Alba - 51 Alternatives to a Real Job

INTRODUCTION

This booktook me a couple of years to write. It should have been a two-week project butI sat on it for a long time. I didnt feel right about certain things. When Idecided to add quotes from people who are making money with these Alternatives,it became a much bigger project. As I have come back to the manuscript time andagain, I tweaked the concept until it became what I wanted to put in yourhands.

This isnot an exhaustive list of fifty-one things you should do. Some of theseAlternatives are not things you would ever actually do. They are too dirty, toohard, or too simple. Some of them would take too long to realize a return. Somewont provide the income you want, or will take you too far outside yourcomfort zone. I wrote this book to inspire you.

By readingthe stories, testimonials and examples, I hope youre motivated to act on yourown ideas. After reading 51 Alternatives, I want you to say, Yes, I can dothis! And the time is now!

Many ofthese Alternatives will make you enough money to pay your bills. SomeAlternatives can be scaled to make millions while others are so labor ortime-intensive, they dont scale easily. Though each Alternative providesinformation about startup costs, legal considerations, local regulations, andpossible marketing options, you should perform your own due diligence research, investigation, and talking with others to determine whether it willbe a good fit for you.

I am afirm believer in generating multiple streams of income. Businesses use thismodel. Successful and financially sound people make it their lifestyle. Itmight make more sense for you to work on three or four Alternatives than tofocus on one. Maybe one of your revenue streams is your day job. That isfine! But dont put yourself in the position where you have only one revenuestream, which is what most people with a job do. Diversify your income so ifsomething happens to one revenue stream, you have others in place, and youdont lose 100 percent of your income.

Startingand running a business is HARD. I remember the few days I spent filling outpaperwork for my state business license and business checking account. It was aroyal pain. I hate paperwork and stupid bureaucratic forms. I rememberwondering why anyone would go into business for themselves if it took so muchwork to get through the dreary administrative stuff. I soon discovered that wasthe easy part. There have been highs and lows, and I stretched myself in manyways. Finding money to keep the business alive before revenue came in was achallenge. Getting customers and keeping up with market changes and technologywas a challenge. Even in my eighth year of business, I still work throughchallenges. But I know there would be challenges if a day job was my onlyincome. The dark cloud over everyone with a day job today is the ever-presentthreat of layoffs. Ive obviously chosen the path of an entrepreneur, andcontinue to stay away from what was once the stable, acceptable, and safechoice.

As youread this book, I want you to be inspired to start something right now. Thisisnt just a fun book with a list of fifty-one things to read about, and thenput away. Let the ideas in this book compel you to act. Even if your firstventure doesnt make you money, or grow very large, you havent failed. Whatyou learn with your first venture will make you stronger and wiser for when youstart your second and third ventures. The skills you acquire along the way, andthe wisdom you gain as a business owner, will help you make better decisionsand be more prepared for your next big thing.

As withall of my projects, Im nervous about not delivering enough. Howeverinsufficient the actual Alternatives might seem, if you are open to becomingmore self-empowered, you will draw what you need from the pages here and act.Instead of spending two more years refining, polishing and perfecting thisbook, I hope you get what you need out of this edition.

Thats it.Turn the page and lets get started!

JasonAlba: Entrepreneur and Career Management 3.0 Advocate