Build the Business You Want. It’s Your Work of Art.

Derek Siver’s book Anything You Want: 40 Lessons For a New Kind of Entrepreneur is on the list of the Top 10 books that entrepreneurs should be reaching for to grow their business.  Some of the tips in this book are counter intuitive and go against the grain.  But the insights are fascinating and spark ideas that can be applied to all kinds of businesses. 

We cover some of the key takeaways of this book in the podcast as well as in our blog below.  Go check this book out for yourself!  It’s a quick read and shouldn’t take you more than 2 hours.  You can purchase it or get it for free on his website here.  We think you’ll really like it and get a lot out of reading it. 

The Story Behind the Author

The story of Derek Sivers is a fascinating one.  He was an independent musician that accidentally fell into the world of entrepreneurship and did very well.  His story is all about helping the small and independent musicians instead of the big record labels. 

In 1997, Sivers started his business CD Baby after trying to find a way to sell his own music online.  He’d been selling CDs at his concerts but couldn’t find anyone that would sell independent music online.  He also couldn’t get his CDs into record stores as an independent artist.  It was all impossible without working with a major music label or distributor, which was very difficult. 

CD Baby gave independent musicians a way to sell their music online.  It might not seem like a big deal, but it was.  He grew his business to 85 employees.  Then, in 2008 he sold it for 22 million dollars and gave it all away to charity.  In 2011 he published Anything You Want to share his story.

Here are our highlights of Anything You Want.

Insight #1 – Build the business you want.  It’s your work of art. 

Sivers encourages entrepreneurs to make their business anything they want.  He says that businesses are as creative as the fine arts and your business can be unconventional, unique, and quirky.  Unlike other books, Sivers says you don’t have to have a big business or chase investors if you don’t want to.  Your business is based on your dream, and you can create your own “micro economy” that leads to success. 

CD Baby was created to help make independent musician’s dream of online sales come true, but what Sivers realized is that the business also made his dreams come true.  He encourages business owners to pay close attention to what excites us as well as what drains us.  If what excites you and makes you happy results in a slow growing business, that’s ok.  It’s your choice as an entrepreneur to remain small or to grow slowly.  After all, after a certain point, more money doesn’t create more happiness.  While a business needs to be profitable, the soul of the business isn’t money. 

Insight #2 – It’s “Hell Yea or No”

We all find ourselves spending time on the fence trying to make a decision about an opportunity.  Sivers tells us that things are either a “hell yes” or a “no” and that we only want things that are a “hell yes”.  It helps make those decisions clearer and easier and acts as a great filter.  If you are presented with an opportunity, instead of debating it for days or weeks, if it’s not a “hell yes” you should move on. 

Insight #3 – How Do You Know When You're Done as a Business Owner? 

Sivers knew it was time to exit his business when two things happened. 

1.      He was no longer excited about the business and was not having fun

2.      He did not have a bigger vision for the business

Sivers had taken his business as far as he could, and he recognized that someone else had a bigger vision for it.  Over the life of his ownership of his business, he’d asked himself “What if I sold?” multiple times.  Previously, he’d always felt like there was so much more he wanted to do.  But he knew it was time to sell the business when he asked himself that question and he realized that he was more excited about the new opportunities that would come from leaving the business. 

Bonus: Some of our favorite quotes from the book

Whatever you make, it’s your creation, it’s your work of art, so make it your personal dream come true.

Don’t be on your deathbed someday, having squandered your one chance at life, full of regret because you pursued little distractions instead of big dreams.

Business is not about money.  It’s about making dreams come true for others and for yourself.

Making a company is a great way to improve the world while improving yourself.

When you make a company, you make a utopia.  It’s where you design your perfect world.

Never do anything just for the money.

Starting with no money is an advantage.  You don’t need money to start helping people.

You can’t please everyone, so proudly exclude people.

Make yourself unnecessary to the running of your business.

The real point of doing anything is to be happy, so do only what makes you happy.