I am often a sucker for get-rich-quick schemes. Well, not completely but I used to be. After trying door to door sales, network marketing, and other various sales jobs I’ve grown increasingly skeptical. While many of these jobs provided great cash flow, there was always a ceiling on how much could be made, and every time that ceiling fell well below my dreams. Over the course of the past few years I have faced a continuous internal battle over whether or not it is possible to reach your goals faster by working smarter, rather than harder. Recently, I have increasingly become a follower of the train of thought that says working harder is better. That was until I came upon a great book this past weekend. That book is, ‚ÄúThe 4-hour Workweek‚Äù by Timothy Ferriss.

This book provides a step-by-step guide to finding a product, marketing it, and distributing it. Additionally, Timothy Ferriss explains how to automate 99 percent of the process. Realize that this is not a get rich quick scheme, and that you will actually have to put forth effort to reach your goals. If you are a determined and motivated individual then this is the book for you. Half way through the book, I have already determined the first product that I am going to create and begin marketing via magazines and the web. I will hold off on revealing the product for the next couple weeks while I work on weekends and nights to produce it. Worst case scenario, I will have created a valuable product and tested out marketing it for a few hundred bucks. This is much better than making a serious up front “investment” that can be destroyed not far down the line.

The best part of all of this is that I will have the opportunity to document my entire experience on this blog. I will provide you with detailed descriptions of each of the steps along this conquest. I plan on reaching my goals and hopefully you can also by learning from my successes and failures. So come along and join me on this journey.

I was fortunate enough to grab a preview copy of Seth Godin’s new book ‚ÄúThe Dip‚Äù thanks to Allison Sweet and Will Weisser at Penguin Books. The book discusses how quitting is something that successful people know when to do. Ultimately, the book is filled with a few motivational anecdotes rather than scientific research, but it makes for a good quick read. So what is ‚ÄúThe Dip‚Äù?

The Dip is that low moment after you begin trying to reach a goal when it seems like nothing is moving forward. It is the primary hurdle that you need to get over in order to reach success. Getting through the dip is what separates the exceptional from the mediocre. Seth Godin suggests that the only way to get across the dip is by picking the right goals and then obsessing or hyper-focusing on the task at hand. Successful people also know how to pick the right things to focus on and what not to focus on or quit at. Seth suggests that most people are stuck in a rut (the Dip) and don’t know when to quit. He continues on to use a lot of analogies ultimately explaining the same thing. If you want to succeed then pick the right goal and persevere. Don’t diversify across a variety of goals. Rather, pick one and focus. Those that stick with it experience exceptional success, while others meander in mediocrity. If you want a book to fill a couple of hours of your time, then check out ‚ÄúThe Dip‚Äù.

In the book Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi discusses the successful networking techniques that are valuable in creating a successful career. Since reading the book a year ago, I started using many of the techniques discussed in the book. One tool that wasn’t discussed was blogging. I believe that blogging can be a valuable tool in networking. It is a great way to keep those people that are interested in your life up to date on your happenings. Additionally, blogs can be extremely useful when introducing yourself to others. After you meet someone and give them your business card, you can send a follow-up email that also includes a link to your blog. Your blog ends up branding you. If you are involved in marketing, then you can discuss valuable marketing techniques. If you are involved in technology, write about new things happening in the technology world. Bottom line, no matter what industry you are in, you should be writing about it. I have found that the majority of successful authors and web executives all have blogs. Many of their blogs are among the most visited blogs on the web. As such, I have decided to publish a short list of the top 5 bloggers who I perceive as having highly successful careers. I attribute much of their success to great schmoozing and excellent self-branding. The list follows below and is in no specific order.

• Keith Ferrazzi – This one is a no brainer. Not only the author of ‚ÄúNever Eat Alone‚Äù, Keith is also the founder and CEO of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a marketing and sales consulting company. Keith utilized all of the key networking techniques outlined in his book to become the youngest Chief Marketing Officer ever of a Fortune 500 company. Go check out the Never Eat Alone blog.
• Seth Godin – Seth Godin is the author of seven international best sellers. He is also the founder and CEO of Squidoo. Check out Seth’s Blog.
• Michael Arrington – Mike is the only person on here who isn’t a published author. While I hold a high value on writing, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the writing needs to be in the form of a book. After being called a power broker by Wall Street Journal, I think Mike deserves his recognition. Check out Mike’s blog or the blog that helped him become a ‚ÄúPower Broker‚Äù, Techcrunch.
• Guy Kawasaki – Guy is a highly successful technology evangelist who has written a number of bestseller books. I didn’t hear about Guy until I read his blog. You should go check his blog.
• Me! Not really, although I do like to think of myself as a good schmoozer. The fifth position was too difficult of a choice so I decided to skip this one. If you have any suggestions for the person that should show up here, please post them in the comments.