In a blaze of glory twelve years ago, Tim Grahl quit his day job and went to work for himself full time. Having taught himself internet marketing and web development, he used the form emails from Charlie Hoen's book Recession Proof Graduate to pitch authors on how to improve their websites and help them market themselves online.

This is how the work begins. You get a sense that something is missing. So you leave the familiar in search of something else. You chase your calling and find something that looks a lot like it. It’s not exactly what you thought but close enough.

On this episode of The Portfolio Life, Jon gives us his answer about not revisiting his published work and the story of his success. Jon signed a record deal with Island DefJam Records just after graduating from college and experienced a shake-up that led to Sara Bareilles singing one of his songs.

Joining us to share his story and wisdom is Mike Herrera, the lead singer of punk band MxPx. Mike is also a podcaster, bass player, and songwriter who has completed multiple solo music projects and collaborations.

Caleb has created my last two book trailers, both of which people compliment all the time. Caleb's work raises the bar in this industry, so I wanted to bring him on the show to tell us how he got started, and how he created big breaks for himself.