Monetize Your Skills: How to Leverage Your Education, Expertise, and Experiences Into a 6-Figure Income So You Can Make a Lasting Impact, Fund Your Dreams, and Sustain Your Mission, Message, or Cause

Introduction

There’s a new economic paradigm shift that so many people are still oblivious to. According to Catherine Rampell in the New York Times article , Many with New College Degree Find the Job Market Humbling:

New evidence is emerging that the damage wrought by the sour economy is more widespread than just a few careers led astray or postponed. Even for college graduates—the people who were most protected from the slings and arrows of recession—the outlook is rather bleak.⁶

Caroline M. Hoxby, a Stanford economist, and Jeffrey R. Brown from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign unequivocally make the case that it is more likely for students, during times of recession, where there are fewer jobs, to stay in school longer. Their arguments were presented at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Conference held September 27-28, 2012, and are now part of a collaborative book, How the Financial Crisis and Great Recession Affected Higher Education, of which they are editors.⁷

Kaitlin Madden of CareerBuilder.com echoed the same sentiment as was evident in recent yesteryears. She noted that hiring of new college graduates began to decline in 2008 when companies first started feeling the effects of the recession. By 2009, the graduating class was faced with industry-wide hiring freezes. Things started to look up for the class of 2010, but companies—many of which had gotten used to doing more with less—were still hiring cautiously.⁸ A similar CNN article, Fresh Out of College, Slim Hope for a Job, didn’t give a better picture either.⁹

Have the most recent times changed this trend? Not according to "The Class of 2015: Despite an Improving Economy, Young Grads Still Face an Uphill Climb." It was one of the most thorough reports on the subject matter and part of Raising America’s Pay, a multiyear research and public education initiative of the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) to make wage growth an urgent national policy priority. It states:

The Great Recession has had lasting effects on employment prospects of young people entering the workforce after graduating from high school or college. Despite officially ending in June 2009, the recession left millions unemployed for prolonged spells, with recent workforce entrants such as young graduates being particularly vulnerable.

Due to the progression of the economic recovery and a modest improvement in the unemployment rate, members of the Class of 2015 currently have better job prospects than the classes of 2009–2014. However, the Class of 2015 still faces real economic challenges, as evidenced by elevated levels of unemployment and underemployment, and a large share of graduates who still remain idled by the economy. In addition, wages of young high school and college graduates have failed to reach their prerecession levels and have in fact stagnated or declined for almost every group since 2000.¹⁰

These and other challenges are among the reasons for this project. It doesn’t matter what country you’re from or what industry you’re in. The principles and insights you’re about to discover are from current in-the-field practitioners and will furnish you with a proactive response to this and other alarming trends.

Whether you have a degree or not is also immaterial. This will help you to think creatively about your next move and how to strategically increase your level of earnings without the need for more training, more diplomas, more certificates, more degrees, and more preparation. You already have all that you need.

Trust me on that!

If you’re an exponential and innovative thinker, the rhetoric of Go to school, get a good education so that you can get a good job no longer applies. In an age of competitive globalization, outsourcing, downsizing, mergers, and other corporate restructuring plans, millennials have a new reality to deal with and have created paradigm shifts in almost every major industry—including non-profits and religious institutions.

Pause a moment and think of the words significance and contribution. These two words mean more today than ever before. If you’re passionate about a mission, message, or cause that you want to sustain or share with the masses, then this is a divine appointment. Welcome to the conversation.

Two years ago, I lost a very dear friend. He’s the humblest man I ever knew, for his young age. I first met him in Zimbabwe in 2007. He was the national director in Zambia for the humanitarian organization where I served as fundraising director and special projects coordinator for many of the foreign branches. He and dozens of volunteers had come to join our group from the US for six weeks of outreach programs in several rural villages of Zimbabwe. Since then we had worked together on similar projects in Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, and Liberia.

When I transitioned to a new line of service in the summer of 2012, I still worked with my good friend Derrick Banda. The last project we did together was in Tanzania in the summer of 2014 and we were planning for him to return to the rural areas to continue the work we started there and to train many others to do likewise. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. With bright hopes of making an even bigger impact, our hearts and hopes sank into deep sadness and grief when we learned of Derrick Banda’s death in January 2015.

I wept and spent many days pondering, What does this mean now? Mr. Banda left behind a young family, his wife and two children, his music, and his friends from various countries. How will the mission, message, and cause that he loved continue without means? Who will buy his music if only his close friends know about it? I needed answers.

You have in your hand a solid solution to help yourself (and your loved ones) to do more with your education, expertise, and experiences. Maybe, just maybe, instead of simply getting a job, you might end up creating jobs for others in the process. Maybe, just maybe, you can make a greater contribution to the social good of society. Maybe, just maybe, you can have both success and significance, without regret or guilt for having either.

PART 1

THE GREAT

DIGITAL SHIFT

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1

Why This Book?

Idon’t know about you but I feel like I’ve been kept in the dark for many years. It wasn’t until I interviewed, surveyed, and studied this group of over 101 regular people, who are now among the top six and seven-figure income earners, that I discovered a secret world that’s hidden from the masses. They not only have multiple streams of income but also enjoy life on their terms and are impacting their world in a huge way.

Knowing that many ordinary people were making a killing monetizing their know-how and passions in creative ways, I wanted to break this secret. I figured the best place to start was to school academia so I took it on as a final course project for my master’s degree in Project Management. My research centered on revealing the little-known secrets that the most successful entrepreneurs use to break the six and seven-figure income ceiling, by monetizing their know-how and passions in creative ways.

The research project was a winner and allowed me to graduate with a 4.0 GPA—summa cum laude. However, instead of confining my ongoing study and practice of this topic to a university library and a few privileged students and faculty, I decided to publish this book and create an online course to benefit the masses. You can access this complete private membership training course by going to www.monetizeyourskills.com/enroll.

Armed with this secret revelation, it’s now part of my mission to educate, equip, and empower professionals, stay-at-home moms and dads, entrepreneurs, students, teachers, pastors, missionaries, veterans, retirees, and anyone who dreams of a bigger life, to leverage their education, expertise, and experiences to make an extra $1,000 to $10,000 (or more) a month, especially online, so they can live life fully on their terms.

I’ve always dabbled in online businesses since my days in the military but got more focused when I made my first $1. I’ve since got many other firsts online, like my first $10, $100, $1,000 and $10,000+ online. This book is my gift to you. It unveils the closely-guarded secrets of the new money masters so that you too can crack the six-figure code to enjoy more time, money, and location freedom as well as make a lasting impact. It could mean a new career or (side) business for you.

But beware.

These same secrets, though used by over 101 of the highest-paid entrepreneurs in their respective niches, and which are lurking in plain sight, still evade most of us because of our predisposed societal conditioning. But not anymore. Get the truth!

As succinctly indicated in the above introduction, many students who graduate, even with advanced degrees, are often unable to find jobs. Globalization and ever-advancing technologies have given birth to many industries—with no end in sight anytime soon.¹¹ The future then seems to favor e-commerce and mobile technology as they will be and already are the new societal norms.¹²

The hidden treasures in this book will inspire you with creative ways to leverage your skills and talents beyond today’s traditional and often limiting workplace models. They can help to bolster against layoffs or unemployment and bring you great joy and fulfillment. As you learn to tap into your giftedness, you’ll increase your bottom line and gain confidence to pursue other goals and dreams, touch lives, and contribute to causes you believe in but couldn’t support because of limited means.

This book is a proposed solution to help others do more with their education, expertise, and experiences to maybe, instead of simply getting a job, create jobs for others in the process. Don’t squander your acres of diamonds. The ball is in your court.

Continue Reading If Any of

This Resonates With You

•You need more resources to help sustain the mission, message, or cause that’s close to your heart.

•You want to leave a rich legacy by making an impact on the world or people around you.

•You would love to take a sabbatical and travel the world.

•You dream of giving more to your church or favorite charity.

•You want to work yourself out of a job or career that is too stressful or no longer fulfilling.

•You would like to give more help to your struggling relatives.

•You’re tired of being broke and living pay-check-to-pay-check.

•You have a desire make at least six figures a year.

•You secretly dream of becoming your own boss.

•You would rather make a decent income doing what you truly love instead of a mundane 9-5 just to pay bills.

•You’re over your head in credit card debt or student loan debt.

•You want to finally buy your dream house and car.

•You want to send your kids to the school of their choice without worrying about how to pay for it.

•You crave more control over where and how you live and work.

•You desire to bless your parents by paying off their home mortgage.

•You want to leave an inheritance to your children and grandchildren.

2

Still Want to live The

American Dream?

Many people, perhaps yourself included, are not enjoying the life they’re living. With money still being a leading cause of stress and family problems, including divorce , ¹³ how can we be truly happy? When employees are not making the kind of money they feel they should be making, it can cause health challenges, mediocre performance on and off the job, burnout, and a host of other inter-related negative outcomes. None of these are good for a company’s or an individual’s bottom-line.

The pay-check-to-pay-check cycle is simply depressing, demotivating, and demoralizing. This might shock you but the May 2016 cover of The Atlantic Magazine featured an alarming article by Neal Gabler, The Secret Shame of the Middle-Class Americans. Gabler asserts that nearly half of Americans would have trouble finding $400 to pay for an emergency! This is from survey results by The Federal Reserve Board to monitor the financial and economic status of American consumers. The data showed that 47 percent of respondents said that either they would cover the expense by borrowing or selling something, or they would not be able to come up with the $400 at all.¹⁴

A high percentage of workers want to transition to a more rewarding career or start their own business but are not sure how to do it or are fearful of losing a steady income to take care of their bills.¹⁵ If that’s your situation, or the situation of someone you know, then these stories will help you to connect with your greater Why and show you a proven road map to begin your journey to true financial freedom, in a systematic and confident way.

To live the American Dream comfortably today, a six-figure income is necessary. The decline of charitable giving (especially during lean times), coupled with the rising cost of education, healthcare, food, and other housing expenses, tops the list of reasons to explore a six-figure career or business. While it may still not guarantee that one will be rich, and may even be short-lived,¹⁶ it’s still the next greatest thing to being a millionaire.

Now more than ever before, the average Joe or Jane can earn a six-figure+ annual salary. The Internet especially levels the platform with its many possibilities for commerce. This makes the goal more than a reality. It also means having more flexibility as far as career-life balance is concerned.

Don’t Let Your Dream of Living the American Dream Die

While this book does not seek to guarantee nor promise any specific amount of financial gain, it most definitely can do wonders for any individual or organization.¹⁷ Learning the proven strategies of current in-the-field practitioners is a recipe for success. Their framework is evidenced by their track record monetarily and otherwise. When you have more money, endless possibilities to make a lasting impact will come your way. Who knows? You may even want to redefine the American Dream and create your own dream—your own definition of success. When you apply the strategies herein presented, you’ll eventually be able to help yourself and others create new jobs, new industries, new products, new services, and reach new markets.

If over 101 people have shattered the income glass ceiling of many traditional jobs by riding the digital revolution wave, then there’s no limit to what a driven individual like you can make. Venturing into the world of online business offers so many possibilities to earn more and to achieve great work-life balance. It’s one of the best ways to free employees and professionals to embark upon bigger dreams beyond the cubicle and to serve in a greater capacity.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a doctor, dentist, lawyer, small business owner, student, teacher, pastor, missionary, veteran, or a stay-at-home mom or dad, these success cases studies will show you exactly how they leveraged their education, expertise, and experiences to launch a lucrative career or online business. All you have to do is plug in your particular endeavor and follow their roadmap.

Monetize Your Skills Academy

There’s a deep dive training for those who want to go to the next level and truly create a 6-figure income by leveraging your education, expertise, and experiences. Let this be the year you make a lasting impact, fund your dreams, and sustain your mission, message, or cause.

Get details and watch my intro video at

www.MonetizeYourSkills.com/Enroll

3

Opportunity Knocks

Those who foresee the current trends and get ahead of the curve by creating online businesses through skills monetization will weather the immediate storms of outsourcing, continual downsizing, and unpredictable industry shifts. There are no major limitations to how you can leverage your education, expertise, and experiences, except as limited by your own creativity and mindset. You can do it either as a highly-paid employee or in your own business or side hustle.

Think about it. Almost the entire populace now consumes more digital information than ever before.¹⁸ The Internet has connected them to most everything they deem important for living.¹⁹ There’s a growing mountain of evidence for this. Even Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder can see the big paradigm shift in consumer spending habits.²⁰

Don’t miss this tremendous opportunity²¹ for the average person like you and me to monetize our skills to the ever expanding online market space. This is the ultimate solution to crack the six-figure glass ceiling, live life on your terms, and work whenever, wherever, and with whomever you like. What else can give you freedom like this?

Remember, individuals are not the only ones taking advantage of the numerous opportunities to run online or mobile businesses. Practically every industry and organizational type is also establishing an online presence to conduct business. Today, any university, church, charity, professional practice, or government entity that is not doing business online runs a grave risk of being unprofitable, irrelevant, and obsolete.

Why?

Digital sales are almost running neck-to-neck with retail sales, and that is much revenue to leave on the table by you and other professionals who are sitting on the sidelines only wishing for more. In fact, Fortune, CNBC, and Forbes all reported that more sales were made on Black Friday (November 29, 2015) online than in retail (brick and mortar) stores. Of those online sales, more than half were made on mobile devices!²²

It’s time to unapologetically live your dreams and leave your mark behind. It’s time for your mission, message, or cause to thrive with a sustainable income base. It’s time for you to build a platform from which to launch valuable programs, products, and services to bless people all over the world who need what you’re uniquely gifted to do. It’s your time to monetize your skills—starting now.

Project Research Questions

To make this plausible and pragmatic for you, I wanted to show proof of regular, average people from various backgrounds and fields who have actually transitioned to a rewarding career or are running online businesses. This report is firsthand information on exactly how they did it. They had to be earning six-figures or more to be part of the study, survey, or interview. The recurring strategies from these success stories make up the proven roadmap I’ll summarize at the end.

If you want to be part of my ongoing research, go to Monetizeyourskills.com/research-survey/ and fill out the online survey. This will help inspire countless others to boldly navigate the seemingly scary world that even universities are unprepared to teach. Here are the questions I asked (and that you can expect when you click go to online survey) to unlock these closely-guarded secrets:

MONETIZE YOUR SKILLS SIX-FIGURE

INTERVIEW/SURVEY QUESTIONS:

Basic Demographics:

•Name. Gender. Education.

•Income: Do you make at least $100,000 a year?

1. Tell us a little about yourself/journey.

How did you get into this business?

How did you get to this place in your life?

2. Why should anyone think seriously about monetizing their skills, talents, expertise, and experiences in today’s economy?

3. What are your skills, passions, and expertise and how do you personally monetize them?

4. What are the 2-3 biggest mistakes you’ve made in your business or career?

5. A big problem I read and hear about is that most people are dissatisfied with their jobs and the level of income. Why do you think that is and how would you solve that?

6. How can people positively identify their unique skills, talents, and expertise and match those with a need in the marketplace?

7. What are the common misconceptions about monetizing one’s skills, passions, or talents—particularly when it comes to starting an online business?

8. How does having or not having a college degree or training affect one’s ability to monetize their know-how online?

9. What advice or tips do you have for beginners or anyone just getting started ( from scratch