Anything You Want by Derek Sivers
Derek Sivers’ Anything You Want offers a refreshing perspective on entrepreneurship, challenging conventional wisdom and emphasizing the importance of passion, simplicity, and customer focus. Sivers, the founder of CD Baby, shares his personal journey and insights into building a successful business while maintaining personal freedom and happiness. Through his storytelling and practical advice, he encourages readers to pursue their passions and create meaningful work.
The Book in Sentences
“Business is not about money; It’s about making dreams come true for others and for yourself as making a company is a great way to improve the world while improving yourself”.
The Big Ideas
- “Don’t pursue business just for your own gain. Only answer the calls for help”.
- “Success comes from persistently improving and inventing, not from persistently promoting what’s not working”.
- “You don’t need money to start helping people”.
- “The real point of doing anything is to be happy, so do only what makes you happy”.
- “When deciding whether to do something, if you feel anything less than ‘Wow! That would be amazing! Absolutely! Hell yeah!’—then say ‘no.’”
Anything You Want: The Complete Book Summary
1. Ten Years of Experience in One Hour In this book, Derek Sivers condenses a decade of entrepreneurial insights from his journey with CD Baby into an hour-long read. From 1998 to 2008, he shares the philosophies, mistakes, and stories that shaped his success.
2. What’s Your Compass? Sivers emphasizes that business isn’t solely about making money; it’s about fulfilling dreams for yourself and others. He encourages understanding what truly makes you happy and worth pursuing.
3. Just Selling My CD At 27, Sivers was selling his music online when traditional record stores refused. He took matters into his own hands, setting up an independent online record store, CD Baby.
4. Make a Dream Come True Starting a business lets you create a world where you set the rules. Sivers wrote down his ideal music distribution scenario, which became CD Baby’s mission statement.
5. A Business Model with Only Two Numbers A business plan doesn’t need to be complex. Sivers’ plan for CD Baby was straightforward: $35 for setup and $4 commission per CD sold. Simple numbers made decisions clear and manageable.
6. This Ain’t No Revolution CD Baby was seen as revolutionary, but Sivers insists it was just common sense done differently. When you’re doing something great, it doesn’t feel revolutionary; it feels right.
7. If It’s Not a Hit, Switch Success comes from continuous improvement and invention, not from persisting with what’s not working. Focus on what gets a huge response and adapt until you find it.
8. No “Yes,” Either “Hell Yeah!” or “No.” If something doesn’t excite you, say no. By declining most opportunities, you make space for the ones that truly thrill you.
9. Just Like That, My Plan Completely Changed Businesses evolve, and plans must adapt. Sivers stresses the importance of flexibility to meet changing demands.
10. The Advantage of No Funding Lack of funding forces you to be resourceful and make decisions that prioritize customer satisfaction. Growing by thrilling existing customers can be more effective than seeking outside investments.
11. Start Now. No Funding Needed. You don’t need extensive resources to start. Begin with what you have and focus on solving real problems for real people, allowing your business to grow organically.
12. Ideas are Just a Multiplier of Execution Ideas alone are worthless; execution is key. Successful businesses are built on effectively implementing ideas.
13. Formalities Play on Fear, Bravely Refuse Avoid unnecessary corporate formalities and focus on actions that add real value to your business.
14. The Strength of Many Little Customers Serving thousands of customers provides stability. Losing one customer won’t significantly impact your business.
15. Proudly Exclude People Confidently defining what you are not will attract the right audience. By excluding the 99%, you endear yourself to the 1% who resonate with your vision.
16. Why No Advertising User experience is more important than traditional advertising. Sivers believes that word of mouth from delighted customers is the best promotion.
17. This is Just One of Many Points Acknowledge that the advice in the book is just one perspective among many, encouraging readers to think critically and find what works for them.
18. You Don’t Need a Plan or a Vision It’s okay not to have a detailed plan or vision. Stay flexible and be ready to switch paths when necessary.
19. I Miss the Mob The camaraderie and energy of being part of a larger group can be exhilarating. Cherish those moments in your entrepreneurial journey.
20. How Do You Grade Yourself? Self-evaluation is crucial. Regularly assess your progress and make adjustments to stay aligned with your goals.
21. Care About Your Customers More Than Yourself Prioritize your customers’ needs over your own. Genuine care for customers fosters loyalty and business growth.
22. Act Like You Don’t Need the Money When you act independently of financial pressures, you make decisions that are better for your business and customers.
23. Don’t Punish Everyone for One Person’s Mistake Avoid implementing strict policies due to one person’s error. Trust your customers and team unless given a reason not to.
24. A Real Person, a Lot Like You Humanize your business by treating customers and team members as real people. This fosters trust and connection.
25. You Should Feel Pain When You’re Unclear Clarity in communication and business practices is essential. If you feel uneasy, it’s a sign you need to be clearer.
26. The Most Successful Email I Ever Wrote Sivers shares the power of a well-crafted, genuine email and how it can significantly impact your business.
27. Little Things Make All the Difference Small gestures and attention to detail can differentiate your business and create memorable experiences for customers. Know that it’s often the tiny details that really thrill people enough to make them tell all their friends about you.
28. It’s OK to Be Casual Professionalism doesn’t mean being overly formal. A casual, approachable demeanor can be just as effective.
29. Naive Quitting Sometimes, quitting is the best decision. Knowing when to walk away requires courage and clarity. There’s a benefit to being naïve about the norms of the world— deciding from scratch what seems like the right thing to do, instead of just doing what others do
30. Prepare to Double Be ready for growth. When success comes, it can come rapidly, and you must be prepared to scale.
31. It’s About Being, Not Having Fulfillment comes from being true to yourself and your values, not from acquiring material wealth. In the end, it’s about what you want to be, not what you want to have.
32. The Day Steve Jobs Dissed Me in a Keynote Sivers recounts a humbling experience that taught him valuable lessons about resilience and humility.
33. My $3.3 Million Mistake A simple error led to a costly lesson, emphasizing the importance of careful decision-making and due diligence. Be mindful to ownership and legal aspects.
34. Delegate or Die: The Self-Employment Trap Delegation is crucial for growth. Trying to do everything yourself limits your business’s potential.
35. Make It Anything You Want Your business can be whatever you envision. Creativity and individuality are assets in entrepreneurship.
36. Trust, but Verify Delegation requires trust, but regular verification ensures things are on track and prevents potential issues.
37. Delegate, but Don’t Abdicate Over-delegation can be dangerous. Maintain oversight and ensure delegated tasks align with your vision.
38. How I Knew I Was Done Sivers describes realizing it was time to move on from CD Baby, emphasizing the importance of recognizing when to let go.
39. Why I Gave My Company to Charity Influenced by a mindset of having enough, Sivers transferred his company’s ownership to a trust fund, ensuring long-term philanthropic impact.
40. You Make Your Perfect World Business is a creative endeavor. Build a world that aligns with your dreams and values, despite external opinions. Being content with your choices is key to a fulfilling entrepreneurial journey.
Conclusion
Anything You Want is a liberating guide for aspiring entrepreneurs and anyone seeking to live a more fulfilling life. Sivers’ emphasis on simplicity, customer focus, and personal happiness provides a counterbalance to the often-stressful world of business. By inspiring readers to think differently about success and work-life balance, the book empowers individuals to create businesses that align with their values and passions.