The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth: Entrepreneurship for Weirdos, Misfits, and World Dominators

2The Wild Colors and the Solid Spine

What Makes Some Freaks Successful and Other Freaks Strugglers?

While plenty of the most unique people take pride in showing off their wild colors, many are lacking an important element in turning their freakiness into success. The one missing ingredient most would-be world-changing freaks lack is their ability to answer the question, “How is this a business?” In other words, what are these people offering that can truly make an impact…and a profit?

You know wild-color people. They marker up their sneakers. They paint their hair. They have notebooks full of great ideas. They most likely still have a day job (and that's okay). They love being artistic.

But the folks with the “solid spine” have learned how to be weird and run a business. I'm not sure exactly how people discover it for themselves, but what I've observed suggests that most people find it through the necessity—or very strong desire—to make money.

Author and speaker Chris Guillebeau would be an interesting fellow if all he did was fly around to different countries. But he's a business professional because he's come up with ways to help others with similar passions, and because he's developed products and projects that generate revenue while giving a lot back to the people he has the pleasure to serve.

When I ask people “What's your business?,” I get some interesting answers back. Someone just told me (mere moments before I typed these words), “My business is to spread inspiration ...