfurtherandfurtherintoformaleducation,withtheattitudethat‘thisiswhat’simportantintheworld.’“Well, theproblemwith that is that that’s just a cliff that just ends at some

point.It’s like‘Dowell inschool!Dowell inschool!Dowell inschool!’Andthen, once you’re out, you realize: oops, actually, this is not how the worldworks,youdon’t earnanymoneydirectly fromdoingwell in school, andyoucan’tevensupportyourself! It’sa road thatmightgo somewhere,but itmightnot. For a lot of people, that’s a really disappointing thing. They dutifully gothroughtheprocess,andtheyfinishhighschool,andtheygotocollege,andtheyfinish college, and they’re like, ‘Great, where’s my red carpet to financialsecurity!’“That’s just not how the world works. I found quickly that, by day, I was

goingtoclass,learningabunchofabstract,theoreticalstuff,whereasbynight,Iwasworkingonabusiness.Icouldseethatbusinessishowthingsactuallygetdone in theworld,andhowpeoplemakemoney in theworld:youbuildstuff,

things that consumers want.” See how Scott is focusing on contribution andoutcomehere,ratherthanonentitlementandoutput?Thisispureentrepreneurialmind-setatwork.“IrealizedthatwashowIwouldachievemygoals—throughbusiness.Fora

while,Ikeptthosegoalsgoingsimultaneously—Iwaslike,‘Oh,Ihavethissetofgoalsaroundgoingtoschool,whichIwasingrainedwithasachild,andthenI have these goals related to creating new products and businesses.’ But veryquicklyitbecameclear,businessiswhereI’mlearningalltherealskillsthataregoing to helpme for the rest ofmy life.And this stuff in class, I didn’t evenknow when it is going to help me or anyone else, ever. I realized, gettinginvolvedwithbusinesssooner rather than later,asopposed tobeingoff in thiseducationbubble,which isverydifferent fromtheway theworkworldworks,wasincrediblyimportantforme.“There’sthisreallyweirdnotionoutthere.Allthewayupthroughcollege,we

assume we’re learning a vocation, separate from business, such as being adoctor,oralawyer,oranengineer,oranurse,oracomputerprogrammer.Andthen, alongsideall thesevocations, there’s thisothervocationoverhere called‘business.’ And that’s for some small number of people, who go learn about‘business.’And the restofuswill becomedoctors, lawyers, engineers, nurses,computerprogrammers.The reality is,nomatterwhatvocationyou’re in,youendupworkingforabusinessofonekindoranother.Thus,everyone’svocationisbusiness.Nomatterwhatyou’redoing,yourvocation isbusiness.Themoreyoucanunderstandthemachinerythatyou’reworkingin, thebetteroffyou’regoingtobe.”ScottBanister, andother self-educated success stories featured in thisbook,

relentlesslylookat theoutcome theywant toproduceintheworldandintheirlives, and relentlessly focusonhow to achieve that, cuttingout all extraneouscrapnot relevant to thatoutcome. It’soneof thekey factors thatdistinguishesthosewiththeentrepreneurialmind-setfromthosewiththeemployeemind-set.Thoseintheemployeemind-set,inturn,feelsatisfiediftheyjustworkharder

andharderandharder—inschool,ataworkplace,inabusiness—withoutpayingmuch attention to whether all that effort is directly producing the specificoutcomestheywant.In many ways, our modern school-to-workplace system was specifically

designed to be populated with people exhibiting the employee mind-set ofcrankingoutmoreandmoreoutputwithoutfocusingonreal-worldoutcomes.Many people spend four years soaking up bullshit in academia, then go to

work for consulting firms, which peddle bullshit to bloated corporatebureaucraciesalreadyfullofbullshit.

Youcanalwaysmakeafastbuckpeddlingbullshit—that is,peddlingoutputunrelated to outcome. But if youwant real financial security—comfort in theknowledge thatyouwill alwaysbeable togenerate resources foryourself andyour family—then develop a keen nose for any situation in which you areexpectedtodroneawayatlotsandlotsofhard-workoutput,withoutanyregardforthevalueofthereal-worldoutcomeallthisworkproduces.Runawayfromthesesituationsassoonasyougetthefirstwhiff.Instead, run always toward creating real-world results for people who are

willingtopayfortheseresults,andyou’llneverhavetoworryaboutmoney;itwill always be there for you in sufficient supply. Exchanging your cash forbullshit (which is mostly what happens in higher education these days), orexchangingyourbullshitforotherpeople’scash(whichismostlywhathappensthesedaysinthebloatedcorporate,government,andnonprofitbureaucraciesforwhichcollegeservesasajobcredentialandtrainingground), isneverarecipefor long-term financial security. The entrepreneurial mind-set, which involvesfocusingonoutcomeratherthanoutputandcontributionratherthanentitlement,appliedinyourownongoingself-education,yourownbusiness,orinyourplaceofwork,istherecipe.

■SortingforWhat’sNeededversusSortingforWhat’sRequested

Ifyoulookforandtakecareofwhat’sneededinasituation,ratherthanwhat’srequested by your boss, your teammates, or your clients, you’ll always be thefirstoneupforpromotions, thefirstonetowinnewbusiness,andthelastonelaidoff.Multi-entrepreneurRussellSimmonstoldme,“Findoutwhatpeopleinyour

organization need, and give them that service. That is the way entrepreneursthink—‘I’mgoingtofixtheproblem.’Yougetpaidbyhowmanyproblemsyousolve,andpeoplewillgravitatetowardyou.Ifyouknowyourboss’sjobbetterthan your boss, your boss is going to count on you formore things.You canbegin to learn different parts of the jobmore than the boss knows them—youcan’t start anywhere, it doesn’t make a difference. The person who can startsolvingproblemsandexercisinginitiativeandleadershipatthebottomcertainlywon’tbeabletoatthetop,either—andinfact,thatpersonwon’tevengettothetop.”Sadly,oureducationsystem,initscurrentform,isessentiallyonelongseries

ofcontrivedclassroomsituationsinwhichthepurposeisessentiallytodowhathasbeen requestedbyanauthority figure.This is theopposite ofhowsuccessoccursintherealworld.ThelateWhartonmanagementprofessorRussellAckoffwrites,“Everychild

learns at a very early stage thatwhen they’re asked a question in school theymustfirstaskthemselvesaquestion:Whatanswerdoestheaskerexpect?That’sthe way you get through school, by providing people with the answers theyexpect.Now,onethingaboutananswerthatsomebodyelseexpectsisitcan’tbecreative because it’s already known. What we ought to be trying to do withchildren is get them to give us answers that we don’t expect—to stimulatecreativity.Wekillitinschool.”1Tobesuccessfulinthetwenty-firstcentury,whenallthefactory-stylejobsare

being shippedoffshore, youneed to train yourself out of the habit—drummedintoyou fromayoungage inschool—ofsimply responding to the requestsofauthorityfigures,hopingthatcollectingtheirlittlegoldstarsofapprovalwillgetyouahead.

■WorkYourselfOutofaJob—Don’tWorktoProtectYourJob

What’sthebestwaytoensureyouneverclimbtothenextrungontheladderinyourworkplaceorbusiness?Byclingingdesperately to the lower rungas if itwereyoursalvationinlife.Howdoyoubecomealeaderinyourworkplaceoryourbusiness?Bymaking

yourselfobsoleteinyourcurrentroleandfindingahigher-leverageroletoplay.Andthenmakingyourselfobsoleteinthatandfindingahigher-leverageroletoplay.Andonandon.Celebrated business author Guy Kawasaki—who holds an undergraduate

degree from Stanford and an MBA from UCLA—expresses this sentimentcogently in theNew York Times: the “ideal goal would be to make yourselfdispensable—what greater accomplishment is there than the organizationrunningwellwithoutyou?Itmeansyoupickedgreatpeople,preparedthemandinspiredthem.Andifexecutivesdidthis,theworldwouldbeabetterplace.”2Thisnotionofmakingyourjobobsolete,ofmakingyourself“dispensable”in

thisway,wouldseemtoflyinthefaceofSethGodin’snotionofa“Linchpin,”or an indispensible employee, which I cite widely in this book. Actually,someonewhocontinuouslymakesthemselves“dispensable”and“redundant”attheirlower-leveragerolesintheorganization—throughgoodhiring,outsourcing,delegation, automation, systematization, whatever—and at the same timecontinuously seeks roles of greater and greater leverage and leadership, isindispensibletotheorganization.That’salinchpininaction.

■GoTowardBigDecisions,EvenWithoutAuthority

The people in this book are successful because they didn’t wait around forsomeonetotell themtobesuccessful.Theydidn’twaitaroundforsomeonetotellthemtheycouldmakebigdecisionsintheirlives,andhaveabigimpact.Could therebeanythingmoreaudacious thandeigning tohaveabig impact

on society, without jumping through all the hoops and checking off all thecheckmarkssocietytellsyouthatyouneedtocheckoffbeforeyoucandoso?Bryan explains: “If I work in a retail store, and I don’t have any training,

tools,power,orbudget,andIbelieveIcanmakeapositiveimpactonsales,I’mgoingtostartjustmakingthosedecisions.Idon’tneedtheauthority.I’mtryingtomakeacontributionandhavetheoutcomebegoodforthestore.Imightmakeamistake,andI’llaccepttheconsequences,butanysmartbosswillseethatmyintentions are to make himmore money and will soon start to see me as anindispensableemployee,readyforpromotion.“Peoplewithanemployeemind-setdon’twanttobetheoneresponsiblefor

makingabaddecision,sotheymoveawayfromresponsibilityforalldecisions.It’s part of protecting their job. But they didn’t get the message that, in thiseconomy, such behavior is the opposite of ensuring your future employment.Becausethey’renotmakinganyrealdecisions,whichmeansthey’renothavinganyrealimpact.They’llbethefirsttogowhenleadersstartlookingtotrimfat.”

■SeeYourCircumstancesasIllusoryandTemporary,NotRealandPermanent

Thislastpointmightriskgettingtoophilosophicalforsomereaders.ButIthinkit’simportant.Akeyaspectoftheentrepreneurialmind-setisseeingtheworldaroundyouas

largelymadeup.Sure,therearesocietalrules,butthoserulesareoftenarbitraryand outdated, and can therefore frequently be broken, bent, bypassed, or justplainignored,togoodeffect.Thepeoplewe’vemetinthisbook,withtheentrepreneurialmind-set,lookout

attheworldandseemalleability,elasticity,plasticity,flexibility.Theyseehowtheycanbendcurrentlyaccepted“reality”towardtherealitytheywouldprefer.Thosewith theemployeemind-set, in turn, lookoutandseeaworld fullof

protocols, rules, regulations, fixed hierarchies, established orders. They bowtheirheaddownand“stickwiththeprogram,”hopingthatif theyjustdowhatthey’retoldandwhat’sexpectedofthem,itwillturnoutallright,justasMomorDadorTeacherorProfessororBosssaiditwould.SethGodinsaidtome:“Mostpeopledon’tseethattheyhaveoptionsbeyond

whatsocietytellsthemtodo.That’sthebiggestproblem.Theyhonestlybelievethat compliance is the shortcut to success. If you go to any newspaper inAmerica—thenewspapersarealldying.Whatbetterbusinesslandscapeistheretodogroundbreaking,innovativework?Andyet,thereareallthesepeoplewhowork innewspaperswho think that theycancomply theirway to success. It’sinsane.”One ofmymainmotivations forwriting this book is encouraging you,my

readers, to see theworld as less fixed—a littlemoreopen to creativemoldingandshaping—thanyouthoughtitwaswhenyoufirststartedreadingthebook.There’smorewiggleroom,moreflexibilityat thejointsofsociety, thanyou

might have imagined.You just have to look for it. This is the essence of theentrepreneurialmind-set,whichallthepeopleI’vefeaturedinthisbookshareinonefashionoranother.“Areasonablemanadaptshimselftohisenvironment,”GeorgeBernardShaw

tellsus.“Anunreasonablemanpersistsinattemptingtoadapthisenvironmenttosuithimself.Therefore,allprogressdependsontheunreasonableman.”

HalElroddidnot“makeup”thefactthathisbodywascrushedinanear-fatalcaraccident.Thatwasahard,brutal,inescapablereality,overwhichhehadnochoice.Butnearlyeverythingafterhisaccidenthecreatedhimself.Heliterallymade up the story as he went along. Whereas most people would view hisaccidentasadefeatthatwouldradicallylowerthequalityoftheirexperiencefortherestoftheirlives,Halchosetoviewitasanopportunitytogrow,todevelopa deeper relationship with life, to become a stronger man, and to reach evenhigherforhisdreams.Aftertheaccident,hegotrightbackintothedriver’sseatofhisownreality.This is a skill at which nearly everyone interviewed in this book excels—

writingtheirownscriptinlife.Whatscriptwouldyouwrite ifyouweretheauthorofyourexperience—the

active ingredient of your life—rather than the passive receptacle of society’sprogram?

■THEMILLIONAIREJUNKMANANDTHEMYTHOFTHEDEAD-ENDJOB

Once, in themiddle of a three a.m. bull session atmy high school,DeerfieldAcademyboarding school, I tookabreak fromanother all-nightpaper-writingmarathonandaskedoneofmydormbuddieswhywewereallworkingsodamnhard.Theanswerwasforthcoming:“togetintoatopcollege.”(Forthetoneofthisanswer,think“Duh?”)Wewereobsessedwithcollege—whichcollegewewouldgetinto,howhigh

onthepeckingorderitwouldbe.Ofcourse,Harvard,Yale,Princeton,Columbia,Brown,Stanford,MIT,Penn,andDukewereatthetop,orWilliams,Dartmouth,Middlebury, or Amherst for those who wanted a smaller school. Othernamebrand schools such as Georgetown, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, andNYU would also do. The terrible fear was not getting into any brand-nameschool,andbeingrelegatedtosomemiddlingnonamecollege.Thatnight,Idecidedtopushthelineofquestioningalittlefurther.Iwouldn’t

normallyhaveaskedthesequestions,astheanswersweresotaken-for-grantedatDeerfield.PerhapsIwasjustoverlysleep-deprivedandnotthinkingstraight.“Andwhy,exactly,isitsoimportanttogetintoagoodcollege?”“Togetagoodjob.”“Andwhy,again,isitsoimportanttohaveagoodjob?”“Tomaketonsofmoney.”“Andwhydowewanttomakesomuchmoney?”“Dude, shut up—to buy shit with. To have a nice car, nice clothes, a nice

house, to eat in nice restaurants, to go on ski vacations. To have a hot wife.Dude,youdon’twanttoendupasagarbageman,doyou?”“Ohyeah,”Imuttered,andwentbacktomypaper-writing.Thus,thesewerethemainmotivatorsthatwouldgetus,sixteenandseventeen-

year-olds, to do four or five hours of homework a night in high school (plusapplication-worthyextracurriculars),andspendourFridayandSaturdaynightsinstudyingorwritingpapers:first,thefearoffailingagiventestorproject.Fewofuseverfailed,butthefearwaseverpresent.Next,thefearthatsuchafailure

wouldbringourgrade for thatclassdown.Next, the fear that the lowergradewouldsomehowcontributetoourfailingtogetintooneoftheeliteschools.Andfinally, thefear thatfailingtoattendoneof theeliteschoolswouldleadtoourbeing garbagemen. Deerfield was a place full of bright, talented kids fromwealthybackgroundsscaredtodeaththeywereallgoingtobecomegarbagemen.Indeed,whenIinterviewedtheself-educatedsubjectsofthisbook,Istartedall

the interviewsin thesameway:“Mostpeople, includingparents, teachers,andpoliticians,willtellyouthatifyoudon’tgetyourcollegedegree,you’regoingtoend up as a garbageman. How did you avoid buying into that viewpoint andhavingfaithinyourselfthatyoucouldgooutandsucceedbyeducatingyourselfinstead?”Yet,whenIbeganinterviewingBrianScudamore,Ihadtostopmyselfassoon

as I was about to utter the word “garbageman” in my little opening spiel.BecauseBrianisajunkman,ofsorts.Avery,verywealthyjunkman.He’snot literallyagarbageman, in the traditional sense.Butas founderand

CEOof1-800-GOT-JUNK?(http://www.1800gotjunk.com),heprobablycreatedmorewealthviahaulingjunkthanjustaboutanyoneontheplanet.One day in 1989, as a freshman in college,Brian found himselfwondering

howtheheckhewasgoingtopayforhiscollegeeducation.HewasstandinginaMcDonald’sparking lot inVancouver, andhe sawa truckgoby,whichsaid“Mark’sHauling.”“WhenIsawthatpickuptruck,”Brian toldme,“I thought, ‘Uh-huh, there’s

the idea. I’m going to go buy a beat-up pickup truck and I’m going to starthaulingjunk.’”He went ahead and bought an old truck for $700 and started the business.

Soon, through a lot of hustle, he hadmoney coming in.Yet as quickly as hestartedthebusiness,hebegantofeelatensionbetweenwhathewaslearninginclassandwhathewaslearningonthestreets(literally!).“Iwaslearninghands-onhowtodothings.Iwassolvingmyownproblemsratherthansaying,‘Coca-Cola had this problem with marketing and distribution and this is how theysolved it.’ That is a completely different scale, and it’s one that most peoplewon’tbeabletorelateto.Myself-madeeducationwaspractical,andIfeltthatIwas learning by making mistakes rather than reading about someone else’smistakes. I got to make mistakes firsthand and say, ‘Okay. Congratulations!Anotherscrew-up!’”Brianfinallydecidedhewaslearningmoreaboutlifethroughhisreal-world

businessthaninhisclasses.Hedecidedtoleaveschoolandfocusentirelyonhisbusiness,whichwasalreadyprofitable.“Myfatherisalivertransplantsurgeon.Hehad expectations that Iwas going to follow in his footsteps, or at least do

somethingacademic,somethingrespectable.WhenItoldhimIwasdroppingoutofschooltobecomeafull-timejunkman,hewasprettyfreakedout.Butintheend, he said, ‘Okay, you know what, I’ve got to trust you. You’re an adult.You’reresponsibleformakingyourowndecisions.’”That is really the message of this entire chapter. People with the

entrepreneurial mind-set take responsibility for making sure that everyexperience they have, no matter how challenging, is an opportunity forexpanding their learning and their capacity for leadership. They don’t shieldthemselvesfromresponsibility;theytakeresponsibilityforseekingoutrolesofgreaterresponsibility.Brian kept making mistakes in his business and learning from them, kept

growingasabusinesspersonandaleader,growingstep-by-step.“Iwasdealingwiththeresponsibilityofhavingabusinesstorunandcustomerstoserve.Iwaslearning how to hire and fire people when I made mistakes and brought thewrongpeopleonboard.Iwaslearningthelogisticsofmanagingabusiness,ofmaking phone calls, doing jobs, and learning about customer service. I waslearninghowtomarketthebusinessandtakeresponsibilityformyownactions,saying, ‘Okay, I’ve got a business to grow here and there are no phone callscomingin.WhatamIgoingtodo?’”With all this learning and growth, Brian had four trucks under operation

within a year, then five the next year. Within five years of leaving college,through good hard bootstrapping (see Success Skill #5) his rubbish-haulingbusiness was doing $1 million in revenue. He bought his first home at agetwenty-four.Thebusinesshassinceexploded.(There’salotofjunkouttherethatneedsto

behauled!Leaveittoaself-educatedentrepreneurtoseethatasanopportunityrather than a fate to be avoided at all costs.)The company nowhas over twohundredlocationsacrossCanada,theU.S.,andAustralia,withU.K.operationsopeningsoon.Itdoeswellover$100millioninjunk-haulingbusinessperyear.Looking back on all the fear and frenzy my Deerfield classmates and Iexperienced at the prospect of not getting our proper credentials to become amiddlemanager in a “good” job, I’mnow tempted to ask, “Andwhat if I didbecomeagarbageman?”Thismight soundnaively romantic for someonewhohas never done any real manual labor (except in volunteer programs). But inlightoftheworkhistoriesofthepeopleprofiledinthisbook,Ibelieveit’safairquestionThe fearmyDeerfield classmates and I felt of becoming garbagemen—and

thespecterof“dead-endjobs”usedbygeneralculturetoterrifykidsintocollege—assumes that such jobs are static, like a low caste in ancient India: once agarbageman,alwaysagarbageman.Yet, even a cursory read of the lives of the peoplewe’vemet in this book

shows that, for all of them, “dead-end jobs” in their youthwere anythingbut.Rather,suchjobsprovidedvaluableexposuretothevaluesofworkandindustry,opportunities for meetingmentors and others who could advance their careerprospects, and a stream of income and savings that helped them liveindependently, which often became initial capital for ventures that eventuallymadethemaffluent.NearlyeverypersonIfeatureinthisbookstartedouttheirworkinglivesinlow-status“dead-end”jobs,fromfastfoodtowaitingtablestodoor-to-doorsalesandtelemarketingtomanual labor.But theysuredidn’tstaythere.Whynot?Inawonderfulbookcalled50RulesKidsWon’tLearninSchool:Real-World

Antidotes to Feel-Good Education by Charles Sykes, Rule 15 is: “Flippingburgersisnotbeneathyourdignity.Yourgrandparentshadadifferentwordforburgerflipping.Theycalleditopportunity.”Sykeswrites:“Youliveinacountrywithextraordinaryopportunityandincomemobility: ifyoustartat thebottom,thatdoesn’tmeanyouwillstaythere.Theimportantthingistoactuallystart.”3Ifyouhavetheentrepreneurialmind-set,itdoesn’tmatterwhatjobyoustart

out with, even hamburger flipper. You will find a way to become the mostvaluabledamnhamburgerflipperinthejoint,andthenfindawaytomanageandlead the other hamburger flippers, and then find a way to assume evenmoreresponsibilityandleadershipinsomeotherworkplace,andonandon,upandup.Of course, most garbagemen are not going to start multimillion-dollar junk-haulingempires.But it issimplyfalse—almost to thepointofpropaganda—toassertthatstartingoutinaso-calleddead-endjobisacondemnationtostaythatwayfortherestofyourlife.Itis,ifyounevereducateyourself.Butthepeopleinthisbookchosetoviewsuchjobs, instead,asexpenses-paidlaboratoriesforlearningaboutbusiness,leadership,andtheentrepreneurialmind-set.DavidAsh,therealestateinvestor,toldme:“IlookedateverythingIdidasan

apprenticeship—evenlow-levelsales jobs.I lookedat itassomethingthatwasgoingtopreparemeforsomethinggreateroneday.Thatallowsmetoembracewhatevermenialtaskorlow-leveljobassimplyanecessarystageintheprocessofbecomingsuccessful.“Iwasabletocharacterizemyself,intheprocess,bysaying,‘Thisisn’twhoI

am.I’mthisotherpersonmeantformuchgreatersuccessthanthis—butIknowthatallgreatersuccesshasasitsseedsthesetypesofactivities.Imustembracethesefundamental,simplisticactivities,whichmaybetheaveragepersonscoffs

at, because they are foundational, necessary, in buildingwithinme experienceandcharactersufficientformetobethisgreaterpersonthatIenvisionmyselftobeoneday.’“SoIsawinallofthoseexperiences,astoughastheywere—anddon’tgetme

wrong,Ididn’tlikealotofthem—opportunityforlearning,growth,andgreaterleadership. I rejoiced in the challenges I faced, knowing that all thebooks I’dread, all the autobiographies I’d read by great men, all had this necessaryjourneyofstartingatthebottomrung.“I read about the man who started the Ritz-Carlton hotels, César Ritz. He

started at the lowest rung of the ladder, a high school dropout working as awaiter in ahotel.With time,hewasmanaginghotels, andwithmore time, heownedthemandbeganaworld-classchain.“Whatdistinguishes theguywho’s thewaiter,who thengoeson toown the

hotel,andthenachainofhotels,versustheguywhojustremainsawaiterandstaysbitterandangryaboutbeingawaiterfortherestofhislife?“Well,theguywhoendsupowningthehotelneverseeshimselfasawaiter,

first of all. He only sees himself in the role of the waiter, as a necessarytransitionalpoint,togetfrombeingawaiter,tobeingthemanagerofahoteloneday,whichwouldgivehimthenecessaryknowledgetomaybeownahotel.“Ineversawmyselfasasalesman,whateverIhappenedtobesellingonthe

telephoneordoor-to-door.Ialwayssawmyselfastheguywhowasgoingtorunthis place one day, or run some sort of organization like it.As soon as Iwasrunningtheorganizationforsomeoneelse, I thenswitchedtoseeingmyselfastheguywhoownedit.SoIjustacceptedwhereIwas,asanecessaryplaceIhadtobe,inordertolearnwhatIhadtolearn,anddowhatIhadtodo,togettothenextgreaterlevel.“I was always looking for opportunities for leadership, for opportunities to

contribute,forwaystodeveloprelationshipswithhigher-ups,whocouldhelpmeandwhomIcouldhelp.Mypeerstypicallyweren’tmycoworkers.Iwasn’ttheguywhohungaroundthecoffeepotwitheveryoneelse.Iwastheguywhocameinanhourearlierthaneveryoneelse.Iwasfriendly,butIwasn’tgoingtoworkforcamaraderiewithmycoworkers.“Mycoworkerswerecomingtwentyminuteslate,thentheywouldgotothe

coffeepotandwasteanotherfifteenortwentyminutes.SoI’mworkingforafullhourandahalfbeforetheguysI’mworkingwithareevenstartingtowork.Youcanimaginetheeffectofhaving20percentmoretimeinyourdayhasonyourwork.Itwasn’tthatIwasagenius,it’sthatIworkedmoreeffectivelythanalotoftheseotherguys.“Icared.TheysawitjustasalousyjobthatgotthemtoFriday.Isawitasa

necessary step to getme from being the guy doing the ‘lousy job’ to the guythat’srunningtheoperationthatprovidesallof these jobs,andthento theguythatownsthebusinessthatprovidesallthejobs.Ineverthoughtofthemaslousyatanystepoftheway.Ialwaysthoughtofthemasveryworthy,andverymuchapartoftheprocess.“WhenIbecamethemanagerandthenownerofthesetypesofbusinesses,I

tried to encouragemy employees to view things this way, so they could risethrough the ranks of the company.But very few earswere ready to hear that.Mostpeoplesawtheirjobsfromashort-termperspective.Theyweren’tthinkingthelonggame.Whenyou’rethinkingjustintermsofthismonthorthenextsixmonths,itmakessensetoseeyourjobasjustalousysourceofapaycheck.Butnotwhenyou’rethinkingaboutthenexttenyears.”Ohhowrareistheentrepreneurialmind-set;developit,andyouwillgofar.AmIsayingthateverypersonborninsomegod-awfulsluminRioorNairobi

has the opportunity, through the entrepreneurial mind-set, to become amillionaire,andthatthepeopleremainpoorsimplybecausethey’veadoptedtheemployeemind-set?Ofcoursenot;that’spurepropagandaforthestatusquoofvastly uneven resource distribution in life. People are born with differentchances in life,whichvastly influence their chances for affluence.The simplefactthatIwasbornlearningEnglishinAmerica,versusSwahiliinKenya,gavemeamassivelegupinthepursuitofwealthandsuccessintheworld,frombirth.Tosupposeotherwiseissheerself-delusion—it’sbeing“bornonthirdbaseandthinkingyouhitatriple,”astheysay.However, there’snotadoubt inmymind that,whatever stationyou’reborn

into in life, whatever era and whatever country, rich or poor, adopting theentrepreneurialmind-setgivesyou thebest chanceof raisingyour station,andtheonlychanceatmakingyourbiggestdreamscometrue.Thinkingotherwise—forexample,thinkingthatBigBrothergovernmentisgoingtosavethepoor—isasdelusionalasthinkingthatwe’reallbornwithequalopportunity.Theentrepreneurialmind-setmaynotbeaguaranteed bet,but it’s certainly

yourbestbet.Peoplewiththeemployeemind-set(whethertheyareactuallyemployees,or

whethertheyareentrepreneurs)mayworkhard.Very,veryhard.Buttheyhaulassalongapathothershavecreatedforthem;theydon’tcreatetheirownpath.They are the passive recipients of instructions, orders, and guidance, not theactivecreatorsoftheirownworld.Theydonothavetheanswers;someoneelsedoes.Theydowhatothersaroundthemtell themandexpect themtodo.Theyhope—indeed,expectanddemand—that,iftheypleasethepeopleabovethem,asteady streamof benefitswill flow theirway. (“I didwhat you toldme.Now

givememyreward!”)If therewardisnotforthcoming, theycomplainandgetboggeddowninbitternessandresentment, likeachildwhodidn’tgetacandyfromMommy.Topeoplewith the employeemind-set, power resides elsewhere, notwithin

themselves.Theremaybesomesafetyandsecurityinclingingtotheemployeemind-set (or at least the comforting illusion of safety) because those withemployee mind-set rely on someone more powerful and resourceful thanthemselves to save themand shield them from risk.Butwhatever safety theremay be—and it diminishes each year forward into the age of outsourcing,offshoring, and downsizing—there’s certainly no freedom, no self-determination.If you always asked yourself how you could make a greater and higher-

leveragedcontributionto thepeopleyouworkwithandthesituationsyoufindyourselfin;ifyoufocusedlikealaseronactualoutcomeoftheprojectsyou’reinvolved with, rather than the output of your time and effort; if you wererelentlessabouttakingcareofwhat’sactuallyneededinyourworkplaceorteam,ratherthanjustdoingwhatwasrequestedofyou;ifyoustartedrunningtowardthebigdecisionsinyourorganization,ratherthanawayfromthem,whetherornot your job description called for it; if you became a diligent student of theways in which social reality is more flexible and malleable, and lesspredetermined, than you think it is—if you did all these things, is there anychanceyouwouldcomeoutbehind?Ofcourse,there’salwaysachanceoffailurenomatterwhat.Butthatchance

isdramatically lower ifyouadoptanentrepreneurialmind-set inwhateveryoudo(evenifit’sninetofive),ratherthanthemillionsofpeoplewhogothroughlifewiththepassiveemployeemind-set,consciouslychoosing(outoffear,lackof imagination, or sheer laziness) to run as fast as they can toward becomingreplaceablecommoditycogs,withthesamegenericresumeaseveryoneelse,thesamepapercredentials.SethGodintoldme:“Safeisthenewrisky;riskyisthenewsafe.Theriskiest

thingyoucandoisplayitsafe.Therearecountlessexamplesofpeoplewhoarenowunemployedbecausetheyplayeditsafe.AllthosepeoplewhowenttoWallStreetbecause itwas the safe thing todo, to follow instructions—theyall losttheirjobs.Godownthelist.Moreandmore,ifit’sa‘safe’job,it’srisky.”Those with the employee mind-set have willfully participated in their own

corporate dehumanization, by choosing safety in numbers (it’s always safer inthemiddle of a herd) rather than taking risks and adopting an entrepreneurialmind-set in theirwork.You’veheardwarningsbeforeabouthow“thenail thatsticks out gets hammered” and how “if you stick your neck out it will get

choppedoff.”Wellthesedays,theguillotinesofoffshoringandoutsourcing,thehammers of downsizing and automation, arewaiting to chop off and hammerdownallthosewhodon’tsticktheirnecksout,standup,andexerciseleadership.Ifyoutakeontheentrepreneurialmind-set,youseeyourselfasresponsiblefor

the impactyouhave inyourbusinessorworkplace, and foryourownsuccessand advancement in life.You have become the active ingredient in your ownlife,andinyourworkplace.Youseeaprobleminyourlifeor inyoursurroundingsandfixit.Youdon’t

count on some higher authority to make things better; you make it betteryourself,whetherornotyouhavetheauthority.Youbelieve inyourownpower toblazeyourwayforward; if someoneelse

wasgoingtoblazethetrail,itwouldhavealreadybeenblazed.Ifyouencounteraproblemoraroadblockalongtheway,youfigureouthow

tofixitorbypassit.Youseekhelpwhenneeded,butyou take responsibility for finding thebest

help,thebestanswers;youdon’tjustpassivelyacceptwhateverhelporanswersareimmediatelyavailable.Youdon’twaitaroundforsomeonetosaveyouorsolveyourproblems.You are an active creator of your success, not a passive recipient of

instructions,tasks,andrewards.Toalargedegree,youcreatethesocialandfinancialrealityyoulivein.

Areyoureadytobefree?

■CODA:FROMERRANDBOYTOEISENHOWER’SBUDDY

At the beginning of the 1900s, a young boy named Louis Marx, born inBrooklyn to Jewish immigrants from Berlin, stays up late on school nights,readingbookson“how tobecomea$5,000-a-yearman.”At that time,$5,000was about $113,000 in today’s dollars and it was the “magic number,”whichmeantyouhadmadeitinyourcareer,muchasearningsixfiguressymbolizesacertainarrivaltoday.Louisgraduatedhighschoolatagefifteen.MaandParan,well,ama-and-pa

store,adrygoodsretailerthatkeptclosinginoneneighborhoodofBrooklyn,forlackofbusiness,andreopeninginanother,withhigherhopes.Collegewasoutofthequestion—andtheoptionwasscarcelyrelevanttoLouis’slife.Thoughgrowingup in relativeprivation,andbearing thesame lastnameas

themost famous revolutionaryof all time,Louisdidn’tharbor any resentmentforhislotinlife.“Theclassstruggle?Someonesoldthatidea.Weneverfeltit.”4AfterhighschoolhewenttoworkasanerrandboyforMr.FerdinandStrauss

inNewYork, aGermanmanwho ran a large toymanufacturing and retailingoutfitunderthatname.“Withinafewmonths,theboywasrunningthefactory,”StrausslatertoldFortune.5Louiscameupwithatoyideathattheoldmandecidedtotakeachanceon—a

paperhornthatmadesoundeffects,andcouldalsobewornasalapelflower.Itsoldwell, andStrausspromoted the teenageLouis todirector.Hewasearninghis$5,000byagetwenty.Louishadstrongviewsaboutmanagementissuesanddidn’tlethisyoungage

deter him from advocating passionately what he thought was best for thecompany.Inanongoingdiscussionoverwhetherthecompanyshouldremainaretaileraswellasamanufacturer,Louisstuckhisneckoutandarguedthatthecompany should divest its retail business and become a puremanufacturer.AlaterFortuneprofileonhimsaid,“Marxfeltthatthesestoresdeflectedtoomuchworkingcapitalandcompanyenergyfromvolumeproduction.The issuecametoavoteattheDirectors’meeting.EveryonevotedagainstMarx.‘Wasmyneck

down!’hesays.‘ThereIwas,stillakid,andoutonthestreet.’”6Marx decided to go into the toy business himself, with his brother, David.

“Hisworkingcapital consistedofanold table fromhisBrooklynhome;.... the‘office’wasaroomsosmallthatitwashardtoclosethedoorwhenthetableandDaveandLouiswereallpresent.“Nothavingthecapitaltoleaseorbuyfactories,hesethimselfupasavery

special sortofmiddleman.Hewould find, forexample, that achain storewassellingfor10centsan‘automobile’forwhichitpaid7cents.Hewouldstudythe7-cent automobile exhaustively with this question in mind: which would bebetter—to buildmore automobiles for 7 cents or as good an automobile for 6cents? When he felt sure of his answer and of a manufacturing solution, hewouldgoto thelargechain-storebuyersandmakehisproposition.Havinggothisorder,hewouldcommissionamanufacturertomakethegoods.”7Withinyears,intheearly1920s,LouisMarxandCompanybecamethelargest

toymanufacturerintheworld,andLouisMarxbecameamultimillionaireinhistwenties—a multi-deca-millionaire in today’s dollars. Ferdinand Strauss wentout of business. Louis bought his old boss’s assets and leased manufacturingspaceintheoldStraussfactories.In the fifties, Louis teamed up with the company of another non–college

graduate namedWalt. YoungWalt had learned about business at age nine byrunningapaperroute.Called“theseconddumbest”inclassbyoneteacher,heexhibited no interest in school—and little interest in anything except drawingcartoons.Afterdroppingout,hebriefly tooka jobat thepostoffice tosupporthimself ashedrew.Then, in1918, at age sixteen, he lied abouthis age sohecould enlist in the army, and soon he was shipped off to France to drive anambulanceinWorldWarI.8Afterreturningayearlater,thetwenty-year-oldhighschooldropoutstartedan

animationcompanycalledLaugh-O-Gram.“Thecompanyhadproblemsmakingendsmeet:bytheendof1922,[he]waslivingintheoffice,takingbathsonceaweek at Union Station” in Kansas City.9 The company went bankrupt a yearlater.WaltDisneythenmovedouttoLosAngelestolivewithhisbrother,wherethetwoopenedDisneyBrothersStudios.Inthefiftiesandbeyond,LouisMarxandCompanywasproducingtoysbased

on every Disney-themed character you could imagine, including Mickey,Donald,Pluto,Goofy,Cinderella,andBambi.ThecompanywasthemainfaceofDisneytoysthroughoutthatera.By 1956—keeping the now ten-year-old baby boomers well supplied with

their Christmas and birthday presents—Marx and Company was doing $50

million inbusiness, around$390million in today’sdollars.LouisappearedonthecoverofTimemagazine in1956. In1972,he sold the company toQuakerOatsfor$50million,about$253milliontoday.10Inhishalf-centurycareerasatoymanufacturer,startingoutasanerrandboy,

Louisrevolutionizedthetoybusiness.Hewasresponsibleforintroducingmass-manufacturinginto the industry,employingatpeakovereight thousandpeoplein his assemblyline plants in theUnitedStates and around theworld. For thisreason,hewasoftencalledbythepress“theHenryFordoftoys.”The 1946 Fortune profile entitled “Louis Marx: Toy King” says: “The

comparison is natural and valid. Both men are completely self-made; bothbecamerichearlyinlifebyputtingwhathadbeenessentiallyluxuryitemsintothehandsofthemany;bothdiditbydeterminedlyloweringpricesthroughtheirownvarietiesofmassproductionandmassselling.LikeFord,Marxdevelopedthree things in theprocess: avibrant and aggressive interest ingeneral humanaffairs, an industrial kingdom in which his writ alone runs, and a resolutelyindividualisticway of doing businesswithwhich his rivals, like it or not, areobligedtoreckon.”11They had another biographical fact in common. Ford didn’t have a college

degreeeither.FordwasbornonafarmnearDearborn,Michigan,andgrewupasafarmboy,withlittleformalschooling—butakeeninterestintinkeringwiththemachinery on the farm. He left home at sixteen to become an apprenticemachinistinDetroit.Fordwritesinhisautobiography:“Aneducatedmanisnotonewhoistrained

tocarryafewdatesinhistory—heisonewhocanaccomplishthings....Aman’srealeducationbeginsafterhehasleftschool.Trueeducationisgainedthroughthe discipline of life.... A man may be very learned and useless.... Merelygatheringknowledgemaybethemostuselessworkamancando.Whatcanyoudotohelpandhealtheworld?Thatistheeducationaltest.Ifamancouldholdup his own end, he counts for one. If he could help ten or a hundred or athousand othermen hold up their ends, he counts formore.Hemay be quiterustyonmanythingsthatinhabittherealmofprint,butheisalearnedmanjustthesame.Whenamanisamasterofhisownsphere,whateveritmaybe,hehaswonhisdegree—hehasenteredtherealmofwisdom.”12Intheearly’30s,Louishelpedayoungairforcecolonellocateahard-to-find

toy train switch for the colonel’s son’s electric train set. The men becamefriends, and the colonel introduced him to another friend, an air force captaincalled“Beedle”Smith.Atonepoint,LouissentSmithsomecaviarasaholidaypresent.“Smith,who

had no taste for caviar, passed it on to his nextdoor neighbor at Fort Myer,BrigadierGeneral[Dwight]Eisenhower.Later,IkedroppedintothankMarx.”13Thetwobecamelifelongfriends,exchangingaglowingcorrespondence that ishousedintheEisenhowerPresidentialLibrary.LouiswasafrequentguestofIkeandMamieat theWhiteHouse throughout the’50s,personallydelivering toysfortheWhiteHouseChristmastree.ThepresidentbecamegodfathertoseveralofLouis’schildren.Oneofthosechildren,Patricia,ismymother.ImetmygrandfatherLouisonly

once,whenIwasababy, tooyoung to remember. Icertainlydidn’t followhispathinlife.Iwentthroughthehighesthallsofformaleducationandspentmuchofmytwentiesmeanderingandlostasawannabe“avant-garde”literarywriter,often living month to month, as I chose to spend my time writing screedsdenouncingcapitalistmaterialism,insteadofworking.In his twenties, my grandfather had no higher education and lots of street

smarts. Inmy twenties, I had lots of higher education and no street smarts; Ididn’tbeginthinkingseriouslyaboutmoneyandcareeruntilagethirty.Nowinmythirties,Icanseethattheoldmanalsohadalotofwisdom.Iam

gladabitofhisspirithasrubbedoffonme.Maythespiritofalltheboldsoulsinthisbookinspireyou.

EPILOGUE

THEEDUCATIONBUBBLEISABOUTTOPOP—AREYOUPREPAREDFORTHEAFTERMATH?

In2005,CortneyMunnagraduatedfromoneofthemostprestigiousuniversitiesinthenation,NewYorkUniversity,withabachelor’sdegreeinwomen’sstudiesand religion. To pay for this education, she took out two private loans fromSallieMae of around $20,000, a private loan fromCitibank for $40,000, plusfederalloans.Fiveyearsoutofschool,inMay2010,sheowed$97,000forhereducation.At that time, shewas living inSanFrancisco, earning$22 anhourworkingforaphotographer.Munna’s after-tax pay as of May 2010, when I read about her story, was

around$2,300amonth.Her rent inSanFranciscowas$750.Herstudent loanpayments,ifshewaspayingthem,wouldhavebeenaround$700,whichwas30percent of her after-tax income.Notmanypeople could sustain $700monthlydebtpaymentsona$2,300income,ontopofrentandlivingexpenses,forverylong. Most people facing such a wall of unsecured debt, relative to income,wouldprobablyendupdeclaringbankruptcysooneror later.However, studentloansareoneoftheonlytypesofdebtnotdischargeableinbankruptcy;theonlyplacetheygetdischarged,ifnotpaiddowninfull,isthegrave.Munna found a temporary solution. She continued her education in night

school,whichallowedher todeferdebtpayments.Thus,her loanbalancekeptcompounding upward eachmonth, debt rolling on top of debt. At her hourlyearnings at that time, there was no way she would ever race againstcompounding interest topaydownthedebt.At twenty-six,at theoutsetofheradult life,Munnafoundherself inamassivefinancialhole,onethatcouldmarherfinancialprospectsformuchofherlife—andtherewasnoobviouswayforhertogetout.IlearnedaboutMunna’sstoryfromclickingonalinkontheNewYorkTimes

site,whichread“AnotherDebtCrisisIsBrewing,ThisOneinStudentLoans.”ThelinkledtoanarticlebyRonLieberentitled“PlacingtheBlameasStudentsAreBuriedinDebt.”Thebasicpremiseofthearticleisthereasonablejudgmentthat,whenmanypeoplearegettinginto$100,000ofunsecureddebtattheoutsetof their adult lives, with no easy way to get out relative to their salaries,

something has gone terribly wrong. The article sleuths through the story ofMunnaandessentiallyasks,“Who’stoblameforthismess?”Herparents?Theloanproviders?Theschools?Thestudentswhotakeouttheloans?In a follow-up to the story, Munna states: “I openly acknowledge my

responsibilityformycurrentsituation,aswellasthenaïvetéinmyestimationofthereturnoninvestmentofa‘highquality’educationandaliberalartsdegree.”1Thisisanhonorableacceptanceofaccountability,anditisfairenough;nooneheldaguntoMunna’shead,forcinghertotakethoseloansout.Yetsimplypaintingthestoryasapictureofanadultmakingpoorchoices,and

whomust livewith thosechoices for the restofher life, seems tome tomisssomethingimportant.Afterall,whenMunnawasoriginallytakingouttheloansassheenteredcollege,shewasseventeen,attheverycuspofadulthood,notyetoldenoughtovote,jointhemilitary,orlegallybuyapackofcigarettesorabeer,or tobe triedasanadult incourt.Culturallyand legally,weacknowledge thatpeopleundereighteen shouldenjoy someamountofprotection from the long-termconsequencesoftheirdecisions.Thecivilizedworldgotridofdebtors’prisonsalongtimeago.Theideaisthat

peoplemakemistakes,andtheyshouldbegivenasecondchanceinlife.Yetweas a society have a strangeblind spot around this concept;we (meaning adultsocietyatlarge,includingparents,teachers,politicians,andmediapundits)moreorlesscorralouradolescentsintotakingonmassiveamountsofunsecureddebttopursueacollegeeducation.Inthearticle,Cortney’smother,CathrynMunna,says,“AllIcouldseewascollege,andagoodcollegeandhowproudIwasofher....Allweneededtodowasgetthiseducationandgetthegoodjob.Thisisthe thing that eats away atme, the naïveté onmy part.” CathrynMunna is agrownwomanandrightlytakesresponsibilityforherowndecisions.Yet, where did she get this idea that “all we needed to do was get this

educationandgetthegoodjob”?WheredidshegettheideathatgettingaliberalartsdegreefromNYUwouldbeagoodreasonforherdaughtertogo$100,000into debt?Did these ideas just occur randomly toCathrynMunna?Were theybizarre,out-ofline,wackybeliefsrelative to theculturearoundher?Wheredidshe get the idea that this was the only way for her daughter to pursue asuccessfulandhappylife?Thisistheculturalclimateinwhichparentsandadolescentsareimmersed:the

myth of higher education. The idea, promulgated in surround sound by otherparents,teachers,schooladministrators,guidancecounselors,collegebrochures,and politicians, is that your only hopes for economic empowerment involveborrowing large sums of money to get a BA degree, and once you have thismagicdegree,yourticketforlifewillbewritten.Thisisthewaterweswimin.

An analogy is useful here. TheNew York Times articlemakes this analogyexplicitly:thehousingbubble.Sure,theadultswhotookoutridiculousloanstobuyridiculoushousesareresponsible.Sure,lendersactedinapredatorywayinmanycases.Sure,theshenanigansofWallStreetfinancialengineersplayedtheirrole.I’mnottryingtodisavowpersonalresponsibilityforanyoftheplayersinthesemesses.Butatacertainpoint,alloftheseindividualfactorsmetastasizedinto one overarching culture of insanity that spread throughout the nation, inwhichaverage,otherwisesensibleandsanepeoplefounditincrediblydifficulttoresistmakingfinanciallydisastrousdecisions.In the last year, a number of commentators have picked up the analogy

betweenthehousingbubbleandthecurrentstateofhighereducation.OneofthemoststridentofthesehasbeenMarkTaylor,chairoftheDepartmentofReligionat Columbia. In a commentary on the New York Times site, entitled “TheEducationBubble,”hewrites, “Thenextbubble toburstwillbe the educationbubble.Makenomistakeaboutit,educationisbigbusiness,andlikeotherbigbusiness,itisinbigtrouble.”2In aNew York Times op-ed entitled “End the University asWe Know It,”

Taylor makes a comparison between higher education and yet another dying,debt-drowned industry: “Graduate education is the Detroit of higher learning.Mostgraduateprograms inAmericanuniversitiesproduceaproduct forwhichthere is no market (candidates for teaching positions that do not exist) anddevelop skills for which there is diminishing demand (research in subfieldswithinsubfieldsandpublicationinjournalsreadbynooneotherthanafewlike-mindedcolleagues),allatarapidlyrisingcost(sometimeswellover$100,000instudentloans).”3In the Washington Examiner, Glenn Reynolds writes, “It’s a story of an

industry that may sound familiar. The buyers think what they’re buying willappreciateinvalue,makingthemrichinthefuture.Theproductgrowsmoreandmoreelaborate,andmoreandmoreexpensive,buttheexpenseisoffsetbycheapcreditprovidedbysellerseagertoencouragebuyerstobuy.“Buyersseethateveryoneelseistakingonmoundsofdebt,andsoaremore

comfortablewhentheydosothemselves;besides,forageneration,thevalueofwhat they’re buying has gone up steadily.What could go wrong? Everythingcontinuessmoothlyuntil,atsomepoint,itdoesn’t.“Yes,thissoundslikethehousingbubble,butI’mafraidit’salsosoundinga

lotlikeastill-inflatinghighereducationbubble....Ithinkit’sbetterforustofaceuptowhat’sgoingonbeforethebubbleburstsmessily.”4Asstoriesmountofrecentcollege,professional,andgraduatestudentsgaining

diplomaswithmountainsofdebt and fewprospectsofpaying it off, it’smoreandmore difficult to avoid thinking that we’re heading toward some kind ofcataclysmicnational reckoningaroundhighereducation.Even thefieldof law,long considered the safest of the safe choices among professions, is feelingmassive earthquake tremors.Toward the end ofmy timewriting this book, inJanuary 2011, an article in the New York Times appeared, with a Web linkleading to it that read, “ForLawSchoolGraduates,Debts IfNot JobOffers.”The article, by David Segal, tells the story of Michael Wallerstein, who hasamassed around a quarter of amillion dollars in debt by age twenty-seven toattendbottom-tierThomasJeffersonLawSchool.“Mr.Wallerstein,whocan’taffordtopaydowninterestandthuswatchesthe

outstanding loanbalancegrow, is in roughly the same financial hell as peoplewhoboughtmorehomethantheycouldaffordduringtherealestateboom.Butcreditorscan’tforecloseonhimbecausehedidn’tspendthemoneyonahouse.He spent it on a law degree. And from every angle, this now looks like acatastrophicinvestment.”5Wallerstein did everything society told him to do to be successful: go to

college, get a degree, go to law school, get a law degree.At the time of thiswriting,hehadrecentlytakena$10-per-hourjobasalegaltemp.WHEN ARE WE GOING TO START GIVING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE

BETTERCAREERADVICE?Ihopemybookisastepintherightdirection.

■IFYOU’REUNDERTWENTY,THISMANMAYWANTTOPAYYOU$100,000TO“STOPOUT”OF

COLLEGE

PeterThiel isanotherpersonwhosees thathighereducationmaybegoing thewayofthehousingmarket.ThielcofoundedPayPal,whichsoldtoeBayfor$1.5billion.In2004,hefamouslyinvested$500,000inFacebook—thefirstoutsideinvestmentinthecompany—andthestakeisnowworthbillions.AspresidentofClariumCapital,heoverseesover$2billioninassets.InJanuary2011ImetwithPeterinhisSanFranciscomansion—farandaway

themoststunningpieceofrealestateinwhichIhaveeversteppedfoot—whichherents,overlookingthePalaceofFineArtsneartheMarina.Petergesturedtowardhismajesticrentedlivingroom.“ThehouseI’mliving

in—verynicehouse.Thepeoplewhobuiltitspentsevenyearsbuildingit.Attheendofthesevenyears,theydecidednottomovein.Whattheyhadchosentodowiththeirliveschangedduringthosesevenyears.Ithinkit’sveryhardtoknowwhatpeoplewant todoover twentyyears.Oneof the things thatwentwrongwith housing—when people did the mortgage calculators and compared it torenting—wasabig-picturemistake: If you rent, youhaveoptions. If youbuy,youhavefeweroptions.Sobuyingshouldbealotcheaperthanrenting,becauseofalltheoptionsyou’regivingup.”Peter, who holds undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford, sees an

analogyherewithinvestmentsinformaleducation.“Takethetrackswhereonecanmakeaplausiblecasethatformaleducationisaninvestibledecision.Thesetendtobethecollegetracksthatarelessfun.Premedandengineering:thosearethe two where college is really not just a high-priced consumption decision.You’re spending a lot of Friday nights in the library, memorizing organicchemistryordoingengineeringproblems.“But even in these limited caseswhere college is actually an investment, it

onlyworksifyouactuallydothatcareer.Yourpremed,plusmedicalschool,plusresidency,onlyisagoodinvestmentifyoucommittobeingadoctorfortherestof your life. The challengewith that is that you are constraining the kinds ofchoicesyoumakewhenyou’rejusteighteen,startingout.

“You’re implicitly givingupon a lot of other things, very early on—so therewardshavetobealotbettertomakeitworthit.It’sthispieceaboutflexibilityand adaptability that people never think about. One of the things people saidduring thehousingboom,2005, is ‘Yes, thishousecostsamilliondollars,andmaybe theprice isa littlehighrightnow,and it’scheaper to rent,andImightliketospendthatdownpaymentonotherthings—butitwillbefineovertwentyyears.’Thatmaybetrue.Butoneofthethingsthat’simplicitwiththatstatementisthatyouknowthepathyourlifeisgoingtobeonoverthenexttwentyyears.“Similarly, the economics of becoming a doctor or an engineer—the few

thingswhereformaleducationactuallymakesalotofsense—shouldbeinsanelyhigher thananythingelse. If they’re justclose, that’sverybad,because there’sallthisflexibilityandadaptabilityyou’regivingup.”PartlytocombattheseproblemsPeterseesinhighereducation,hehasfunded

theThielFellowship(http://www.thielfoundation.org),whichisawardingtwentybuddingentrepreneursunder theageof twenty$100,000each to“stopout”ofschoolandstarttheirbusinessdirectly.Hecausedwavesaroundthenationwhenheannouncedthisprogramin2010.Thepressreleasesays,“FromFacebooktoSpaceX to Halcyon Molecular, some of the world’s most transformationaltechnologieswerecreatedbypeoplewhostoppedoutofschoolbecausetheyhadideas that couldn’t wait until graduation. This fellowship will encourage themostbrilliantandpromisingyoungpeoplenottowaitontheirideas,either.”6In predictable fashion, commentators enthralled by the allkids-must-go-to-

college-or-they’ll-end-up-as-janitorsideologyreactedinhorror.JacobWeisberg,chairman and editor in chief of the Slate Group unit of theWashington PostCompany,saidinSlate(http://www.slate.com)thattheprogramwas“appalling”and “nasty.” He accuses Thiel of inciting the young toward “halting theirintellectualdevelopmentaroundtheonsetofadulthood”andseestheprogramasindicative of a trend toward “diverting a generation of youngpeople from theloveofknowledgeforitsownsakeandrespectformiddle-classvalues.”7Weisberg’s complaint neatly encompasses nearly all the commonplace

assumptions about higher education we’ve been questioning all along in thisbook.Themostglaringisthatcollegeistheonlywayyoungpeoplecancontinuetheir intellectual development; I believe the stories I’ve told throughout thisbookofself-educatedpeopleputthatbelieftorest.Weisbergalsoassumesthatcollegeisreallyabout“loveofknowledgeforits

ownsake.”AcriticofoneoftheNewYorkTimesarticlesaboutCortneyMunna,cited earlier, echoes the sentiment in a comment on the Times site. “What[Munna] has learned is what a university offers: the tools to understand the

worldandsociety.Shewilldowell,eventhoughit’llbetoughpayingoffthose[$97,000in]loans.”I’m all for the love of knowledge for its own sake, and for the tools to

understand the world and society. One look at my own bookshelf, full ofphilosophy, psychology, politics, literature, poetry, spirituality, biography, andpopularscience,shouldmakethatclear.ButcanWeisberg,andthiscommenteron theTimes site, lookatmewitha straight faceandsuggest thatkids shouldspendahundredortwohundredthousanddollars,andrackupahundredgrandindebt, at the outset of their adult lives, to pursue “loveof knowledge for itsownsake”and“thetools tounderstandsociety”?Can’tyoupursuetheloveofknowledgethroughoutyourentirelivesinlessoutrageouslyexpensivewaysthatdon’t involvecripplingdebt,suchas—gasp!—readingonyourownafterworkandonweekends,ortakinganonlineclass?Whenarespectedcommentatorcallstheprospectofayoungpersonreceiving

$100,000topursueentrepreneurshipforafewyears—inlieuofgoing$100,000intodebt—“nasty”and“appalling,”Icannothelpbut thinkwehavecomeintoOrwelliantimesaroundeducation,inwhich“MountainsofDebtIsFreedom.”Finally, the showstopper: Weisberg’s suggestion that encouraging

entrepreneurshipamongyoungpeoplecausesthemtolose“respectformiddle-class values.” In American political culture, suggesting that some stancedisrespectsmiddle-classvaluesusuallyendsthediscussionrightthenandthere;it’s therhetoricalequivalentof farting loudly in themiddleofa live televisiondebate.Canwereallyquestionmiddle-classvalues?Actually, yes, we can. Middle-class values are essentially the stuff of the

employeemind-set,theprecisevaluesthathaveledsomanyyoungpeopletobecompletelyfuckedinourcurrenteconomy:followorders,getallthecheckmarksthatparentsandteachersandsocietyandpoliticianstellyoutoget,stickwiththeherd,don’tstickyourneckouttoomuch,don’ttryanythingtoobold,justdoasyou’re told and therewill be a nice cushy jobwith governmentand company-sponsoredbenefitsaplentywaiting foryou toguideyou throughyoursafe lifeand your comfortable, secure retirement. Thismight have been a good set ofvaluestoguideyoungpeoplein1950,butnotin2011.IaskedThielwhyhewantedtopaypromisingyoungpeopleto“stopout”of

school.Hesaid:“SomeofmyfriendsandIwerethinking,‘Whatcanwedotoencouragemoreinnovation,moreentrepreneurship?’Thebasicfactis,whenyoucomeupwithagreat ideaforsomethingnew, thecorrect thingis to justdoit.Because there’sno trainingfor it, there’snowayyoucanprepareforbeinganentrepreneur.Bydefinition,youtendtobedoingsomethingnew,that’snotbeendone,andsothere’snoreallygoodtrackedtrainingyoucanget.EventhoughI

think the formal school isn’t necessarily incompatible with being anentrepreneur,Idefinitelydon’tthinkitpreparespeopleforthatinanyinterestingway. Schooling is important if you want to become a lawyer, a doctor, or aprofessor.Butit’snotascriticalforbeinganentrepreneur.“I’mconcernedthatschoolinghasactuallychangedoverthelastfewdecades,

inawaywheregoingtoschoolhasbecomemuchmoredetrimentalthanitusedtobe.Thebigreason is that itcostssomuchmore,andpeopleaccumulateallthisdebt.“Itcostssomethinglikeaquarterofamilliondollarstogotoagoodprivate

college.Thestateschoolsarenotasexpensive,butthecostsaregoingupevenfaster because of all the government cutbacks. If you end up with a hundredthousanddollarsofdebt,thatwillpowerfully,significantlyrestrainthekindsofthingsyoucandoafterwards.Youwillhavetotakehigh-payingjobsintrackedcareers,andyouwillnotbeabletodosomethingentrepreneurial.Youwillnotbeable todosomething in thenonprofitworld.Theremightbe things thatarejustfun,orthataresociallyuseful—thereareallsortsofthingsthatarevaluable,butdonothaveahighpayoff.Andthoseareallgettingreallyconstrainedwhenkidsarecomingoutofschoolweigheddownwithallthisdebt.“It’ssignificantlydifferentfromtheseventiesandeighties,whenitwasalmost

free—itwaslikeafour-yearparty,andthenyoucouldgoontodootherthings.Maybeyoustillshouldhavedonesomethingrightawayafterhighschool.Buttherewasn’tthatmuchofacosttogoingtocollege.Atthispoint,there’samuchhighercosttoit.“Thebroadergoalofthe20Under20programistostartaconversationabout

theroleofeducationinoursociety,andtogetpeople to thinkmoreabout it. Idon’t think there’s a problem with people going to college. I don’t thinkeveryonehas tobecomeanentrepreneur.But I thinkgiven thecosts involved,it’sactuallyimportantforustothinkaboutthisstuffearlier,ratherthanlater.“Oneof thestrangeparadoxesabouteducation is that it’sactuallybecomea

waytoavoidthinking.Speakingaboutmyownexample—Ididnotdropoutofcollege.IgrewupinNorthernCalifornia,IwenttoStanfordasanundergrad,IwenttoStanfordLawSchool—sevenyearsstraightthroughcollege.Idon’thaveanyregretsabouthavingdoneit—Ilearnedalot,Imetsomegreatfriendsintheprocess.“ButIdohaveregretsabouthowautomaticitwas.IfIhadtodoitoveragain,

itwouldhavebeengoodtothinkaboutitmore.Ireallydidn’tthinkaboutitatall. Formal education has become a way to be on autopilot, and not to thinkaboutwhatyouwanttodowithyourlife.“One skill that is true of nearly all successful people, particularly

entrepreneurs, is learninghow tobuild a teamandwork togetherwithpeople.Thisisveryremovedfromwhatpeoplelearninschool.“Maybe you learn that if you’re captain of a sports teamor something, but

outsideofthat,mostofthethingsyoudoinschoolarecompetitiveinapurelyindividualway,whereit’sjustyouagainsteverybodyelse.Andmostsuccessfulbusinesses are not just one person—they are at least a small team of people.Peoplewithdifferentbackgrounds,differentskills.Oneofthemostdifficultandkeyaspectsofbusiness isgettingpeople towork together.Not justonawell-definedgame,suchasinafootballteam.Butonthe‘infinitegame’ofbuildingabusiness.[ThielisreferringtoabookcalledFiniteandInfiniteGames:AVisionof Life as Play and Possibility by James Carse, which distinguishes between‘finite’games,wheretherulesarewelldefinedandstaystable,versus‘infinite’games,where theruleskeepshiftingandchangingasyougoalong.CarseandThielsuggestthatmostoftheimportantthingsyouwouldwanttoaccomplishinlifeareinfinitegames,notfinitegames.]“It’sthekindofthingoursupercompetitiveschoolsystemisnotactuallyvery

well geared to do. People always have this Darwinist metaphor for business,where you’re in this ecosystem, you’re fighting other people, you’re fightingotheranimals,youworryabouthowmuchspaceyouhave,howbigyourplotofgrassisthatyou’regrazingon,andsoforth.“What’sverywrongaboutthatmetaphoristhatcompaniesthemselvesarenot

unitary entities. They’re complex entities that are made up of many differentpeople,andgettingthemtoworktogetherisahugepartofbeingsuccessfulinbusiness.“That’s not the kind of thing you learn in school—how youwork together

with people on a project for years at a time. Maybe you do it for a shorthomeworkassignment.It’stypicallynotaveryfunctionalthing,inanacademiccontext, andpeopledon’tworkashard in such things, because theyknow it’skindofa joke.Groupprojects tend tobenotasserious,andpeopledon’t takethemasseriously.Well,doingmanythingsthatareimportantintheworldislikea group project, but it’s actually very serious. That’s outside of the standard,hypercompetitiveindividualisticacademicparadigm.”Thiel also sees our current education system as encouraging a kind of

conformity that is anathema to innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation.“There’sadegreetowhichgreatcompaniesaresomewhatcontrarian.Youhavesomething you’re very passionate about,which other people don’t necessarilyagreewith.Ifyou’retryingtodosomethingnew,that’sneverbeendonebefore—ifyou’regoingfrom0to1insteadoffrom1toN,ifyou’rethefirstpersonwho’sthinkingaboutthis,who’sworkingonthisproject—itwilltypicallynotbe

seenasrespectable,reasonable,sane,byeverybodyelse.“There’ssomethingabouttheeducationsystemthatisheavilygearedtoward

the sane and the respectable, and away from the first and onetime, and theunique. It’s the difference between substance and status. Status comes from awell-definedgamethatpeopleplay,andthestatusrulesareprettywelldefined.Getthiscredential,getthisjob,dothis,this,andthat,andyou’llhavestatus—it’sthiswell-definedstatushierarchy.“Whereasinthingsthataresubstantive,somethingthatmakesadifferenceto

people’s lives, the meaning doesn’t just come from this competitive socialdynamic. At its best, education is substantive. At its worst, it’s a pure statusdynamic. An awful lot of formal education has become extremely statusoriented. I was speaking to people whowere going to business school a fewmonthsago.Iaskedthem,inaveryfriendly,neutralway,‘Howmanyofyouaredoingthisbecauseit’sacredential,andhowmanyofyouaredoingthisforthelearning?’Itwasbasically,everyone,100percentcredential,only.“There’s something weird about a system where it’s all credentials, and

everybodyknows it’s credentials, and it’s sort of like theWizardofOzwho’shiding behind the curtain. I think formal education has become very statusoriented, and very far substantively from what people are interested inaccomplishingintheirlivesandtheworld.Andit’sgottenworseasoursocietyhasbecomemoretracked.“Youhaveparents sending theirkids throughageeighteen topiano lessons,

andsports,andyoudothis,andthis,andthat,andtutoringfortheSATs.Atitsbest,educationwouldbemuchmorecreative,andmuchmoreautodidactic:‘I’mpassionateaboutthisarea,soI’mgoingtolearnaboutitintensely.’Attheirbest,companiesarealsoautodidactic.Youcouldenvisionformaleducationthat’sverycompatiblewithentrepreneurship,butthat’snotwhereweareasasociety,forallsortsofhistoricalreasons.“Thecostsofcollegehavebeengoingupextremelyquickly, and it’s taking

moreandmoreyearstopaythatinvestmentback.Andthat’sassumingyouwanttodothethingsforwhichthecredentialreallyhelps.“Tome, it’shighlydebatablewhethercollege isan investmentdecisionora

consumptiondecision.Ithinkformostmajorsasidefrompremed,engineering,andthehardsciences,collegecanbestbethoughtofasaconsumptiondecision.It’slikeafour-yearparty.[Note:Actually,afive-yearparty,asthat’stheaveragetimeittakesnowforsomeonetogetthroughcollege.ReadTheFive-YearParty:HowCollegesHaveGivenUponEducatingYourChildandWhatYouCanDoAboutItbyCraigBrandon.]Andmaybethat’sfine.Ifyouwanttohaveafour-yearparty,peopleshouldbeallowedtodoit.

“Butit’ssimilartowhathappenedinthehousinginsanityinthelastdecade.Peopletalkedabouthousingasthoughit’saninvestment.Butreally,ifyouhaveahugehouse,withahugeswimmingpool,andlotsofextrarooms,andsoforth,probablyitwasjustaconsumptiondecision,andabadoneatthat.Ithinkformaleducationinmanycasesismoreconsumptionthaninvestment.”IinterviewedThieltowardtheendofwritingthisbook,andtomysurprise,he

referenced the very scene fromTheGraduate with which I opened the book.“Nineteen sixty-ninewasTheGraduate. The advicewas, ‘Plastics.’ That wasactuallyreallygoodadvicein1969.Ifyoufollowedtheadviceinthemovie,youwouldhavedonereallywellintheseventiesandeighties.Thatwasthetrackedcareertypethingthen.“Thematically, theUnited States has been, formany decades, a very stable

place,where the right thing todohasbeen this supertracked,predictablepath.It’sworked reallywell.But that’s no longer the case. The kinds of skills youwanttohaveareonesthatarebetteradaptedtoamorechaoticworld.“Thepeoplewhodidreallytrackedcareersinthelatesixties,whodidn’tdrop

outofcollegeorgotoanashraminIndia,whojustwentstraightthroughanddidthe tracked things, who went into ‘Plastics,’ etc., ended up having verysuccessful careers. Because we had this very stable society, there weren’t asmanypeoplecompetinginthoseprofessionalcareers,andsoforth.“Today, it’s the exact opposite. Everyone is trying to do something that’s

hyper-tracked,andyettherealityisthatwe’reinthismuchmorechaotic,crazyworldinthenextfewdecades.Youwanttodosomethingwhereit’snottracked,andyoucanbeadaptable.“It’s thisweirdgenerational thingfromthebabyboomers to themillennials.

The baby boomers were too different, at a time when that was the wrongstrategy.Nowthemillennialsaretooconformist,atatimewhenthat’sthewrongstrategy.We’renowinachaotictime,wherepeopleneedtohaveskillsthatareadaptable.”ThielispointingoutsomethingwhichIthinkisincrediblyimportant,andcuts

totheheartofmywholeintentionwiththisbook.Ifweonlyknowonethingforcertainaboutthefutureofwork,business,andcareers,itisthis:thefutureisnotgoing to be anything like we predict. The only thing we can be certain of isuncertainty.I say that, not as some pseudo-spiritual poetic notion, but as a cold, hard,

objectivefact.Systemstheoristshaveknownfordecadesthatthemorecomplexanysystemgets(whetherit’saphysicalorbiologicalsystem,asocialnetwork,anorganization,oranentireeconomy),themoreunpredictableitsbehaviorgets.The more elements of a system there are (people, businesses), and the more

interconnections between those elements (cheap global transportation, globalmedia, and the global Internet), the less useful predictions about the futurebehaviorofthatsystembecome.Whydoesincreasingcomplexitybreedincreasingunpredictability?Foraverysimplereason.Themoreinterconnectedasystemsuchasaglobal

economybecomes,themorechangesinonepartofthesystemcanhaveeffectsthatcascadethroughouttheentiresystem.Nineteenterroristsarmedwithboxcuttersprovidedthesparktostartabonfire

of events that included a major global economic downturn and two massivewars.In amore positive example, a few kids sitting in theirHarvard dorm room

(beforetheydroppedout)launchedaventurethatchanged,withinafewyears,thewaymuchoftheworldsocializesandcommunicates.That’s theglobalized, interconnectedworldwe live innow.Changes inone

partofthesystemimpacttheentiresystem.Prepareformanymoreinterruptions,shocks,surprises,globalreorganizations,“blackswans,”andtotallyunforeseendevelopmentsonthisscale(bothpositiveandnegative).The“leftfield”outofwhichrandomandunpredictableeventscancomehasjustgoneglobal.8In this increasingly unpredictable and chaotic world, the wisest choice for

thrivingandflourishingistofocusyoureffortsoncultivatingskills,habits,andways of being that will work for you under a wide range of marketcircumstancesandeconomicrealities,andwhichwillallowyoutobouncebackand adapt to changes, shifts, shocks, crashes, and new opportunities as theyarise.Thisiscalledcultivatingresilience.I predict many of the critics of my book will incorrectly say I reduce

education to mere “vocational training.” My book, in fact, recommends theopposite of vocational training.Vocational trainingprepares you for a specificjob—eventhoughmanyofthejobspeoplearenowtrainingformaynotexistinfiveor tenyears!Thecourses in thisbookprepareyouforsuccess inany job,including jobs we can’t even imagine because they don’t exist yet. It is acompletely adaptable set ofpersonal andprofessional skills for life in the realworld, applicable under any market conditions, any economic landscape, anypersonalcircumstances.What I hope I’ve given you in this book is the keys toward economic and

careerresilience. Ifone thing is sure, it’s thatwe’reallgoing toneeda lotofresilience,flexibility,andadaptabilityifwewanttosurviveandthriveamidthewavesofchange(bothdestructiveandconstructive)thatarecomingourway.Oureducationsystem,asitstands,fromkindergartenthroughgraduateschool,

istheoppositeofresilience,flexibility,andadaptability.Itteachesanarrowset

of academic/analytic skills,mostlydivorced from thepracticalitiesof life, anddrillsthemintoyouforhours,days,weeks,months,andyearsonend.Analyticskillsmaybevaluabletosuccessinarapidlychanging,chaoticworld,buttheyarefar,farfromthewholepicture.Success,happiness,contribution,innovation,andleadershipdependonarangeofhumanskills,mostofwhicharenottaughtinschool.Thiel says: “Toquestion formal education inour society—it’s theone thing

that’s really taboo in our society. And if you want to have a candidate forsomething that’s really a bubble, you need incredible belief. In the nineties,peoplereallybelievedintechnology.Thislastdecade,peoplereallybelievedinhousing.Thepreconditionforabubbleisintensebeliefwithoutanypossibilityforquestioningit.Ourbeliefsabouteducationfallunderthiscategoryrightnow.“I worry that our thinking about education has gotten to be 100 percent

outsourced.Peoplejustfollowthetrackedprogramsotherpeopletellthemtodo,without questioning it at all. I worry that we’ve forgotten how to think forourselvesabouteducation,andweneedtorecoverthat.“Mynumber-onecandidateforabubble in theUnitedStates today ishigher

education. It is believed incredibly intensely. To question it is to put yourselfoutsidethecircleofrespectablebelief.“Butthere’sobviouslyalottoquestion.Whatitcomesdownto,Ibelieve,is

not left versus right, but establishment versus nonestablishment. Things thatrequire an established track to enter into, versus things that require a lot ofinnovation.The tracked establishment in theUnitedStates has badly failed. Itdoesn’tworkthatwellanymore,it’snotthatcompelling.”Peter introduced me to Sean Parker, who was the founding president of

FacebookwhenPeterinvestedinthecompany.ImetwithSeaninhisnewtownhouseintheWestVillageinManhattan.(Forthosewhoarecurious:Ipersonallyfound Sean to be the direct opposite of the vapid slickster Justin TimberlakeportrayshimasinTheSocialNetwork.Ifoundhimtobepensive,philosophical,self-aware,andintenselyintellectuallycurious—recommendingbookafterbooktomethathefeltIneededtoread.Outofrespectforhistime,Ikepttryingtoend the interview, and he kept tellingme about onemore concept or idea orangleIneededtoconsiderformybook.Werappedphilosophicalforfourhours.)AccordingtoSean,thedecreasingreturnstostickingwiththeestablishmentin

youreducation,andtheincreasingreturnstochoosingtheroadnottaken,stemfrom the Internet. “When these incredible toolsofknowledgeand learningareavailabletothewholeworld,formaleducationbecomeslessandlessimportant.We should expect to see the emergence of a new kind of autodidact/thinker/entrepreneur/businessperson/leader who has acquired most of their

knowledgethroughself-exploration.Becauseforthefirsttimeinhumanhistory,allof theworld’sknowledge isavailableat their fingertips.Perhapsmore thananything the Internet has given us, this is the most significant discontinuityevent.“My career unfolded along the leading edge of this transformation, so in a

sense Iwas too early to reap all the benefits.But there’s a generation of kidscoming,whohavegrownupwithWikipedia,whohavegrownupwithanotionthatthey’renotjustaconsumerofmedia,butaparticipant.Theythereforehaveadeeperandmoreingrainedskepticismofthemedia,andthereforehaveabettercapability to distinguish truth from fiction, authority from charlatan. Thiscapabilityformeta-analysisofinformationisessentialastheywadethroughthevast sea of information. For the first time in history they have all theworld’sinformationattheirdisposal,accessiblefromanywheretheywant.Theresultisthat this emerging generation no longer has reality dictated to them—they arefinally empowered to construct their own unique, and possibly idiosyncratic,perspectiveontheworld,iftheysochoose.“Any high school student in the world can get online and dig deeply into

anythingthatintereststhem.What’schangedisthattheinformationislinkedinahypertext manner, so they don’t need to learn things linearly. The traditionalmethodofinstructionistocreatesomelinearprogressionofinformationthatcanbe put into a textbook and can be read one page after another, starting withthingsthatarethoughttobefoundational,andmovingonward.Wheninfactallhuman knowledge is massively interconnected in complicated ways and isn’tstructuredlinearlyatall.Thatlinearstructureissomethingthatisnecessitatedbythemediumofabookandthechronologicalexperienceof life inaclassroom.The potential exists now, with all of this information linked together now intotallyarbitraryways,tofollowyourownpaththroughthatinformation.“Ithinkwe’llstarttorealizethattherealenemy,intermsofhumanprogress,

issocialconventionality,inthegeneralsense,andnotjustviainstitutionalizationandbureaucracy.Ithinkwe’lllookbackatinstitutionalizationandbureaucracyasaproblemandartifactofthemid-to-latetwentiethcentury,andwe’llstarttomoreclearlysee that thatwasa specialcase,of thismoregeneralcase,whichhasbeenapartofhumanhistorysince thebeginning:conformity,ora lackofindividualism.Bureaucracy and institutionalization are just expressions of thatdeepercurrentthroughouthistory.”SeanParkergraduatedhighschoolin1998—anddidnotmoveontocollege

—justattheoutsetofthis“dislocationevent”hedescribes.Hewasatthecrestof thewave.Toget a sense of how thoroughly thiswavehas transformed thewaycutting-edgeyoungpeoplearethinkingabouteducationnow,wecanturnto

thestoryofayoungmannamedMaxMarmer.MaxenteredStanfordasafreshmaninthefallof2010,buthesoonfeltoutof

place.“IspentalotoftimethinkingaboutwhatIwantedmyfuturetobe,howcanImakeabigimpact,andwhatwouldbemybest,mostdirectroutetodoingthat.Manyofmypeershadgivenverylittlethoughttoallofthat.”During the time he was deciding to leave Stanford, multiple friends and

mentorsbegan forwarding toMaxa link toPeterThiel’sannouncementof theThielFellowshipthatfall.Thiel’sencouragementthatyoungpeopledidn’tneedtowait togetapapercredential tostartdoingbigthingsintheworldspoketoMax directly. He decided to apply for the fellowship, but (unlike most otherapplicants) he alsomade his final decision to leave college and start his owncompanyimmediately,whetherhereceivedthefellowshipornot.HeisnowtheproudfounderofTheStartupGenomeProject(http://www.startupgenome.cc).The Project is inspired by the work of successful serial entrepreneur Steve

Blank,whoargues inhisbooksand teachings thata startup isanorganizationthatshouldbedesignedspecificallytolearn.“Astartupneedstolearnabouttheproblem, thesolution,who thecustomersare, themarket,andgettingall thesepieces to fit together. An early-stage startup is a set of assumptions, and youneed to test those assumptions systematically,” Max told me. His project isdesignedtohelpguidestartupsingoingthroughthatlearningcurve.Notably,heiswalkinghistalkandlearningatarapidclipthroughthelaunch

of his company.Hehas traded theoretical education in college courses,whichcost him a fortune, for real-world education in his own startup, inwhich he’sinstead earning money while he learns. He has simply bypassed the highereducationbubble.“Ibelievetheeducationsystemasawholeisbrokenbeyondrepair, and starting anewvia creative destruction is our only hope for system-wideimprovement,”MaxwroteinablogpostannouncinghisdecisiontoleaveStanford.9ThisremindedmeofasentimentthatMarcEckosharedwithme:“Ihatethe

word‘reform.’Youdon’t‘reform’theiPodintotheiPhone!Youchangeit!Youreimagineit!It’snotreform,it’sreimagination.”(ForthosewhosayMaxislosingoutongaining“wisdom,”“criticalthinking

skills,” “perspective on life,” and all the other humanistic value one canundeniably gain from a college education: I can’t imagine an educationalenvironmentwhereonecangainmorecritical thinking skills,perspective, andlife wisdom than in an early-stage startup, whether the startup ultimatelysucceedsorfails.AndMaxisgainingthesenow,howeverthisfirststartupofhisturns out. I have many more answers to objections such as these in mycompanionPDFreportTheDropoutRevolution:WhyToday’sSavviestKidsAre

ForsakingDebtandEducatingThemselves,availableforfreeviathenoteatthebeginningofthisbook.)I was interviewingMax in the eleventh-floor dining room of the Celebrity

Centurycruiseliner,somewhereinthemiddleoftheCaribbean,inApril2011.Theentireboat—normallyoccupiedbyretireesandhoneymooners—wastakenover by a thousandyoung entrepreneurs,mostly in their twenties, networking,partying,andplottinginvariouswaystomakeamassiveimpactontheworld.It was my first time attending Summit Series, dubbed the “Davos of

GenerationY.”IhadmetthefounderswhenIhadinterviewedthemsixmonthsearlierforthechapterSuccessSkill#2;theyhaduppedtheirgamethisyearandhad put the whole conference, previously held in convention centers, on agargantuanboat.Youngpeoplebuzzedaround,chattingoverthemusic,dancing,tradingcontactinformation.AsIspokewithMax,overlookingthesea,afriendofMax’sspottedhimandwalkedup tous.Max introducedus:“HeyMichael,thisisTrevor.He’salsoanentrepreneurwho’sleavingschool.”“Leaving school?” Trevor cut in as if to correct an insulting slight. “I’ve

alreadyleftschool!”TrevorOwenshadleftNYUduringhissenioryeartohelpbuildTheLeanStartupMachine(http://theleanstartupmachine.com),aseriesofintensive boot camps designed to promote entrepreneurialism and trainentrepreneursinthebusinessprinciplesof“leanthinking.”Ihadneverbeenonacruisebefore.Theserieswasoriginallythebrainchildof

ElliottBisnow,whohadleftWisconsintopursuehisdreams.Threeyears laterhewashostingsomeoftheworld’smostpowerfulpeopleathisowncruiselinerweekendevent/party.SirRichardBranson—whodidnotcompletehighschool—opened the event. The next speaker was Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMSshoes(http://www.toms.com),acompanyfamousfordonatingonepairofshoesto children in need for every pair it sells. Blake, of course, did not completecollege. Peter Thiel (whom I introduced via e-mail to Elliott) spoke to theaudienceabouthisfellowship,andreceivedpowerfulapplauseforhiscommentsaboutthefailureofhighereducationtoday.A revolution is happening.All of a sudden, Iwasmeeting kids everywhere

whowerewakingupand realizingsomethingprofoundly important: theyhavemorepowerandchoicetocontroltheirowndestinythanmostparents,teachers,pundits,andpoliticianstellthem.Theydon’tneedtofollowthecrowdrunningintoabuildingthat’sburningdown,justbecauseeveryoneelseisrunningintoit.Theyhavechoice.Theyhavethetoolsattheirdisposalnowtocreatetheirownpaththroughlife.PeterThielcontinuedonthistheme:“IwastalkingwithsomeonehereinSan

Francisco,whowas runninga foundation togetminority students intocollege

andthenintovarioustrackedcareers.There’sasenseinwhichthatsoundslikeavery respectable,worthwhile thing todo.But then themansaid,veryproudly,‘Andhere’showmanyofourkidsgotjobsatLehmanBrothers!’Hesaidthatinallseriousness.Well,LehmanBrothersdoesn’texistanymore!Itimplodedalongwithmuchoftherestofthefinancialestablishment.“Hesaidit in thespiritof,‘Wegot theseminoritystudents toenter intothis

establishmentthattheynormallywouldn’thavegotteninto.’Fouryearsago,thiswouldhavebeenaveryliberal,progressivethingtodo.Butishelpingminoritystudents—indeedallyoungpeople—enter intoestablishments thatarecrashingall about themaswe speak really thebestway tohelp themanymore?Versushelpingyoungpeopledosomethingtotallyoutsideoftheestablishment?”OneofmyfavoriteofallTEDvideosisasegmentcalled“Let’sRaiseKidsto

Be Entrepreneurs” by CameronHerold.10 Cameron, a serial entrepreneur, hasstartednumeroushighlyprofitablebusinesses.Hewenton tobecomeanearlyCOOof1-800-GOT-JUNK?,helpingitgrowfrom$2millionto$105millioninsixyears“withnodebtandnooutsideshareholders.”HeistheauthorofDoubleDouble:HowtoDoubleYourRevenueandProfitin3YearsorLess,ofwhichhehas direct experience from his entrepreneurial work(http://www.backpocketcoo.com).Hesaysinhistalk:“Rightnowweteachourkidstogoafterreallygoodjobs

...likebeingadoctorandbeingalawyerandbeinganaccountantandadentistandateacherandapilot.Andthemediasaysit’sreallycoolifwecouldgooutandbeamodelorasingerorasportshero....[O]urMBAprogramsdon’tteachkidstobeentrepreneurs.Theyteachthemtogoworkincorporations.Sowho’sstarting thesecompanies [whichemployeveryoneelse]? It’s thesefewrandompeople.”Cameron graduated from university, but he never thought much of formal

education.Hegota62percentaveragein“theonlyuniversityinCanadawhichwouldacceptme”andalmostflunkedoutbecausehewasspendingallhistimemanaging and growing a highly profitable house-painting franchise, which hehassaidwashistrueeducation.Hetoldme:

Icalledhomefromtheuniversityinthesecondyear.Iwasreallyfrustratedwithmyaccountingcourse.Mydadsaid,“Whatareyoufrustratedabout?”I said, “I don’t understand it. I have now hired a kid to do my

assignmentsforme.I’mpayingaguyinbeertodoeveryoneofmyweeklyassignments. First I am ashamed of doing it, and secondly, I am terrifiedbecauseIhavetowritemymidtermtomorrow,andIdon’tunderstandit.”

Hesaid,“Whatdoyouneedtopass?”I said, “Probably like52percent,because thisguy isdoingagood job

withmyassignments.”Mydadsaidtwothings.Hesaid,“First,doyouwanttobeanaccountant

whenyougrowup?”“No,Iwanttobeanentrepreneur.”“Good,” my dad said. “So don’t worry about it because when you

graduatefromtheuniversitynobodyisgoingtogiveashitwhatyougotonthiscourse.”Then my dad said, “Second, you just learned how to hire your first

accountant. You are hiring someone to do the work that entrepreneursshouldn’tbedoing.”

Now,Idon’tadvocatecheatingincollege.ButIdobelieveCameron’sstory

raisesanincrediblyimportantpoint.Oureducationalsystem,fromkindergartenthroughcollege,basicallytellskids,“Workhard,dothisbusywork,dothissetofproblems,wadethroughthislongtextandmakenotesonit.”Itcompletelytrainskidstobethedoersinbusiness,ratherthanthepeoplewhohiredoers.Wehavewaytoomanydoersrightnowrelativetothepeoplehiringthedoers(a.k.a.,highunemployment). This is why. It goes right back to our education system,designedinitscurrentformoveracenturyagotocrankoutmassesofcompliantfactoryworkersandorganizationmen—forwhichtherearenolongerjobs.WhichbringsusbacktoPeterThiel’svision.“Wewanttohelpyoungpeople

create something that totally disrupts the current establishment, the currentsystem.That’sentrepreneurialismatitsbest.Ithinkpeoplearealotmoreopentorethinkingthistodaythantheywerefiveyearsago.Youhavepeoplewhoaregoingtocollege,theydon’tgetajob,thentheyhavetomovebackinwiththeirparents.Thiswasnotwhatwasexpected.”Thiel told me he asks a simple question of people who are seeking

employmentwithhim,aswellasaskingitoftheyoungpeopleapplyingtohisfellowshipprogram.Hesaysthatmanyyoungpeople,raisedforyearsandyearsthroughthehoop-jumpingandconformismoftheformalschoolingsystem,haveanincrediblyhardtimeansweringit.Soitweedsoutmostapplicants:“Tellmesomethingthatyouthinkistruethatveryfewpeopleagreewith.”We’ve seen that thosewhohave clung tooutmoded, rigid, stale, conformist

notionsofformalhighereducationarenowgettingslaughteredeconomically,astheir formerly safe jobs get outsourced, downsized, offshored, and automated,andasonce-secureestablishmentscrumbleintothewireless,digital,networkedethers.

Whatdoyouthinkistrueaboutyourowneducation,andaboutyourownpathtosuccessintherealworld,whichveryfewpeopleagreewith?Ihopethisbookhasinspiredatleastafewdisobedientthoughts.

GRATITUDE

This book would not exist without the encouragement ofMarie Forleo. At asmalldinnerpartyinthespringof2009inNewYork,justafterIhandedinmyfirstbooktoHarperCollins,Idecidedtotestoutseveralbookideasonmyguestsformynextone.Imentionedmythreetopbookconceptstotheguests.Honestly,Ican’teven

rememberwhattheywere,buttheresponsetoallofthemwaslukewarmatbest.I felt despairing at this response. Figuring I didn’t have much to lose at thispoint,Idecidedtotryoneideaonthegroup,anideaI’dbeenthinkingaboutforawhilebuthadalwaysdismissed,asitseemedwaytoocontroversial.“Well, I have one other, really crazy idea,” I said to the guests. “Iwant to

write abookaboutbillionaires andmillionaireswhoeducated themselves, anddidn’tfinishcollege.”“THAT’S your next book!”Marie shouted instantly in excitement. “I’d buy

thatinasecond.”Marie’svalidationwasalltheencouragementIneeded,andIchosethattopic.

Thankyou,Marie!Iamincrediblygratefultoalltheself-educatedpeopleandotherexpertswho

shared their stories and opinions for this book. This book would be nothingwithoutyou.Igiveallmythankstothefollowinginterviewees:MariaAndros;DavidAsh;JamesBach;AndyBailey;SteveBaines;Scottand

CyanBanister;HowardBehar;JamesBell;ElliottBisnow;MichaelBissonnette;Jeff Black; Opher Brayer; Gurbash Chahal; Rose Cole; Christine Comaford;RichardCooper;JadeCraven;DeckerCunov;JohnPaulDeJoria;FelixDennis;Erica Douglas; Marc Ecko; Hal Elrod; Kent Emmons; Mike Faith; LaurenFrances;BryanFranklin;MarijoFranklin;DavidGilmour;PaulHawken;DennisHoffman; Mike Jagger; Cameron Johnson; Derek Johnson; Jeremy Johnson;Frank Kern; Randy Komisar; Eva Konigsberg; Jena la Flamme; DanielleLaPorte;MaxMarmer;MatthiasMazur;JonathanMead;LorenMichelle;DavidMorris; Dustin Moskovitz; Matt Mullenweg; Eben Pagan; Sean Parker; JoePolish; Lynda Resnick; Gordon Ruddow; Phillip Ruffin; Anthony Sandberg;Jeremy Schwartz; Robert Scoble; Ryan Scott; Brian Scudamore; RussellSimmons; Linda Sivertsen; Spencer Thompson; Tyler Willis; and WoodyWoodward.I am also grateful to the many experts I interviewed who do have college

and/or graduate degrees.Many thanks to Gregory Berns, PhD; Chris Brogan;

Victor Cheng; Keith Ferrazzi; Seth Godin; Ace Greenberg; Cameron Herold;JoshKaufman;RobertKiyosaki;RandyKomisar;JohnKremer;CharlesMurray,PhD;KennethRoman;MarianSchembari;PeterThiel;andJohnnyTruant.The followingpeople all connectedme to oneormore interviewees:Elliott

Bisnow;JustinCohen;AdairCurtis;MikeDelPonte;MikeFaith;TimFerriss;Jonathan Fields; Marie Forleo; Sandor Gardos; Adam Gilad; David Hassell;Cameron Herold; Ken Howery; Lisa Kotecki; Jena la Flamme; Tonya Leigh;JustineMusk;KennethRoman;PollySamson;MarianSchembari;YanikSilver;andPeterThiel.Thankyousomuchforyourhelp.John Kremer’s incredible “College Dropouts Hall of Fame”

(http://www.collegedropoutshalloffame.com)provided inspiration, andmanyofmyinitialideasaboutwhomtocontactforinterviews.Ilearnedofself-educatedserialentrepreneurWoodyWoodward’sbookMillionaireDropouts:BiographiesoftheWorld’sMostSuccessfulFailuresafterIbeganwritingthisbook.Woody(http://www.millionairedropouts.com) graciously sent me a copy of his book,which contains biographical sketches of one hundred famous people withoutcollege degrees. I found his book, and an interview I did with him, highlyinspirational, confirming forme that I was on the right path in choosing thistopic.Theverydramatic difference in quality between the first draft and the final

versionisdueingreatparttotheinfluenceofmysharp,insightful,andsensitiveeditoratPortfolio,JillianGray.Thisisafar,farbetterbookthankstoyourhelp,Jillian—Iappreciateittremendouslyanditwasajoyworkingwithyou.Thankyou also to all othermembers of the Portfolio team Iworkedwith, includingAdrian Zackheim, Will Weisser, Natalie Horbachevsky, Allison McLean, andTiffanyLiao,foryourimmediateandunwaveringbeliefinthisproject.Yougavemetheopportunitytowritethisbook,helpedmemakeitwhatitis,andhelpedgetitoutintotheworldwithabang.David Moldawer also played an important role early on, providing wise

guidanceinshapingthebookattheinitialstages.At thehomeofNaomiWolf, ImetErica Jong.ThroughErica, ImetSandi

Mendelson.Sandiconnectedmetomyamazingagent,EstherNewberg.Inthischainofconnection,youallplayedacrucialpartinhelpingmydreamcometrueinthisbook.Profusethankstoallofyou.Muchofthisbookwasconceived,pitched,andwrittenduringthetimeIwas

studyingunderthementorshipofmyfriendBryanFranklin.Bryan,youhelpedme reach big. I will always be grateful. Your guidance and influence arereflectedthroughoutthisbook.Themanuscriptbenefitedtremendouslyfromtheincisiveeditorialcomments

ofSandorGardos;myparents,DanielandPatriciaEllsberg;andmywife,JenalaFlamme,allofwhomreaditindraftform.Thankyouallsomuchforyourtime,andfortrustingmewithyourcandidfeedback,whichIincorporatedextensively.Also, eagle-eyed copy editorMuriel Jorgensonmade this a farmore readablebook.EverybookIeverwrite,Iwillalwaysexpressmygratitudetothreespecific

people.First,tomyparents,DanielandPatricia—twoofmybestfriendsintheworld—foryouroverwhelmingloveandsupport.Youbothgavememypassionforconstantlearning—oneofthegreatestgiftsyoucouldeverhavegiven,agiftthatwillburninmysoulfortherestofmylife.JenalaFlammebecamemywifeasIwaswritingthisbook.Jena,thisisthe

secondbookI’vededicatedtoyou,thefirstbookofourmarriage,andthefirstbook (though surely not the last) inspired by you. This bookwould not existwithoutyourfearlesscommitmenttoself-education.Youaremyeverything.

NOTES

Tofindfullcitationstoallworkscited,aswellasWeblinkstotheseworks,visithttp://www.ellsberg.com/education-works-cited.

■INTRODUCTION

1Robinson,accessedMarch28,2010.

2Murray,locations986–987onKindleedition.

3Cherry,accessedDecember19,2010.

4 See Gladwell’s discussion, inOutliers, of the Michigan Law School study,which found thatminority students—despitebeingadmittedwith lowergradesandtestscores,asapartofaffirmativeaction,anddespiteearninglowergradesinlawschool—wentontohavelawcareerseverybitassuccessfulastheirwhitepeers. (Kindle edition, locations 1050–1059.) “Being a successful lawyer isabout a lotmore than IQ,”Gladwell concludes, to explain the findings of thestudy.(Kindleedition,locations1105–1114.)

5IwanttomakeclearthatwhileIthinkcertainofGladwell’spointsinhisbooksupport the basic message of my book, I doubt he himself would agree withmuchinmybookoverall.Laterinhisbook,hearguesthatmorehoursinschooltraining hard in academic subjects, not fewer hours, is essential for inner-citykids’success.

6Shapiro,p.782.

7Williams,accessedJanuary15,2010.

8Kleinfield,accessedOctober9,2009.

9Pink(2001),locations197–199onKindleedition.

10Pink,locations810–819onKindleedition.

11Pink,location843onKindleedition.

■SUCCESSSKILL#1

1Johnson,location1035onKindleedition.

2Johnson,locations2696–2714onKindleedition.

3Komisar,p.154

4Komisar,pp.65–66.

5Foradetailedandbrilliantexpositionofsurvivorshipbias,seeTaleb.

6Godin(2010A),accessedApril3,2010.

7Moskovitz,accessedMarch22,2010.

■SUCCESSSKILL#2

1Cohen,accessedDecember13,2010.

2Bertoni,accessedDecember13,2010.

3Oneofhisproduct lines, theDavidDeAngeloseriesof trainings formen, isquitecontroversial.Theearlytrainingsintheseriesfocusonhelpingmen“pickup” women through pickup lines, tricks, and cocky attitudes. However, latertrainings focus on authentic communication, meaningful relationships, andpersonal transformation. Eben states openly that the sequence is intentional,designed tobring in thevastmajorityofmenwhowouldnevergostraight forthemoretouchy-feelystufffirst.Oneofhisphilosophiesis“sellthemwhattheywant,andgivethemwhattheyneed.”It’slikethoseenterprisingchurchesthat,instead of “preaching to the converted,” bring in rock bands and cagefightingmatches to lure hormonal teenagers to church, and then give them a dose ofspiritualityandupliftalongwithit.

4Gowen,accessedDecember13,2010.

5Garland,accessedDecember15,2010.

6Tracy,accessedDecember15,2010.

7Pavlina,p.186.

8Formorediscussionofthesemarketfailures,includingexternalities,common-pool-resource problems, and public goods, see, for example, Fox; Hawken,

LovinsandLovins;Kapp;andOstrom.

9QuotedinJ.Simmons,location3199inKindleedition.

10Godin(2010B),locations2601–2611inKindleedition.

11R.Simmons,locations3194–3207inKindleedition.

12There is a distinction between givingwithout an expectation of return andjustgivingrandomlytoeverystrangeryoupass.Somepeopleadvocatethelatter,atleastinrhetoric,butitdoesn’tseemrealistictome,andfranklyIdon’ttendtoseethepeoplewhopreachthispracticingwhattheypreach.Energyandattentionare limited, and I thinkmostof it shouldbe focusedongiving topeoplewithwhomyou’rebuildinglong-term,meaningfulrelationships.Of course, the networkyou’re building should contain both peoplewho are

furtheralongthepathtosuccessthanyou,whoarepullingyouupfromabove,andpeoplewhoareearlierintheirdevelopmentofsuccess,whomyou’repullingupevenasyouarepulledupbyothers.Inotherwords, thisphilosophyhasallthe room in the world for charity for those poorer and less fortunate thanourselves. But if you’re giving to poor people with no intention or effort atbuilding a relationship or any human bonds—drive-by charity—it’s basicallypatronizing,itreinforcesthedivisionsthatalreadyexistbetweenyou,andIdon’tthinkthatformofcharitydoesthemoryoumuchgoodinthelongrun.The best giving, I believe, is giving in the context of buildingmeaningful,

long-term human bonds with those we’re helping: giving when there is anexplicit intention to form a meaningful human connection over time, one inwhichyouboth impact, give to, and learn fromeachother inyourownways,growinganddevelopingtogether.

■SUCCESSSKILL#3

1Kennedy,locations689–697inKindleedition.

2Kennedy,locations690–703inKindleedition,emphasisinoriginal.

3Johnson,locations809–830inKindleedition.

4Godin(2009),locations1132–1140inKindleedition.

5Kennedy,locations377–386inKindleedition.

6Clark,accessedMay2,2011.

7Resnick,p.23.

8Ibid.

9Resnick,p.41.

■SUCCESSSKILL#4

1Kiyosaki,pp.170–171.

2Longinovic,accessedMay2,2011.

3Rodriguez,accessedMay2,2011.

4 Ford, Sam, accessedMay 2, 2011. Thanks toMeaganTempleton-Lynch forfinding this one and the vampire course, in her article “The Craziest CollegeClasses:2010Edition.”SeeTempleton-Lynch,accessedMay2,2011.

SUCCESSSKILL#5

1SuccessMagazine,accessedMay2,2011.

2Krier,accessedMarch13,2011.

3Morgan,accessedMarch13,2011.

4Ibid.

5CNBC,accessedMarch13,2011.

6Walker,accessedMarch17,2011.

7Wikipediacontributors,“KirkKerkorian,”accessedMarch17,2011.

■SUCCESSSKILL#6

1Godin(2008),accessedJanuary3,2010.

2Montoya,pp.xi–xii.Inbrackets,Ichangedtheword“business”to“brand,”toexpanditsrelevancetoallpeople,notjustthosestartingbusinesses.

■SUCCESSSKILL#7

1QuotedinFiresideLearning,accessedMay2,2011.

2Kawasaki,accessedMay2,2011.

3Sykes,p.57.

4Time,accessedMay2,2011.

5Fortune,p.21.

6Fortune,pp.122–127,163–164.

7Fortune,p.127.

8Stewart,p.13.

9Wikipediacontributors,“WaltDisney,”accessedDecember23,2010.

10Pinsky,p.9.

11Fortune,p.122.

12Ford,Henry,pp.121–123.

13Time,accessedMay2,2011.

■EPILOGUE

1Munna,accessedJanuary29,2011.

2Taylor(2009A),accessedJanuary29,2011.

3Taylor(2009B),accessedJanuary29,2011.

4Reynolds,accessedJanuary31,2011.

5Segal,accessedJanuary31,2011.

6ThielFoundation,accessedJanuary31,2011.

7Weisberg,accessedJanuary31,2011.

8Formoreonthistopic,seeTaleb.

9Marmer,accessedApril12,2011.

10Herold,accessedMarch17,2011.

INDEX

Abramson,JoshAbsolutepowerdating.comAcademicdegrees.SeeHighereducationAckoff,RussellAcroYogaAdams,AnthonyAdvice earningmoneyfrom givingtomentors wake-upcall,givingAndragogyAndros,Maria,success,evolutionofArtofEarningaLiving stepsin SeealsoMeaningfulwork,creatingAsana.comAsh,David,success,evolutionof

BabyboomersBackpocketcoo.comBallmer,SteveBanister,Cyan,success,evolutionofBanister,Scott,outcome,focusingonBarry,KatieandKerryBencivenga,Gary,websiteofBisnow,Elliott onaskingforadvice ascollegenon-graduate oncontributing onmentors success,evolutionof SummitSeriesBisnow.comBlank,SteveBloggers largestplatformfor makingmoney vloggingBootstrapping ofcapital anddirect-responsemarketing elementsof andfinancialstability investingmethodin ofself-education success,caseexamplesBrandmarketingBrandofyou buildingonline defined

versushavingresume ownname,using success,caseexamplesBrandon,CraigBranson,SirRichardBrown,JamesBuffett,WarrenBurningManfestivalBusinessNetworkInternationalBustedTees

CaliforniaLeadershipCenterCapital bootstrappingof connectioncapital financial humancapitalCaples,JohnCarse,JamesCash-generationethicCheng,Victor,salescoachingsessionsbyCialdini,RobertClariumCapitalClark,Brian,thirdtribemarketingClason,GeorgeClemens,CraigClinton,BillColaizzi,Dr.JohnCollegeHumorConformity andhighereducation andmillennialsConnectioncapitalContributions.SeeGivingCopyblogger.comCuban,Mark

DavosDebt,studentloansDecision-making,andentrepreneursDeferredLifePlanDefJamDeida,DavidDeJoria,JohnPaul ascollegenon-graduate success,evolutionofDigitalMarxismDirect-responsemarketing bestinformationsourceon andDanKennedy andEbenPagan elementsof andFrankKern goalof learning,stepsin andLyndaResnick manipulationissueof newslettersfromexperts success,caseexamplesDisney,WaltDisneyBrothersStudiosDrucker,Peter

E-booksEcko,Marc success,evolutionofEducation.SeeHighereducation;Self-educationEducationofmillionaires bootstrapping brandofyou entrepreneurialmind-set marketing meaningfulworkskill mentorsin sales versustraditionaleducationEisenhower,DwightEllsberg,Michael familyentrepreneurism marketing,self-educationin mentorsof sales,learningabout andsalescoachingwithCheng success,evolutionofEllsberg,PatriciaMarxElrod,Hal,success,evolutionofEmployees middle-classvaluesof mind-setversusentrepreneursEntitlement,versuscontributingmind-setEntrepreneurs bootstrappingadvice businessskills,valueof contributionasfocusof anddecision-making

versusemployeemind-set failure,learningfrom Internet,impacton meaningfulwork,creating mind-setof,caseexamples needs,focuson niche,creating outcome,focusingon asresponsibility-takers risk,acceptanceof societalprotocols,ignoring startingatthebottom,valueof startingbusinesses,addictionto successskillsfor.SeeEducationofmillionaires teamwork,skillin asunemployableExperimentation,meaningfulwork,creatingFacebook evolutionof foundersFailure learningfrom andsmallbusinessesFaith,Mike,success,evolutionofFerrazzi,Keith,onconnecting/networkingFields,Jonathan websiteofFinancialcrisis2008–2010Financialstability andbootstrapping andgiving meaningfulwork,creatingFireStarterSessionsFord,HenryForleo,Marie,success,evolutionofFranklin,Benjamin

Franklin,Bryan coachingprogramof ascollegenon-graduate onentrepreneurialmind-set hiring,approachto onleadership mother,successof onmythofhighereducation success,evolutionofFranklin,Marijo,success,evolutionofFurey,Matt websiteof

Galford,RobertGarland,DavidSitemanGates,BillGerszberg,Seth,success,evolutionofGibson,WilliamGilmour,David,success,evolutionofGiving advice.seeAdvice contributormind-set andfinancialstability toget,understanding mind-setversusentitlementmind-set withnothingtogiveGivingPledgeGladwell,Malcolm onIQandsuccess ontippingpointGodin,Seth blogof oncontributing onemployeecompliance ongoodmarketing onindispensableemployees onleadership onlearningandfailure onmeaningandwork onnothavingresume onpowerofselling onsafetyversusriskGoldberg,AdamGoleman,DanielGoodwill,andconnectioncapital

Graduate,The(film)Green,CharlesGurublueprintblog.com

Halbert,Gary websiteofHeadsets.comHealth,advice,givingtomentorsHerold,Cameron,success,evolutionofHighereducation averagetimespent andconformity criticismofsystem declineofindustry versus“educationofmillionaires,”.SeealsoSelf-education extracurricularlearningsituations globalcompetitors andhumancapital andlow-payingjobs mostusefulclasses mythof,BryanFranklinon passionversussafety stoppingout,ThielFellowship studentloandebt Thiel’sassessmentof vocationaltrainingHill,NapoleonHobbies,connectingthroughHopkins,Claude ascollegenon-graduateHotTopicMediaHousingbubbleHsieh,TonyHughes,ChrisHumancapital

Idealism,makinganimpact.SeeMeaningfulwork,creatingIlovemarketing.comInstituteforIntegrativeNutritionIntelligence,practicalversusacademicInternet marketingguru onlinepresence,building andself-createdbusiness andself-education YourName.com,importanceofInvestments,bootstrapper’smethodIQ,andsuccessIronPortIterationvelocity

JohnPaulMitchellSystemsJohnson,Cameron ascollegenon-graduatesuccess,evolutionofJong,Erica

Kaufman,JoshKawasaki,GuyKeillor,GarrisonKennedy,Dan ascollegenon-graduate direct-responsemarketingKerkorkian,KirkKern,Frank ascollegenon-graduate direct-responsemarketing onpowerofselling success,evolutionofKiyosaki,Robert mentorof onpowerofsellingKleinerPerkinsCaufield&ByersKnowledgeworkers,digitalMarxismKomisar,Randy onsafetyversusrisk

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opportunitiesinworkplace,seeking “optionsopen”myth versuspredictablelife andrisk success,caseexamplesMendelson,SandiMentors attracting becomingtrustedadvisorto findingwithconnectioncapital givingfeedbackto importanceof success,caseexamplesMillennialsMitchell,PaulMontoya,Peter,onbrandingMoritz,MarkMoskovitz,Dustin ascollegenon-graduate success,evolutionofMullenweg,Matt,success,evolutionofMunna,CathrynMunna,Cortney,educationdebtofMurray,CharlesMycoskie,BlakeNeeds,versusrequestsNegroni,ChristineNetworking withconnectioncapital tofindteachers.SeeMentors onlinepresence,building snowballeffect

Ogilvy,David ascollegenon-graduate1800gotjunk.comOppenheimer,RobertOCSCSailingSchoolOtto,NathanOutcome,focusonOutput,versusoutcomeOverhead,keepinglow.SeeBootstrappingOwens,Trevor

Pagan,Eben andAnnieLalla ascollegenon-graduate consultingworkfees oncontributing onfindingmentors onkillersalesletters success,evolutionofPajamaJobHuntParker,Sean Facebookproblemsolvingby onInternetandself-educationPassion,following.SeeMeaningfulwork,creatingPatrónPavlina,StevePayPalPedagogy,versusandragogyPhatFashionsPink,DanielPinkFloydPlaxoPleasurableweightloss.comPolish,Joe,success,evolutionofPracticalintelligence,versusacademicPredictability versusmeaningfulwork safeasnewriskyProblemsolvingtocreatebusiness

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Rackham,NeilRackspace.comRelationships,andsuccessfulpersonsReputation,andbrand.SeeBrandofyouResilience cultivating versusriskResnick,Lynda,success,evolutionofResponsibility,senseof,andentrepreneursResume nothaving,Godinon versusself-branding.seeBrandofyouReynolds,GlennRichdads.comRisk meaningfulwork,creating ofnotfollowingpassion versusresilience safeasnewriskyRobbins,TonyRobinson,SirKenRohn,JimRosenthal,JeffRosenthal,JoshuaRuffin,Phillip ascollegenon-graduate success,evolutionofRussell,Jennifer

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andsuccessShaw,GeorgeBernardSimmons,JosephSimmons,Russell oncontributing needs,focusonSkyes,CharlesSmith,“Beedle,”Smith,BrentSocialintelligenceSPINSellingSpirituality advice,givingtomentors andsuccessfulpersonsStanley,ThomasJ.StartupGenomeProjectStier,DebbieStrauss,FerdinandStumpf,JoeSuccess andeducatingself.SeeSelf-education entrepreneurialversusemployeemind-set expertise,teachingtoothers andluck andrelationships andrisk-taking self-created.SeeEntrepreneurs skillsofsuccess andspiritualstruggle value,relationshiptomoneySullivan,DanSummitSeriesSystemstheory

Taylor,Mark,onhighereducation,problemsofTeachers.SeeMentorsTED(TechnologyEntertainmentandDesign)TheFacebook.comTherisetothetop.comThiel,Peter andFacebook highereducation,critiqueofThielFellowship criticismof elementsofThieveryCorporationThirdtribemarketingThrillistTOMSShoesTracy,Brian,onmoney,connectiontovalueTreasureIslandHotelandCasinoTurner,TedTwain,MarkTwitter

Value,relationshiptomoneyVanVeen,RickyVimeoVloggingVocationaltraining

Wallerstein,Michael,educationdebtofWeisberg,Jacob,ThielFellowship,criticismofWhitehottruth.comWilliams,EvanWordofmouth,powerofWordPressWorkethic,versuscash-generationethicWorry,commonsourcesof

ZapposZiglar,ZigZivityZuckerberg,Mark ascollegenon-graduate success,evolutionof