Chris Guillebeau's Blog, page 13

SIDE HUSTLE: From Idea to Income in 27 Days (The Book Is Out!)

Buy it now: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks| Your local bookstore Join me on my 100-city tour.

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Hey everyone, the SIDE HUSTLE book is out!

Last year I spoke to groups all across the U.S. and Canada. More than anything else, one topic resonated: how to start a side hustle. 

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to tackle this topic in depth. I’ve been starting my own side hustles for two decades, and have been writing about them for nine years.

I decided to make this a mission,...

Thirty-Four

A man in San Francisco jumps or falls on the subway tracks. As the train approaches, the passengers all around him unite to warn the train’s conductor, who’s able to slow down and prevent disaster.

The man’s life is saved—maybe not forever, but at least for a day. And all we have for sure is today, right?

I recently saw this video of CCTV footage from the incident being passed around, showing exactly what happened. There’s no audio, but you can perceive the commotion and urgency of passen...

Going Back to a Hard Place

Imagine revisiting a place you’d been long ago during a hard time in your life. Maybe that time was long, long ago, and the place far, far away. Or maybe it was last week, and the place is the coffee shop down the street.

Whatever the story, you experience an unpleasant flashback as soon as you arrive or walk into this place. You remember what happened when you received terrible news, or you relive that thing that someone said to hurt you. Maybe your time in this hard place was even trauma...

Evening Rituals

I have one or two drinks with dinner, rarely any more.

Before bed I make a cup of herbal tea and take magnesium. Sometimes I have a square of dark chocolate.

I sit with my thoughts and my calendar. I look at my tasks. I do this in digital and analogue form. There is pen and paper and phone and MacBook Air.

I determine the priorities for the next day, with the knowledge that there can only be so many. There may be thirty things to do, but only two to three are truly critical.

In fact, it’s ha...

Meet Me Anywhere! Announcing the 100-City* Side Hustle Tour

Hey, everyone!

Two big things today…

My new book, Side Hustle, comes out on September 19. As part of that process, I now have the first batch of cities for my fall tour ready to go. And because pre-orders for the book make a huge difference for authors, I also have a special offer for you.

1. The first part of my fall tour schedule is now online!

I’m incredibly excited to announce that the first 30 cities of my Side Hustle tour are now finalized!

Well, mostly—we’re still working out a few s...

Stating the Obvious: “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.”

Heather Heyer. 32 years old. Her last words on Facebook were "if you're not outraged you're not paying attention." Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/3zVuhenkRM

— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) August 14, 2017

“We’ll have to repent in this generation not merely for hateful words and actions of bad people, but for appalling silence of good people.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’ve been traveling this week but also seeing the news from home. I’m not sure I have much of substance to what’s already been s...

What If All Your Work Disappeared At the End of the Day?

Over the past ten years, I’ve thought a lot about building a legacy. In particular, I’ve thought about it as it relates to a body of work that you produce and share over the years. This model has kept me going for a long time.

To me, one of the most attractive qualities of writing the blog, starting in 2008 and continuing until now (albeit in several distinct forms), was the idea that I was building a portfolio of sorts. I could write something today, and it would still be around tomorrow,...

An Early Recap of WDS 2017: 12 Photos that Tell Thousands of Words

Last week I hosted WDS 2017, our seventh annual gathering of awesome people in Portland, Oregon.

This year we focused on the theme of “Building a Better World.” The intention is to encourage and empower everyone to take action that helps others. We can’t solve every problem in the world, but that doesn’t mean we should hold back from helping.

The event unfolds in a few different settings:

Main-stage keynotes A get-to-know-you Opening Party Hundreds of independent meetups taking place all...

Why Ideas Are Not Enough (Or: How to Sell Out Like Iron Maiden)

Link: Perennial Seller

“What if I’m not good at making ideas happen? I just like to have ideas!”

Ever since I started Side Hustle School on January 1, I’ve heard this question a surprising number of times. And believe me, I know it would be nice if you could just have ideas and then someone else goes out and “handles” them.

That’s not how it works for most of us, though—even people who are successful writers, entrepreneurs, or artists of all kinds. Ideas gain value not through brainstormin...

Buy One Wedding, Get a Honeymoon Free

One time I went to Dubai for my honeymoon, except it wasn’t really my honeymoon. I was traveling with Stephanie, my longtime friend, travel hacking colleague, and frequent travel companion. Even though she is basically a member of my family, Stephanie and I aren’t partners in the romantic sense—which occasionally leads to humorous encounters when we travel.

For some reason, our hotel in Dubai had gotten the idea that it was our honeymoon. When they assigned us a luxury three-bedroom apartm...