Book Review: The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau / Fire Your Boss, Do What You Love and Work Better to Live More.
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The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau |
I've been a regular listener of his Side Hustle School Podcast too (to which I also bought the accompanying book and will review in a future post).
His philosophy of creating small businesses and side hustles with small start up costs is one I can easily get behind and put into practice - because I was doing just that long before I discovered Chris.
However Chris has spent probably thousands of hours, at this point, researching hundreds of small businesses worldwide and how they grew out of an idea, hobby, passtime, or even just a flight of fancy. Which means any book he writes on the subject is bound to be packed full of useful information and insight.
The $100 Startup is very much that. Though I will say the title is more of an approximation than an actual startup cost. Chris puts forward many stories of actual businesses all throughout this book and I don't think I can recall even one that mentions a startup cost of just $100. The main takeaway is that you can start a business/side hustle you enjoy with as little as $100 and still be successful enough to quit that day job you don't like.
Although the book is promoted as a guide it doesn't really read that way. Each chapter is a collection of real, but brief, business stories interspersed with useful tips, side boxes of useful information, and end with key takeaways that summarize what you've just read.
It's a very easy read that actually does step you through every aspect of starting, running, promoting, and growing a business, with just the right amount of detail to keep you moving. Particularly useful is the one page business plan and the 140 character mission statement. There's even a one page partner agreement. All things that can help keep you focussed without bogging you down in too much paperwork.
Written very much in Chris' direct but conversational style with very little padding. If you listen to his podcast, you'll almost certainly hear his voice in your head as you read.
It's the kind of book that you can read on vacation because it won't stress you out at all. You're more likely to come back revitalised, filled with ideas to work towards quitting your day job, and the knowledge to put those ideas into an actionable plan.
Of course, if you're like me, and already know starting a business with little to no investment is very possible, The $100 Startup is still a very good resource for further developing any business you may have already on the go. There's probably a few strategies here you either haven't tried or never would have thought of in the first place.
I certainly enjoyed the information and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to diversify from a 9 to 5 job that isn't inspiring your best you.
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The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
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