Mark Beckner - The Coders Path to Wealth and Independence

THE CODERS PATH TO WEALTH AND INDEPENDENCE

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Mark Beckner

The Coders Path to Wealth and Independence

Copyright 2014 by Mark Beckner

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ISBN-13 (pbk): 978-1-4842-0422-1

ISBN-13 (electronic): 978-1-4842-0421-4

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Contents

Foreword

I am one of you, a coder. I prefer listening over speaking, reading over partying; I love to create but dislike self-promotion; and I favor working on my own over brainstorming in groups. I am one of you, a highly skilled coder, a developer, a software architect, a product designerand I was, for over two decades, developing "cool" products that I did not believe in. To me, the focus of life and achievement in the corporate world was defined by review cycles and competition in the rewards curve rather than customer satisfaction.

Sure, we coders are paid well, well above population averages, and with that money we pay off mortgages and car loans to trade them in for bigger ones. Every once in a while we take off on a week-long vacation, only to return to excessive work hours to compensate for the time off. The happiness such experiences bring us is very event related and transient. Yet somehow, the wealth and independence we crave escape us.

Not anymore!

I have not met Mark Beckner in person. However, I have been profoundly impacted by the many phone and e-mail conversations we have had. While his technical and marketing skills are well known and chronicled by publications, his mentoring abilities are less well known. He is a great teacher, always using practical examples that I could relate to. Through our conversations, he talked me out of my routine and into the brave new world of launching a successful and ethical business that has led to independence and wealthwealth not just measured in dollars but in realizing the goals and aspirations I have in this life.

A few weeks ago, Mark mentioned this book to me, and I was excited that he found a way to scale his outreach to many more coders like me. As a beta reader of this extraordinary book, I can tell you that it has the power to permanently change your life, filling it with wealth and, more importantly, independence.

Mark shares in this book many gripping, real-life incidents to make his points. It takes you through the mechanics of a businessstructure, ethics, marketing, sales, contracts, and even travelalong with the more spiritual dimensions of running a successful independent business: the philosophical, personal, and social aspects of creating new business along with such varied topics as health, personal vitality, social obligations, and charity.