Derek Sivers

Anything You Want

book cover

Book Summary:

In this book, I tell you everything I learned from starting, growing, and selling CD Baby, compressed into an entertaining and useful one-hour read.

No secrets held back, I share the biggest mistakes, keys to its success, and the philosophies behind the big decisions.

Called “40 lessons for a new kind of entrepreneur”, it’s 10 years of experience in one hour, designed to be immediately usable for your own business or project.

Get the audio, Kindle, or paper book at …

(NOTE: the audiobook is read by me, and I recommend that version the most.)

Reviews:

“I love this book! Derek is a phenomenal teacher. Whether detailing the fascinating rise of CD Baby, or explaining catastrophic (but common) founder mistakes, he makes the complex simple. Moreover, he makes it all actionable. If you want a true manifesto, a guidebook with clear signposts, and a fun ride you'll return to again and again, you have it here in this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.” -- Tim Ferriss

“Anything You Want is a business book like no other. Derek Sivers built a business a different way, a human way. He did it with no investment and a series of apparently crazy principles. And they work. They worked for him and they might work for you. A brilliant book.” -- Seth Godin

“One of the best hours you’ll ever spend will be reading Derek Sivers’ new book, ‘Anything You Want’.” -- Forbes Magazine

A #1 best-seller in all of its categories on Amazon, with over 100 5-star reviews.

Amazon #1 in all its categories

Chapters:

  1. Ten years of experience in one hour
  2. What’s your compass?
  3. Just selling my CD
  4. Make a dream come true
  5. A business model with only two numbers
  6. This ain’t no revolution
  7. If it’s not a hit, switch
  8. No “yes.” Either “HELL YEAH!” or “no.”
  9. Just like that, my plan completely changed
  10. The advantage of no funding
  11. Start now. No funding needed.
  12. Ideas are just a multiplier of execution
  13. Formalities play on fear. Bravely refuse.
  14. The strength of many little customers
  15. Proudly exclude people
  16. Why no advertising?
  17. This is just one of many options
  18. You don’t need a plan or a vision
  19. I miss the mob
  20. How do you grade yourself?
  21. Care about your customers more than about yourself
  22. Like you don’t need the money
  23. Don’t punish everyone for one person’s mistake
  24. A real person, a lot like you
  25. You should feel pain when unclear
  26. The most successful email I ever wrote
  27. Little things make all the difference
  28. It’s OK to be casual
  29. Naïve Quitting
  30. Prepare to double
  31. It’s about being, not having
  32. The day Steve Jobs dissed me in a keynote
  33. My $3.3M mistake
  34. Delegate or die: the self-employed trap.
  35. Make it anything you want
  36. Trust, but verify
  37. Delegate, but don’t abdicate
  38. How I knew I was done with my company
  39. Why I gave my company to charity
  40. You make your perfect world