Still in his early thirties, Chris is on the verge of completing a tour of every country on earth – he’s already visited more than 175 nations – and yet he’s never held a “real job” or earned a regular paycheck. Rather, he has a special genius for turning ideas into income, and he uses what he earns both to support his life of adventure and to give back. There are many others like Chris – those who’ve found ways to opt out of traditional employment and create the time and income to pursue what they find meaningful. Sometimes, achieving that perfect blend of passion and income doesn’t depend on shelving what you currently do. You can start small with your venture, committing little time or money, and wait to take the real plunge when you're sure it's successful. In preparing to write this book, Chris identified 1,500 individuals who have built businesses earning $50,000 or more from a modest investment (in many cases, $100 or less), and from that group he’s chosen to focus on the 50 most intriguing case studies. In nearly all cases, people with no special skills discovered aspects of their personal passions that could be monetized, and were able to restructure their lives in ways that gave them greater freedom and fulfillment. Here, finally, distilled into one easy-to-use guide, are the most valuable lessons from those who’ve learned how to turn what they do into a gateway to self-fulfillment. It’s all about finding the intersection between your “expertise” – even if you don’t consider it such -- and what other people will pay for. You don’t need an MBA, a business plan or even employees. All you need is a product or service that springs from what you love to do anyway, people willing to pay, and a way to get paid. Not content to talk in generalities, Chris tells you exactly how many dollars his group of unexpected entrepreneurs required to get their projects up and running; what these individuals did in the first weeks and months to generate significant cash; some of the key mistakes they made along the way, and the crucial insights that made the business stick. Among Chris’s key principles: if you’re good at one thing, you’re probably good at something else; never teach a man to fish – sell him the fish instead; and in the battle between planning and action, action wins. In ancient times, people who were dissatisfied with their lives dreamed of finding magic lamps, buried treasure, or streets paved with gold. Today, we know that it’s up to us to change our lives. And the best part is, if we change our own life, we can help others change theirs. This remarkable book will start you on your way.

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這是一本會讓人快樂的書
看他們如何追隨熱情，把興趣變生意
每天睜開眼，便迫不及待的展開生活

★榮登紐約時報、華爾街日報暢銷排行榜
★美國Amazon讀者4.5顆星推薦

低薪、爆肝的上班生活已成常態，一站到底的工作列車也不再回來，困境是真的沒有路？還是你沒有勇氣開闢新路？

生命有限，別浪費時間重複別人的人生。－－蘋果公司創辦人　賈伯斯

上班、加班、下班，每天不斷倒帶重播，苦命的上班族，期待薪水與假期，人生就只能這樣了嗎？可曾想過，興趣，也可以是別人開心掏錢的好產品？

一個決定，改變一生，歡迎來到小資創業的奇異世界。
你的人生，也能有更快樂的選項！

在美國華府，年新24萬的紐森，結束五年短暫的律師生涯，變成私人瑜珈老師。紐森：「能讓大家快樂，感覺很好！」

印度的企業分析師達吉拉勒，在網路上分享Excel秘訣而意外爆紅，乾脆自立門戶，幫來自世界各地的客戶寫試算表，達吉拉勒：「我把顧客變英雄！」

古利博三十出頭，沒做過一份像樣的工作，也從沒想過要創業，他就是不想為別人工作，決心走出自己的路。他邊旅行邊研究，足跡踏遍十幾個國家、六十三個城市，尋訪一百多位小資創業老闆，也親身做過咖啡進口、旅行省錢術、線上課程等生意。透過數百通電話、Skype視訊、email訪談，超過4千頁的問卷，他發現了小資老闆的成功創業模式。

只要手邊有台幣3000元便立刻開始，不向銀行貸款，不寫營運計畫書，不找員工。超過半數的小資老闆沒有經商經驗，也少有人念過商學院；他們的產品或服務幾乎不需要高科技或特殊專業，不僅成功擺脫吃不飽也餓不死的上班生活，年收入遠超過之前的薪資，並享有再多錢也買不到的自由。

換腦袋，小資創業就成功！
＊ 把興趣變生意：找到你的興趣與實用性的交集，便是顧客願意花錢的地方。
＊ 結合經驗與專長：思考你擅長做的事還能用在什麼地方，或如何把幾項專長結合起來，填補市場缺口。
＊ 行動勝於計畫：可別一輩子都在寫完美的創業計畫，就用一頁計畫書快速展開事業吧。
＊ 幫助別人就是幫助自己：你的知識或技能若能幫助別人，客人將源源不絕。
＊ 市場水溫快篩七招：善用網路與社群力量評估市場初期反應。
＊ 邊做邊學：邊執行、邊修正，才能因應不斷變化的顧客需求。
＊ 搞清楚顧客是誰：為你希望服務的族群重新分類，別以為「客戶永遠是對的」。
＊ 向好萊塢學行銷：不僅要懂得說故事，還要能產生共鳴和急迫感。

正如維京集團創辦人布蘭森所言：「商機就像公車，這班錯過還有下一班。」

創業也沒有最好的時機以及最完美的方式。追求夢想，隨時都可以開始。只要追隨你的熱情，專注做你擅長的事，便能展開一個人的富足計畫，過著精采又自主的人生。

原文書網站：100startup.com