The $100 Startup is the latest offering from the amazing Chris Guillebeau, who runs a fun blog at The Art of Non-conformity, where he writes great manifestos, updates readers on his mission to visit every single country by the time he turns 35 (he has about 10 months to visit the last 10 countries on his list), and sells some nifty e-books to aspiring travel hackers and creative entrepreneurs.
This book is Guillebeau's second and is a bit more polished than his first, while being equally charming. As expected from the title, the $100 Startup focuses on people who built profitable business with small amounts of startup capital, and now earn at least $50,000 a year. Guillebeau definitely did his research for this one, with detailed anecdotes from successful entrepreneurs were woven seamlessly into key points he was trying to make.
If you have a vague idea and are looking to quit your job and start anew, but really have no idea where to start or what to consider, the book provides a very good primer. You'll have all sorts of checklists and guidelines to consider (some of which are available for free on 100startup.com), and all sorts of information you likely hadn't even considered.
The book is a quick and fun read, and covers an incredibly wide range of topics, ranging from location independence to health insurance, from an info product launch to making decisions about everything from outsourcing to choosing between ideas for projects.
The only place where I felt the $100 Startup fell short is that it was so heavy on success stories by successful small businesses where almost identical ideas by equally eager and skilled individuals have fallen flat. Although Guillebeau touches on areas that could lead to less-than-stellar results, and even focused on specific missteps of the successful entrepreneurs he profiled, this may not be the best book for people who make a passable living from their business but want to get to that $50,000+/year level.
On the plus side, Chris Guillebeau's integrity and generosity really shines through in the book. The $100 Startup is a breath of fresh air if you're used to reading ones fixated on marketing gimicks; he asks the reader to focus on how you can actually improve people's lives-not how you can convince them that you are. It is always refreshing to get business advice from someone who actually wants to help people.
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Not just for beginners.
An inspiring and thought-provoking book not just for start-up businesses,but also for established businesses interested in reinventing and retoolingthemselves for the future. If, when you think of business, you thinkabout venture capital and IPOs, then there are already plenty of booksout there for you. But if instead you dream of doing what you love andgetting paid for it, The $100 Startup is a must-read. Not a road mapto guaranteed financial success, but rather a how-to guide for your ownoff-trail adventure into the world of self-employment.Guillebeau articulates things about business (yes, even my own business)I've thought about and I suppose have known for years, but just didn'thave the words to say. He is a shrewd observer, particularly of therelationship between a business and its customers or clients. Hisobservation that old-school definitions of "demographics" and"target markets" may no longer apply are spot-on, as ishis advice on eschewing the all-sacred business plan in favor of adirect-action approach. His discussions on product launching,self-promotion ("hustling"), "contest" vs "giveaway", "benefits" vs"features," "value" vs "cost" are far-reaching yet concise.On avocation morphing into vocation, Guillebeau asks the veryimportant question "will it ruin your hobby if you turn it into abusiness?" His nuancing of that question helped a lot: perhaps acertain aspect of one's hobby (or something tangential to it) mightmore than pay the bills and not spoil the fun.The businesses portrayed in this book seem very humane and their ownersdown-to-earth - all had some important lesson to share, and they wererollicking good stories, too! Sure, I wanted to read The $100 Startup tosee my own company immortalized in print, but I came away trulyinspired, refreshed and ready for the next chapter in my business.
Top reviews from other countries
I. H.
Inspiring! - Just what you need if you are thinking about entrepreneurship or starting a side hustle
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2024Jose C.
Storie interessanti per chi vuole intraprendere con pochi soldi
Reviewed in Italy on July 15, 2023Vishal Nihalani
Proved to be beneficial in unexpected way
Reviewed in India on April 18, 2022