The $100 Startup Book Summary
The $100 Startup is a guide for people who want to leave their nine-to-five jobs to start their own business. Drawing from case studies of 50 entrepreneurs who have started microbusinesses with $100 or less, Guillebeau gives advice and tools on how to successfully define and sell a product, as well as how to grow your business from there.
About the Author
Chris Guillebeau is an entrepreneur and a writer with a passion for travel. He has visited every country in the world, and is dedicated to self-employment and encouraging people to live fulfilling lives. His blog The Art of Non-Conformity has over 300,000 visitors a month.
Break away from the nine-to-five and become your own boss – it’s a lot simpler than you think.
Have you ever dreamt of quitting your nine-to-five job and striking out on your own?
All around the world, more and more people are leaving the hierarchies and rules of traditional employment to follow their passion and start their own business.
They are creating microbusinesses, which allow them a life of freedom and purpose. This form of employment, typically a one-person business, is nothing new: consider the street merchants of ancient Athens independently hawking their wares.
So what do you need to start a microbusiness?
Probably a lot less than you think. Every day, ordinary people are setting microbusinesses, often with no funding, no experience, no MBA and no detailed business plans!
Typical stories include that of two designers who, fresh out of school and on a whim, started selling beautiful custom-made maps online, and wound up making so much money they quit their day jobs after just nine months.
Or consider the piano teacher who created a piece of software to help him track his students and lesson schedules, and wound up turning it into a full-time source of income, generating over $30,000 a month.
There is no reason why your business can’t attain similar success. The only things you need are
a product or service that you can sell,
customers who are willing to pay for it,
a method for them to pay with.
It’s as simple as that.
The most important stage in the entire process is making the choice to act. Many successful entrepreneurs feel the greatest struggles on their journey did not come from competitors or market forces but from their internal insecurities and fears. Don’t succumb to them. Instead, make the leap.
You already have what you need.
Lessons From The Book
1
Break away from the nine-to-five and become your own boss – it’s a lot simpler than you think.
2
Passion is not enough for business success; you also need customers and the right skills.
3
Understand your customers’ deepest needs and craft your offering accordingly.
4
Get creative with your marketing, and focus on the benefits that your product provides.
5
Successful launches rely on thorough preparation and instilling a sense of urgency.
6
A business needs to make money, so stay focused on your costs and income.
7
Get paid more than once, price your product ambitiously and use small tweaks to make a big impact in profits.
8
Make your business as big as you want: stay small or grow by bringing in other people.
9
Keep plans simple so you can focus on the action.