Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Alan R. Bechtold is a veteran of more than twenty-three years of on-line publishing and mar-keting. A leading online marketer―known as "The Wise Old Man of the Internet"―he delivers live seminars on online marketing and publishes multiple newsletters read by more than 45,000 subscribers. Alan is also extremely accessible. He can be reached by simply visiting: www.AlanBechtold.com.

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Praise for Will Work for Fun:

"Bechtold is the Pied Piper for the New Millennium. Follow him and you will learn to enjoy your life and your work; and you will quickly come to agree that fun really is the best thing to have!"
―TIM KNOX, bestselling author of Everything I Know About Business I Learned from My Mama, www.timknox.com

"Finally . . . the truth is revealed. Work is not a four-letter word when you love what you do. Alan delivers a rollicking good read that gives you a step-by-step blueprint for making money while having fun."
―SHAWN CASEY, founder and CEO of eSpider Squad Franchises,www.shawncasey.com

"This book should be required reading for anyone who hates their job and wants to live a life of their biggest dreams . . . and still make huge sums of money! This is a rare gem your boss does not want you to read."
―T.J. ROHLEDER, President and CEO of M.O.R.E. Inc.

"I've worked with hundreds of CEOs and I always tell them, if it isn't fun―if it's not rewarding and satisfying―don't do it. Now I'm going to make Bechtold's Will Work for Fun required reading, so they have the exact same road map to turn their passions into profits and, as Bechtold says, 'make their play pay.' Give this book to your children. It will help them get a head start on the only sane way to earn a living: doing what you love for money."
―PAUL LEMBERG, CEO of Axcelus Advisors, and bestselling author of Be Unreasonable, www.paullemberg.com

Aus dem Klappentext

Most of us think of work as a doleful daily chore we have no choice but to suffer through until we retire. Or, if we're really lucky, maybe we'll win the lottery. But it doesn't have to be that way! You don't have to wait until retirement to start enjoying life. Work can be rewarding, fulfilling, and even fun. The secret is creating a job that pays you to do what you love to do anyway.

In Will Work for Fun, veteran online marketer Alan Bechtold shows you how to generate real, long-lasting income from your hobbies and interests. No matter what you're into―even if it's just flying kites―Bechtold's proven system presents simple steps you can follow to turn your favorite hobby into a fun and exciting career.

Think about the life of your favorite rock star. Sure, musicians make plenty of money. But, more important than the money is the fact that they make a living doing the thing they love doing most. How great must it feel to get paid doing what you love? You can find out too. You won't necessarily make rock star money doing it, but with the right plan, you can turn your interest or hobby into a moneymaking career that makes work fun.

Even better, you don't need any special skills or expensive resources in order to make it happen. All you need is access to a computer, basic understanding of the Internet, and simple word processing skills. With those three ingredients, Will Work for Fun will help you turn whatever it is you love doing into a profit-generating small business that will earn you money and eventually let you quit your regular job.

Bechtold has made an entire career out of pursuing his interests and following his heart. Follow the proven system in Will Work for Fun and you'll be able to turn fun into income too. Why wait any longer to enjoy life? When you work for fun, it's hardly work at all!

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Will Work for Fun

John Wiley & Sons

Chapter One

Unless each day can be looked back upon by an individual as one in which he has had some fun, some joy, some real satisfaction, that day is a loss. -Anonymous

WHY YOUR LIFE NEVER MATCHES WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN-AND HOW EASY IT IS TO CREATE A LIFE THAT DOES

Close your eyes and imagine along with me.

Wait a minute. I just remembered. You're reading this. You'd better keep your eyes open. It's kind of hard reading with your eyes closed.

Back up. Rewind and edit.

Read along and imagine with me. Ask yourself as you read-does

the following scene sound familiar?

Fade in.

The office is humming with activity. Everywhere you look in the large, overly lit room, people sit in cubicles, industriously typing, talking on the phone, and examining computer screens.

Quickly, we swing into one cubicle for a close-up. The rest of the office blurs and fades away while the sound of office activity softens to a background hum.

In the cubicle that comes into view, a young, slender, cherry-blonde woman sits looking at eBay on her computer. She snaps her chewing gum while she does her nails. In her cubicle, every surface but the desk and two office chairs is covered with Barbie dolls, Barbie doll posters, Barbie doll books, and Barbie doll accessories.

As we watch, she tries without success to match the rhythm of her gum chewing to the strokes of her nail file. She tries alternating the beats, then tries to match the rhythm.

Suddenly, she takes the gum out of her mouth. Clearly frustrated, still holding her gum in one hand, she looks around on her desk for a place to put it. Her desk is covered with paperwork. Frowning, she starts to stick the gum first on one stack of papers, then on another.

Finally, she shoves several stacks of paper aside, places her gum firmly on the desk, then quickly shuffles some papers back over it.

She taps something on her computer keyboard. Then she clenches her fists, staring intently at the screen.

"Damn."

She types quickly again. Then she sits, staring in anticipation.

"Damn."

"Jenny?"

The voice catches her by surprise. Jenny jumps a good foot out of her chair, spins, and sees her friend, Tom, standing in the doorway to her cubicle. He's smiling mischievously.

"Don't you ever knock, Tom?" Jenny asks, wide-eyed. "You scared the living daylights out of me."

"There's no door on these cubicles, Jenny. C'mon. What good would knocking do?"

Tom steps into Jenny's cubicle and plops down in one of the two empty chairs, swinging his feet up to rest on the seat of the unoccupied chair. "Are you still looking for that Barbie you've been blathering about for months?"

"Yeah," Jenny says. "I'm still lookin'." She stares intently at the screen again. Then, she taps a few keys and sits, watching the screen.

"Damn. I can't believe it, Tom. This is the first time I've seen a genuine side-parted bubble-cut Barbie on eBay in months-and somebody out there keeps outbidding me the moment I bid it up. Crap. I'd gladly give a month's salary for that Barbie."

Tom laughs. "I'd give a full year's salary to anyone who can explain why you'd want another Barbie at all."

Another voice pipes up at the cubicle door. "Me, too."

Jenny and Tom both jump nearly a foot, in unison, snapping their startled attention to the doorway. It's Jenny and Tom's mutual friend, Albert.

"Why don't you just make your top bid a full month's salary?" Albert asks. "Then the system will place the next highest bid for you automatically. That'll make it tougher for anyone to outbid you so quickly."

Wearing thick-rimmed glasses, a white shirt not all the way tucked in, and a black pencil-thin tie, Albert laughs nervously, ending with a loud snort.

"Albert," Jenny says, composing herself. "I can't afford to spend a month's salary, no matter how badly I'd love to add that Barbie to my collection. That was just a figure of speech. Besides-it's more fun actually bidding on them."

"Either way, I'm with Tom," Albert replies. "I can't imagine why any adult would want one Barbie, let alone hundreds."

Jenny looks perturbed. "I don't have hundreds of Barbies. For cryin' out loud. Everybody knows Barbie's special. She was a part of my childhood. I grew up with her. She's-like-my role model. And the side-parted bubble-cut Barbie is one of the only truly rare Barbies I still don't have."

As Albert enters the cubicle, Tom sits up, taking his feet off the only other chair in the cramped space. Albert slumps into the now-open chair, his posture slouched.

Smiling again, Tom says, "There, there, Jenny. We understand. I'm sure your life won't be complete without her."

Jenny stares solemnly at Tom for a minute. "You're mocking me. You really don't understand. After all the time we've worked together and known each other, you still don't get it, do you?"

Both Tom and Albert speak in unison ... deadpan serious. They shake their heads back and forth in unison. "Actually ... we don't." Tom says, "I have to admit it, but Matchbox cars were my favorite toy when I was a kid. I'd even have to say they were important to me during that time. But, I still don't feel the slightest pressure to have every Matchbox car ever manufactured during my childhood today."

Albert chortles, pushing his glasses up, which slide back down on his nose with each shoulder-shaking snicker. "Hah. That's the truth, Tom. Now you collect live Barbies instead."

Tom smirks at Albert. "What's your point, smart-ass? I'd much rather have a living, breathing Barbie in my room than something made out of plastic. And-no-it doesn't count if she's inflatable."

Albert waves Tom away, blushing.

Jenny scowls at both of them. "You two are so clueless. Barbie means everything to me. I collect her. I care about her and think about her all the time. I can't wait to clock out and spend time with my collection. I'm happiest when I'm trading online with other collectors, and looking for the few missing dolls that I still need."

"You're right-we're clueless." Tom and Albert speak in unison again. Laughing, they throw up their hands in mock exasperation.

Jenny snaps her attention around, back to the screen, then points at it. "Damn. See? You two pop in here, distract me, and I lost the auction." She turns to look disapprovingly back at the two young men, still sitting in her cubicle. "You guys made me miss it. It's your fault."

Another voice breaks in from the cubicle doorway. "I understand completely, Jenny."

This time, Jenny, Tom, and Albert all jump at the sound, snapping their heads in the direction of the doorway in unison. Their mutual friend, Gloria, a slightly pudgy brunette with long, flowing hair and a pretty face, stands there, leaning against the glass.

"It's like my Corvette fetish, Jenny. I love Corvettes. I'd do anything to get one of my own."

Tom gives an exaggerated nod. "I know, Gloria. You've been known to do anything just to ride in one."

Albert and Tom laugh uproariously....