How the Great Recession and Tim Ferriss led to a brand, a book, and perhaps, a lifelong legacy of helping others find their dream job and earn what they are worth.
The year was 2008 and things were not going well.
The economy was crashing, the real estate market tanked, and there were mass layoffs.
At the same time, the company I was at (WIRED) had just named a young author named Tim Ferriss the greatest self-promoter in the world for his new book The Four Hour Workweek.
With the threat of unemployment looming and a handbook for starting a side hustle, I took my long-standing love for helping others with their career and wrote down everything I knew about a topic I knew so many people struggled with: Salary Negotiation.
While the "new economy" plan was to build a website and sell PDF ebooks, a string of connections led to something decidedly old school: a formal book deal with NY publisher Hachette Books / Grand Central Publishing, along with a slick book trailer:
And thus, a brand was born: Salary Tutor.
By the time the recession axe finally fell on me in 2011, I was thrilled to exit the corporate world to focus on making a difference in people's lives through any medium possible:
1,000s of paperbacks, ebooks, and audiobooks sold on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
4 online courses with more than 60,000 students worldwide
75+ negotiation articles on the leading salary research site
125+ one-on-one consulting sessions with amazing clients
Dozens of speeches at colleges, businesses, events, and meetup groups
What started as a side hustle became so much more. I took classes at NYU to become certified in Career Development and Planning. People came to me often for advice.
People often talk about leaving a legacy ... looking back on your life and wondering what you contributed to the world.
I'm so incredibly proud of the women and men I've been able to help gain confidence, get paid what they're worth, and better provide for their families:
Kendra, who received a $7,000 increase in base salary, a $3,000 bonus, an extra week vacation, a later start date, and a performance review in six months. Then we helped her husband negotiate. "I am so overjoyed. We bought your book 9 times for friends."
Divya, my current record-holder. The 30-something mom and project manager scored a whopping $70,000 salary increase when changing jobs.
Rebecca, a 33-year-old artist, producer, and manager. She loved working in the arts, but wanted a fair salary. We scored an $11,000 increase with a single email.
Caroline, who wanted to ditch a grueling commute and spend more time with her two kids. She got the job down the street -- while increasing her salary from $120k to $136k.
Jeff was a web designer making $50k. After taking my course and rehearsing for an entire weekend, he presented his case and was given a $28,000 raise.
Christine was closing partner deals with celebrity chefs, but her coordinator title got no respect. She was promoted to Director, along with a 37% raise.
Steve was offered a $7,000 raise and a new title, then was told that HR couldn't budge. But he did his research, held his ground, and got a $13,500 increase.
If you're negotiating a job offer -- or know someone that is -- I love to help people and still do one-on-one consulting on the side, starting with a free 15-minute consultation.
For more information, visit SalaryTutor.com.