This edition first published 2019
© 2019 John Lee
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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data
Names: Lee, John, 1981‐ author.
Title: Business hack : the wealth dragon way to build a successful business in the digital age / John Lee.
Description: First Edition. | Hoboken : Wiley, 2019. | Includes index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2018039792 (print) | LCCN 2018048897 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119542308 (Adobe PDF) | ISBN 9781119542315 (ePub) | ISBN 9781119542292 (paperback)
Subjects: LCSH: Internet marketing. | Selling. | Success in business. | BISAC: BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Finance.
Classification: LCC HF5415.1265 (ebook) | LCC HF5415.1265 .L44 2019 (print) | DDC 658.8/72—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018039792
Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Image: ©rudall30/Shutterstock
For Mum,
my original “why”.
And for Keira,
my new “why”.
Nothing is impossible; the word itself says, “I'm possible”…
Audrey Hepburn
Imagining a world without the Internet is becoming increasingly difficult. The younger generations have never known a world without the availability of instant online information and resources at the touch of a button. Whether you like it or not, business is conducted in cyberspace. Even the most hands‐on, tangible products need to be visible and available to purchase online. We receive the majority of our information through the digital medium, and increasingly not even through our laptops, but through our smartphones and tablets. And yet I still come across people with businesses who are not using all the online resources available to them, who feel reluctant to explore cyberspace, who resist investing time and money in their online presence. I try to impress upon them that the days when using Internet tools for business was optional are long gone; having an online presence, a digital business profile, is now an essential, core element of your business. If you are not online, you are very much offline… i.e. not in the picture! You and your business exist in today's oversaturated, ultracompetitive business environment. If you have a growing business and you do not have an online presence and a digital marketing strategy, you are virtually lifeless.
I am part of a generation that has watched the Internet come into existence. As I grew up and evolved into an entrepreneur, so the Internet has become a core part of my personal life and my professional world. One of my first jobs was selling domains to business owners who barely knew what the Internet was. I have grown all my businesses by making use of the very latest online resources. I have always loved passing on my knowledge to others, and I get huge satisfaction from watching people learn new skills that help them improve and grow their businesses. In this book I share with you all my knowledge about using online resources for business growth. Whether you are a fledgling start‐up enterprise or a well‐established business, I hope you find something useful within these pages. And I look forward to hearing about your success!
John Lee,
October 2018
My sincere thanks to everyone who helped bring this book to life. Firstly, my thanks to the John Wiley & Sons team, in particular Gladys Ganaden, Banurekha Venkatesan and Elisha Benjamin. My deepest gratitude also goes to everyone at Wealth Dragons PLC, especially Marcos Souto, Diane Saint and our hard‐working events team, without whom Wealth Dragons could not have grown as vibrantly and successfully as it has. And I acknowledge and thank our many speakers and business partners, who have contributed to a fascinating and exciting business journey. To my friends and family, who have watched my adventures in business and have offered endless support in so many ways, I am indebted to you all. I must, of course, thank my beautiful, intelligent and compassionate wife, Jen, who teaches me more about life every day. My business partner, Vincent Wong, is my brother and mentor, and I thank him for guiding and inspiring me for so many years. But most of all, I thank all my students, indeed everyone who comes to our events and joins our programmes. Without you I would know and understand far less about business than I do. Through you, by listening to you and watching you learn, I grow myself. Helping people change their lives for the better is why I do what I do.
John Lee is the co‐founder and CEO of Wealth Dragons PLC. John founded Wealth Dragons in 2009 with business partner Vincent Wong and the company grew rapidly to become a global leader in promoting events and training programmes that give people the tools to change their lives through creating asset‐based wealth and passive income. Recently, John launched Wealth Dragons Online, which is set to become one of the largest e‐learning platforms for entrepreneurs in the world.
After a humble start in life, born to Chinese immigrant parents in the north of England, John went from working shifts in his parents' Chinese takeaway business to becoming a self‐made millionaire by the time he was 27. Initially creating his wealth by investing in a successful property portfolio, John went on to become an internationally‐recognised public speaker, sharing stages with some of the greatest minds of our time, including former US President Bill Clinton, Alan Sugar, Richard Branson, Jack Welch (ex‐CEO of GE) and Randi Zuckerberg. By 2018, John had gained over two million followers on his Facebook page and had been featured in the mainstream media, in publications including The Sunday Times, The Huffington Post and The Wall Street Journal, and on the BBC. In 2017, John Lee was awarded “Man of the Year” at the Global Woman Awards.
Business Hack is John Lee's second book published by John Wiley & Sons. He is also the co‐author of The Wealth Dragon Way, first published in 2015, with its revised edition due out at the end of 2018.