The “Instapreneur”

I have always loved the term “entrepreneur” and have considered myself one since I was old enough to say the word.  Several years ago I coined the term “Eaglepreneur.”  Go ahead, check it out – see where this takes you:  http://www.eaglepreneur.com/.  Now I’m seeing other variations, like “Instapreneur.” 

Here’s the deal.  Today you can be in business with no start-up capital, no inventory, no employees, no warehouses, no minimum orders, no sign permits, no leases and no long-term commitment.  Just jump on an idea and start shipping products this afternoon.

If you want to write a book but don’t have a publishing deal and don’t want to have to invest $25,000 for your first minimum order?  Check out Lightning Source right here in my own back yard in LaVergne, TN.  Submit your manuscript, have it available on Amazon and start taking orders tomorrow.  You don’t need to buy any – just sell them one at a time and keep the profits.

If you want to design posters, mugs, bumper stickers, calendars or Mother’s Day cards, you can jump over to Razzle, of Redwood, CA and have your products ready to ship in 24 hours.  You can design your Hillary Clinton bumper sticker, take orders and pay Razzle as they are being sold.

If you want to create your own line of prom dresses, make it happen at StyleShake from London.

Want a cool t-shirt?  Put in your text or design at SpreadShirt and join over 500,000 other t-shirt shops around the world.

Have an idea for jewelry or furniture?  No problem.  Just upload your blueprint at Ponoko and when a customer puts in an order, your piece will be manufactured and delivered.  Sell your coffee table for $250, pay Ponoko $125 for the manufacturing and shipping and bank the rest.  No equipment or employees needed.  And you won’t cut a finger off trying to do something you have no business doing anyway.

Want to get an eco-friendly grocery bag ready to sell at your local April 22nd Earth Day celebration.  No problem.  At CafePress you can choose the template, upload your photo or image and print one — or ten thousand.

Want to join the No More Mondays ranks?  Now you can’t fall back on all the typical excuses for not starting your own business.  It’s just too easy.  What are you waiting for?  You can be the next “Instapreneur.”

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24 Responses to “The “Instapreneur””

  1. bluedogjeep Says:

    Hey Dan,

    I listen to your podcast everyweekand have read 48 days and am reading No More Mondays right now. I enjoyed you interview with Bill Seaver on blogging. I have since started my own blog and things seem to be going well.
    Thanks for giving me hope.
    Ryan

  2. 48days Says:

    Ryan,

    Thanks for your comments. I’ve heard from a lot of people about blogging. It’s certainly one of the coolest tools for communication and business growth. Glad it’s going well for you — Dan Miller

  3. Gary Says:

    Dan;

    A local small business owner who runs a garden center and nursery operation likes to call people who grow big things from small beginnings “Entremanures.” Catchy turns of phrase like that make his business stand out from what would otherwise seem like a commodity industry — I’ve even heard customers at *other* garden centers refer to themselves by that name, a little offhand free publicity for the guy who coined the term.

    Thanks for all your good advice.

    Gary

  4. David Says:

    Thanks, Sir …

    I have read both your books and am ready to be the next Instapreneur. What resource do you have to help me build an e-mail list from scratch and/or let the world know I exist?

    David

  5. Ben Cope Says:

    I love the term “eaglepreneur”!! I consider myself to be a “dotcompreneur” … go ahead, see where this takes you: dotcompreneur.com!

  6. 48days Says:

    David,

    It has to be an opt-in list to be of any value. Establish yourself as an expert in or a resource for something specific. Then start a blog about the same topic. Have something free on your website as an incentive to sign up for updates, etc. A good list doesn’t happen overnight but if you build something of value — they will come.

  7. 48days Says:

    Ben,

    To the “dotcompreneur” — I love it. Way to rock and roll. I going to browse your site. It looks great.

  8. Dorethia Says:

    Hi Dan,

    I love your books and the email blasts you send out. I also love blogging!! I couldn’t believe how easy it was to start and design a blog. It is the simplest way to tell people about your product or service.

  9. Shaun Farrell Says:

    Hi, Dan! You and Dave Ramsey are changing my life. I wanted to make money through podcasting. I was having dinner with an author, and I shared with her an idea I had about making audio promos for authors to help sell their books. Next thing I knew, I had three jobs! Now I’m putting together a press kit and moving forward. In the meantime, I’ve been able to interview some of my favorite authors for my personal podcast Adventures in Scifi Publishing, including my idol, Ray Bradbury. I’m excited about being an Instaprenuer. Thank you for your encouragment and inspiration.

  10. M. Davidson Says:

    Loved this post. It just caused me to give birth to a slew of new ideas I had never considered. May God continue to bless you as you share all he has given you.

  11. Laura Says:

    Wondering–is putting together a blog, with the things you love on it and then signing up for affiliate programs a good idea?
    I want to do something free, fun and profitable (with the understanding that it probably wont pull in scads of money).
    I think a blog with links to stores selling certain items would be good?
    Anyone have any ideas on if this works? Dan?

  12. 48days Says:

    Laura,

    Blogs are seen as primarily information — not promotion of products or services. If you have too much just promotion your blog will flounder. Just start providing lots of great information to get a following. I still think it’s probably better to then have a website on the backend for more traditional marketing.

  13. Jim Ingham Says:

    I am wanting to enter the world of art. I carve leather pictures, even some portraits. I have not been in the entreperneural world long, so am rather out of touch. Also am a senior citizen. My work is good; I don’t find much, if any on the net or anywhere else. I need some ideas to get off of dead center. Am tired of making money for someone else.
    Thanks
    Jim

  14. Aliya Says:

    Hi Dan,

    Today is my day, tomorrow is mine the year is already in my pocket. I just got layed off from my executive assistant position on Monday. I now am the “dog who sat on a nail” and i have had enough. Thank you for your delightful words of encouragement, inspirational stories and enough literature to change our tomorrows. I am on my way to becoming exactly what I have always dreamed “A star that was born to shine”

  15. Rosanne Says:

    Hi Dan,

    I discovered your website about two years ago while I was listening to the Dave Ramsey radio show. I just started reading some of your magazine publication, and I am a really an “enterpreur, eaglepreneur, instapreneur ” at heart. I am still searching and praying for God to show me what I have passion for. Please help, “How do I discover what I have passion for” I have also held a job, just to pay the bills e.t.c. Recently I have been doing some research on stating a nursing agency in GA, but seems to find lots of so called step by step packages on the web, that I cannot gurantee if they have the necessary information that will help me start. Sorry for the length of my text. Any sugestion will be helpful. Thanks and continue your good work for people like me. I hope to one day help some else in my present position. Once again. Thank you

  16. George A Phillips Says:

    Hey Dan,

    I took your 48days course a while back and was very impressed with the information contained there. Since completeing I have started a website selling self-defense products and a blog about self-protection. This is just one of the many things I found that I can do with little or no money. Eagleprenuer all the way, no turning back. I also wanted to tell you how much I liked the Plato excerpt you included in one of your recent newsletters, I copied and pasted that on my myspace page http://www.myspace.com/georgeaphillips for all my friends to see along with a link to your website. I really hope that will help others to see what I have and never be a slave to a “job” again.

  17. Venkat Says:

    I like your ‘eaglepreneur’ idea from the book…not so sure about instapreneurs. I have my own taxonomy and evolving theory, where my focus is on something I call the ‘crosspreneur,

    No matter how fast the support technology gets, *preneurship takes creativity and hard work and therefore time. LightningSource and Lulu may help you make instant books, but it still takes months of thinking and writing to create even a half-way decent book. Ripping your blog contents into a blook is possible — try blurb.com for the fastest way to do that, but returns will be proportionate to invested effort. Unless you get incredibly lucky, a hasty blook won’t make you an instant success.

  18. Kelly Says:

    I have a self-published book I’ve been selling to homeschoolers for a few years with good success. I’m wanting to make it into an ebook. What resource do you recommend for ebook publishing? And is there also a resource for making the whole process automated (as it allowing customer to buy and download automatically).
    Thanks.

  19. Josie Says:

    Is there any company that can do with baked goods (cakes and cookies) what the companies listed in the original post can do with tee-shirts and books?
    Thanks!
    Josie

  20. rebekah Says:

    styleshake.com is not a valid web address do you know if the company has changed names and if so what is the new one

  21. Brooks Osmer Says:

    Hi I found your site when i was searching Google for this

  22. Catherin Good Says:

    This is like my sixth time stopping over your site. Regularly I do not make comments on homepage, but I have to mention that this post really forced me to do so. Really fantastic post .

  23. healthcare staffing Says:

    I really enjoyed this post

  24. Michelle Says:

    Want become an instaprenour

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