Entrepreneurial You: Monetize Your Expertise, Create Multiple Income Streams, and Thrive

by Dorie Clark

What does it take to create the career you want?

It's no secret that the world of work has changed, and we're shifting toward an ever more entrepreneurial, self-reliant, work-from-wherever-you-are economy. That can be a liberating force, and many professionals dream of becoming independent, whether by starting their own businesses, becoming consultants or freelancers, or developing a sideline.

But there's a major obstacle professionals face when they contemplate taking the leap: how to actually make money doing what they love. You may have incredible talent and novel ideas, but figuring out how to get started, building your reputation in a new realm, developing multiple revenue streams, and bringing in a steady flow of new clients can be a daunting prospect.

Dorie Clark, a successful entrepreneur and author, has done it all. And in Entrepreneurial You she provides a blueprint for professional independence, with insights and advice on building your brand, monetizing your expertise, and extending your reach and impact online. In short, engaging chapters she outlines the necessary elements and concrete tactics for entrepreneurial success. She shares the stories of entrepreneurs of all kinds--from consultants and coaches to podcasters, bloggers, and online marketers--who have generated six- and seven-figure incomes.

This book will be your hands-on guide to building a portfolio of revenue streams, both traditional and online, so that you can liberate yourself financially and shape your own career destiny.

Genres: Business, Entrepreneurship, Nonfiction, Self Help, Finance, Startup, Personal Development

Audiobook

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Dorie Clark helps individuals and companies get their best ideas heard in a crowded, noisy world. She has been named one of the Top 50 business thinkers in the world by Thinkers50. She was honored as the #1 Communication Coach by the Marshall Goldsmith Leading Global Coaches Awards and one of the Top 5 Communication Professionals in the World by Global Gurus. She is a keynote speaker and teaches for Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business School.

She is the author of The Long Game, Entrepreneurial You, Reinventing You, and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of the Year by Inc. magazine.

A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, Clark has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and consults and speaks for clients such as Google, Yale University, and the World Bank. Forbes has declared that “her insights connect marketing, social media, communications, learning technologies, and personal discovery to give us a blueprint for success in the future economy.”

She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, a producer of a multiple Grammy-winning jazz album, and a Broadway investor. You can download her free Long Game Strategic Thinking Self-Assessment at dorieclark.com/thelonggame.

Reviews

[Julia Russ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled quite a bit with this book. While I think it is definitely well written and very informative, it is 100% meant for those that are further along in their entrepreneurial career and already making decent money. Without a doubt.

I feel like every other paragraph talked about how this person made $23,000 in a single hour. Or how this person made millions of dollars off of a launch. And how this other person was $250k in debt, but took an $85,000 risk and subsequently made hundreds of thousands of dollars. I just feel like names were being dropped CONSTANTLY and the level of wealth that was being talked about was just completely demoralizing and patronizing.

While I can see how many people would be inspired by the constant stories of wealth & name dropping, it was paralyzing to me. I am only a year into my blog, and have yet to launch a paid product. Maybe I will pick the book back up 5 years from now when I'm actually making money, and will look at it differently. But for now, as a very young blogger and aspiring entrepreneur, it was just demoralizing to read.

[Pavel Annenkov · Rating 4 out of 5]

О ЧЕМ КНИГА:
Дори Кларк подробно рассказывает, как можно монетизировать свои профессиональные навыки и опыт и создать на их основе полноценный бизнес. Автор полностью прошла этот путь за последние 10 лет и делится с нами своими подходами, ошибками и кейсами.

Практически каждый, у кого есть специфический опыт в какой то сфере деятельности, может на его основе создавать продукты и продавать их в своем ближнем круге и на открытом рынке. Часто нам мешает сделать это неуверенность в себе, первые неудачи и мнение окружающих. Автор подробно разбирает на своём примере, как она прошла все сложные этапы развития бизнеса. Также Дори разбирает в книге много кейсов из практики людей из своего окружения.

Если вы развиваете свой личный бренд и строите бизнес в сфере профессиональных услуг, то эта книга точно вам пригодится.

ГЛАВНАЯ МЫСЛЬ КНИГИ:
Чтобы монетизировать свои знания, навыки и опыт необходима большая работа, непрерывность усилий и независимость от мнений окружающих.

КАКАЯ БЫЛА ЦЕЛЬ ЧТЕНИЯ:
- Найти идеи и примеры новых продуктов для моей консалтинговой практики и моего Книжного Клуба «12».

ГЛАВНЫЕ ВЫВОДЫ:
Умение зарабатывать на своих знаниях требует совершенно других навыков, чем умение качественно оказывать свои профессиональные услуги.

Нужно найти золотую середину между агрессивно продающим поверхностным человеком и умным специалистом, который не умеет продавать свой опыт.

Постоянство и регулярность в публикации контента - вот, что отличает успешных профессионалов от просто желающих подзаработать на своих знаниях. Ничто не заменит настойчивость. В итоге постоянство победит качество.

Не надо переживать по поводу правильности цен на свои продукты. Какую бы цену вы не установили, вы всё равно кого то разочаруете.

Большинство форматов образовательных продуктов уже созданы и опробованы до нас. Надо просто внимательно изучать чужой опыт и не изобретать велосипеды.

При развитии бизнеса нам больше мешает наша психология, чем недостаток навыков и знаний.

ЧТО Я БУДУ ПРИМЕНЯТЬ:
- Буду системно заниматься имейл рассылкой. Старый, добрый имейл продолжает работать и приносить результаты.

ЕЩЕ НА ЭТУ ТЕМУ:
Майкл Гербер «Предпринимательский миф»

[Brian Honigman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dorie’s done it again! Entrepreneurial You is a must have because Dorie’s writing is succinct and straightforward, you never feel like you’re being talked down to but instead like you’re receiving uplifting advice from a friend on how to diversify your career.

Here are my three big takeaways from the book and why I recommend giving this one a read:

She’s actually done the work herself. It’s important for me to get advice from books where the author not only have great ideas to share, but are also able to give depth to their ideas based on their own experiences succeeding and failing with the execution of their advice. Dorie shares her journey building a business with seven distinct sources of income and it helps add a layer of reality to her suggestions and save time for us as readers navigating the same path.

2) There’s a great deal of transparency in Entrepreneurial You, which is uncommon but extremely helpful for understanding the real financials and blood, sweat and tears behind this approach to business. It’s rare for leading experts in a field to share what they’re making, what they made in the past and how it all ties together to showcase how others can follow in the same footsteps. I appreciate the level of transparency about her career’s progression as well as the important details she was able to share about the business leaders included throughout the book.

3) The number of real, relatable and recognizable examples included from various business leaders helped add a much-needed variety of experiences to the book. I’m not a fan of business books that only discuss the experience from the viewpoint of the author and thankfully, Entrepreneurial You was just the opposite. Dorie’s experience diversifying her business was the common thread throughout the book but was supported, challenged and enriched by the successes and failures of others building careers across a diverse range of disciplines.

[Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read, love the positive, open and casual tone. It felt like Dorie was across the table having a chat with me. Great overview of current available revenue streams for entrepreneurs as well as short case studies.

[Kare Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Offers a Straight Path to Greater Profitability and Work Stability:
Want to capture the upside of our world of rapidly evolving technology and work world options rather than being caught in the financially damaging undertow of those changes? Probably your most promising option is to discover exactly how to increase your profit centers that leverage your core talent and expertise. That’s what you can learn from this author who has an extremely successful first-hand experience in following this path. Imagine increasing your profits and work stability. The side benefits are that you attract more opportunities, adventures and diverse friendships, At least that is what this journalist, speaker, college professor and former presidential campaign spokeswoman enjoys in her life. More good news is that you don’t have to try to become an expert on each profit center. Instead you learn from and/or work with those who already are. In this book, you’ll learn the profitable way to coach, consult, podcast, blog, and Vlog. Then you can further leverage your visibility, value and profitability by offering online courses and communities. That puts you in a stronger position to create further profit centers via “pull” oriented affiliate marketing and joint ventures. One core reason that her approach works so well is that she has a strong reputation for adeptly highlighting and otherwise helping those who have supported her in growing her profit centers. I am a long time fan of Dorie Clark’s approach to book writing as she first does considerable in-depth research and interviewing so she can offers specific, proven and actionable insights, buttressed by apt, real life examples. That makes her books actually helpful and fun to read. That’s why I’ve read them too. Entrepreneurial You is a great career steppingstone from her past books: Stand Out, and Reinventing You.

[Mas · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you build a business in this digital world?

In Entrepreneurial You, Dorie Clark shows us how to take advantage of existing digital technologies to build our own personal brand and create multiple income streams.

With her own entrepreneurial journey as an example, she presents to us the many earning opportunities made available by the internet and the global economy. She also interviewed successful entrepreneurs who were able to monetize their expertise and build a thriving business through blogging, vlogging, speaking, coaching, podcasting, and affiliate marketing.

In easy to understand language, the book presents a roadmap on how to build a successful career, including how to have the right mindset to make success happen.

A good read for aspiring entrepreneurs looking for solid business advice.

Ebook copy from Netgalley.com

[Patwallen · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s about a woman whose accomplishments are teaching others how to be accomplished as she is. Just think on that.

[Anh Tuấn Nguyễn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book is interesting. The second half is so focus on her kind of work, not quite helpful for people doing other professions.
A good read though.

[Zack Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I had to stop every chapter and write something down! Dorie just the nail on the head yet again. Great book!

[Shayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great tips and ideas about building a business in the new economy.

[Orazie Slayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a good book. It focused more on entrepreneurial income derived from using the internet.

[Jennifer Fondrevay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Dorie Clark’s “Entrepreneurial You” has frankly been life-changing. In fact, as the 3rd book in her trilogy, it culminates with her continued message - “you can do what you are passionate about and successfully build a career around it!” You can almost feel her cheerleading behind you with each page, trying to give you every tool and piece of advice she can pass on to help you in your quest. What I love is that she’s your practical cheerleader -- there is no fluff, no platitudes -- just straightforward advice from someone who’s pursued her own path and wants to give everyone the opportunity to do the same.

When someone recommended her last book, “Stand Out”, I feared it would be another one of those books that inspires but gives no real-world guidance on how to achieve what you seek. So wrong I was. The book completely altered my view of what it means to be a recognized expert and offered practical steps on how to make it happen. Now, with “Entrepreneurial You”, she continues her “you can do it” cheerleading with a book that gives you the roadmap to build a successful portfolio career and how to have the right mindset to make it happen. Dorie Clark somehow “gives you the fish” and teaches you how to fish.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to change careers or build their own business and really make their mark in the world.

[Saeedeh Sabbaghian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it repetitive, as many of the strategies and examples are repeated throughout the different sections. This can make the book feel longer than necessary and may cause readers to lose interest.

While "Entrepreneurial You" offers practical advice and actionable strategies for building an online community and diversifying revenue streams, it may not be the best resource for those seeking more general advice on entrepreneurship. The book's narrow focus on online community-building may be limiting for some readers, especially those who are just starting out.

[Joyjesoh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only useful if you plan to be an entrepreneur in the digital space, through speaking, writing books, coaching etc. Also the baseline and assumption is that you have to be somewhat already successful in your career.
Not useful for people who are still relatively new into their career or looking into other methods of being an entrepreneur.

[Linus Rütschi · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Entrepreneurial You” by Dorie Clark is a practical guide to building a portfolio career in an economy where traditional jobs feel increasingly fragile. Studying both Business Administration and Psychology, whilst also brainstorming how to create my own personal brand, this book immediately sparked my interest. As Dorie Clark is also a best-selling author, I was curious to read this book.
Clark structures the book around three core steps. First building a recognizable personal brand, then monetizing expertise in multiple ways, and lastly extending that impact online. Each step is explained with case studies of consultants, coaches, podcasters, and online course creators who have turned specialized knowledge into several income streams instead of relying on a single employer. For someone like me, who is still experimenting with possible career paths, this approach felt both reassuring but also slightly overwhelming.
What I appreciated most is the book’s underlying message that you do not have to be a superstar expert to start. You need a clear niche, a willingness to test ideas, and the patience to build trust over time. Clark emphasizes that diversification is not about chasing every opportunity, but about aligning formats with the specific people you want to serve. This connects strongly to my own brand I intend to have in the future, so the approach felt intuitive. The book is incredibly well written and easy to read, which can sometimes be a problem with non-fiction books.
There were some limitations however, which is why I had to deduct two stars. It feels like many examples are drawn from people already earning substantial amounts of money or that are already deeply embedded in the online business world. The constant references to six figure launches and high priced programs can easily activate social comparison and made me feel behind rather than inspired. I would have also liked more attention to structural constraints (financial insecurity, care responsibilities, or mental health barriers) that make entrepreneurial risk-taking harder for many people. Like that it felt like I would have to take more risk than others.
Despite these limitations, the book has influenced how I think about my own professional future. Clark’s insistence on clarity about target audiences and on designing services around their needs helped me sharpen my ideas. The discussion of online content, email lists, and scalable offers also gave me concrete ideas for how therapy, workshops, and digital tools could fit together in a long term business model rather than existing as isolated projects.
Overall, “Entrepreneurial You” is most valuable as a mindset shift and roadmap rather than a strict step by step manual. It encourages readers to view their skills as building blocks that can be recombined into new services over time, which resonates with my own uncertainty about choosing a single, fixed career. For students and early professionals who are drawn to independence but still exploring their identity the book offers both inspiration and a realistic reminder that sustainable entrepreneurship is built gradually, one experiment and one relationship at a time. Dorie Clark has many other books that I might also dive deeper, as soon as the semester ends and I have more time again.

[Tom Hartung · Rating 5 out of 5]

During the two recessions in the first decade of the 2000s I found myself wishing I could diversify my employment so that during downturns I might make less, but still be busy and have something coming in. Dependent on W-2 type jobs since the 1970s, I was not up to the task of figuring out how to do this, so I muddled through until the economy improved.
As a recent graduate ready to embark on a career in journalism in 2001, Dorie Clark lost her job on 9/11 and did not have the luxury of "muddling through." Today, after years of figuring out how to have multiple resilient sources of income, one of the things she has diversified into is selling books describing how to diversify.
Entrepreneurial You is Dorie Clark's third and most recent book on this topic. Her books, along with those by a few others, are serving as my roadmaps for continuing to work despite being over 60 - and well past the age where I will get anything remotely resembling a fair shake in the today's bigoted corporate world.
And of those books, Dorie's Entrepreneurial You is one of the best. This is because she gives some gentle encouragement, which is pretty easy to find, along with specific ideas steps for setting and attaining goals - which, as far as I can tell, is quite rare.
A list of the chapters serving as the core of the book can serve as an overview of all the ways to diversify one's career in today's online marketplace.

Chapter 4: Become a Coach or Consultant
Chapter 5: Build a Speaking Practice
Chapter 6: Build a Following Through Podcasting
Chapter 7: Develop Your Audience by Blogging and Vlogging
Chapter 8: Bring Your Followers Together
Chapter 9: Leverage Your Platform by Creating an Online Course
Chapter 10: Create Digital Products and Online Communities
Chapter 11: Leverage Intellectual Property - Affiliate Marketing and Joint Ventures

Dorie writes in language that is clear and plain, and her books are heavy on substance. I am currently working on writing ebooks, and learning how accomplishing the tasks in just one of the sections in Chapter 10 can take over a year. Tech companies may turn up their noses at my grey hair but the determination, attention to detail, perseverance, and myriad other "soft" skills I learned from years of coding serves me well in this part of my new life and its ventures and adventures.
If you enjoy working, take pride in a job well done, and are tired of the commoditization of work and being stifled in a corporate job - all while "the man" rakes in his share for just for sitting back and watching you sweat, check out this book!
Most work-from-home deals and make money online schemes are click-bait for the lazy and gullible. Dorie's books are the real deal, but warning: to reap the benefits requires a lot of work. That's ok, I for one love my job!

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

We can all be entrepreneurs if we can just recognise it and then work on actualising it. This book sets out to show you how to create the entrepreneurial career you may want, in what is a rapidly-changing world of work. Whether you are looking for a full-time career or a side job, it may ignite the fire you need in your belly to succeed.

This is far from a ‘how to in 21 days…’ book, promising the earth before running away at speed. There will be a lot of hard work ahead before you get any reward. This book seeks to help you sensitively and realistically set your goals, whilst still showing that there can be potential. Nothing is ever guaranteed, yet it can give hope for those who want it. Not every entrepreneur will be a millionaire, despite the shiny promises many books seek to make. Working for yourself can be damn hard for often little (visible) reward. Yet rewards can come in forms other than hard currency and there is always the exception to the mainstream rule…

It is written in a clear, accessible style without hyperbole. The chapters are short but sweet, so you can focus your attention on the information being provided, building up your confidence and knowledge to design and possible implement an entrepreneurial activity. Even if you don’t eventually ‘pull the pin’ and go it alone, it is quite conceivable that you can transfer some of the skills and knowledge to your regular working life too, making things a little easier and better for everyone in the process due to your ‘entrepreneurial mind’ being enthused.

The author is an entrepreneur and has the bruises to prove it. For the book they interviewed over 50 other entrepreneurs to get their take on the skills and mindset needed to succeed, distilling the sum of this wisdom for the benefit of the reader. If you are already involved, somehow, as an entrepreneur, then don’t automatically dismiss this book, since you may get some useful data from other successful entrepreneurs that you can utilise.

It left a ‘nice taste’ in the mind. It was a lot better than I initially feared, since I’ve seen a lot of entrepreneur-type books that left me in a sense of despair and frustration. This could be said to be one of the good guys. It passes on the realities of entrepreneurial activity, discusses diversification and shows some of the downsides, whilst as you would expect encouraging you to still have a go and try and make it.

It is absolutely worth your consideration!

[Oraynab Jwayyed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dorie Clark has published her third book in a series on everything branding and marketing. Entrepreneurial You, written for those who want to earn extra income, diverts from her first two books, Reinventing You and Stand Out, by demonstrating how to start earning new sources of incomes.

Entrepreneurial You is divided into three organized sections. Chapters 1 – 2 focus on building a brand name, and Chapters 3 – 8 show readers how to make money off that brand. The final chapters, 9 – 12, cover brand expansion and increasing your impact.

As Dorie explains it, gone are the days when we can rely solely on one income. The workforce has become more dynamic and unpredictable. We can protect ourselves from this uneasy economic environment by earning more than one income.

Dorie should know after losing her weekly journalist job right before the 9/11 attacks. At the time, the media industry became vulnerable to lost revenues and heightened competition. Dorie was forced to reevaluate her professional goals, and find new ways to market her talents. So she sat down and rewrote her future, and is now landing work that brings in tens of thousands of dollars.

How did she accomplish this feat? Dorie expanded her branding expertise by publishing books, podcasting, accepting speaking opportunities, consulting and creating online courses. Thanks to the internet, the opportunities are exhaustive. To prove how viable her strategy is, she interviews over 50 experts who can vouch for their own successes.

Take heed, though. The journey from novice to that expert who rakes in such a sustainable income is not overnight, nor is it easy. Dorie and her team of experts will tell you it can take up to ten years to become financially independent. Throughout this time, the entrepreneur’s first job is to build value . That value is not limited to the product offering, but includes your reputation and what you’re willing to charge for that offering.

Aside from the solid advice offered throughout the chapters, also included are additional assessments and “Try This” exercises placed at key points within the chapters to help hopeful entrepreneurs through the process. What you’ll eventually learn is that going at it alone is not easy, but rather fulfilling and sustainable. Eventually, it’s what you, the entrepreneur, has to offer and what you’re willing to try to become financially self-sufficient.

[Bimal Patel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh where do I start. It seems like every single entrepreneurial or business book I read centers on internet startups or marketing or sales. Having a massive success with internet startup doesn't seem doable given that most people got on that bandwagon during internet bubble of late 1990's-early 2000's. Most successes came from frustrated people who wanted to make things better. It provided fuel for creative juices to flow and paired with the evolving internet tools it was the best time to be an Entrepreneur. Blogging, pod casting, internet marketing all the ways that these gurus advise one should take to have multiple streams of income, I feel is hard to do given the ubiquity of the concept that many have already exploited so much that these books hardly feel like in tune with current entrepreneurial spirit. On top of that in medical field it's just hard if not impossible to use these ways. Who is going to give you thousands of dollars to speak to an event or organize a networking event? Medical professionals do these kind of lectures free or for a decent luncheon just for recognition in academia. Truth be told we in medical profession work long hours, yes even in radiology to even think about being an entrepreneur. I think the chance of some dude who is frustrated with the current situation in his career becoming a successful entrepreneur is way more than a physician. Reason??? Time and complacency. That dude has time to come home and work on himself. That guy has to think where his next paycheck will come from and what if he runs out of money, how is he going to pay his rent, etc. While we physicians even though we complain of working long hours and generally not happy with our work environment, we are happy getting paid just enough to make out problems seem justified at the end of the month. Result....no motivation to change things as they are. No drive to become an entrepreneur and we end up working for entrepreneurs.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Entrepreneurial You seeks to address what I believe is the most important question of all: How can you create a long-term, sustainable business that rewards you emotionally, intellectually, and financially?”

Dorie Clark presents us with the entrepreneurial opportunities presented nowadays, with the internet and the globalized economy, that can be rewarding in all aspects of our lives, including financially: “It seems like poetic justice: the same internet technology that has caused so many workforce displacements (the decimation of newspapers, to name just one) also offers us more opportunities than ever to fulfill our unique visions as entrepreneurs. Today you can scale your efforts, skills, and expertise in unprecedented ways that give you choice in how you want to live your life”.

She shows us how to monetize our expertise, how to build a career simply by sharing our ideas in the world. How to become a coach or a consultant, a speaker, a podcaster, or a blogger/vlogger. She underlines several steps toward extending our reach and impact to our readers/costumers through online courses and the creation of digital products and online communities.

Her tone is optimistic and empowering. She presents a road map for us to think creatively and consciously about how to monetize our ideas: “The world needs your ideas—and you need to be paid for them. That’s the path to lasting influence, impact, and freedom".

Overall, a good reading. The idea of an entrepreneurial, self-reliant, work-from-wherever-you-are economy appeals to me.

(If you want technical information, though, you will have to search elsewhere, but I don’t think this was this book’s objective).

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

[Scott Woodard · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The world needs your ideas -- and you need to be paid for them. That's the path to lasting influence, impact, and freedom."

This is the last line of Dorie Clark's new book: "Entrepreneurial You: Monetize Your Expertise, Create Multiple Income Streams, and Thrive." Through case studies of entrepreneurs who share their successes -- and their failures -- coupled with concrete suggestions and exercises, Clark provides a very useful handbook for entrepreneurs to learn how to "shift from making money with something...to making money because of something."

Clark shows us how to build our brand, monetize our expertise, and extend our reach and impact all made possible by technology. She does so by presenting an array of strategies, noting that there's no one right path to follow. What is essential, she notes, is in this age of constant economic disruption it's riskier not to diversify one's strategies to connect with new audiences and capture value through multiple channels.

Clark is quick to point out that success doesn't come overnight. We have to build trust with our audience by continually providing value. We have to maintain strong connections by being focused and consistent in our content. And we have to grow our audience to a critical mass that will provide a healthy ROI when we monetize our expertise. She then provides a roadmap on how to accomplish this.

Dorie Clark once again provides clear and cogent advice on how to navigate in today's world. "Entrepreneurial You" is a solid followup to her first two books. I highly recommend it.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably one of the most useful books I've read, to date, in terms of developing an entrepreneurial business.

Dorie clearly lays out the various points of income associated with online business. It's obvious by the end of the book that those points of income may evolve as technology changes or as more people come into the online business community. Nonetheless, if you are starting your own online business, there are a lot of good tips in here. In most cases, I was trying a few of these strategies, but without any real direction. Dorie's book provides direction and data that you should look for when you're developing a strategy.

While Dorie interviews a fair number of people for this book, the only downside I saw is that most were involved in marketing or business development. In my mind, these are very consumer-driven industries; essentially anyone could benefit from a lot of their services. If your business is in a specific niche, the overall number of potential outreach you could obtain (using these strategies) may be more limited. And hence, the income maybe be more limited than the 6+ figures people were reporting in this book. My overall opinion on that point is that it's good to know your limitations and your audience. I think it's fair to try some of these strategies for your audience, but you may not be starting out with an unlimited number of potential viewers/followers like some of the entrepreneurs discussed in this book.

Overall, I think this is a must read for budding entrepreneurs.

[April Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the book “Entrepreneurial You” by Dorie Clark, Dorie encourages new entrepreneurs to get started by ramping up an email list and social media sites. This book is a beginner guide that highlights the basics of marketing and skims the surface of how to make money as an entrepeunure. This author gives general advice like staying focused, managing time, and having a goal. This is nice, but not really useful in actively getting started with a new business or revenue stream. Clark advises in this book to not put all of your eggs in one basket by utilizing multiple income streams such as writing books, public speaking, and affiliated marketing. She gives an over abundance of examples throughout the book of other people’s attempts at entrepreneurship. Some helpful advice from the book includes becoming a freelance consultant, creating a business model, hiring assistance, strategies on how to hone your craft and creating regular content. This advice was helpful; however, none of the advice gave detailed information on how to actually take action on these suggestions. This book would be great for a beginner marketing individual or a future entrepreneur, but it would just inspire the individual and not actually guide them to success. Every time I heard the author say “Try This”, I intently waited for life changing advice in the following sentence to only be let down and never receive any great advice. I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars due to its inspiration aspect only and not its informative advice.

[Ammar Sheikh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entrepreneurial You" by Dorie Clark is a useful resource for individuals seeking to convert their talents and interests into a thriving enterprise. It is particularly beneficial for bloggers, writers, trainers, and consultants. The author's writing style is straightforward and easy to comprehend, allowing for the seamless implementation of the ideas presented.

Here are some of my favorite parts that I would like to share with you about this book, which you will learn from reading it.

1. The story of a personal trainer who turned her business into a successful online coaching program.

2. The case of a consultant who built a successful business by becoming a thought leader in their industry.

3. The narrative of an author who turned their book into an ebook and started selling it online.

4. The tale of a podcast host who built a successful business by monetizing their podcast through sponsorships and offering consulting services to their listeners.

5. The story of a web developer who started offering website design and development services to small businesses.

6. The example of a blogger who turned their personal blog into a successful online business by monetizing through advertising and affiliate marketing.

7. The case of a teacher who created a successful business by offering online courses and coaching on a specific subject.

8. The account of a photographer who started a side hustle selling stock photos online.

PS: I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into a reality.

[Joe Casey - Retirement Wisdom® · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is an excellent resource if you're planning your Second Act after your corporate career. If you're plotting your escape, this book will be invaluable.

More and more people who are mid-career and beyond are concluding that moving on from corporate life offers greater flexibility and interesting, rewarding work. Many are deciding that it’s time to become their own boss. While the gig economy offers opportunities for Second Acts, it’s quite competitive. You need an edge. Dorie Clark’s new book provides valuable practical tips.

What I particularly like about this book is that it presents a variety of options for people to leverage their unique skill set and combine it with what they really enjoy doing. Some of the strategies she recommends can be implemented to begin building a business before taking the plunge full-time. In addition to her own experiences, she includes stories from people who have done it successfully, all of whom started small, and shares their lessons learned. Their recommended approaches, tools and tactics from the online arena may be exactly what you need.

This book offers savvy advice and smart approaches that can give you a leg up in starting your business. Best of all, it provides inspiration that can kick start your next chapter and gives you a roadmap of where to start.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for this book.

The book serves to answer questions on how people with certain expertise can monetize their ideas using internet as a platform. It has full of useful tips and guidelines that will help one implement the ideas all throughout. While it does not teach the technical aspects of blogging, podcasting, etc it brings readers general perspective on how certain entrepreneurs became successful by having multiple streams of income.

This book also has the assumption of helping readers who already have certain marketable expertise. If you are just starting to figure out what your specialty is this book will have its full relevance and value once you know what you can offer your potential clients.

The books is also very easy to read. Dorie Clark, the author also shared a lot of her personal experience in this entrepreneurial journey. I started to get familiar with her works while reading articles from HBR.

Personally, I find this book helpful in starting to see my options. I am starting to figure out what areas of expertise I can share in the future. Knowing the ideas in this book will be really helpful once I raise my expertise level that I can teach it to others.

[Said · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sound advice but it's useful only for some kinds of entrepreneurs

This is my first book of Dorie Clark and I thought the book was easy to read and full of concrete advice. That said, I think the content applies to only a very limited number of people. There is also no path that is outlined about how to reach from point of being a broke risk taker to a real success story other than seemingly pure luck and magic. Given how many people fail in entrepreneurial pursuits, I think the book is unrealistically optimistic. It was also interesting to see the background of so many spam marketing emails I get every day.

I give 3 stars instead of 1 because I found the content to be honest and approachable and the book was well written overall.

I think it's worth only as a quick read and maybe using it as a reference book for some specific problems you might have if you really have a consulting business. If you are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur or if you are an entrepreneur that does something other than consulting or affiliate marketing, etc., there are much better books out there.

[Meghan Hohman · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Entrepreneurial You, Dorie Clark provides a clear and easy-to-follow guide through diversifying one’s income. Entrepreneurial You directs readers through the processes of building a brand, establishing credibility, and developing an audience, with a practical and necessary focus on monetizing one’s growing platform which is often lacking from other marketing guides of its kind. Clark transparently offers insights from her own personal successes, as well as failures, and expands on and fills in the gaps of her own experience through case-studies of other successful entrepreneurs in varying fields. While not as easily applicable to all types of entrepreneurship as I feel the book made itself out to be, it is certainly a valuable journey for those who wish to create multiple streams of income within the fields of marketing or communications. For those focusing their efforts outside of these fields, another guide would probably be more worthwhile. Within these fields however, Clark’s advice is quite comprehensive, covering the necessary steps to build and monetize one’s platform at each stage.

[James Pinola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to give it 3.5 stars because I'm still wrestling with some things. To conclude the book, the author mentions how not every suggestion is right for everyone because some people may hate some things, and like others, which is exactly how I felt. I don't think it was a poorly written book, not at all, but as someone who doesn't like social media and self promoting, I did recoil a few times. However, I acknowledge that this may be a personal hurdle because when I think of the brands I like, if they never promoted themselves, I would have probably never heard of them because their business may have failed. So I'm very up in the air about my feelings on the topics in this book. It's probably a microcosm about how I feel about capitalism, like some parts but not others. Also, being an employee and employer simultaneously, I feel a constant internal tug of war about what's best for workers and employees, etc. I'm rambling now. To conclude, this book is good if you want to grow an online business.

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being an Entrepreneur: Do not try this at home without Dorie's book! This is a fantastic book if you are just starting out as an entrepreneur or you have your own healthy company. Not only does Dorie take you through all of the various ways in which you can expand your brand, expand your business and bottom line, she does it in a thorough and thoughtful way that never feels unachievable. By giving concrete examples of others that have succeeded (an more importantly failed), the reader can make a truly educated choice as to whether to spend their time any energy on one potential revenue stream or another. And, at the end of each chapter she takes you through your own self assessment to keep you on track. Truly an invaluable book for all business people, whether you are an entrepreneur or just looking to build your personal brand and add value at work.