BOOK: 'The GateKeepers are Gone. Hustle+Technology=Success' by Lamar Tyler

I met Lamar Tyler three years ago at the Blogging While Brown conference in Philadelphia. With so few guys in attendance, we all sort of gravitated to one another. 

Being new to blogging, I was fascinated at what was being presented regarding the business of blogging. Many of the presenters were 'eating' as a result of their blogs earning significant income with corporate sponsorships and advertising due to their large audiences and Lamar was among one of the giants. He gave me great advice on which camera to purchase since I was interested in upping my video game.

The following year the conference moved to NYC and Lamar gave a dynamic presentation imploring that there was no excuse to not make money blogging. Again, I got him alone and asked a ton of questions and he freely gave me valuable advice. I showed him my blog 'numbers' and he told me I was already ahead of the game while I was convinced that my hyper-local focused blog was too small to make a financial impact.

Much of the advice Lamar gave me is compiled in his new book, 'The GateKeepers are Gone. Hustle + Technology = Success'. 

The book is an easy read with just over 100 pages. The information is presented with no fluff broken down in small chapters covering every aspect of income he derives based on his blog. It's less about technology and heavy on the mindset you need to have if you intend to earn an income in this new economy spurred by social media.

The lessons learned in this book are remarkably simple. Find your passion, be consistent creating quality content, establish relationships, meet your audience where they are and treat them with respect, set goals, block out the haters, and stay on your grind. He stresses that in this new economy you don't need permission from the bigwigs anymore and can enter any arena you are interested in pursuing - books, movies, music, events, and make a good living doing so.

The most important lesson learned is that you have to get started. Without starting something, nothing will happen. He explains it with his C.R.U.S.H. acronym - Can't Rest Until Something Happens. Of course, nothing will happen unless you start something.

There's a lot of resources available that go into deeper detail to help you learn which technology tools support your passion and how to use them, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better launch pad to obtain a comprehensive overview of how to position yourself for success if you are looking to turn social media into an income source for yourself. 

Get yourself a copy of this great book from www.lamartyler.com. It's ridiculously affordable (under $10 or FREE if you follow the instructions).

Check out he and his wife's award winning site Black and Married with Kids.