Basic money idea:
Rather than worrying about getting “rich”, better to focus on NOT going broke!
Money will not destroy boredom

Why does everyone want to become richer?
I think everyone wants to be richer because they think that having MORE money will lead them to having MORE happiness, MORE power, and MORE pleasure.
This is kind of true, and kind of not true.
Having more money won’t make you “more” happy

“Not having money ain’t everything — but not having it is.”
Kanye West
First of all, being BROKE ain’t fun. Having grown up poor, I can personally attest to this.
But earning more money didn’t “increase” my happiness. Once I was able to earn enough money NOT to worry about being homeless at the end of the month, earning MORE money didn’t bring me more happiness.
In praise of self-employment

However, I have discovered that gaining money didn’t make me “happier”. For myself, the best thing with money was being able to become my own boss (earning money, via self-employment).
To me, being self-employed and living an ascetic lifestyle is a trillion times better than being employed by a company and being a trillionaire.
For myself, freedom over my time and my life is of the supreme importance. For myself, I simply need enough money to pay rent and feed myself my ‘egg snacks‘, drink coffee, and have a wifi connection. Otherwise, I am happy — this is sufficient for me to create my artwork.
Thus as an entrepreneur, the first goal ain’t to become rich; the goal is to pay rent and NOT go broke!
What is ‘rich’?

So this is the question:
When we call someone “rich” — do we mean to say that they have a lot of commas and zeros in their bank account, or do we mean to say that they go out and buy a bunch of shit all the time?
I think that when we judge whether someone is “rich” or not, we are actually thinking about how much money they have in the bank account.
How to accumulate more money in your bank account

So — how do you accumulate more commas and zeros in your bank account?
This is the formula:
Have income coming in, and keep your expenses to the bare minimum.
And this is the thing — to speed up your money-bank-account accumulation, you can preferably:
Increase the amount of income you have coming in, and continue to live pauper-style (ascetic lifestyle).
And what is the point of saving up money anyways? To be frank, it is just a game at this point. Just ask yourself:
Do I have more fun see the money accumulate in my bank account, or do I have more fun spending it?
You can use this to make most of your financial life decisions.
NOT spending money is harder than earning money

I can personally attest in my personal life:
NOT spending money is 1000x harder than earning money.
For myself, it is relatively “easy” for me to earn money by teaching workshops and selling products.

But NOT spending money is insanely hard for me. I think the reason is because I generally want to spend money on tools (equipment, cameras, devices) which I think will make me more productive-happy, or make me more motivated and inspired.

Furthermore, I never learned the skill of saving money. My dad would gamble away our rent money, and my mom was barely paying rent every month. Thus, the ethos of saving money didn’t exist to me growing up.

The only way I learned how to save money was via Cindy whose mom taught the family entrepreneurship early on, and the importance of living more lean.
Soon, Cindy taught me the secret:
Make saving money (or not using it) into a fun game. See how lean you can live– see how much you can maximize your joy for the smallest amount of money possible.
To me, this line of thinking was a game-changer, because living a more ascetic (frugal) lifestyle wasn’t about self-flagellation or self-denial. Rather, it was a fun game — life was more interesting, fun, and challenging when you could figure out:
How great could I live my life, with the minimum money possible?
Strategies to save money

This led us to many strategies such as:
- Stay with friends, family, or crash on couches as often possible when traveling. Whenever I travel somewhere that we don’t know anybody, then stay at the cheapest AirB&B or hotel.
- Make it a fun game to see how cheaply you can feed yourself (I subsist mostly on eggs– I will eat 8-12 whole eggs a day, and I usually prefer to eat cheaper cuts of meat like ground beef/pork or pork loin/belly)
- Own just one of everything: I wear the same all-black outfit everyday, the same pair of shoes everyday, and use the same devices everyday. I don’t need multiple of the same thing — just one. This prevents me from buying more stuff, and accumulating more.
When are you the happiest?

I think it is also the realization that I’m happiest when I’m creating; NOT when I’m spending money.
This means, earning money doesn’t “add” positive happiness to my life. And it is also the realization that things which are more expensive are not necessarily “better” than things which don’t cost as much (for example, the RICOH GR II or Fujifilm XF10 are two of the best cameras that exist, which both cost only around $500 USD).

Also realizing that most technology is over-hyped and over-rated; most technology has tiny incremental upgrades (5-10%); and won’t make that much of a massive difference in your life.
Avoid bankruptcy

To become rich is to NOT go broke.
My personal rule (learned from Nassim Taleb) is this:
Never put more than 10% of your savings into one investment.
This means you will never go broke (bankrupt). No matter the potential of becoming super super rich, no investment (in my eyes) is worth the potentiality of 100% bankruptcy (losing literally all of your life savings, to see your bank account go to $0).

Also to avoid gambling (how my dad impoverished my family, and prevented my mom from accumulating any savings). I don’t think that gambling in itself is evil or a vice, but if gambling makes you go broke, obviously that is bad.
How to live BELOW your means

Treat money as a “creative constraint”. Put LIMITS on what you decide to spend on anything; and treat it like a fun game. It is easy to spend a lot of money and to be honest, not that fun. It is more fun to use your money in a way to get more “bang for the buck”, and use your money in a more creative way– in a way to be ‘extremely resourceful‘ (and in-fact is SUPERIOR, because it leads you to actually, truly INNOVATE!)
Thus, limits -> innovation.
So perhaps also with money:
Monetary limits -> innovation in your life.
Conclusion

- Live MORE with LESS money.
- Use money in a fun, ‘creative constraint’ way– to get more “bang for the buck” (treat this as a game)
- Being broke will cause you to be unhappy, but being rich won’t lead you to being happy.
- No matter how much money you have in the bank, this alone won’t give you peace of mind. Peace of mind comes from mental training; stoic philosophy has helped me.
- Living an ascetic lifestyle is sexy.
Stack that cheddar,
ERIC
Photography Entrepreneurship 101

Self-Empowerment

- Life is Too Short to Be Negative
- Why You Must Follow Your Passion in Life
- How to Conquer Shyness
- Don’t Ask for Permission
- Onto the Next One
- Why You Must Self-Promote Yourself
- Why You Must Conquer Your Fears in Life
Marketing and Branding

- Why Blog?
- Why You Must Self-Promote Yourself
- Create Substance, Not Content
- Photography Marketing and Branding 101
- How to Master Marketing in Photography
- 10 Tips How to Become a More Famous Photographer
Entrepreneurship Lifestyle

- Why Hustle?
- Why Save Money?
- Ascetic is Sexy
- Why You Must Become Self-Employed
- How to Push Yourself Beyond the Limit
- Is Location Independence Overrated?
Entrepreneurship Mindset

- How to Get Discovered
- Financial Independence
- Disregard Success or Failure; Always Attempt More!
- In Praise of Stubbornness
- Success is Personal Bravery
- Why You Must Become an Entrepreneur
- How to Brand and Market Yourself as a Photographer
- How to Conquer Haters
- How to Accumulate Capital
- Why Be Different?
- How to Master Marketing in Photography
- Don’t Play it Safe
- Why Blog?
- How to Be a More Productive Photographer
- How to Hustle
- True Productivity
- What Can Only You Do?
- Love Risk
- What is Success?
- Fill a Vacuum
- Think Big
- What is Your Dream in Life?
- 8 Blogging Productivity Tips
- Why Be Normal?
- How Much Suffering Are You Willing to Endure to Achieve Your Dreams?
Photography Entrepreneurship 101

- Don’t Sit Still!
- Bitcoin for Photographers
- Don’t Be Timid
- Why Start Your Own Photography Blog?
- Fill a Void
- 1,000 True Followers: How to Build Your Own Niche in Photography
- Photography Entrepreneurship 101: Why You Must Start Your Own Email Newsletter
- TURBO CREATION: Why a Maxed-Out MacBook Laptop is the Best Investment You Can Make for Photography Entrepreneurship
Life and Productivity Hacks

- My Ultimate Productivity and Life Hacks
- Life/Productivity Hack: Write (Type on a phone) While Walking on a Dynamic Treadmill
- ERIC KIM Life, Creativity, and Productivity Hacks
How to Make a Living from Your Passion

- Digital Nomad Photographer
- Build Your Own Instagram!
- How to Be More Ambitious
- Do It Your Way
- How to Measure Your Progress as a Photography Entrepreneur + Come Up With New Ideas
- How to Make a Living From Your Passion in Photography
Put a Dent in the Universe.

- Fear Disguised as Reason
- Distraction is the Enemy
- Innovate for the Sake of Innovating!
- Reality is Malleable!
- Stoic Entrepreneurship
- Against Self-Preservation
- The Purpose of Life is to Make New Stuff!
How to Succeed as an Entrepreneur

- You Have No Limits.
- Calculated Risk-Taking
- Invest in Yourself
- The Secret of Happiness: Shoot for the Moon!
- Moonshot Thinking
- Why We Should all Be Photography Entrepreneurs
- Memento Mori Entrepreneurship
- Why it is Better to Beg For Forgiveness than Ask For Permission
- How to Become a Digital Nomad
- Why You Must Own Your Own Platform
- First Principle Thinking for Photography Entrepreneurs
- How I Became a Digital Nomad
- Better to Beg For Forgiveness than Ask For Permission!
- Spurn Pleasing Others!
- Create Your Own Niche
- How to Gain More Exposure For Your Photography
- Intense Focus
- How to Conquer Your Fears as an Entrepreneur
- Define Yourself
- Let Dissatisfaction Drive You Forward!
- It Doesn’t Matter if Someone Else Has Done it Before!
- How to Succeed as a Photography Entrepreneur: Be Extremely Resourceful
- Open Source Business Model in Photography Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship 101: Growth and Innovation Over Self-Preservation
- How to Create Value as a Photography Entrepreneur
- Why Become a Photography Entrepreneur?
- Why You Must Ignore Nay-Sayers to Succeed in Entrepreneurship, Business, and Life
The Modern Photographer: Tips, Strategies, and Tactics to Thrive as a Visual Artist in the Digital Age

Business Mental Models

- How to Succeed as a Photography Entrepreneur: Be Extremely Resourceful
- Open Source Business Model in Photography Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship 101: Growth and Innovation Over Self-Preservation
How to Monetize Your Photography

- Photography Entrepreneurship 101: INFLUENCE
- Should I Monetize My Passion for Photography?
- 10 Practical Photography Monetization Strategies: Pricing, Google SEO, & Entrepreneurship
- How to Make Money From Street Photography
Why Become a Photography Entrepreneur?

THE MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER

- CREATIVE CAPITALISM
- How to Monetize Your Photography
- 5 Practical Photography Career Tips and Advice
- 10x Thinking
- How to Hustle as a Photographer
- How to Become Your Own Master Marketer
- The ‘T’ Technique of Success
- Go Ahead and Sell Out
- What is Your Unique Voice?
- Why You Must Self-Promote Yourself
- What is Your Unique Angle as a Photographer?
- Photography Content Marketing 101
- Why You Must Become Your Own Publisher
- The Art of Cross-Pollination in Photography
Photography Entrepreneurship Articles

- Why You Shouldn’t Trust Your Pictures to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Flickr
- How to Make Money From Your Photography
- Photography SEO and Blogging: How to Become Number One on Google
- Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
- Now is the Best Time to Be a Photographer
- PRODUCERISM
- What Is The Value of a Picture?
- Your Photographic Labor is Not Free
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS 101

- Chapter 1. How to Make a Photography Blog
- Chapter 2. How to Price Yourself
- Chapter 3. How to Find Your Market
- Chapter 4. Why Teach Workshops?
- Chapter 5. How to Build Trust
- Chapter 6. How to Market Yourself
- Chapter 7: Why Should Someone Attend Your Workshop?
KEYS TO SUCCESS

- Why You Must Be a “Personality” in Order to Succeed
- THRIVE OR DIE.
- Impatience is a Virtue
- Create Your Own Category
- HOW TO DREAM BIG.
- Will Not or Cannot?
- Why Not?
- How to Think BIG
- How to Stay Ahead of the Curve
- How to Invest in Yourself
- The Two Camera Rule
- MEANINGFUL DIFFERENTIATION
- Advice For College Students
- How to Thrive in Uncertain Times
- CANNIBALIZE YOURSELF.
- DO AND GROW RICH
- Does Fear of Punishment Hold You Back?
- HOW TO GET MORE FOLLOWERS
- How to Innovate
- How to Build Your Own Empire
- YOU ARE ENTITLED TO HARD WORK.
- PICK YOURSELF.
- OWN YOUR PLATFORM
- 10 KEYS TO SUCCESS
Table of Contents

- Preface. BRAVE NEW WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY
- Chapter 1. How to Create Value
- Chapter 2. ZEN CAPITALISM
- Chapter 3. Scarcity
- Chapter 4. How to Brand Yourself
- Chapter 5. How to Build a True Following
- Chapter 6. The Blueprint to Success in Photography
- Chapter 7. HOW TO BE BOLD
- Chapter 8. How to Sell Out
- Chapter 9. GO AGAINST THE GRAIN
- Chapter 10. EXTREME ABUNDANCE
- Chapter 11. Photography Experience Economy
- Chapter 12. Why You Should Make Money for Your Photography
- Chapter 13. How to Become a Famous Photographer
Photography Business 101
How to Make Money with Photography

- How to Charge More Money in Your Photography
- Why You Should Not Pursue Photography as Career
- Can Photography Make You Rich?
- How I Earn $200,000+ a Year From Photography
- How to earn $10,000 a month as a photographer
- Why you must be an expensive photographer
Photography Marketing 101
- Why Have More Followers?
- Why You Should Do Photography Work For Free
- How I Became an Internet Famous Photographer
- Photography Blogging Ideas
- Why You Should Promote Your Own Name
- How to Build a Following
- How to Stand Out as a Photographer.
- HOW TO GO VIRAL AS A PHOTOGRAPHER.
- How to Master Marketing
- How to Sell Yourself

How to Hustle.
- Entrepreneurial Advice to My 18 Year Old Self
- How to Become Insanely Productive.
- 5 Lessons From Hesiod on Hustling
Entrepreneurial Principles
- It is Better to Beg For Forgiveness Than Ask For Permission
- The Free Way to Become Rich
- JUST DO IT.
- 7 Steps: How to Make a Living From Your Passion
- How to Do What You Love for a Living
- How to Create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- How to Fail Big
- How to Invest in Yourself
- How to Be Bold in Photography and Life
- Mission: Cover Your Rent and Food
- 1,000 True Fans
- The “10x Principle”: The Only Difference Between “Success” and “Failure”
- Make More Value Not Money
- We Live in a Photo Utopia
How to be a Full-time Photographer
- How to Make a Living From Photography
- The 3 Principles of Making Money With Photography
- Advice for Aspiring Full-Time Photographers
- Don’t Go Into Debt For Your Photography
- How to Brand Yourself as a Photographer
- Trust: The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed as a Photographer
Photography Blogging

- How to become rich from photography blogging
- How to Make a Living with Blogging
- 50 Blogging Tips For Beginners
- How to Start Your Own Photography Blog
- A Photographer’s Guide to SEO, Blogging, and Social Media
How to Teach Photography
- How to Become a Photography Teacher
- How to Teach a Street Photography Class
- Why I Teach Street Photography Workshops
Social Media
- Why I Deleted My Instagram
- The Social Media Blackbook for Photographers
- Why Do You Need More Likes or Followers?
- Instagram is Going to Be the Next Facebook
- Don’t Trust “Free” Photography Social Networks