Brian Clark’s Career Advice for the Unemployable - a podcast by Mark McGuinness

Today we kick off Season 4 of The 21st Century Creative, the podcast that helps you thrive as a creative professional amid the demands, distractions and opportunities of the 21st Century.



Our first guest is Brian Clark, a writer and entrepreneur best known as the founder of the hugely influential website Copyblogger.com, which has been described as 'the Bible of content marketing'.







Back in 2006, Brian was one of the first people to show how copywriting techniques could be used to attract attention online. He was also a pioneer of content marketing, showing creative people how they could use their skills at writing or making media to build an audience for their work and find customers for their businesses.



From Copyblogger Brian launched a string of successful businesses, selling e-learning, membership sites, software, Wordpress themes, web hosting and conferences.



Brian’s companies reached 8 figures revenue per year with no advertising and no venture capital funding - he maintained his independence by keeping his business small and selling direct to his audience.







He recently sold the StudioPress WordPress themes division of his company, and after taking his family on a round-the-world trip, is now renewing his focus on small projects with outsized income and impact. The ‘7 figure small’ is one of the current themes of his podcast Unemployable.



As a champion of the small creative enterprise, and an authority on creative marketing, Brian is the perfect person to kick off Season 4 by mapping out strategies to help you thrive as an independent creative in the 21st century.



Brian is also a pivotal figure for The 21st Century Creative - because this podcast would very likely not exist in its current form if it weren’t for him. You see, I learned how to design, launch and produce a media project like this direct from Brian.



Back in 2008, I partnered with Brian and Tony Clark (no relation) to launch the Lateral Action blog. Our mission was to help independent-minded creatives become more creative, productive and successful.



At that time, I had been blogging for less than two years, while Brian was already a very successful online entrepreneur. Listen to the podcast to hear the story of how I came to partner with Brian, and how what I learned from him helped me to create The 21st Century Creative.







In this interview Brian tell us the story of his early years and the hard lessons he learned before launching Copyblogger. He also explains the fundamentals of growing an audience and building a thriving business around your creative talent.



Brian and his students have done very well financially from applying these principles. But what shines through very strongly in this conversation is something more important than money - and that’s the freedom to work and create and live on your own terms.



If that’s the kind of freedom that matters to you, you’ll find plenty to relate to in this conversation about how to approach your creative career if you’re fundamentally - and proudly - unemployable.



Brian Clark interview transcript

MARK: Brian, how well did the career advice that you received in high school prepare you for the reality of how your career has unfolded?



BRIAN: You know I don’t think I recall getting any career advice in high school. And that just may be age, but I recall that the world seemed to operate a very different way. My general understanding was that I should go to college and somehow all would be revealed in college, which was a very enlightening experience as far as being exposed to new ideas and whatnot. But as far as a career, hmm.



So then I went to law school because I didn’t know still what I was supposed to do,

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