Authentic - How To Make A Living By Being Yourself

Thinking about getting up and telling the world what you stand for is daunting. Actually doing it is terrifying but the rewards are incredible. Imagine spending every waking hour doing what you love... Authentic shows how to do just that. 

In Authentic, Neil Crofts offers inspiration for individuals tired of career conformity. He shows how we arrived at a situation where many of us are tied to jobs we don’t enjoy. He demonstrates the steps you need to take to find out who you are and what you want from life, and finally, he reveals how you can turn all that into a business idea that is Authentic to you.

Authentic is a lifestyle book based on practical experience. Neil Crofts’ vision of a role that allowed him to be true to himself and make a positive impact on the world around him convinced him to break out of a conventional corporate career. Authentic is about giving others the courage to follow their hearts in the same way.

Neil Crofts is the former head of strategy at internet consultancy, Razorfish. After years of feeling the tension between what he did and what he wanted to do, he saw the light and took control of his life, forming Authentic Business. From his initial idea, Authentic Business has grown into a series of business guides, a network of support companies for small businesses with a positive goal and now includes a PR company, a design company and soon a venture capital business.

Acknowledgements.

Preface: Coming Out.

How This Book Works.

Introduction.

Section 1 – Another Way to Look at the Society We Live In.

Dysfunctionality epidemic.

Indentured slavery.

Addiction to short-term hits of happiness.

Diagnosis.

Societal therapy.

The problem with decisions.

What is Authentic?

Section 2 – What Are You Going To Do About It?

Preparation 1: To tell the truth.

Preparation 2: Perception and reality.

Preparation 3: Finding your ‘natural language’.

Preparation 4: What is my point in life?

Action 1: Eating Your Energy.

Action 2: Exercise your mind.

Action 3: Taking control of your life.

Action 4: Avoiding distraction and inspiring change.

Action 5: Editing your address book.

Action 6: Changing habits.

Action 7: Making your plan.

Action 8: Coming out and being yourself.

Section 3 – Being the Change.

Getting started.

Working for yourself.

Validating the plan.

Simplify, simplify.

Time and motion.

Finding collaborators.

Designing your organization.

Competition.

The meaning of success.

Section 4 – Those Who Are Already Doing It.

Organic Express.

Yeo Valley.

Innocent.

Howies.

Solar Century.

Cafédirect.

Reading list.

About Authentic Business.

Index.