As I mentioned last week, for the past month or so I’ve been enrolled in Chris Guillebeau’s 365-day Empire Building Kit/Course.

Chris is one of a growing number of online thinkers who advocate approaching life in an alternative way: making your living out of your unique passions and interests, cutting out unnecessary expenditure and activities and directing your money and time where they will most improve your quality of life, seeing the world and becoming “location independent” - and in many cases leaving the security of the corporate world for self-employment.

It’s a set of ideas that have intrigued me for a while. It’s certainly a seductive prospect, and one which in many respects conforms with how many of my friends approach their lives. At the same time, the cynic in me wonders if it’s just the contemporary equivalent of the old “get rich quick” scheme, where rather than being sold money, the “suckers” are being sold freedom.

So I decided to give Chris’s course a go. It fits in with my longer term career goals, as well as some lifestyle changes I’ll be making over the next few months (more on this next week). It also didn’t hurt that I have been a fan of his work for a while.

The Empire Building Kit gives you access to video interviews (and transcripts thereof, for people like me who get impatient with online video that isn’t the latest episode of Gossip Girl) and case studies of people who run successful small businesses which draw on their passions and unique abilities. You also get an email from Chris each day, directing you to a new task or issue to think about. The EBK is currently off the market, but it will be on sale again for a short period next week - I’ll post a notice here when this happens. (Disclosure: If you purchase the EBK after clicking through from this site, I will receive a commission.)

Is it any good?

So far, the most useful part of the course is that it demands you set aside a period of time each day to think about these issues, and provides quality case studies, interviews and provocative questions to help stimulate your thoughts.

Theoretically, it’s not anything I couldn’t do alone or by diving into The Collected Works of Seth Godin, but I’ve found that putting aside that time - and having that daily stimulus and inspiration - has allowed me to make conceptual leaps that have previously eluded me.

I’ve finally figured out the “value” my work (whether it is freelancing, thesis, my book, or this blog) provides to people, for instance, beyond “er, editors like it” or “they think it’s interesting?” Chris responds to my enthusiastic emails regarding these breakthroughs, or particular segments I enjoyed, which is nice, too.

Is it for you?

The Empire Building Kit doesn’t come cheap (the least expensive version available when I bought it was still in excess of $100, with the top end version in excess of $400), and it’s not for everyone. I’d recommend it to people who, like me, are inspired by the ideas promoted by people like Guillebeau, Seth Godin and Chris Brogan, and who want to find ways to put them into practice but aren’t quite sure how to that yet.

I’d also recommend it to people who enjoy the creativity of self-employment and entrepreneurship (or at least having a thread of it in their lives), and who are action oriented - there’s no point in dropping your cash on it if you’re not going to put it into practice.

I think it would be particularly useful for people who already have a small business or project that they are trying to grow.

What’s your take?

Are you inspired by the work of people like Chris Guillebeau and Seth Godin? Have you ever tried to put their ideas into practice? Do you think that it’s possible to build a business based off the things you’re passionate about, or do you think that’s something that only works if you’re passionate about selling people seductive concepts such as wealth, empowerment or freedom? Are we in the midst of a revolution in the way we approach work?

Related: On the importance of having a good support network
Is ‘being human’ a creative class privilege?

Elsewhere: Chris Guillebeau’s unconventional guides

Image: airportugalphoto