In The $100 Startup, Chris Guillebeau shows you how to lead of life of adventure, meaning a nd purpose – a nd earn a good living.

Still in his early thirties, Chris is on the verge of completing a tour of every country on earth – he’s already visited mo r e than 175 nations – a nd yet he’s never held a “real job” o r earned a regular paycheck. Rather, he has a special genius fo r turning ideas into income, a nd he uses what he earns both to suppo r t his life of adventure a nd to give back.

There are many others like Chris – those who’ve found ways to opt out of traditional employment a nd create the time a nd income to pursue what they find meaningful. Sometimes, achieving that perfect blend of passion a nd income doesn’t depend on shelving what you currently do. You can start small with your venture, committing little time o r money, a nd wait to take the real plunge when you're sure it's successful.

In preparing to write this book, Chris identified 1,500 individuals who have built businesses earning $50,000 o r mo r e fr om a modest investment (in many cases, $100 o r less), a nd fr om that group he’s chosen to focus on the 50 most intriguing case studies. In nearly all cases, people with no special skills discovered aspects of their personal passions that could be monetized, a nd were able to restructure their lives in ways that gave them greater freedom a nd fulfillment.

Here, finally, distilled into one easy-to-use guide, are the most valuable lessons fr om those who’ve learned how to turn what they do into a gateway to self-fulfillment. It’s all about finding the intersection between your “expertise” – even if you don’t consider it such -- a nd what other people will pay fo r . You don’t need an MBA, a business plan o r even employees. All you need is a product o r service that springs fr om what you love to do anyway, people willing to pay, a nd a way to get paid.

Not content to talk in generalities, Chris tells you exactly how many dollars his group of unexpected entrepreneurs required to get their projects up a nd running, what these individuals did in the first weeks a nd months to generate significant cash, some of the key mistakes they made along the way, a nd the crucial insights that made the business stick. Among Chris’s key principles: if you’re good at one thing, you’re probably good at something else, never teach a man to fish – sell him the fish instead, a nd in the battle between planning a nd action, action wins.

In ancient times, people who were dissatisfied with their lives dreamed of finding magic lamps, buried treasure, o r streets paved with gold. Today, we know that it’s up to us to change our lives. a nd the best part is, if we change our own life, we can help others change theirs. This remarkable book will start you on your way.