Introduction: Anything You Want by Derek Sivers

Derek Sivers, an entrepreneur, explains his experience scaling a Business from 0 to 20+ million in revenue. This engaging book is packed with unconventional principles that will help you rethink how you think about life, work, and business.

He founded CDBaby, a music download service. Derek Sivers is a serial entrepreneur and growth hacking expert. In Anything You Want, Sivers shares his secrets for success. He shares stories about how he turned his small start-up into a multimillion-dollar business and what you can do to achieve the same level of success.

Summary of Anything You Want by Derek Sivers

Know why you do what you do. And don’t simply go with the flow. Create your own path. Blaze your own trail. Don’t live a life filled with regret. What’s your philosophy? Have you taken the time to develop your core values? And what’s your mission, what drives you? Be true to yourself. When you stay true to yourself and your dreams come true, they’ll come true for others.

Planning and Success

The best plans are simple, so don’t make things too complicated.

“Success comes from persistently improving and inventing, not from persistently doing what’s not working.”

If the world doesn’t embrace your idea, go back to the drawing board to invent and improve. Don’t waste a lot of time swimming upstream. To become a success, you must embrace saying “No”. It frees you up to do other things. When Clubhouse first came out, someone contacted me because she wanted to start a program on the platform. She wanted me to be on the program and I said “Yes.” But it didn’t feel right to me and felt like just another thing on my plate. I apologized to her and backed out. Saying “No,” was the right choice for me, and I could focus on other things.

Don’t be afraid to change the plan if the needs of the customer change or even expand. You’re there to serve. A successful business is about evolution.

“No business plan survives first contact with customers.” Steve Blank

If you don’t have funds to waste, then you don’t waste funds. Everything you do must be for the customers.

“Never forget that absolutely everything you do is for your customers. Make every decision— even decisions about whether to expand the business, raise money, or promote someone— according to what’s best for your customers. If you’re ever unsure what to prioritize, just ask your customers the open-ended question, “How can I best help you now?” Then focus on satisfying those requests.”

Start now, don’t wait for tomorrow. You don’t have to wait for funding. You can always start small. Start with one percent of what you have in your vision. Let the following Martin Luther King Jr quote guide you.

“You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

The benefit of starting small is that you get to solve problems that matter to your customers. You will also develop a strong foundation on which you can build.

Since no business goes according to plan, you need a variety of options to choose from. Stay focused on serving people today. Don’t forget why you do what you do. Are you happy doing it? Are your customers happy? And are you making enough money? What else do you need?

Set up your business like you don’t need money, and it will flow to you. And you don’t have to act like a big boring company to succeed. Do things in such a way that you can handle twice as many customers.

Create an operating manual, so your company can run without you. This allows you to focus on other things.

When your business makes it, you don’t have to assume the role of a high-powered CEO. You can make your role be anything you want it to be. Know what makes you happy. At some point, you have to delegate when the company grows. Trust the person you hire, but verify that the person is doing the job he/she was hired for. Empower your employees, but don’t abdicate all responsibilities.

About Ideas

Ideas are a dime a dozen, and they’re worth nothing until you implement them. Act on ideas for them to be worth something. Execution has a multiplier effect. A business results from an executed idea.

Customers

Instead of waiting to land that big contract, focus on the little customers. Have many little customers. When you have many little customers, you don’t have to worry about one leaving. I understand this very much. I had a client that brought in 90 percent of my income. They decided to take things in-house, and I lost them. Ninety percent of my income disappeared, and they didn’t give me much notice.

If you want to grab attention, you cannot serve everyone. So, it’s okay to exclude others. It’s a big pie, so you can target one percent and be better than okay. And be open to doing things a little differently to determine the best option. There’s seldom just one way to do something.

Care more about your customers than you do about yourself, even if it means shutting the business down. You started the business to solve a problem. If you completely solve the problem, then there is no reason for your business’ existence.

Communication

Focus on clear communication so people are not confused about what you mean. Tiny details thrill people, so they tell others about you.

Conclusion: Anything You Want by Derek Sivers

Anything You Want by Derek Sivers details his journey from musician to successful entrepreneur. The book is filled with anecdotes and advice, all of which are geared towards helping the reader achieve their own entrepreneurial goals.

A key point is that success depends on creating something of value for others. Derek Sivers believes people should do what they love and focus on making others happy. By providing value and helping others achieve their goals, individuals can create a successful business or career.

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