Category Archives: 101 Alternatives

101 Alternatives to a Real Job, Bees, Speakers

Wednesday night I was listening to the great Mark LeBlanc speak to about 50 professional speakers on how to “grow your business.” More on that later.

I normally don’t day dream, but at the break I had a conversation with Brad Barton about making money as a beekeeper. I asked him how much money you could make, and his answer surprised me. I was excited to include it in my new book, 101 Alternatives to Real Job.

When Mark LeBlanc started up again, I let my mind wander to a future visit with Brad’s family.

I imagined that I was with his kids, we were dressed in beekeeper suits (the kind the bees can’t get through), and someone had a video camera. I thought it would be cool to actually get some video of me for one of the chapters… somehow a few bees got in my suit and started flying around, and I got a few stings.

It was kind of comical, and a bit scary (this is one of my I DON’T EVER WANT TO BE IN THIS SITUATION scenarios), and I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing during Mark LeBlanc’s presentation…

Ah, the mind! It’s a beeeeeautiful thing :p

Gem: Scott Heiferman’s $20M Lesson

Every once in a while I find a gem that is hiding in plain site. Here’s one I read this morning on a TC post:

… Heiferman jumped back into the startup scene with RocketBoard, a project he describes as “a colossal failure and actually we blew through about $20 million dollars of AOL money.” The silver lining? Heiferman received advice that sticks with him to this day—create products to help the greater good of society.

I LOVE THAT.

Sounds too simple, but if Heiferman “spent” $20M to learn it, and he remembers it for an interview, that’s good enough for me.

What are you doing for the great good of society?

Diabetic Emergency Kit

I’m working on my fourth book (I know, I know, I swore off books after the first one!), which I’ll announce shortly.

As I research, and read the news, I like to find stories of people who find a problem and figure out a solution that can go to market.

That’s exactly what Jennifer Lindley did. She’s a diabetic, and has a son who is diabetic, and was concerned about what to do in an emergency.

In a local news article she says:

Someone had used spray-paint to emblazon “DIABETIC” on the rooftop where a group was stranded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“It was a really hopeless, helpless feeling for me,” Jennifer Lindley said about seeing the image on the news. “I didn’t know what to do for him.”

These kits are what she came up with:

I love how brilliant this is. Combine Utah’s “thing” about emergency preparedness (it’s a theme I don’t see as prominent outside of Utah/Idaho) with a HUGE, HUGE need we have around the world, and you get a simple solution that is affordable, and can help set your mind at ease. Learn more about her product here.

Why do I love this?

Because I’m looking for ideas where you and I and regular people like Jennifer Lindley can CREATE our own income, independent of a boss.

Kudos, Jennifer!