The Hustler’s Playbook: The New Rules for Hustlers

1. You won’t work for “the company,” keep a low profile, work for 47 years, and collect the gold watch. Whether you work inside a big company or hang up your own shingle, you are going to have to make your own way. The idea your parents and grandparents thought was safe is now the risky advice you will ever hear.
2. The greatest investment you will ever make is the investment you make in yourself. College might be part of that investment, but isn’t going to result in you making a lot of money when you graduate. You don’t want to leave school with debt. Work your way through school. Get someone else to pay for your advanced degree while you learn enough about the business (or whatever) to be truly valuable when you leave. Invest as much as you can in your personal development.
3. Your income and your success are directionally proportional to the difference you make for others. The greater the difference, the greater the success.
4. The limit of both your income and your success are the limits of your vision of yourself and of your imagination. You need to develop a giant vision and you need to dream big. Then you need to stay awake and make your vision and your dreams real.
5. Most of the jobs you see now won’t be around in the future. The only jobs that are going to pay well are going to be the jobs you create for yourself. The primary attribute you are are going to need for these jobs is creativity. That very same creativity the educational system has tried to grind out of you.
6. Your ability to get things done is your ability to build a network. The more people you know and the more people who know you for the value you create, the greater your success. You are not going to succeed as a solo act. You need a tribe.
7. Your success and your income is going to be in large measure determined by your ability to sell well. You think that sales is a bad word. You’ve grown up in an era where too many believe it is impolite to make an “ask.” Your ability to get things done will be measured by your ability to sell. This is nothing new.
8. Real success is built on character. There has never been a time when the currency of trust was more valuable. This will only grow in importance. You need to walk your talk.
9. You are a brand. If you don’t want to be a brand, you are still a brand, just a weak one. You need to be known for the value that you create. You need a recognizable profile. You need to be easily found and you need attention.
10. You are going to measure your success by the contribution you make. You are going to measure yourself by the impact you have had on other people’s lives. You are going to value the experiences you have had, and you are going to value meaning above all else.
11. The rule is you are going to have to make your own rules.