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Chris Guillebeau

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Chris Guillebeau
Born (1978-04-07) April 7, 1978 (age 46)
Occupation
  • Author
  • entrepreneur
  • blogger
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
EducationAthens State University (BA)
University of Washington (MA)
Subject
Notable works
  • The Art of Non-Conformity
  • The $100 Startup
Website
chrisguillebeau.com

Chris Guillebeau (born April 4, 1978) is an American author, entrepreneur, blogger, and speaker. He initially received attention for his entrepreneurship and travel blog, The Art of Non-Conformity, which led to the publication of a book of the same name in 2010. Since then, he has published six additional books including The $100 Startup (2012), Side Hustle (2017), and most recently, The Money Tree (2020), his first novel. He also organizes the annual World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon and hosts the daily podcast, Side Hustle School.

Early life and education

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Guillebeau was born on April 4, 1978.[1] When he was six years old, he and his mother moved to the Philippines and lived there for two years.[2] As a teenager, Guillebeau dropped out of high school,[3] but began attending college classes at age 16. He earned credits from multiple schools, ultimately graduating with a bachelor's degree from Athens State University in two and a half years. He then started graduate school at age 20 and operated a small wholesale business to fund his schooling.[4][5]

From 2002 to 2006,[4] he volunteered with the medical charity, Mercy Ships, in West Africa.[6][7] After returning to the United States, he continued his graduate school studies,[4] earning a Master of Arts degree in International Studies from the University of Washington in 2008.[8]

Career

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In 2008, Guillebeau founded the blog, The Art of Non-Conformity, which discusses a number of topics including entrepreneurship, self-employment, and travel.[9] In June 2008, he released a free e-book through the blog entitled A Brief Guide to World Domination,[10] which was ultimately downloaded over 100,000 times.[11] Also in 2008,[12] Guillebeau started using his blog to document his own goal of traveling to all 193 countries in the world by his 35th birthday in April 2013. The trips were funded primarily through self-employment income, accumulated airline miles, and other travel reward programs. He visited the last country on his list, Norway, on his 35th birthday.[1]

During his travels, Guillebeau also engaged in other ventures. In 2010, he founded the Travel Hacking Cartel, a subscription service that provided prospective travelers with information on frequent-flyer programs and other travel deals.[13] In September of that year, he published his first book, The Art of Non-Conformity,[14] through Penguin.[12] To promote the book, he went on a four-month tour (known as the "Unconventional Book Tour") to every U.S. state and Canadian province.[14] 20% of the book's proceeds were donated to Charity:Water.[15]

In 2011, he organized the inaugural World Domination Summit (WDS), an annual conference based in Portland, Oregon that is aimed at individuals with non-traditional career paths.[3] Over the course of its existence, the WDS has had over 10,000 attendees[16] with notable speakers including Brené Brown, Scott Harrison,[17] and Gretchen Rubin (among others).[18] At the second WDS event in 2012, Guillebeau gave all attendees a $100 bill to use on entrepreneurial ventures or charitable donations.[19] In May of that year, he also released his second book, The $100 Startup, via Crown Business.[20] It reached number 6 in its respective category on The New York Times Best Seller list.[21] In 2013, Guillebeau started the foundation, Scholarships for Real Life, via WDS. Accepted applicants can receive as much as $12,000 in grant money to pursue their projects.[19]

In September 2014, Guillebeau released his third book, The Happiness of Pursuit.[22] His fourth book, Born For This, was released on April 5, 2016.[23] To promote that book, he went on a 30-city tour throughout the United States. In January 2017, Guillebeau started the Side Hustle School podcast and online workshop. The podcast features stories of people who complement their traditional jobs with additional income sources ("side hustles").[24] The online workshop provides users with tools and information to create their own side hustles.[25] Later in 2017, Guillebeau published his fifth book, Side Hustle: From Idea To Income In 27 Days.[26] Another book, 100 Side Hustles, was released in June 2019 and featured 100 stories collected from the Side Hustle School podcast.[27]

In April 2020, Guillebeau published his first novel, The Money Tree. As of 2020, he continues to host a daily episode of his podcast, Side Hustle School, and has written for numerous publications, including BusinessWeek,[28] The Oregonian,[29] The New York Times, and others.[2][30]

His latest book, Gonzo Capitalism: How to Make Money in an Economy that Hates You will be released August 22, 2023 by Little, Brown Spark.

Bibliography

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Guillebeau has released eight books as of August 2023.

Title Publication Date Pages Publisher ISBN
The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World September 7, 2010 256 Penguin Group ISBN 978-0399536106
The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future May 8, 2012 304 Crown Business ISBN 978-0307951526
The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life September 9, 2014 306 Harmony Books ISBN 978-0385348843
Born for This: How to Find the Work You Were Meant to Do April 5, 2016 320 Crown Business ISBN 978-1101903988
Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days September 19, 2017 258 Pan Macmillan ISBN 978-1524758844
100 Side Hustles: Unexpected Ideas for Making Extra Money Without Quitting Your Day Job June 4, 2019 330 Ten Speed Press ISBN 978-0399582578
The Money Tree: A Story About Finding the Fortune in Your Own Backyard April 7, 2020 323 Penguin Random House ISBN 978-0593188712
Gonzo Capitalism: How to Make Money in an Economy That Hates You August 22, 2023 272 Little, Brown Spark ISBN 978-0316491273

References

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  1. ^ a b Popken, Ben (April 8, 2013). "The man who travel hacked the world". NBC News. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Guillebeau, Chris (April 20, 2009). "A Plan to See Every Country on Earth by the Age of 35". The New York Times. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Van Buskirk, Audrey (May 20, 2011). "Army of Ones". Portland Monthly. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Newport, Cal (June 20, 2008). "Disruptive Thinkers: Chris Guillebeau Wants to Teach You the Art of Non-Conformity". CalNewport.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  5. ^ "Chris Guillebeau Biography". AAE Speakers. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  6. ^ Clement, Karen (September 12, 2005). "Floating hospital is a harbinger of hope". Independent Online. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  7. ^ "Chris Guillebeau in Monrovia". Medium. July 10, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "Chris Guillebeau". University of Washington. March 2017. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  9. ^ Paltrowitz, Darren (September 18, 2009). "Might companies bring you lions, food, travel & Roku". AIM Jefferson. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  10. ^ Newport, Cal (June 25, 2008). "Book Review: A Brief Guide to World Domination". CalNewport.com. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  11. ^ Srinivas, Rao (April 14, 2013). "6 Pillars of a Successful Blog". Search Engine Journal. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  12. ^ a b Behan, Rosemary (October 8, 2011). "The Practical Traveller's fantastical five-year plan". The National. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  13. ^ Dunn, Nora (March 11, 2011). "The Travel Hacking Cartel: Fly Around the World For Almost Free". WiseBread. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  14. ^ a b McGuinness, Mark (September 7, 2010). "The Art of Non-Conformity: an Interview with Chris Guillebeau". Lateral Action. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  15. ^ "AONC + Charity:Water". Charity:Water. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  16. ^ Medal, Andrew (October 28, 2019). "13 Upcoming Conferences Every Serious Entrepreneur Should Attend". Entrepreneur. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  17. ^ Roth, J.D. (July 16, 2012). "World Domination Summit 2012: Community, Adventure, Service". Fox Business. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  18. ^ Knight, Judi (July 9, 2013). "WORLD DOMINATION SUMMIT 2013: TOWARDS LIVING A REMARKABLE LIFE". New Tricks. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  19. ^ a b Palleschi, Amanda (August 22, 2014). "The "World Domination Summit" Wants to Teach People to Do What They Love". The New Republic. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  20. ^ Keplesky, Bryan (March 13, 2012). "Chris Guillebeau and the $100 Startup". Entrepreneur. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  21. ^ "Hardcover Advice & Misc". The New York Times. June 10, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  22. ^ Marinoff, Nick (October 3, 2014). "How Chris Guillebeau Visited Every Country In The World Before The Age Of 35". Benzinga. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  23. ^ Harmon, Dan (April 25, 2016). "'Born for This': Encouraging Words for Those Seeking a Midlife Career Change". WUWM. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  24. ^ Loudenback, Tanza (February 3, 2017). "A lifelong entrepreneur who turned a 30-city tour into a business explains how he knew it was the right idea". Business Insider. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  25. ^ Loudenback, Tanza (January 24, 2018). "From harvesting honey to cleaning animal skulls — here are 7 of the most unique side hustles". Business Insider. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  26. ^ Herbst, Diane (October 23, 2017). "Creative side hustles can put some extra cash in your pocket". New York Post. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  27. ^ Ackerman, John (June 22, 2019). "Don't quit your day job: new book looks at how to start a side hustle". CityNews. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  28. ^ "Chris Guillebeau - Businessweek". BusinessWeek. March 10, 2014. Archived from the original on March 10, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  29. ^ Guillebeau, Chris (April 24, 2009). "Mountains beyond mountains". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  30. ^ "Chris Guillebeau". Archived from the original on October 28, 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
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