The Money Tree: A Story About Finding the Fortune in Your Own Backyard

Chris Guillebeau

Apr 2020 · Penguin Random House Audio · Narrated by Chris Guillebeau

About this audiobook

From bestselling author of The $100 Startup and Side Hustle comes Chris Guillebeau's engaging story about the power you have to create your own financial destiny.

Like financial classics The Latte Factor and The Richest Man in Babylon, The Money Tree uses a compelling story with captivating characters to share its core insight: you are never at the mercy of fortune as long as you have an appetite for hard work and a willingness to step outside your comfort zone.

Jake Aarons is in trouble. He's being evicted from his apartment in less than 30 days, the bill for his $50,000 in overdue student loans is almost due, and the digital marketing agency he works at just implemented a new military-style grading system that might cost him his job. To top it off, Jake's new relationship with Maya was going so well... but with everything else falling down around him, he might lose her, too.

In search of answers, Jake reluctantly attends a weekly group meeting at the invitation of a coworker. Everyone in the group is trying to create a lucrative side hustle with one key requirement: they can only spend up to $500 before earning a profit. Over the course of several weeks, Jake undertakes a series of challenges, first learning how to make $1,000 in a single weekend, and ultimately how to discover the untapped skills he needs to take control of his finances--and his life.

Ratings and reviews

I love this book!! It's not his usual style - this one is fiction. But through the story and character development, he teaches you so much about how to start making money outside of the rat race.

I really enjoyed this book. The Money Tree is an easy, quick read, but there are many layers worth spending time thinking about and rereading. Not coming from a business background, I can easily get lost in the “10-steps to this”, and “5-steps to that” format that tends to include a lot of financial jargon. With those books, I find myself rereading sections, taking copious notes, and then not applying any strategies because I am overwhelmed. The Money Tree is written as a fictional story that links real-life, practical strategies. For me, this is brilliant. Throughout the read, my creative juices were flowing, and when I originally picked up the book, I was not even looking for new or different ways to generate income, but now I am! The Money Tree got me thinking outside the box again and asking what else is possible that I haven't even considered?

An enjoyable and well-written, inspirational story.

About the author

Chris Guillebeau is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The $100 Startup and The Happiness of Pursuit, and the Wall Street Journal bestseller Born for This. He is creator and host of the annual World Domination Summit, a gathering of cultural creatives that attracts such speakers as Susan Cain, Brené Brown, and Gretchen Rubin. Guillebeau speaks at dozens of events, companies, and universities, including Google, Facebook, SXSW, Evernote, LeWeb, and more. He recently completed a personal goal of visiting every country in the world.