Yesterday for Mother’s Day, I blogged a tribute to my long-suffering and faithful wife. David Rothwell, a marketing consultant in the UK, wrote back:

“Laura’s unwavering support of Perry has touched even more lives than she knows, including my youngest Charlie (now 10).

Although I had a 25 year career in IT before becoming a PPC Consultant, he’s only known me working from home doing this “advertising thang.”

My wife has a full time career as a teacher, so I became the house-husband after the catastrophe of 2001 and 9/11.

I’ve raised Charlie, and I do all the school runs, kids clubs and activities, music lesson taxi rides, weekly cooking, drying washing, some ironing and constant dish washer cycles!
In return I get to set my hours, charge my own rates, pick or fire my own clients, work when and from where I want including my car, my hotel, my study or anywhere with an internet connection.

I’ve now become “permanently employable”.

With the technology now available to us, and our ability to create value for people needing it and prepared (happily) to pay, there have never been more opportunities.”

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Because David has created autonomy in his life, he has a different relationship to his kids than he ever would have before. They’ll enjoy the benefits of this for the rest of their life.

He has a different relationship to the world at large: It doesn’t control him anymore. That changes everyone he deals with.

He has a different relationship to work: He enjoys it. He has the upper hand.

But the REAL reason he has autonomy is not so obvious. It’s not simply because he’s a consultant.

It’s because he’s a consultant who *knows how to make the customers show up* and he can prove it.

The guy who knows how to make the customers show up is always the guy in charge.

Now… there are different ways to make customers show up. Wildly different skill sets that can get the job done.

-David does it with analytical skill.

-Some people do it with deep empathy and emotion.

-Some people do it by speaking.

-Some people do it by writing.

-Some do it with their tremendous grasp of systems and processes.

-Some do it with the power of their personality to move the masses.

Each of these skills is different and must be sold differently.

Largely because of my wife’s undying support, I got free. Which helped David get free. Who’s next? Somebody’s next.

If you want to get free, you’re going to do it with YOUR fingerprints, your eccentricities and your unique brand of mojo.

Perry Marshall

About the Author

Perry Marshall has launched two revolutions in sales and marketing. In Pay-Per-Click advertising, he pioneered best practices and wrote the world's best selling book on Google advertising. And he's driven the 80/20 Principle deeper than any other author, creating a new movement in business.

He is referenced across the Internet and by Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, INC and Forbes Magazine.