I’ve been interested in doing product reviews for awhile since I’m a mass consumer of books and various information products. I suppose I’m an internet marketer’s dream customer, but I’m ok with that. The reason I’m ok with it is because I buy products I want. I never feel tricked into buying a product or book and I have never once felt ‘duped’ by a product purchase. I buy good products from good people doing good things. It’s a good formula to follow!
The product I want to review today is The Unconventional Guide to Working for Yourself (disclaimer: this and all links in this article are affiliate links) by Chris Guillebeau.
Many of you may already be familiar with Chris. He runs the very successful blog, The Art of Nonconformity, which focuses on the following areas:
- Personal Development & Lifestyle Design
- Unconventional Entrepreneurship Strategies
- International Travel
If you aren’t reading his blog, start today.
What The Product Is About
The title itself pretty much explains what this product is about. The ebook lays out various unconventional strategies and tips you can use to start working for yourself. Specifically, the ebook focuses on using the internet to start experimenting with building passive income streams.
Chris starts by describing his experience with online businesses. This is one of the things I like about this book the most. It’s based an actual, personal experience. Chris has never had a ‘real job,’ (by that, I mean a 9-5 office job). He’s dabbled in online business endeavors for the past 10 years and has most recently enjoyed some wonderful success with his blog.
The ebook certainly isn’t some get rich quick scheme. Chris makes this clear. His goal is to get you to the point where you can make at least $200/month from online ventures. This might seem like pocket change, but that’s not the point. The point is to get you thinking differently – to open up your mind to the possibility of doing things a different way. Unfortunately, I think so many people feel trapped. Trapped in their jobs and careers. If you enjoy your 9-5 job, that’s great. I honestly have nothing against that whatsoever. But, if you have that feeling that something is off and you’re not entirely happy with what you’re doing, then this ebook will open up your eyes to some new ways of doing things.
It’s not rocket science and it can be done by anyone, but it certainly does take work. What Chris does do is give you 8 examples of how you can use the internet to make some money. This book is definitely geared towards the beginner market, which was me when I bought this. I had no idea what SEO was, AdSense was or what many of the other basic internet marketing terms were before reading this product.
I’m a HUGE fan of specific and actionable steps. This guide provides that. You not only get general advice an various ways you can use the internet to make some money, but you also get specific actions on what you should do to implement the strategy presented. I really, really like this. It kind of creates an accountability factor. It’s all good when you read something and think, “hey, what a great idea,” but how many times do you actually implement what you read? The action steps in the ebook provide a good roadmap to what you immediately can do to get started.
Finally, you’ll get a ton of technical resources. Chris goes over how to set up your site so you get paid, resources for design, recommendations for hosting, plus plenty of other resources and actions you can take to get started today.
In the end, this product is really a story. It’s a story about how a very down to earth, normal person bucked the traditional path and figured out a way to do what he wanted to do on his own terms. He wants you to do the same. I like that. It motivates me. It makes me think that I can definitely do this as well and I have in fact started doing it.
The Impact It Had On Me
Suffice it to say, I wouldn’t be writing this post if I hadn’t read this ebook. I had been following Chris for awhile along with a number of other blogs, including Ramit Sethi’s I Will Teach You to Be Rich, and Pam Slim’s Escape from Cubicle Nation. I always did a lot of reading and searching for alternative ways of doing things, but I never took action.
That fateful day this past June when I purchased The Unconventional Guide to Working for Yourself was the first day I actually took action. I purchased the ebook with the intent of doing something. I was perfectly aware that the book wasn’t the solution, however, I changed my mindset and the book helped me with that.
Here are specific actions I’ve taken since purchasing this ebook:
- I started an informational website through a service that Chris recommends in the ebook. I focused on making a lot of content, but haven’t started monetizing at this point. I learned A TON in the process, including SEO concepts, how to build a web page, basic HTML skills and marketing techniques.
- I started this blog. I want to be clear here that Chris’ ebook is not about starting a blog to generate revenue. While he does talk about that, it’s not the main focus of the ebook and he even admits that it’s a long road to making some money if you decide to take that path. This blog is more of a creative outlet for me right now. It’s a place for me to talk about my thoughts and improve my writing skills.
The point of the above is to show you the benefits I received from this ebook. Reading it was a major step for me in taking action. After reading the book I become much more involved with blogs on lifestyle design and met a great group of people, which resulted in the creation of this blog. While the book helped as a motivator, I want to strongly point out that it’s not the solution. The solution starts with you. Maybe you feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. Trust me, I know how you feel. That’s where I was. What I learned is that it doesn’t all have to happen overnight. Take small steps every day to learn and improve your skills. Don’t be afraid of failure. Do what Chris recommends and take a ready, fire, aim approach..
If you have any questions about the ebook, please do not hesitate to contact me. I would never promote a product that I don’t support and if you have any doubts or questions, I’m more than happy to answer them. Otherwise, check it out!
Click here for more info on The Unconventional Guide to Working for Yourself
I’ve been trying to decide if I should buy this, since I like Chris’s writing and I want to work for myself. I’m still on the fence but this has edged me a little bit closer. Thanks for an honest review.
Mary´s last blog ..The Area Between College Student and “Responsible” Adult
No problem Mary, thanks for stopping by!
UPDATE: Mary…one more thing here. I’ll just add that if you’re fairly new to internet marketing (I still certainly am), then this might be a good product for you. I think a lot of people get started with blogging thinking that it’s a must and it’s the only thing you can do. There are a number of other ways to get out there and do things on the internet and Chris presents those. In fact, it’s probably a good idea to dabble in a few of them to see what works best for you and more importantly, to figure out what you like the most. If you have any questions, let me know. Also, I should have mentioned it in the article, but Chris has a 100% money back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the product.
Cool review. I always wondered what was in that book, but never felt like I needed it. I’m sure it’s an awesome resource for beginners, as you mention. There are so many ways to make money online. It’s almost as if taking action is more important than the method you use.
Henri´s last blog ..How to Overcome Procrastination
Henri – you’re absolutely correct! Taking action is key. It can be in many different forms. For me the catalyst to take action resulted from buying and reading this book. I had actually been reading a lot in the past, but I never took action. A lot of it was out of fear. I didn’t know where to start. I didn’t know what to do or how I could even go about doing something. This product gave me some good ideas and the extra push I needed to start doing something. I think one of the best aspects is that there are specific and actionable steps you can take. Just remember, the book is not the solution though, you are!
If you buy the book and don’t have the intent to put in some hard work, then it’s not worth it. If you do buy it, please buy it with the intent of taking action. It’s well worth it then…..at least it was for me!
Thanks for the comment!
I completely agree with you. When I was reading your comment and about the fact that this book helped you take action, I thought to myself “it must’ve had good step-by-step instructions” and that’s when I read the rest. There are a lot of products out there that are almost philosophical and don’t really help you.
They tell you the big picture, but for beginners you really should guide them step-by-step exactly what they can do. That is how I learn the best. You’re right, finding the perfect product is not where it’s at, it’s finding the perfect catalyst!
Henri´s last blog ..Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your Job, Yet
Yeah and I actually don’t have anything against philosophical content…in fact, I enjoy it very much. That’s definitely not what this is though. It provides detailed info on steps you can take to get started today. Again, it’s not about making you rich. It’s about getting you to think differently and try some stuff out…and most importantly, take action! Thanks again for commenting!
Thanks for the helpful review. (I really like the way you structured it with the subtitles, btw.) I wouldn’t have known about Chris, his ebook or his blog if I hadn’t stopped by.
The sentence that caught my eye was your comment about buying good products from good people doing good things. And that you have never felt duped into buying something online because of that. Naomi Dunford has a lot to say about that too, and I was even more interested when you mentioned her name as well.
Finally, your point about being big on step-by-step directions really rings true with me too. I’m a sucker for ‘how-to’ articles no matter what they are about…they always make me feel like whatever I want to achieve or do, it’s possible. Like putting one foot in front of the other.
Suzanne Arthur´s last blog ..Do you make this marketing mistake?
Hi Suzanne –
Thanks for stopping by!
Yeah, I know what you mean about step by step instructions. Sometimes it’s good to get a good kick in the butt with specific action items. I think so many people (myself included at times) expect some magic bullet solution or get disappointed when some product doesn’t live up to their expectations. So….I definitely try to really make it clear what my own expectations are and take responsibility for taking action.
Like I said, this product is great, but the change has to start with you. I’m glad this was helpful for you!