The End of Jobs: Money, Meaning and Freedom Without the 9-To-5

“Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”
William Hutchinson Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition (1951

people that have created businesses built on the back of larger marketplaces and platforms

Once he’s created the guides for potential customers to read, it costs him pennies to leave them up on his site for anyone to find. If he had to pay a sales or customer service person to explain it repeatedly, his business wouldn’t have been profitable

Google was necessary for his business. If you’ve got lots of questions about how to buy a radio, you Google them and find Andrew’s site. Then you see his helpful articles and figure out which is the right radio for you

it’s hard to know which radio you should order, and as a result he has created educational resources to help people do that

dropshipping’, meaning he sells and markets products from a third party manufacturer. When someone goes to his website and buys, he puts in an order with the manufacturer, who then ships it out to the customer. He’s not making the product himself—he created value in his sales, marketing, and customer service processes

If you’re a dentist, would you meet in person with someone down the street that doesn’t understand your business model or industry at all? Or would you rather do a video call with someone on the other side of the country that has an intimate understanding of your business, and knows exactly how to help you get what you’re looking for

In the past, geography kept these kinds of businesses from existing, but that’s no longer the case. Jake can be based in Seattle and work with clients all over the country

Marketing is easier because other dentists easily identify with existing client case studies

By working with a single type of client instead of a single geographical area, he gained a lot of efficiencies that he could pass on in value to the clients both in terms of reduced costs and improved results