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The Minimalist Entrepreneur: How Great Founders Do More with Less
“Pay attention.”—Jason Fried
A revolutionary roadmap for building startups that go the distance
Now more than ever, you don’t need a fancy office, Ivy League degree, or millions of dollars in venture capital to launch a business that matters for the communities you care most about. Software, the internet, and remote work have made it possible for entrepreneurs to start for free, make a customer of anyone, and grow a profitable, sustainable company from anywhere.
Packed with hard-won, battle-tested lessons from Lavingia’s own journey of building Gumroad, a platform for creators to sell their work, The Minimalist Entrepreneur teaches founders how
• start then learn
• build a community, then solve a problem for them
• charge for something even before you’ve built anything
• avoid running out of money and, more importantly, energy
• run a tight ship amid the rise of the gig economy and remote work
• own a business without it owning you back.
The Minimalist Entrepreneur is the manifesto for a new generation of founders who would rather build great companies than big ones. This is essential knowledge for every founder aspiring to build a business worth building.
A revolutionary roadmap for building startups that go the distance
Now more than ever, you don’t need a fancy office, Ivy League degree, or millions of dollars in venture capital to launch a business that matters for the communities you care most about. Software, the internet, and remote work have made it possible for entrepreneurs to start for free, make a customer of anyone, and grow a profitable, sustainable company from anywhere.
Packed with hard-won, battle-tested lessons from Lavingia’s own journey of building Gumroad, a platform for creators to sell their work, The Minimalist Entrepreneur teaches founders how
• start then learn
• build a community, then solve a problem for them
• charge for something even before you’ve built anything
• avoid running out of money and, more importantly, energy
• run a tight ship amid the rise of the gig economy and remote work
• own a business without it owning you back.
The Minimalist Entrepreneur is the manifesto for a new generation of founders who would rather build great companies than big ones. This is essential knowledge for every founder aspiring to build a business worth building.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published October 26, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
July 7, 2022
A list of preparation tasks for starting a business.
Simplifying the steps of running a new business.
Emphasize the main goal of business is profit.
I learn a lot of minimalist ideas from this book and can practice them in real life.
Simplifying the steps of running a new business.
Emphasize the main goal of business is profit.
I learn a lot of minimalist ideas from this book and can practice them in real life.
December 27, 2021
This one is a quick but effective look into starting a low-cost, MVP-style business. On audio, it clocks in at just over four hours. To be honest, I kind of found that refreshing. It cuts out a lot of the fluff and just gets right into the meat of things.
I also loved the fact that it’s written by an entrepreneur who has really "done it" before. You know it’s legit since Lavingia has been in the trenches himself — and actually built a really solid business on top of this book's principles.
Sure, it’s simple at times, but I don’t think that’s actually a detractor here. Especially not in a short book that gives you what you need, then leaves you to it. Definitely worth picking up.
-Brian Sachetta
Author of “Get Out of Your Head”
I also loved the fact that it’s written by an entrepreneur who has really "done it" before. You know it’s legit since Lavingia has been in the trenches himself — and actually built a really solid business on top of this book's principles.
Sure, it’s simple at times, but I don’t think that’s actually a detractor here. Especially not in a short book that gives you what you need, then leaves you to it. Definitely worth picking up.
-Brian Sachetta
Author of “Get Out of Your Head”
April 24, 2022
Awesome book about building profitable from day 1, no-external capital, business.
Minimalist Entrepreneur guide:
- You don’t learn, then start. You start, then learn.
- be “profitable at all costs” instead of growing at all costs
- find first customers within your community
- be part of community where you can build relationships for decades to come
- The best way to win is to be the only
- types of product to build:
(1) Place utility: Make something inaccessible accessible
(2) Form utility: Make something more valuable by rearranging existing parts
(3) Time utility: Make something slow go fast
(4) Possession utility: Remove a middleman
- if you can generate $60k/year revenue you are onto something
- build business that you will LOVE to build for years
- Surround yourself with colleagues and mentors who will not only tell you the truth but will also encourage you when the going gets tough.
- you need solid expertise in 1 aspect of business you are starting
- self-employment for developers:
(1) Selling your knowledge and teaching people via digital content (videos, ebooks, podcasts, and courses)
(2) Selling a physical product (merchandise or a unique product offering)
(3) Connecting people for a flat or percentage fee
(4) SaaS
- Every business starts with hypothesis validation. When you are validating a hypothesis, do not ask leading questions—questions that point people to the answer you want to hear.
- Everything that a software engineer can do today, everyone can do tomorrow
- First iteration of your product should be created over a weekend
- create a manual process before automation
- Turn every failed customer conversion into an insight
- The goal is to eventually charge people for tiered levels of service, which you can do when your product, service, or software has an established value and brand.
- charge for your product from the beginning (behavioral economics FTW!)
- Instead of selling your product, educate on your journey and learnings
- Manual “sales” will be 99 percent of your growth in the early days. Paid marketing, SEO, content marketing comes later. Before you can have marketing, you need to sell to your first hundred customers; that’s because sales is the process upon which you build marketing.
- Start by selling to your family and friends before moving on to your communities and, finally, if at all, to total strangers. (The further away from you, the harder they will be to convince.)
- Try all platforms to promote your business (IG, YT, Pintrest, Reddit, Twitter) and figure out which one works the best.
- Educate, Inspire, and Entertain: Just like your product, the stuff you share on social media is only as good as the experiences it enables people to have. They want to lose weight, laugh, be entertained, get smarter, spend time with loved ones, go home on time, sleep adequately, eat good food, be happy. Help them do that.
- Top of the Funnel: Social Media and SEO, Middle of the Funnel: Emails and Communities, Bottom of the Funnel: Sales.
- Paid advertising can work, but it has its cons. If you do decide to spend money, wait as long as you can—you’ll know much more about who you’re trying to reach that way.
- When businesses fail, it’s unlikely that a tornado of unforeseeable misfortunes is the cause. Instead, it’s usually one or more of the same handful of mistakes: overspending on inventory and office space, hiring too quickly, cofounder infighting.
- Advice for minimalist entrepreneur: hire software instead of humans, don't get an office, don't move to Silicon Valley, outsource everything
- questions worth asking your potential partners: What does a happy relationship look like? What does success for this business look like? What does an exit look like? How fast do we want to grow? Why are we starting this together?
- The vast majority of small businesses are never eaten. Big fish want to eat other big fish.
- Before you’re ready to hire anyone, you first need to make a company people want to work for.
- Each person you hire makes the matrix of interactions within your organization more complex.
- Values are oral tradition. They tell employees a story of how to behave in both everyday and extreme situations. And they’re more efficient mediums of information than manuals and handbooks. That’s because good values stick in the brain; they’re efficient and memorable.
- Ultimately, the greatest candidates are the ones who plan to replace you.
- Fit is two-way; when someone isn’t working out for you, it also means you aren’t working out for them.
- a minimalist entrepreneur without a successful, sustainable business only wants one thing (that!)
- author's reflection on "Failure to Build a Billion-Dollar Company": https://sahillavingia.com/reflecting
- 1000 True Fans: https://www.amazon.com/1000-True-Fans...
- "How we gather" report: https://caspertk.files.wordpress.com/...
- resource for community builders: https://rosie.land/
- GumRoad v1: https://github.com/gumroad/gumroad-v1
- I Started Gumroad as a Weekend Project and Now It’s Making $350k/Mo: https://www.indiehackers.com/intervie...
- Profitable Confidence: How to Build a Business for the Long-Term: https://wistia.com/learn/culture/prof...
- Book summary: https://aseemthakar.com/the-minimalis...
Minimalist Entrepreneur guide:
- You don’t learn, then start. You start, then learn.
- be “profitable at all costs” instead of growing at all costs
- find first customers within your community
- be part of community where you can build relationships for decades to come
- The best way to win is to be the only
- types of product to build:
(1) Place utility: Make something inaccessible accessible
(2) Form utility: Make something more valuable by rearranging existing parts
(3) Time utility: Make something slow go fast
(4) Possession utility: Remove a middleman
- if you can generate $60k/year revenue you are onto something
- build business that you will LOVE to build for years
- Surround yourself with colleagues and mentors who will not only tell you the truth but will also encourage you when the going gets tough.
- you need solid expertise in 1 aspect of business you are starting
- self-employment for developers:
(1) Selling your knowledge and teaching people via digital content (videos, ebooks, podcasts, and courses)
(2) Selling a physical product (merchandise or a unique product offering)
(3) Connecting people for a flat or percentage fee
(4) SaaS
- Every business starts with hypothesis validation. When you are validating a hypothesis, do not ask leading questions—questions that point people to the answer you want to hear.
- Everything that a software engineer can do today, everyone can do tomorrow
- First iteration of your product should be created over a weekend
- create a manual process before automation
- Turn every failed customer conversion into an insight
- The goal is to eventually charge people for tiered levels of service, which you can do when your product, service, or software has an established value and brand.
- charge for your product from the beginning (behavioral economics FTW!)
- Instead of selling your product, educate on your journey and learnings
- Manual “sales” will be 99 percent of your growth in the early days. Paid marketing, SEO, content marketing comes later. Before you can have marketing, you need to sell to your first hundred customers; that’s because sales is the process upon which you build marketing.
- Start by selling to your family and friends before moving on to your communities and, finally, if at all, to total strangers. (The further away from you, the harder they will be to convince.)
- Try all platforms to promote your business (IG, YT, Pintrest, Reddit, Twitter) and figure out which one works the best.
- Educate, Inspire, and Entertain: Just like your product, the stuff you share on social media is only as good as the experiences it enables people to have. They want to lose weight, laugh, be entertained, get smarter, spend time with loved ones, go home on time, sleep adequately, eat good food, be happy. Help them do that.
- Top of the Funnel: Social Media and SEO, Middle of the Funnel: Emails and Communities, Bottom of the Funnel: Sales.
- Paid advertising can work, but it has its cons. If you do decide to spend money, wait as long as you can—you’ll know much more about who you’re trying to reach that way.
- When businesses fail, it’s unlikely that a tornado of unforeseeable misfortunes is the cause. Instead, it’s usually one or more of the same handful of mistakes: overspending on inventory and office space, hiring too quickly, cofounder infighting.
- Advice for minimalist entrepreneur: hire software instead of humans, don't get an office, don't move to Silicon Valley, outsource everything
- questions worth asking your potential partners: What does a happy relationship look like? What does success for this business look like? What does an exit look like? How fast do we want to grow? Why are we starting this together?
- The vast majority of small businesses are never eaten. Big fish want to eat other big fish.
- Before you’re ready to hire anyone, you first need to make a company people want to work for.
- Each person you hire makes the matrix of interactions within your organization more complex.
- Values are oral tradition. They tell employees a story of how to behave in both everyday and extreme situations. And they’re more efficient mediums of information than manuals and handbooks. That’s because good values stick in the brain; they’re efficient and memorable.
- Ultimately, the greatest candidates are the ones who plan to replace you.
- Fit is two-way; when someone isn’t working out for you, it also means you aren’t working out for them.
- a minimalist entrepreneur without a successful, sustainable business only wants one thing (that!)
- author's reflection on "Failure to Build a Billion-Dollar Company": https://sahillavingia.com/reflecting
- 1000 True Fans: https://www.amazon.com/1000-True-Fans...
- "How we gather" report: https://caspertk.files.wordpress.com/...
- resource for community builders: https://rosie.land/
- GumRoad v1: https://github.com/gumroad/gumroad-v1
- I Started Gumroad as a Weekend Project and Now It’s Making $350k/Mo: https://www.indiehackers.com/intervie...
- Profitable Confidence: How to Build a Business for the Long-Term: https://wistia.com/learn/culture/prof...
- Book summary: https://aseemthakar.com/the-minimalis...
May 9, 2022
Founders are creators. Sahil helped me remind myself that simple idea. This is a practical book written by one enterpreneur to others. Open source enterpreneurship is close to me i try to enable other enterpreneurs in my own work so i dig it.
I resonate with ideas here. Profitability, 40 hour workweek, bootstrapping, client orientation. If these things resonate - grab a copy.
Polish translation is 9/10
I resonate with ideas here. Profitability, 40 hour workweek, bootstrapping, client orientation. If these things resonate - grab a copy.
Polish translation is 9/10
December 5, 2021
"Most people don't start. Most people who start don't continue. Most people who continue give up. Many winners are just the last ones standing. Don't give up."
In the world of loss-making and venture capital-infused startups, 'The Minimalist Entrepreneur' provides an alternative and fresh perspective on how to build a sustainable profitable startup. The book is a manifesto on how to get over the unicorn chase with a precarious 'growth at all costs' mindset. It's a playbook for creators and founders looking to build companies of any size and scale from any corner of the earth after all, not every impactful startup needs to be a unicorn.
Sahil is one of the entrepreneurs that I've been following for quite some time on Twitter now and I'm a big fan of his "build in public" approach. He built the first version of Gumroad over a single weekend in 2011. Gumroad is a digital marketplace that allows creators to sell digital products and memberships. Gumroad had a roaring start but then stumbled along the way due to the chase for unrealistic high growth numbers. By taking the 'the road less travelled' approach of downsizing and focusing on profitability, Sahil finally was able to turn the hull around. His article "Reflecting on My Failure to Build a Billion-Dollar Company" which captures these ups and downs in his startup journey shot him into the limelight and resonated with many who failed in chasing and building the unicorn.
This 200-pager book covers a plethora of startup wisdom and knowledge related to building community, finding product-market fit, selling to the first 100 customers, marketing company and yourself, and most importantly, building and codifying company culture. The concepts of "time billionaire" and "ikigai" referenced in the last chapter of the book stood out for me. Most of us are "time billionaires" having more than a billion seconds left in our lives but it's quite surprising how less we seem to value it. The Japanese concept of "ikigai", on the other hand, is the marriage of your passion with your profession, after all, our lives should be more than just working for money.
I'd highly recommend this to anyone tinkering with the idea of diving into the entrepreneurship sea. The learnings and the alternative approach outlined in this book as opposed to the razzmatazz glitzy perception that you might have because of the media bubble will give you a much better and wider understanding of how to build a company from scratch in today's tech-heavy world with a focus on sustainable profitability.
In the world of loss-making and venture capital-infused startups, 'The Minimalist Entrepreneur' provides an alternative and fresh perspective on how to build a sustainable profitable startup. The book is a manifesto on how to get over the unicorn chase with a precarious 'growth at all costs' mindset. It's a playbook for creators and founders looking to build companies of any size and scale from any corner of the earth after all, not every impactful startup needs to be a unicorn.
Sahil is one of the entrepreneurs that I've been following for quite some time on Twitter now and I'm a big fan of his "build in public" approach. He built the first version of Gumroad over a single weekend in 2011. Gumroad is a digital marketplace that allows creators to sell digital products and memberships. Gumroad had a roaring start but then stumbled along the way due to the chase for unrealistic high growth numbers. By taking the 'the road less travelled' approach of downsizing and focusing on profitability, Sahil finally was able to turn the hull around. His article "Reflecting on My Failure to Build a Billion-Dollar Company" which captures these ups and downs in his startup journey shot him into the limelight and resonated with many who failed in chasing and building the unicorn.
This 200-pager book covers a plethora of startup wisdom and knowledge related to building community, finding product-market fit, selling to the first 100 customers, marketing company and yourself, and most importantly, building and codifying company culture. The concepts of "time billionaire" and "ikigai" referenced in the last chapter of the book stood out for me. Most of us are "time billionaires" having more than a billion seconds left in our lives but it's quite surprising how less we seem to value it. The Japanese concept of "ikigai", on the other hand, is the marriage of your passion with your profession, after all, our lives should be more than just working for money.
I'd highly recommend this to anyone tinkering with the idea of diving into the entrepreneurship sea. The learnings and the alternative approach outlined in this book as opposed to the razzmatazz glitzy perception that you might have because of the media bubble will give you a much better and wider understanding of how to build a company from scratch in today's tech-heavy world with a focus on sustainable profitability.
August 14, 2023
Good place for inspiration for those who are looking to start their own small-scale business.
The only drawbacks was that mr. Lavingia only focused mostly on SAAS-businesses whereas I'm looking for start a different kind of business.
The only drawbacks was that mr. Lavingia only focused mostly on SAAS-businesses whereas I'm looking for start a different kind of business.
May 26, 2022
Probably major takeaway, your business will grow as long as you remain honest with yourself.
If you're first time entrepreneur this book 📚 will offer you quite fresh and comprehensive overview to mitigate first-time founder's blind spots.
Don't forget to have hard conversation and raise concerns often, to plan for the worst.
Okay I learned about the rushed launch of Quibi and Eko case, probably because of the pre-maturity of the product.
For content creation one needs to do obvious dance, educate, inspire with stories and meme way up.
>According to Matt Murphy, the managing director and partner of Menlo Ventures, approximately 70% of startups fail. Also, about 5% of venture capital-backed companies deliver ten to one-hundred-fold returns to balance losses and make everything worthwhile.
>When starting a business, you don't learn before you start; you start, then learn as you go.
>Often, those who succeed do so because they're focused on a community that the founder knows well. This process requires authentic relationships, time, and the willingness to serve.
>to create a profitable business, you really have just two options: find an idea you're in love with, or fall in love with a profitable idea.
>Creating a product is a process of discovery, not mere implementation. Technology is applied science.
≥It's always good to test your product with some early adopters to see what they think. Once you have enough steady customers, you are a product-market fit.
>Some entrepreneurs are afraid to create educational content. They feel people will no longer pay them if they share their specialized knowledge for free, a legitimate concern.
>Creating educational content positions you as an authority who knows what you’re saying. People will come to you because they believe you're the expert. And in fact, those who deem your content useful will share it with their audience. But this doesn't negate the fact that you should also have premium content only available to paying customers.
>Inspiring people by telling them your story makes them your fans, not just customers.
>Hire slowly, not ambitiously. Hiring is complex and requires great care in startups because it simultaneously deals with product development, sales, and marketing.
>Ultimately, the best candidates are the ones who plan to replace you. Always try to hire people better than you to be sure of the value they'll bring to the company.
>Investing in relationships matters when building your business. However, please do not start relationships with people unless you trust them. Hold firmly to your values and ascertain what you want to build and how you want to build it. And no matter your relationship with your partners, do not ignore the possibility that one of you may leave; so, plan for it.
>Have hard conversations early, and have them continuously. Ask questions like what does a happy relationship look like? Are we on the same page? What does success for this business look like? How fast do we want to grow?
>Beginning a minimalist business is not without its challenges, but anyone can succeed with dedication and the proper steps. Building a minimalist business requires starting with great ideas and then picking the right community to serve.
>As you continue to put in your best to make your startup grow, your life and work will grow together. You'll have a purpose that unifies everything you do and get paid to do what you love. Your business will grow as long as you remain honest with yourself.
If you're first time entrepreneur this book 📚 will offer you quite fresh and comprehensive overview to mitigate first-time founder's blind spots.
Don't forget to have hard conversation and raise concerns often, to plan for the worst.
Okay I learned about the rushed launch of Quibi and Eko case, probably because of the pre-maturity of the product.
For content creation one needs to do obvious dance, educate, inspire with stories and meme way up.
>According to Matt Murphy, the managing director and partner of Menlo Ventures, approximately 70% of startups fail. Also, about 5% of venture capital-backed companies deliver ten to one-hundred-fold returns to balance losses and make everything worthwhile.
>When starting a business, you don't learn before you start; you start, then learn as you go.
>Often, those who succeed do so because they're focused on a community that the founder knows well. This process requires authentic relationships, time, and the willingness to serve.
>to create a profitable business, you really have just two options: find an idea you're in love with, or fall in love with a profitable idea.
>Creating a product is a process of discovery, not mere implementation. Technology is applied science.
≥It's always good to test your product with some early adopters to see what they think. Once you have enough steady customers, you are a product-market fit.
>Some entrepreneurs are afraid to create educational content. They feel people will no longer pay them if they share their specialized knowledge for free, a legitimate concern.
>Creating educational content positions you as an authority who knows what you’re saying. People will come to you because they believe you're the expert. And in fact, those who deem your content useful will share it with their audience. But this doesn't negate the fact that you should also have premium content only available to paying customers.
>Inspiring people by telling them your story makes them your fans, not just customers.
>Hire slowly, not ambitiously. Hiring is complex and requires great care in startups because it simultaneously deals with product development, sales, and marketing.
>Ultimately, the best candidates are the ones who plan to replace you. Always try to hire people better than you to be sure of the value they'll bring to the company.
>Investing in relationships matters when building your business. However, please do not start relationships with people unless you trust them. Hold firmly to your values and ascertain what you want to build and how you want to build it. And no matter your relationship with your partners, do not ignore the possibility that one of you may leave; so, plan for it.
>Have hard conversations early, and have them continuously. Ask questions like what does a happy relationship look like? Are we on the same page? What does success for this business look like? How fast do we want to grow?
>Beginning a minimalist business is not without its challenges, but anyone can succeed with dedication and the proper steps. Building a minimalist business requires starting with great ideas and then picking the right community to serve.
>As you continue to put in your best to make your startup grow, your life and work will grow together. You'll have a purpose that unifies everything you do and get paid to do what you love. Your business will grow as long as you remain honest with yourself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2022
This is a great how-to book on building a profitable business from day 1.
What makes it more valuable is that the author has seen many different scenarios of entrepreneurship.
He's tried via raising capital and trying to build a startup. He's also tried the route of growing slowly and focused on providing a great product/service without any unnecessary acceleration/pressure from investors.
Flow: 5/5
Actionability: 5/5
Mindset: 4/5
Some of My Highlights:
"You don't learn, then start. You start, then learn."
"This is what being a minimalist entrepreneur is all about: making a difference while making a living."
"The whole system is riding on at least 5 percent of VC-baked companies delivering tenfold to one hundredfold returns to balance out losses and make it all worth it. Without them, the VC model simply doesn't work."
"Before you become an entrepreneur, become a creator."
"...most businesses fail because they aren't built with a particular group of people in mind."
"...the best communities are made up of individuals who might be otherwise dissimilar but who have shared interests, values, and abilities."
"...you don't have to bring your whole self to every community you join, but you do have to bring a slice of yourself."
"On the internet, they say, 1 percent create, 9 percent contribute, and 90 percent consume."
"Become a person who helps people precedes building a business that helps people."
"...you should focus on a community where you can (and want to): (1) create long-term value; (2) build relationships for decades to come; and (3) carve out a unique, authentic voice for yourself."
"The best way to win is to be the only."
"...focus on your first customers, using your time and your expertise to solve real problems for real people."
"If you want to make a movie recommendation service, start by telling friends to call you for movie recommendations."
"Unfortunately, many people miss this step, falter, and ultimately fail because they go straight from problem to product before learning exactly what and how to build."
"Until you get through the entire process of solving the customer's problem and (ultimately) receiving payment, you won't know what the customer wants and is willing to pay for."
"There are two categories of self-inflicted mistakes or 'unforced errors,' to watch out for. The first set relates to running out of money, the second set to running out of energy."
"Most people won't enjoy working at your company, and your job listings should make it clear that they should look elsewhere."
What makes it more valuable is that the author has seen many different scenarios of entrepreneurship.
He's tried via raising capital and trying to build a startup. He's also tried the route of growing slowly and focused on providing a great product/service without any unnecessary acceleration/pressure from investors.
Flow: 5/5
Actionability: 5/5
Mindset: 4/5
Some of My Highlights:
"You don't learn, then start. You start, then learn."
"This is what being a minimalist entrepreneur is all about: making a difference while making a living."
"The whole system is riding on at least 5 percent of VC-baked companies delivering tenfold to one hundredfold returns to balance out losses and make it all worth it. Without them, the VC model simply doesn't work."
"Before you become an entrepreneur, become a creator."
"...most businesses fail because they aren't built with a particular group of people in mind."
"...the best communities are made up of individuals who might be otherwise dissimilar but who have shared interests, values, and abilities."
"...you don't have to bring your whole self to every community you join, but you do have to bring a slice of yourself."
"On the internet, they say, 1 percent create, 9 percent contribute, and 90 percent consume."
"Become a person who helps people precedes building a business that helps people."
"...you should focus on a community where you can (and want to): (1) create long-term value; (2) build relationships for decades to come; and (3) carve out a unique, authentic voice for yourself."
"The best way to win is to be the only."
"...focus on your first customers, using your time and your expertise to solve real problems for real people."
"If you want to make a movie recommendation service, start by telling friends to call you for movie recommendations."
"Unfortunately, many people miss this step, falter, and ultimately fail because they go straight from problem to product before learning exactly what and how to build."
"Until you get through the entire process of solving the customer's problem and (ultimately) receiving payment, you won't know what the customer wants and is willing to pay for."
"There are two categories of self-inflicted mistakes or 'unforced errors,' to watch out for. The first set relates to running out of money, the second set to running out of energy."
"Most people won't enjoy working at your company, and your job listings should make it clear that they should look elsewhere."
January 4, 2022
If you're running a business and if you're after growth and if you're frustrated, this is the book you should read. After running my business for years with anxiety, I finally felt calm after reading this.
November 7, 2021
Sahil wrote an eye-opening book for somebody who does not want to participate in a rat race for raising investments and growing at all costs.
Conventional wisdom in Silicone Walley says that you need to find an innovative idea to build a successful business, pitch to VC funds, and grow as fast as possible to be the market's monopoly.
Sahil deconstructs it, shows that this is not the best way to grow for the most founds, and offers a new minimalistic path to build the business.
He proposes avoiding VC funding at early stages but investing time into the customer discovery process and building the business, not around you and your investors but the customers.
I mostly loved in this book the consistency with which the author shows how his own business operates based on the principles described in his book.
Recommend for everybody seeking to build the business to improve the lifestyle, not the other way around.
Conventional wisdom in Silicone Walley says that you need to find an innovative idea to build a successful business, pitch to VC funds, and grow as fast as possible to be the market's monopoly.
Sahil deconstructs it, shows that this is not the best way to grow for the most founds, and offers a new minimalistic path to build the business.
He proposes avoiding VC funding at early stages but investing time into the customer discovery process and building the business, not around you and your investors but the customers.
I mostly loved in this book the consistency with which the author shows how his own business operates based on the principles described in his book.
Recommend for everybody seeking to build the business to improve the lifestyle, not the other way around.
November 12, 2021
I've been following Gumroad's trajectory over the last few months since reading "No Meetings, No Deadlines, No Full-Time Employees" https://sahillavingia.com/work by Sahil and it's really refreshing to see that what we consider a business owner or an entrepreneur is evolving.
There are so many nuggets of wisdom in this book and he really captures the misconceptions we have about building a business. Here's a quote that really resonated:
“The real story of starting and then growing a business isn’t really that thrilling most days. Between start and success, it can be a slog. It can take years. And it often isn’t nearly as glamorous as you expect. But you will have small victories and over time they will build into a sense of satisfaction and pride that comes from not giving up.”
I encourage anyone who's considering becoming a creator/founder/entrepreneur to give this book a go!
There are so many nuggets of wisdom in this book and he really captures the misconceptions we have about building a business. Here's a quote that really resonated:
“The real story of starting and then growing a business isn’t really that thrilling most days. Between start and success, it can be a slog. It can take years. And it often isn’t nearly as glamorous as you expect. But you will have small victories and over time they will build into a sense of satisfaction and pride that comes from not giving up.”
I encourage anyone who's considering becoming a creator/founder/entrepreneur to give this book a go!
November 10, 2021
A refreshing read, in a world where most entrepreneurs look for scale before fit, ends before means, and efficiency over effectiveness; especially since the path to scale, ends, and efficiency passes through fit, means, and effectiveness.
I was pleasantly surprised by how practical the book was, took some notes while reading it, and will take action on them.
I've been using Sahil's products for more than 4 years, so I can confirm that he both embodies his principles and that his principles do lead to great outcomes. Of course, not a book for everyone, but an important read for those who want to build a sustainable business that can become part of their lives.
I was pleasantly surprised by how practical the book was, took some notes while reading it, and will take action on them.
I've been using Sahil's products for more than 4 years, so I can confirm that he both embodies his principles and that his principles do lead to great outcomes. Of course, not a book for everyone, but an important read for those who want to build a sustainable business that can become part of their lives.
March 30, 2024
I really liked about this book the step-by-step planning on how to set up a business, it makes a lot of sense, but I like a bit of quantitative data research to back up its points. It has something of lean startup but more to the ground and with a clearer plan, and very well structured. I would like data to justify why x and not y, but overall it is a very appealing approach to entrepreneurship - at least from reading it.
There are core assumptions that are not really developed, like what is "good" and "sustainable". I don't agree to them and think the author might as well make them explicit, although I also understand the limitations of these kinds of books.
Talking about those, most US business books I've read are of two types: (1) I'm awesome because I saw something others don't because they are dumb, and (2) I failed miserably but that made me be awesome. I guess these people LOVE epopees.
The second type are proliferating because, I think, they allow you to empathise more and believe you can do it. Spoiler alert: these people are outliers and there is much more to it.
And a personal picky request: why don't they put the key takeaways together at the end of the book?
There are core assumptions that are not really developed, like what is "good" and "sustainable". I don't agree to them and think the author might as well make them explicit, although I also understand the limitations of these kinds of books.
Talking about those, most US business books I've read are of two types: (1) I'm awesome because I saw something others don't because they are dumb, and (2) I failed miserably but that made me be awesome. I guess these people LOVE epopees.
The second type are proliferating because, I think, they allow you to empathise more and believe you can do it. Spoiler alert: these people are outliers and there is much more to it.
And a personal picky request: why don't they put the key takeaways together at the end of the book?
May 5, 2022
Krótka i treściwa mapa, jak tworzyć nowe biznesy i rozwiązywać problemy w dzisiejszym świecie. Pokazuje kolejne kroki od znalezienia pomysłu, poprzez stworzenie rozwiązania, do premiery i późniejszego ciągłego doskonalenia produktu wraz z iteracją.
Sahil pokazuje, jak ważny jest proces i wytrwałość, co zawarte jest w tym cytacie:
"Większość ludzi nie zaczyna. Większość ludzi, którzy zaczynają, nie kontynuuje. Większość ludzi, którzy kontynuują, poddaje się. Wielu zwycięzców to ci, którzy stoją jako ostatni. Nie poddawaj się."
Znajdziemy tu również dużo porad, co działa, co nie działa oraz dokładnie jakich technik użyć w zależności od etapu, na którym jesteśmy (np. czy już włączać reklamy, czy jeszcze poczekać i rosnąć organicznie). Z pewnością będę do niej wracał, bo jest to skondensowany przepis na biznes.
Sahil pokazuje, jak ważny jest proces i wytrwałość, co zawarte jest w tym cytacie:
"Większość ludzi nie zaczyna. Większość ludzi, którzy zaczynają, nie kontynuuje. Większość ludzi, którzy kontynuują, poddaje się. Wielu zwycięzców to ci, którzy stoją jako ostatni. Nie poddawaj się."
Znajdziemy tu również dużo porad, co działa, co nie działa oraz dokładnie jakich technik użyć w zależności od etapu, na którym jesteśmy (np. czy już włączać reklamy, czy jeszcze poczekać i rosnąć organicznie). Z pewnością będę do niej wracał, bo jest to skondensowany przepis na biznes.
August 7, 2023
This is an overall good book some many caveats.
The main point of the book is a good one: if you want to start a company, start a sustainable business, not a startup that tries to grow at all cost and fail 90% of the time.
The advices are solid. The order of the chapters in the right sequence.
At times, the author does not go deep inside each topic. A good example is about hiring: more could be explained (about hiring remotely, the legal aspects, etc.).
At some other times, the author attempts some sort of self promotion and shows his personal opinion. This is a good about business and the readers don’t care about what the authors think of themselves.
The main point of the book is a good one: if you want to start a company, start a sustainable business, not a startup that tries to grow at all cost and fail 90% of the time.
The advices are solid. The order of the chapters in the right sequence.
At times, the author does not go deep inside each topic. A good example is about hiring: more could be explained (about hiring remotely, the legal aspects, etc.).
At some other times, the author attempts some sort of self promotion and shows his personal opinion. This is a good about business and the readers don’t care about what the authors think of themselves.
June 9, 2023
A down to earth steps and a call to action to start a business in a minimal way. Compared to Peter's Make, this is much more genuine and comprehensive (i.e. feels like not a MVP, has a lot of working recent interesting examples/stories, considers the good causes and focuses on the long term in the future, etc.).
March 27, 2022
One of the best books I've read this year. If you want to start your own business but you don't like forcing yourself to scale up very fast, this is the book for you. You don't have to become a 'unicorn' but you can enjoy the success of your business and have time for things that matter for you.
June 3, 2023
“Keep doing what’s working, stop or improve the processes that aren’t, and always keep an eye on the numbers and your ears on your customers.”
August 10, 2023
No fluff, thoughtful principles, holistic in its view of the role of entrepreneurship in a person’s life. Most likely valuable for anyone who’s thought of starting a business, especially in tech, but doesn’t want to get on the VC dependency race.
I just found it too narrow/prescriptive in terms of the steps to success. I mean, I’m not a successful minimalist entrepreneur, so Sahil may be entirely right, but the required sequence of joining a community, becoming a pillar in it and only then starting a business to serve it seems to delay timelines and constrain possibilities unnecessarily.
I just found it too narrow/prescriptive in terms of the steps to success. I mean, I’m not a successful minimalist entrepreneur, so Sahil may be entirely right, but the required sequence of joining a community, becoming a pillar in it and only then starting a business to serve it seems to delay timelines and constrain possibilities unnecessarily.
December 31, 2023
I’ve been going down the microSaaS and Superniche rabbit hole recently, and so I guess I was well primed before reading this book. But I really like it. Sahil writes from experience and the book is easy to follow, etc. I especially like his emphasis on community. Recommended for business owners who, like me, values freedom above wealth.
May 9, 2022
Nice to listen to good common sense on keeping entrepreneurship simple where it can and should be kept simple.
January 23, 2023
This is an interesting position that refers to the building company and "slow business" approach. I see a lot of similarities with the book "Company of One" or "Steal Like an Artist". Outside of that, the book is actually very business oriented - yet still, as the company at the beginning will refer to a single person, a lot of the concepts are referring to the personal branding, first 100 customers, and similar ideas.
I really like that each chapter starts with a real-world example, as this makes the book relevant and embedded in reality - and that's not a common thing for those kinds of entrepreneurship-like positions.
The only miss in the book IMHO is lack of the repeatable framework or author's advice how to achieve that. I know that there is no universal truth, but this book is more or less a set of good practices and concepts worth pursuing. Those are valuable anyway, but they are not bringing more clarity and order to the picture.
I really like that each chapter starts with a real-world example, as this makes the book relevant and embedded in reality - and that's not a common thing for those kinds of entrepreneurship-like positions.
The only miss in the book IMHO is lack of the repeatable framework or author's advice how to achieve that. I know that there is no universal truth, but this book is more or less a set of good practices and concepts worth pursuing. Those are valuable anyway, but they are not bringing more clarity and order to the picture.
August 24, 2023
An invaluable compass I’ll keep in my ~virtual pocket for the years to come
October 2, 2022
Great read, especially for the 1st-time founders, in the same spirit as classics like the Basecamp's "Getting Real", Guy Kawasaki's "The Art Of The Start", and Eric Ries's "Lean Startup" were.
September 29, 2023
This was a let down; one long concatenation of platitudes and boilerplate casuistry.
August 25, 2022
A really nice perspective about building what really matters to you and the world without getting caught up in all the material BS!
Refreshing
Refreshing
August 20, 2022
A very relatable book. Love how Sahil approaches the subject using his experience. Working on a new business, I found some of his recommendations practical and useful.
August 17, 2022
Really enjoyed this book. Sahil not only paints a clear picture on how to build a profitable and sustainable business, but also how you should enjoy what you are doing, realize it matter, and take it slowly. Too many of us want to be the next unicorn business, instead of realizing our business can make an impact on our community.
December 26, 2021
I really enjoyed this book: the first half of the book, where the author tells about starting a business is pure gold. It answers a lot of questions regarding finding first customers, idea validation and so on.
The second half is quite meh, felt like a lot of information was crammed into too few pages.
The second half is quite meh, felt like a lot of information was crammed into too few pages.
August 7, 2022
Great book to build sane, profitable businesses rather than focusing on revenues. Revenue is vanity, profit is sanity.
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