"Millions have sought their big break online. Ryan Williams has hunted down the few who succeeded, and distilled their inspiring stories into lessons that we can all put to use. It's an engaging, actionable read for anyone looking to gain fans, followers, or customers in the digital age." --Adam Grant, Wharton professor & New York Times bestselling author of Originals & Give and Take "Full of actionable insights, this book is pure gold for anyone wanting to make it in the Influencer Economy." --Nir Eyal, author of Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products "If you've ever thought about monetizing your passion, Ryan Williams delivers an insiders guide to prospering from the Influencer Economy." --Jay Samit, bestselling author of Disrupt You! Master Personal Transformation, Seize Opportunity, and Thrive in the Era of Endless Innovation In order to thrive in the digital age, you don't need to go to business school. You don't need an Ivy League degree. You don't need to know celebrities. And you don't need to have a lot of money. You just need to learn the new business framework from the thriving leaders of the Influencer Economy. Reinventing your career is a daunting task. You cannot afford to wait to be hired by the right company, nor can you wait for the perfect job to find you. The modern professional needs to take charge by "laddering-up" their career to launch their own business idea, build their influencer network, and thrive as an expert in their business field. In The Influencer Economy, RyanWilliams teaches his three step business launch framework, complete with lessons and actions for anyone to reinvent their career. He offers insights into how to launch a passion project, grow an online business, and take any entrepreneurial company to new heights. On his podcast, Stories From the Influencer Economy, he interviews world-famous YouTubers, best-selling authors, and pioneering startup founders and investors, many of whom are profiled in the book. Williams defines an influencer as someone who can create a movement based on the passion and loyal support of a niche community. According to Williams, influence is not something that you are born with, it is a learned and acquired skill, and like anything, it is a skill that can be honed and crafted over time. The book is structured around The 3 Influencer School Steps to teach you how to: Launch your business idea by finding a big vision and then creating smaller projects to fulfill that vision. By embracing your unique personality,you can build a platform in which you are the best in the world at what you do. Collaborate with influencers on projects to help build a loyal and authentic community. Collaborating is key. As you ask other people to invest in you and your work, you not only make it better, but you gain invaluable support in the long run. Thrive by giving to others before you ask for anything in return, treating your community as a partner, and meeting your community IRL (In RealLife) to turn online relationships to offline friendships. Author Bio: Ryan Williams is marketing strategist, public speaker and author of "The Influencer Economy: How to Launch Your Idea, Share it With the World, and Thrive in the Digital Age." He also hosts The Stories From The Influencer Economy podcast. He's a former early team member at the social media video startups Machinima.com (acquired by Warner Bros.) and DigiSynd (acquired by Disney). He has given talks and taught about marketing and media at SXSW, Google, VidCon, Vanderbilt University, City University of London, University of Southern California, and Loyola Marymount. Ryan’s writing and podcast contributions have been featured in Inc. magazine, Huffington Post, Success Magazine, The Observer, Business Insider, Social Media Examiner, Success Magazine and USA Today.
