Creative Ways to Succeed in the Knowledge Economy

Reading:

• How One Woman Makes $1 Million a Year on Etsy
• How to Make $225/hr Writing Poetry
• The Uber Driver Who Makes $250,000 a Year

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I enjoyed each of these stories that have been floating around.

If you want to be negative, there’s at least one major point you could critique about each of them. The woman making tons of money on Etsy isn’t actually handcrafting most of her items, which is the guiding value of Etsy. The Rideshare Guy is essentially trading time for money. The poets, well, I guess you could say it’s more of a party trick than real poetry.

All of these criticisms ignore one basic fact: they’ve found a creative approach! These people have created unconventional success in the knowledge economy—sharing something (or in the case of the Etsy seller, making things) that help or bring joy to others.

Rideshare Guy: This is a huge new industry, and everyone is confused. Rideshare Guy is providing actionable tips and guidance to the thousands of drivers who are earning extra money through Uber, Lyft, and similar services.

Etsy Woman: She found something that people liked, and then she made more of it—a lot more.

Haiku Writers: It’s just a fun thing and it makes money. Why not? Lots of great projects start this way.

I want to shine a spotlight on more stories like these. If you’ve had your own success through the $100 Startup model or just on your own, let me know by filling out this form.

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Image: Scott