Today marks the release of "The Sober Entrepreneur."
"The Sober Entrepreneur" is the latest book from Insurgent Publishing, and while I'm excited the book is finally out there in the real world (paperback and digital) for people to read, share, and spread...
I might be more excited by the prospect that this book exists at all.
Because in all honesty, it probably shouldn't. Not in this day and age; not when we look at what's trending; not when we compare it to things that have conventional, commercial appeal...
Let me explain:
This is the first new release from Insurgent Publishing in over 6 months. Partly because I've been busy growing software and ecommerce companies almost full time, so publishing has taken a backseat. Partly because I haven't seen anything worth publishing. And I get solicited almost every week by authors, so it's not for lack of awareness of WHAT is out there...
The problem is, the world of self-improvement and how-to non-fiction has become inundated, super-saturated with victim-mentality, virtual-signaling noise. It's the same stuff every time, but repackaged and republished with a new 99 Designs cover.
It all follows the same narrative:
- I wanted X
- The world was cruel and denied me X
- I went on to find a way to get X in my own way
- This is how and why my process is the best
- Please clap
Read enough of these books, and, if you're anything like me, you can't help but develop a sense of ennui.
So you start ignoring books...
And eventually, you screen it out...as in: everything.
"It's all the same, so it doesn't matter, right?"
But the problem is this:
Just because 99% of these stories are contrived and have earned their anonymity, 1% may be worth reading, because they're honest, insightful, and, most importantly, useful.
But finding that 1%?
You're better off mining Tomcoin for profit than going down that rabbit hole.
So I was skeptical, to say the least, when I first met Russ Perry and he shared his manuscript with me: "The Sober Entrepreneur."
Entrepreneurship and sobriety?
A niche within a niche within a niche...
I figured if I didn't like it, I'd quit early; so nothing to lose, right?
So I started reading.
...and then I kept reading...
...and I finished the book in a couple days...
...and a week later, I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Something nagged at me.
Every day, a certain type of question would enter (or re-enter) my mind:
"Why are you doing this?"
"Is this helping you right now? Will it help you tomorrow? Next week? Next Year?"
"Who does this help?"
And I realized the root of the question came from what I consider the primary injunction of the book itself:
Take responsibility for your actions, and make the conscious choice to stop living life on hard mode.
When Russ almost hit rock bottom because of his addiction to alcohol, he didn't blame other people, nor the injustices of the world. He blamed himself. And then he changed himself.
So the question is:
What are you doing now that isn't helping you reach your goals?
Could you cut it out?
Would you cut it out?
Will you?
The choice isn't easy. But it's important.
And most importantly, it's yours.
Need a nudge? Grab a copy of "The Sober Entrepreneur.