I know some Big City Snobs who think that because they live amongst celebrities, they have a better chance of success. It may be reassuring to wait in line next to David Schwimmer or Pauly Shore, but from the vantage point of this book, big city living might actually be a disadvantage – until you reach a point when you are ready to capitalize on a market you have defined.

Technology changed the equation. Not long ago, we did a book interview shoot at a local news studio. Via a secure fiber line, they shot a segment on our book Resumes from Hell which aired on CNN. Media coverage now has more to do with relentless marketing (and a good story) than convenience of location.

The advantage of a power city like New York or Los Angeles is the “relationship factor”: connections lead to good breaks. But here’s the catch: you can only leverage those connections after you have a track record. First you need a work product, *then* you can sell it. If your product is good enough and you’re not afraid to work the room, you can make connections on the fly when you need them. It’s a lot more satisfying to hand David Sedaris a copy of your book than to give him a sweaty “I’m a big fan” handshake.

The problem with the city is its financial grip. Maintaining a low cost of living is critical to the early-to-mid stages of freeing yourself from corporate America. If you can’t keep expenses low, it’s hard to fund those early stage ventures. When it takes fifteen minutes to grab a carton of milk, you have a productivity obstacle. My office is a two-minute walk from my house, and so it goes for most aspects of small town life. When I get to the point where more projects are finished and ready for palm pressing, I’ll hit the city.

No question there are advantages to urban living, but we can’t get too hung up on location: you can make a mess of your life anywhere. It’s the sum of your strategy and performance that counts. No matter where you live – and you can put the principles of this book into practice in any “free” market – you want to be a world class expert in your chosen area. The market is a tough place with little tolerance for bad ideas and shallow pockets. That’s why, when you think of freeing yourself from corporate America, you’re talking about finding (or creating) a niche that large companies can’t afford to serve or can’t move fast enough to claim.

In Good to Great, author Jim Collins details his findings: the most successful companies must be the “best in the world” at something close to their core business. His results are based on a study of publicly-held companies, but the same logic applies to small, virtual companies. To compete against the big players, you need to have a “best in world” niche. If you’re not currently the best, you either need to drop that focus or a make a commitment to excellence until you get there. You should be able to explain, in a sound bite, why larger companies are not in position to mimic your business model and send you back to the lab or the unemployment line.

Too many of us head to the unemployment line. Go back to the lab instead. Business re-invention is not easy, but we often come up with our best ideas after taking a pounding from the market.

Location matters, but strategy matters more. If we truly become “world class” in a particular area, we can ride that for a long time. I’ve milked an expertise in SAP software trends for a decade now. Without that niche, I’d be just another freelance writer pitching columns on high-tech razors while dodging my landlord.

Want to buy Free From Corporate America or see reviews of the final published version from readers like yourself? The printed book is now available on Amazon.com with product reviews.

You can also get a discounted version of the final book in eBook (PDF) format, or you can pick up a copy on the Kindle. The published version of the book is significantly enhanced from the web version available on this site.