Ben Angel - Flee 9-5: Get 6 - 7 Figures and Do What You Love

First published in 2014 by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd
42 McDougall St, Milton Qld 4064

Office also in Melbourne

Typeset in 11/13.5 pt ITC Giovanni Std Book

Dare 2 Be Central Pty Ltd

The moral rights of the author have been asserted

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (for example, a fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review), no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, communicated or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above.

Cover design by Xou Creative, www.xou.com.au

Cover image: iStockphoto.com/Photomorphic

Author photo taken by Kon Iatrou of Ikon Images, www.ikonimages.com.au

Disclaimer

The material in this publication is of the nature of general comment only, and does not represent professional financial advice. It is not intended to provide specific guidance for particular circumstances and it should not be relied on as the basis for any decision to take action or not take action on any matter which it covers. Facts and figures are accurate as at the time of writing and should be checked by the reader. Dollar amounts stated in this book are examples only and should not be relied upon. Readers should obtain professional advice where appropriate, before making any such decision. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the author and publisher disclaim all responsibility and liability to any person, arising directly or indirectly from any person taking or not taking action based on the information in this publication.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ben Angel, author of the books CLICK The New Science of Influence and Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business , is Australia's leading personal branding and marketing authority. With an international fan base over 35 000 strong, Ben has worked with the likes of Toyota and Australia Post, and has helped many other top celebrity brands find the tipping point in their careers and companies, and dramatically increase their profiles and profits. You can regularly catch Ben in the media commenting on everything from politics, music and business to careers and lifestyle. Visit www.benangel.com.au for more.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book is the result of a hurricane and a 20-second meeting with the dynamic Matt Holt, from Wiley in the US. Thanks Matt. Whatever I said to you in that 20-second conversation, please text it to me I was jet-lagged!

Secondly, thanks to one of my best friends, Alex Moloney, for being by my side as we rode out the storm together. I promise never to buy you a cinnamon-scented candle for any birthday, Christmas or random gift EVER, and to not travel during hurricane season again. I couldn't have got through it without you.

To Kristen Hammond, whom I've had the amazing pleasure of working with at Wiley. Your support, encouragement and belief in me as an author have been nothing short of humbling. None of this would have been possible without your support and the incredible team at Wiley to make this book possible.

A big shout-out and much love to two special people my mum, Fay Angel, for being a rock in my life and inspiring me to step up my game; and my dad, Steele Angel, for being a constant presence in my life, despite no longer being here with us in physical form. I could never have asked for a better upbringing and two better role models.

To my amazing friends, whom I consider family, Johnny, Mat, Dean, Jaya, Nick, John H, Adam, Rosie, Paul, Mike, Neil and Daniel. And, a special mention to the gorgeous Andrea Moss of The Real Housewives of Melbourne . You've all impacted my life in ways that you'll never truly understand. I could not be more grateful for having each of you in my life.

And, most importantly, my thanks to you the reader. Without you, I'd be ordinary. You make me strive to be more of who I am. This book is dedicated to each and every one of you.

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever had a burning desire to flee the 9 to 5 and finally do what you love and get what you want? Are you sick of making peanuts by sharing your knowledge with your employer, who makes millions from it and pays you a tenth of what it's worth, just because you've been conditioned to believe that there's no other way? And did you know that you can get paid six to seven figures a year by sharing your knowledge, expertise and stories with those who can benefit from your experiences (no matter what your subject or industry) and help transform lives and shape the world we live in?

It may seem far-fetched, particularly if you believe that no one would pay to listen to your advice and your friends typically tune out when you chime in. But the reality is there are tens of thousands of individuals all around you doing just that right now. They're finally getting paid what they're worth and gaining the respect they deserve. They're the new breed of celebrity entrepreneur, known as agents of influence .

You'll see them working away on their laptops while sipping on their soy mocha lattes in Starbucks. They're online providing how-to advice to help other people transform their lives and businesses, travelling the world experiencing different cultures and making money on autopilot, while everyone else around them drowns under an ocean of work, debt and stress.

They are agents of influence and agents of change, the entrepreneurial masters of the new information and social media age who are making millions, average people who have become influential experts, authors, speakers, coaches and online entrepreneurs. They don't feel like they do a day's work in their lives because they are doing what they love and love what they are doing.

They are people just like you and me, but they have taken a simple yet profound step to change their lives by packaging their skills, stories and experiences into marketable products that solve problems that keep others up at night.

They're finding solutions to everything from how to flourish in life, relationships, career and business; to challenges in whatever other subject they are passionate about. They are generating books, articles, blogs, online courses, audios and DVDs that are quick and cheap to create and make them millions.

No matter what your skillset, there are people willing to pay you for that knowledge to help shape their lives and businesses, so you can finally profit from what you love doing.

Every single day millions of people are searching Google and social media channels for answers to their burning questions questions they could be paying you to answer. Even if you don't fully believe it right now, with your knowledge and expertise you hold the key to helping them. Whether or not you consider yourself an expert, you know things that others don't, and in the new world economy that knowledge is bankable.