The Escape Manifesto
Quit Your Corporate Job. Do Something Different!

Rob, Dom and Mikey were fed up with the corporate treadmill. When they decided to change careers, they looked for a ,website to help them escape – except there wasn′t one. So they started their own. Three years later and they have ,started a movement called Escape the City. Over 100,000 people have joined ,  ,in pursuit of ,exciting and unconventional careers. They are the first online start–up in the world to raise more than £,500,000 in ,investment equity crowdfunding – and they did this entirely from their own membership. The Escape Manifesto is the book that the guys wish they had read three years ago on the London Underground when ,they were commuting back and forth from their corporate cubicles. It is an inspirational call to action, packed with ,practical advice and encouragement. If you work in a corporate job that doesn′t make you tick and you have ever ,wondered whether there is more to life, this book is for you. Step off the corporate treadmill – find an exciting job, start ,your own business, or go on a big adventure. Stop dreaming, start planning and do something different! Reader Feedback "Fab book– inspired me to plan my escape in Jan 2014  ,to ,India to clear my head after 29 years in social work then starting my own business. ,If not now, when?!" – Fionna "My inspiration to take the step out of banking was driven by your book. I had been thinking about it for about a year but I kept putting off leaving the salaried job, that is until a friend left work and handed me a copy." – Selina "The Escape Manifesto is a fantastic book. Page after page really hit the note with me..... I′m leaving my city job to take some time out travelling South America and see what happens!" – Scott "The Manifesto has really helped me in my decision and continuing motivation to leave consulting. So, I&rsquo,d like to say a massive thank you." – Victoria "I′m so excited to have ′escaped′!! Thanks to the Escape Manifesto for giving me the motivation and push I needed to seek out opportunities I can be passionate about." – Australian Lawyer in London "I′d like to let you know that your website and book! helped me ′escape′ my job as management consultant in the Netherlands. I ,will be moving to Sri Lanka this November to work as general manager of a turtle conservation project, with my girlfriend. I found the job on your site. I′m so excited!" – Andre "I lost track of the number of times I stopped to read out passages to my wife which expressed the exact same thoughts and emotions as I&rsquo,d been feeling myself, it&rsquo,s always good to know you&rsquo,re not the first to have felt this way. I got a bit carried away with the highlighter and have built a to–do list off the back of it." – Graham "Loving the Escape manifesto, I′m planning my escape from finance to conservation for August 2014." – ,Scott "Your book is by my bed &ndash, making notes from the money chapter&hellip, hopefully I&rsquo,ll have news soon." – ,Victoria "I′m reading your book ,right now. I′m halfway through but I couldn′t resist contacting you before I finish it. It is the perfect reference for finding a new career path and escaping the status quo and pressure from society – very good book!" – Daniel , "Your book has made me feel so good about my situation and I now believe I′m doing all the right things to give my plans a good old go. Life is so short and you have nothing to lose. Nothing!!!" – Ed "Even the shittiest day brightens up when I read your blog, your book or just the pics you post on Facebook." ,– Dagmar "Well chaps, I did it! Quit my job in senior leadership in a blue chip corporate.  ,Now what???? Halfway thru your book and I had the eureka moment – "I′ll write a book too" so, after blasting out a proposal I now have a contract with a publishing house. My new life as a writer started 3 months ago, you guys gave me the nudge I needed. Thanks!" – Andrew "I just wanted to say briefly THANK YOU! You wrote a great book! I found myself on many pages! THANKS for writing down your ideas and thoughts and for founding ESC! Just registered. All the best and good luck to you!" – Franziska

The Escape Manifesto x Introduction 1 PART ONE &ndash, PRE–ESCAPE 9 1 The Travelator 11 Why does this world not work for so many of us? 15 We are our jobs 16 The emperor&rsquo,s new clothes 17 Politics and bullshit 18 Autonomy, mastery, purpose 19 Warning &ndash, your health may suff er 22 Corporate creativity is an oxymoron 23 Institutions and leaders are failing us 25 Why do so many of us tread this path? 27 We have been taught to be cogs 28 We make semi–conscious decisions 29 The trap of the high achievers 31 We don&rsquo,t defi ne success for ourselves 33 Most careers advice is so awful 35 2 Thoughts and Blockers 37 Unhelpful thoughts 39 &ldquo,I should be grateful for this job&rdquo, 40 &ldquo,I am safe in my current job&rdquo, 41 &ldquo,I might damage my career&rdquo, 42 &ldquo,I don&rsquo,t have the right network&rdquo, 43 &ldquo,I don&rsquo,t have the right skills&rdquo, 44 &ldquo,I need to have it all fi gured out&rdquo, 46 Common blockers 49 We are looking for an instruction manual 50 We are infl uenced by other people 51 We love feeling comfortable 53 We hate feeling scared 54 We talk ourselves out of decisions 56 We are short of time and energy 58 We need money to survive 59 3 Gradual Epiphanies 63 Life epiphanies 65 Live life your way 66 Heed the call 68 Avoid living for the future 70 Realize nothing stays the same 71 Preempt the big scare or tragedy 73 Write your own obituary 74 Avoid empty &ldquo,fi nd yourself&rdquo, advice 75 Work epiphanies 77 Recognize the signs 78 Stop collecting qualifi cations 80 Look up the ladder 82 Accept changing is always hard 84 Choose a fi ght worth fi ghting 85 Decide that enough is enough 86 4 The Money Question 89 Think about your fi nances diff erently 93 The golden handcuff s 94 Money and happiness 95 The cycle of consumption 97 Escape begins with defi nition 100 Redefi ne personal fi nance 102 Manage your fi nances diff erently 103 Conduct a personal fi nancial audit 104 Crunch the numbers behind your escape 105 See your escape as a startup 107 Minimise costs 108 Save intelligently 110 Earn creatively 112 Avoid debt (or pay it down) 114 Build assets, question liabilities 115 Invest in yourself, not stuff 117 5 Evolution Not Revolution 121 Pre–decision 123 Fight the fear 124 Enforce limits, push back 126 Get better at listening 128 Stop reading, start acting 130 Post–decision 133 Don&rsquo,t quit just yet 134 Just start (but start small) 136 Test towards the way that works 138 Create a checklist 140 Cultivate partners–in–crime 141 Reframe the risk 143 Resign (carefully) 144 Don&rsquo,t expect a bunch of roses 146 PART TWO &ndash, POST–ESCAPE 151 6 Find an Exciting Job 153 Work is changing 155 Get clear on your decision criteria 157 Forget passions, what can you off er? 159 Get your head around &ldquo,skills&rdquo, 161 Hunt people not jobs 165 Tell a good story 167 Own your online presence 168 Hunt diff erently 169 Interview diff erently 172 7 Adventure 175 Escape the Matrix 177 Get perspective 178 Confront adversity 179 Plan, don&rsquo,t plan 180 Adventure diff erently 184 8 Start Your Own Business 191 Why start a business? 193 Scratch your own itch 195 Ideas are cheap, execution counts 198 Bin the business plan 199 Funding your startup 201 Make meaning 207 Defi ne success 209 Get going with what you&rsquo,ve got 211 Prepare yourself for the ride 213 9 There is No Guidebook 217 Commit 219 Trust the process 220 Fight fear 222 Don&rsquo,t waste your time 224 Reject norms 226 Have an impact 228 Prepare for the mountain 230 Ignore cynics 232 Develop three traits 233 A Final Word 236 Footnotes 239 Recommended Escape Resources 243 Escapees To Take Inspiration From 248 About Escape the City 258 Acknowledgements 259 Index 260

Escape The City is a community-focused business built around a simple concept: that there is more to life than doing unfulfilling work in big corporate companies. The online platform is designed to help corporate professionals find exciting jobs, start their own businesses, and go on big adventures.