Key Messages
How to Balance Being True to Yourself and Employing Flexible Strategies: Advice from Derek Sivers’s Anything You Want
In Anything You Want, author Derek Sivers will help you make your business anything you want.
With his advice, you can learn how to stay true to yourself and create a business plan that makes investors believe in you – all while keeping it simple!
You may be surprised to learn that the book will also explain why you don’t need a lot of money to start your own business.
Plus, when delegation is an asset or a burden and why Sivers refused to work with certain musicians.
The book is full of priceless tips on how you can create the perfect balance between taking risks and also remaining true to your mission.
From staying organized and learning how to delegate effectively, this book has all the information you need to make sure that when setting up your own business, anything is possible!
The Key to Success: Improving Ideas and Laying Out a Simple Business Plan
When you want to start a successful business, you need to understand that it isn’t enough just to come up with a great idea.
You also have to keep working on your ideas and trying different things until something sticks.
The author of Anything You Want set out in the world of business with some ideas that he had been promoting for years and yet none of them seemed to stick.
He eventually came to realize that the more he worked on his ideas, the higher his chances were for coming up with one that truly resonated with people.
This knowledge empowered him to take a step back from his old idea and revisit other options while looking at ways to improve what he already had.
When one of his ideas finally caught fire among his musician friends, he knew he was onto something special!
The Key to a Successful Business is Focusing on Your Target Market and Sticking to Your Principles
Creating a successful business starts by defining your target audience.
If you only focus on the needs of a single customer, you risk losing them and your business in the process.
It is best to cater to the majority of customers within a certain group, so that when one decides to move on, you are still able to meet the needs of other customers.
The key is to identify who your most important customers are, and tailor your product or service to meet those needs.
For example, if you have an online store selling independent music, then target musicians without labels as they would have no other options for distribution.
You will also likely receive requests from other people outside of this demographic, but don’t be too tempted to fulfill them.
Stick with what works and what pleases the majority – instead of trying to please everyone.
Do not forget all the principles you made when starting off either.
Don’t Let Financial Limitations Hold You Back – Learn to Use the Resources Available to Make Your Dreams Come True
Although having money can be a great advantage when it comes to starting a business, you don’t always need it.
In fact, having a lack of funds can help fuel your creativity as you try to come up with alternative solutions on how to move forward with your vision.
With the right mindset and strategy, anything is possible, even if it means beginning with the least amount of resources available.
For example, if you had an idea for a tutoring company but lacked the money to get it off the ground right away, don’t give up.
Instead, focus on what resources you DO have – like teaching someone something today – and soon enough, you’ll start identifying potential customers and building your knowledge base.
Being strapped for cash may make your job harder at first, but developing creative problem-solving skills will benefit you in the long run and lay the foundation for a successful business.
Just take those with great style, who have little or no money; they always manage to dress better than rich people because they buy items that they truly love and know how to use them creatively in their wardrobe!
In conclusion: when starting out without big money, keep your cool and think outside the box – not only will you realize any big idea that comes your way but also gain invaluable knowledge along the way!
Customer Needs Should Be at the Heart of Every Business Decision
Understanding and following your customers’ needs is essential to having a thriving business.
After all, without them, you don’t have any customers to buy products or services!
It’s important that when making decisions in your business, you consider what your customers want and need.
That way, you can best serve them and keep the vision of your company at the forefront of everything.
Rather than simply looking at how much money something will make or listening to what a wealthy investor wants, listen to your customers and make decisions based on their feedback.
This can help ensure profitability for your business.
However, sometimes tough decision has to be made if a business isn’t doing well – like giving up.
If an idea doesn’t seem to be satisfying customer needs anymore, it might not be worth pursuing further.
Even though the author of the book “Anything You Want” said his goal was to solve a problem for people, he was aware that this could change over time and was prepared for it if it did.
Ultimately, as long as you have something valuable to offer people that they need or want, they are likely to come back for more!
The Risks of Over-Delegating: Why Self-Employed People Need to Develop a Mindset of Trust and Control
A key component to success for any self-employed individual is understanding the distinction between sharing and delegating responsibilities, rather than taking on everything themselves.
It’s essential to know your limits – if you take on too much and over delegate, it can lead to disaster.
It’s important to cultivate a trusting relationship with employees; let them know that you have faith in them and are entrusting them with responsibilities.
At the same time, having measures of control in place is also key; while you don’t want to be surveying your staff incessantly, there should be some set of rules and guidelines that everyone must abide by.
For instance, the author wanted freedom and flexibility for his team when it came to taking on tasks but then realized he gave too much away when someone unilaterally decided that all of the profits should be divided amongst the staff without his knowledge.
This taught him an important lesson: share responsibilities, but not too much!
Don’t Be Afraid to Take an Unconventional Approach to Running Your Business
When you think of starting your own business, many people have the dream of being a CEO, while others shudder at the thought.
At the end of the day, however, it is up to each individual to decide what kind of job they want and need in order to be fulfilled.
For example, if someone loves cooking and has opened a restaurant, they should not feel obligated to take on tasks that make them unhappy just because it might seem more traditional or effective way to run a business.
Instead, let everyone pursue the positions and titles that fit their passions rather than those that are expected from them.
Instead of just relying on traditional business strategies or advice from consultants or so-called “experts” for how to efficiently manage their business, people should always remember that creativity has no boundaries and come up with alternate solutions for achieving their goals as an entrepreneur.
For instance, if someone only wanted to cover costs with their startup and didn’t care about making it into a large-scale enterprise like Apple or Microsoft – then this would certainly be possible!
It all comes down to having faith in one’s own decisions without fear of judgement by those who may not understand fully what you are trying to accomplish.
Wrap Up
At the end of Anything You Want by Derek Sivers, we are left with a strong message: starting a successful business is achievable no matter the circumstances you face.
Forget venture capital investments or costly consultants; find an idea you’re passionate about, have the will to satisfy your customers and creatively solve your problems.
Additionally, remember that how you make decisions about your business should be specific to you.
Don’t just default to what seems to be the norm; take actionable advice from this book and make choices that work for yourself.
Everyone’s priorities are different – keep yours in mind when making business decisions and you’ll find success.
