There’s no escaping it: By 2020, the gig economy will grow to 43% of the US workforce according to a recent study by Intuit. Whether you’re excited by the liberation of becoming your own boss or terrified by the changing landscape of the economy, figuring out how to monetize your talent and passions can be daunting. Luckily, Dorie Clark has written and personally tested her latest book to use as a guide, and reminds us that diversifying can simultaneously enable you to earn more and mitigate risk, whether you have a full-time career or you’re a full-time entrepreneur.
In the just-released Entrepreneurial You: Monetize Your Expertise, Create Multiple Income Streams, and Thrive (Harvard Business Review Press), Dorie Clark outlines how to reap the potent promise of entrepreneurship and reveals the blueprint to help you shape your own career destiny. Dorie is a marketing strategy consultant and professional speaker who is known for her clarity, precision, and actionable insights. Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Fortune, and Inc. magazine, she is also the author of Reinventing You and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. magazine and one of the Top 10 Business Books of the Year by Forbes.
We all know plenty of people who are smart, talented, and great at what they do, and yet they struggle to build the business or career they deserve. And we also know great professionals who have built a robust business, yet are so time-strapped, they can’t enjoy it. What they need is to cultivate new income streams that allow them to leverage their work, rather than running themselves ragged. Dorie’s new book, Entrepreneurial You, is about how to do exactly that.
Dorie shares detailed specifics on how to build a thriving business and create multiple streams of income ― something that’s valuable not just for entrepreneurs, but also for regular professionals who want to create more security and opportunity in their lives. Entrepreneurial You is a thorough, clear, and concise guide that has actionable “Try This” sections, case studies, and inspiring success stories (that also offer a dose of reality) throughout the book to help the reader execute these strategies. Clark explains that:
“The opportunity isn’t just for entrepreneurs: even if you currently work for an organization full time and have no desire to become self-employed, developing entrepreneurial pursuits on the side can provide an additional income stream, as well as unexpected professional development opportunities. Whether we work for ourselves or for others, we all need to find ways to diversify our revenue streams. That allows us to find ways to hedge against uncertainty, increase our impact, and earn more.”
I was excited to hear Dorie Clark sharing more about her experience writing Entrepreneurial You on Jenny Blake’s Pivot Podcast... especially when I heard that Dorie herself was able to earn almost $200k additional revenue (in one year) as a result of applying the strategies in the book! Jenny said that this book “made her tactical heart sing,” and I completely agree. Dorie explained that she took the techniques she learned from her interviews with more than 50 top entrepreneurs and made her own business a laboratory for the action items in this book. She proved for herself that these techniques do work, and created a nitty gritty guidebook that truly breaks down the road map to entrepreneurship. Clark provides top notch resources within the book for her readers, including detailed plans, transparent pitch processes, and downloads for the actual scripts she used implementing these strategies.
Entrepreneurial You has a solid range of strategic advice for a wide range of professionals ― from those on a set career path, to those just starting a blog, to those with thousands of people on their email list that are ready to monetize tonight. Dorie teaches success through sustainability by encouraging micro goals and consistency along the way, reminding readers that this is a long term game and that “there’s a disproportionate reward for sticking around long enough to break through... for those willing to adjust and pivot, the opportunities are boundless.”
This book, completing the trilogy with Reinventing You and Stand Out, is a strategic guide and resource that I’ll reference for years to come, at every stage of my career and entrepreneurial life. To get started yourself, you can download Dorie’s free 88-Question Entrepreneurial You self-assessment. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, a successful side hustler, or a career-focused boss looking to make an impact, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Entrepreneurial You and keeping it within arm’s reach on your desk!
