The $100 Startup

More Praise for THE $100 STARTUP
“With traditional career doors slamming shut, it’s easy to panic, but Chris Guillebeau sees opportunities everywhere. Making a career out of your passion sounds like a dream, but in this straightforward, engaging book he shows you how to get it done, one simple step at a time.” —Alan Paul, author of Big in China “Business, like traveling, is often improved bystarting poor. You are forced to improvise, innovate, and stay close to reality. You can’t buy solutions, so you have to create your own. Suddenly you have the first part of success—something of value. I got all this from The $100 Startup, which is full of practical advice about inventing your own livelihood. I’ve done a handful of $100 startups myself, several of which I later sold. ChrisGuillebeau knows what he is talking about. Listen to this book! —Kevin Kelly, author of What Technology Wants “This book is more than a ‘how to’ guide, it’s a ‘how they did it’ guide that should persuade anyone thinking about starting a business that they don’t need a fortune to make one.” —John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing and The Referral Engine “Is that giant knot in your stomach keeping youfrom starting your own business or pursuing the career of your dreams? Chris Guillebeau’s seasoned, practical advice and his efficient blueprint for entrepreneurial success will alleviate your anxieties and get you on the path to being responsible for —and in control of—your future.” —Erin Doland, editor-in-chief of Unclutterer.com and author of Unclutter Your Life in One Week “You can’t grow athriving business on wishes and dreams. You need the kind of nuts-and-bolts wisdom that only comes from hard-earned experience. Chris Guillebeau has been in the trenches for years, and in The $100 Startup he guides you step-by-step through how he and dozens of others have turned their passions into profits. It’s essential reading for the solopreneur!” —Todd Henry, author of The Accidental Creative“Starting your own business doesn’t have to be expensive or difficult. Follow Chris’s advice, and you’ll help people, have fun, and never work for ‘the man’ again.” —Josh Kaufman, author of The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business

Copyright © 2012 by Chris Guillebeau All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Crown Business, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division ofRandom House, Inc., New York. www.crownpublishing.com CROWN BUSINESS is a trademark and CROWN and the Rising Sun colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Guillebeau, Chris. The $100 startup : reinvent the way you make a living, do what you love, and create a new future / by Chris Guillebeau. p. cm. 1. New businessenterprises—Management. 2. Entrepreneurship. I. Title. II. Title: One hundred dollar startup. HD62.5.G854 2012 658.1′1—dc23 2012003093 eISBN: 978-0-307-95154-0 Illustrations: Mike Rohde Jacket design: Michael Nagin Jacket photography: Comstock/Getty Images v3.1

This book is for: those who take action and those who provide the inspiration

ROAD MAP
Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication PROLOGUE: Manifesto Ashort guide to everything you want.

PART I UNEXPECTED ENTREPRENEURS 1. Renaissance You already have the skills you need—you just have to know where to look. 2. Give Them the Fish How to put happiness in a box and sell it. 3. Follow Your Passion … Maybe Get paid to do what you love by making sure it connects to what other people want. 4. The Rise of the Roaming Entrepreneur “Location, location,location” is overrated. 5. The New Demographics Your customers all have something in common, but it has nothing to do with old-school categories. PART II TAKING IT TO THE STREETS 6. The One-Page Business Plan If your mission statement is much longer than this sentence, it could be too long. 7. An Offer You Can’t Refuse The step-by-step guide to creating a killer offer. 8. Launch! A trip to...