Page 228 - The $100 Startup_ Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love

He does all of this while speaking only limited English (“I practice every day,
but my tongue becomes tired,” he told me) and without any formal education at
all. Some of the extra money he earns goes to a savings fund, a safety net almost
no other tuk-tuk driver has. His daughter is now in college, the first in their
family to finish high school.

As you work to improve your own circumstances, with freedom as the goal
and value as the currency that gets you there, consider how these principles
apply elsewhere. I like Rhett’s story because it shows that creativity and
initiative will get you far, regardless of the starting point. In many parts of the
world, however, the starting point is much farther away than it is for most
readers of this book. Starting a business in the developing world is often a
difficult, highly bureaucratic endeavor—which is why so many people like Rhett
operate in the informal sector. In some of these places, millions of people still
lack access to clean water and other basic needs.

In my own business and writing career, I invest at least 10 percent of all
revenue with organizations that make better improvements around the world
than I could make on my own. (This includes the royalties for this book, so if
you’ve purchased it, thanks for the help.) I don’t consider this investment a
charitable act; I consider it a natural response to the fact that I’ve been more
fortunate than others.

While creating freedom for yourself, how can you be part of a global
revolution to increase opportunity for everyone? If you’re not sure, you can join
the $100 Startup community in our campaign for clean water in Ethiopia by
visiting charitywater.org/aonc. You can also sign up with groups, such as
Kiva.org and AcumenFund.org, that provide loans (usually very small ones) to
help people start microbusinesses in their own communities.

Of course, these answers aren’t the only ones. If you have a better answer or
just a different one, work on that instead. Pursue your dream of freedom
wherever it leads … while also thinking about how it can intersect with creating
more opportunities for people like Rhett.