Member-only story
How a Dare Made Me Write My First Book
And how the dare helped me learn a few things about starting a business
The first book I self-published came out of a dare someone had made to me.
Several years ago, I was a ‘wantrepreneur’. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I was motivated with dreams of starting my own business, living on my terms, not answering to a boss, and having enough money I wouldn’t have to worry about money again. I did not know how to start a business. But the one thing I learned was starting a business is a skill anyone can learn. Realizing I was out of my element, I looked online to find books, courses, and other resources to help me start a business.
One course caught my eye — it was Noah Kagan’s How to make $1k / month (coincidentally, it’s on sale for $7 and well worth the price if anyone is looking to start a business or side hustle). Through a series of challenges, Noah’s course asked me to:
- Identify skills or strengths I had (I remember emailing a bunch of my friends to ask them what I am good at or what they would pay me for)
- Defining products or services I could offer (for example, one of my strengths was in math and so tutoring others was a potential service I could offer)
- Asking for a discount at a coffee shop (the…
