Jon Thornton teamed up with someone he hardly knew during the summer after undergrad to work on a parking-based business idea together. The idea was to work on the business idea till the end of summer and see what happens. Seven years later, after several twists and turns, Jon and his partner Aashish Dalal are still in business together. They recently raised their first round of venture capital and are ready to take on the world. Here’s what you’ll learn in this case study: How Jon found...

I get lots of emails from people asking me about first steps, i.e. how to get their business off the ground. It can be nerve-racking, especially if you haven’t done it before. But it doesn’t have to be. All you need to do is take one step. And another. And another. You won’t have all the answers on Day 1, but if you’re persistent, it’s very likely you’ll figure them out as you go along. That’s what Peter Morgan of The DJ Podcast is doing. He digs electronic music and DJing – hobbies that...

If you’ve been searching for freedom from corporate hell by looking at examples, inspiration and success stories, you’ve probably come across Pat Flynn (he’s everywhere), founder of the highly popular blog Smart Passive Income and author of the new bestseller, Let Go. Pat was laid off from his architectural 9-to-5 gig despite being one of the best performers in the company. He started several online businesses and now earns around $50k per month.  Pat’s been interviewed a gazillion times...

Have you ever wanted to be a writer? Was that your answer all those years when someone asked you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s easy to dismiss wild thoughts such as, “I want to be a writer someday” and “I will be my own boss someday” and go about living the rest of your life in a 5×5 cubicle. Go back and read the last sentence again. It’s SO easy to dismiss wild, silly and ridiculous thoughts. Especially when there are bills to pay. But what if you could give those...

Today’s case study is a good one as it illustrates that no matter how long you’ve had a corporate job, it’s still possible to escape and create your freedom. Bruce Rodgers escaped corporate life after nearly 30 years when he finally ventured out to start his web design and development business. Here’s what you will learn from Bruce’s story: The first steps Bruce took when he realized his health was failing due to workplace stress How he evaluated his skills and figured out the right...

I hope you’re enjoying these case studies by now, because I surely am. Every week it feels like I learn something new and go one step closer to creating a life and career that is exciting, interesting and fulfilling. That’s what this is all about. I spoke to the founder of Prolific Living Farnoosh Brock last week, and boy was it an eye-opener or what? Here’s someone who was a corporate superstar, making serious moolah and living the good life. And then she gave it all up to start a blog...

For the uninitiated: “A gap year is time out to travel between life stages. It is also known as a sabbatical, time off, time out and a year out, referring to a period of time (not necessarily 12 months) in which people disengage from curricular education and/or work and undertake activities such as traveling, volunteering or working abroad.” (Source: Wikipedia) Get ready for a remarkable story and some serious business education. Amar Hussain is in the house. He started Gap Year Escape as a...

A common theme that’s emerged from my conversations with a dozen guests so far is that businesses usually start as side projects. There’s nobody I’ve spoken to that has quit her day job cold turkey and started a business from scratch (except myself – I was stupid but lucky it worked out!). To illustrate further on how to start a side business and smoothly transition it into a full time gig, I invited Alexis Grant, a former reporter at U.S. News & World Report, to tell me her story....

When Vizag, India-based Purna Duggirala’s twins were born, he decided he wanted to spend more time at home. His full-time corporate gig entailed too much travel, which he wasn’t fond of. So a few months later, he quit and decided to work full time on his blog/side gig, chandoo.org. From a mere $10,000/year in 2009, the business generated approximately $600,000 in 2012. In this case study, you will learn: From personal blog to side business to full time business – the Chandoo.org story: the...

Greg Miliates, Part 2:  I broke out of 9-to-5 prison in 2009 by becoming a location independent strategic planning consultant. I can work from anywhere in the world and have clients more than 10,000 miles away, most of whom I haven’t met in person. I’ve loved every bit of the last three and a half years as a consultant. There’s never a dull moment as I’m always learning about new industries, businesses and challenges. I am a big fan of Greg Miliates and love the work he’s doing over at...

Greg Miliates, Part 1:  I broke out of 9-to-5 prison in 2009 by becoming a location independent strategic planning consultant. I can work from anywhere in the world and have clients more than 10,000 miles away, most of whom I haven’t met in person. I’ve loved every bit of the last three and a half years as a consultant. There’s never a dull moment as I’m always learning about new industries, businesses and challenges. I am a big fan of Greg Miliates and love the work he’s doing over at...

Andreas Kambanis started working full-time on his one year old hobby blog – LondonCyclist.co.uk when he became really frustrated with his 9-to-5 job. A Day in the Life of Andreas the 9-to-5er (then) Vs. Andreas the lifestyle business owner (now): Andreas the 9-to-5er: Wake up, hit the alarm as many times as possible till the last minute, cycle to work, arrive late, waste time eating breakfast there, take a shower, be a nightmare employee who didn’t want to be there, have disagreements with...

Alyson B. Stanfield of ArtBizCoach.com teaches artists business. How to promote. How to sell. How to crunch numbers. In the process, she’s built herself a multiple-six figure coaching business that has lasted over 10 years and still going strong. Here’s her story. In this case study, you will learn: What to do when fear grips you whenever you think of starting a business How to build an email list and grow your coaching business Secrets of building a coaching business that stands the...

After graduating from high school, all Henri Junttila did for a living was play online poker…for 5 years straight. When he finally realized he needed another calling, he spent over $10,000 on business coaching, ‘get rich quick’ schemes and other online business experiments before settling on a business he completely loves. And the lifestyle of his dreams. In this case study, you will learn: In-depth details of how Henri started and built his major products, including a niche health website;...

In 2009, Jen Adrion and Omar Noory wanted a world map they could hang up on a wall to document their travels. When they couldn’t find one they liked they, like true creative pros, decided to make a couple of maps themselves. Since the printer’s minimum order quantity was 50, the duo ended up with 48 extra maps. That’s when the light bulb turned on…what if other people are interested in buying the leftover stock? Fast forward 3 years. The enterprising duo has a neat 6-figure e-commerce...

Nev Lapwood moved to Whistler, Canada from New Zealand to do what he loves to do most: snowboard. He even got an evening job at a restaurant so he could snowboard all day. When the restaurant laid him off at the end of snowboarding season, he started a virtual snowboard training business. He still snowboards a lot and travels the world with his girlfriend 4 months in a year while working on his business for a couple of hours every day. In this case study, you will learn: How he and his...

Karol Gajda represents a breed of entrepreneurs that moves quickly from one business venture to the next. And while he’s at it, he has the most insane fun and lives his life exactly the way he wants to. He thrives on living on impulse. And is damn good at it. Sounds glamorous? Well, if that’s what you want to do, that’s great. Do it. On the other hand, if this kind of life is not for you, there’s nothing wrong with that either. Listen and understand for yourself what it takes to be a serial...

Dean Dwyer shares his story of how he went from being an overweight math teacher to a fitness entrepreneur at age 45. 

Kyle Hepp is an American wedding photographer living in Chile. She talks about how she built her business and brand with premium clients all across the globe. 

Tom Ewer recounts his experience from the time he decided to quit his 9-to-5 and strike out on his own. He reveals the mistakes he made along the way and the exact steps you can take to make a good full-time or side income as a freelance blog writer, whether you’re an ace writer or not.