Do you ever wonder if a person like you just isn't cut out for self-employment?
You're willing to do what it takes to grow a business, as long as it doesn't mean sacrificing your integrity or creativity.
But is that possible?
One of the main reasons you wanted to work for yourself is so you could express yourself as you really are.
It could be that you wanted more creative freedom. Or you might have wanted a different way of relating to clients and customers.
Or maybe it was simply about not having to fit yourself into someone else's mold.
Who knew that self-employment could make it even harder to just be yourself?
What Makes Self-Employment Hard
The problem is, when you start working for yourself, you become an entrepreneur. Yikes!
And if being a successful entrepreneur doesn't match your self-image, if, in fact, it conflicts with your values, you're stuck between a rock and a hard place.
You can learn all about business and make money your priority. Or you can shun the hype and the pressure tactics and wonder where you're next dollar is coming from.
What usually happens is that you muddle through, applying bits and pieces of business wisdom, doing a little marketing here, a little promotion there, staying afloat, but never really thriving.
What's Really Going On
Suppose you were planning to spend a year in a foreign country, one where the culture and language were starkly different from your own. Would you expect to feel at home from the very beginning?
Of course not.
You'd study the language. You'd learn about the country's history and traditions. And you'd expect to feel out of place, without concluding that the people you met were less intelligent, moral, or kind than you.
Well, for thousands of creative professionals, becoming self-employed is like waking up in a foreign country.
The good news is that there's no shortage of guidebooks. The bad news is that choosing the right one can be tricky.
I am so excited! I just downloaded your book and began reading and I just had to stop to send this e-mail to you. I love the way you write and the way you think and, obviously, the way you live it all out! I am thrilled to be able to learn from you and to live these gems myself. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Lee Alden, Certified Facilitator, The Work of Byron Katie™
Choosing a Guidebook
A good guidebook should do three things:
1. Meet you where you are. No matter how much you have to learn, you can't learn it unless the first step is within reach. That means your business guidebook needs to be written in your native language and be based in your values and traditions.
2. Bridge the gap between you and the new culture. Without common ground, it's not possible to appreciate what a new land has to offer. A really good guidebook won't just point out things that will seem familiar. It will show you how to approach the unfamiliar in a way that makes it your own.
3. Inspire you to reach beyond your comfort zone. What good is a guidebook if all it does is show you how to replicate the place you came from? The best guidebooks inspire you to go beyond the tourist destinations and discover the countryside.
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How WashPIRG made me an entrepreneur
In 1996, a couple of volunteers from WashPIRG, the Washington Public Interest Research Group, came to the house asking for donations.
Call me a crank, but I don't love solicitors. I turned them away, but instead of just saying “no thanks,“ I groused about being self-employed and thus unable to contribute.
Now partly that was pure image management. I didn't want them to think I wasn't a good, card-carrying liberal. (I can be just as vapid with conservatives. I do so wanna be loved.)
But mostly, it was a matter of habit. I had become accustomed to gathering evidence to support my story of genteel poverty inflicted by an uncaring economy on good folks like myself.
For some reason, my petulant tone rang in my ears long after the solicitors had left. I worried it like a loose tooth until I saw through my story: My problem wasn't that it was so hard to make a living. My problem was that I hadn't actually tried.
Out of fear of being swallowed up by commercialism, I'd treated business as something alien and undesirable. I was like a tourist who thought knowing a few words in a foreign language qualified her to pass judgment on an entire people.
Then and there I decided to get over myself and start fresh.
Introducing The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur, The Practical Path to a Business that Fits Just-Right.
There's no secret to success if all you want is money. But for your business to fit just right, it needs to be in sync with a heap of other things you won't find in business books.
Spirituality. Relationships. Habits of the mind and emotions. Creativity. Even the way you use your body affects how you respond to opportunities and communicate with others. Like I said - you won't find this in the business section.
And how about the attraction and manifestation crowd? They're terrific for inspiration and encouragement, but while the ideas are good, the instruction manual is missing. What, specifically, do you need to do to get results from The Law of Attraction? (Obviously, just obsessing over what you want isn't enough.)
I never thought I'd be using the computer to go to the bathroom! But how else can I continue to read the e-version of your book without interruption?
Sabine Price
Bainbridge Island, WA
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What did you want to be when you grew up?
Do you remember? I wanted to be a nun, an atomic scientist, and the president - all at once. Maybe you were going to be an artist, a teacher, or a judge.
Whatever you wanted to be, it went without saying that you loved the idea of you in that role.
So how would it be to love the idea of being in business?
The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur guides you step-by-step along a path that is right for you, so that when you reach your goal, you'll like the person you see in the mirror.
Can You Do This?
You can absolutely do this.
But before you go any farther, you need to know that making the culture of business your own is not an overnight thing. Growing a business that really fits who you are will take time.
The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur is a step-by-step guide to cultivating a successful business, not a get-rich-quick scheme. Follow the steps, and you can have a wonderful business. Put this book on your shelf, and you'll get what you've got.
That said, I've made this program as simple and concise as I can. In spite of the temptation to write The Encyclopedia of Integral Self-Employment (if you don't know, you don't want to know), I've stripped this book down to the essentials.
It's written in bite-sized chunks so you can read a few pages, take the indicated step, apply the results, and repeat.
So I'm up to page 22 when I got to the question about what I'm hiding. I had to stop.
I realized I'd been tippytoeing around the fact that our school is small, when really my 'hook' here is that we are so small that every single student is a real person and gets plenty of individual attention.
Who wouldn't want that?
So already I am finding value in your book and glad you wrote it. I will, by the next 10-20 pages, I'm sure, find more, too.
Jacqueline Freeman
josephfreeman.com
equinenaturalmovement.com
Here's what is covered in The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur:
Part I: Getting Clear
You can't grow a business that fits just-right if you don't know what just-right looks like. On the other hand, you could spend a lifetime dreaming, not to mention trying to wrestle your dreams out of the grip of your inner critic.
This section walks you through Three Instructions that, when you follow them, will result in the kind of business a person like you will love to have.
1. Question Stressful Thoughts. Stress makes it almost impossible to learn anything new. It also erodes trust–both trust in yourself and in others. When you learn to identify and question the stressful thoughts you have about self-employment, you discover a world of possibilities and support that had just been waiting for you to open your eyes.
2. Be Yourself. Sounds easy, right? But when you're out of your element, it can be difficult to act natural. In fact, what comes naturally is to either hide or put on a mask. But in business, just as in a foreign land, the key to meaningful relationships is authenticity.
3. Keep the Channel Open. Why work for yourself if you can't be creative? Take responsibility for keeping your creative channels open, and you'll come to see that business is just one more art form.
Thank you!
Got your book yesterday
- I was teaching a hypnosis
class when the mail came-
started reading at lunch - could hardly put it down & read from it to my
class & told them to
order it - that they needed it to start their own
hypnotherapy practice. I can't wait to read the rest!
Roger Moore, Ph.D.
Slender for Life
slenderforlife.com
Part II: Getting Clients
Clients, customers, patrons, end-users. Whatever you call them, you need some. In this section you'll learn how to apply the Three Instructions to attract and keep clients that fit. Along the way, you'll discover:
- How to get clients that you like as much at the end of the job as at the beginning. (And how to make sure they feel the same.)
- How to give your clients what they want–even when they don't know what it is. They'll be so grateful when you put an end to time-consuming guessing games and false starts.
- How to turn your biggest fears into your most attractive assets and why your weaknesses are the key to repeat business.
- What to do when things go wrong and what clients value more than perfect performance. Stop agonizing over errors. (You do make errors, don't you?)
Molly, thank you! I started to read the book and was enjoying it so much I thought I'd save it to my laptop computer and read it in bed!
M.S., British Columbia
Part III: Getting Paid
Many accidental entrepreneurs, myself included, have "money stuff" that can seriously screw up the best-laid plans. In this section you'll learn to use the Three Instructions to give your business the support and protection it needs. If you can learn to say please and thank you in a foreign language, you can learn:
- How to decide what to charge and feel good about it.
- How to state your price like you believe it, without reducing it before the words get out of your mouth.
- How to get paid on time and in full by customers who are happy to do it that way.
- And a few pointers for getting off the feast-or-famine seesaw for good.
More than a Book, a Complete Program
There's more to The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur than the book. Included are is a home study course addressing one of the biggest issues self-employed folks have to come to terms with: How to define a niche that will make you stand out, won't feel phony, and won't stifle your creativity.
Like the book, the course is as succinct and clear as I could make them while being clear and complete.
Thriving in the Sweet Spot. Value: $180
Using this workbook and more than three hours of audio, you will finally crack the code of "defining a niche." Learn how to focus your business on the just-right clients without sacrificing creativity and variety.
And there are bonuses.
Bonus #1: Authentic Promotion Highlights. (3+ hours of class excerpts) Value: $199
Listen in on the best of the best, highlights of the Authentic Promotion teleclasses. Selected from over 100 hours of recorded classes, these excerpts comprise in-depth answers to real-life questions from accidental entrepreneurs like you.
Bonus #2: "Greatest Hits." Value: $40
10 of the most popular articles from nine years of weekly newsletters with added commentary especially for the accidental entrepreneur. You can't get this any other way, so I made up the price. ;-) You decide what it's really worth.
Premium Bonus: Doing the Work® on Working for Yourself (Audio) Value: $40
If you're familiar with Byron Katie's work, you need no further explanation. If you're not, it's something you need to experience to fully appreciate. In this audio you'll be the fly on the wall as other accidental entrepreneurs discover that everything they thought was wrong wasn't. Includes worksheets and instructions for doing your own work.
Basic |
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The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur, the complete illustrated guidebook in PDF format. |
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Thriving in the Sweet Spot. Workbook and teleclass audio. (worth $180) |
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Bonus: The Best of Authentic Promotion worth $199 |
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Bonus: Greatest Hits e-book. (worth $40 |
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Deluxe Only: Doing the Work on Working for Yourself (Audio) (worth $40) |
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Deluxe Only: a printed copy of the book, spiral bound for easy use. |
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Price |
$67 | $79 |
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You've probably tried other books and programs. So tell me, which one puts you even more in touch with your core values as it helps you grow your business?
The Way of the Accidental Entrepreneur is more than a book. It's a guide to making yourself at home in the world of business without losing your identity.
The "What Goes Around Comes Around" Guarantee
If you're still reading, odds are good that this book is what you need. But how can you be sure?
The fact is, you can't be certain until you give it a try. And with this guarantee, you can try the program for as long as you like. If you aren't satisfied with the value, simply ask for your money back.
You don't even have to return the book (in fact, I'd prefer that you pass it along).
It's a “what goes around comes around“ guarantee because:
- I appreciate your trusting me enough to invest in this program. Out of respect for that trust, I'm happy to refund your investment if it turns out to be wrong for you.
- What you'll learn in this book is how I grew my business -- a business that appeals to great people. People exactly like you. Pass it on.
(What goes around, comes around. Get it?)
The Wrong Kind of Business Can Eat You Alive
I ought to know. And worse, it keeps you from getting the right kind of business–repeat clients, those who love your work and are delighted to pay for it. If you aren't happier and more prosperous than you were three months ago, can you afford to keep doing business the same way?