The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future

Name: The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future
Rating: 4.5 (5029 reviews)

by: Chris Guillebeau (0)

Lead a life of adventure, meaning and purpose—and earn a good living.

“Thoughtful, funny, and compulsively readable, this guide shows how ordinary people can build solid livings, with independence and purpose, on their own terms.”—Gretchen Rubin, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Happiness Project
Still in his early thirties, Chris Guillebeau completed a tour of every country on earth and yet he’s never held a “real job” or earned a regular paycheck. Rather, he has a special genius for turning ideas into income, and he uses what he earns both to support his life of adventure and to give back.
Chris identified 1,500 individuals who have built businesses earning $50,000 or more from a modest investment (in many cases, $100 or less), and focused on the 50 most intriguing case studies. In nearly all cases, people with no special skills discovered aspects of their personal passions that could be monetized, and were able to restructure their lives in ways that gave them greater freedom and fulfillment.
Here, finally, distilled into one easy-to-use guide, are the most valuable lessons from those who’ve learned how to turn what they do into a gateway to self-fulfillment. It’s all about finding the intersection between your “expertise”—even if you don’t consider it such—and what other people will pay for. You don’t need an MBA, a business plan or even employees. All you need is a product or service that springs from what you love to do anyway, people willing to pay, and a way to get paid.
Not content to talk in generalities, Chris tells you exactly how many dollars his group of unexpected entrepreneurs required to get their projects up and running; what these individuals did in the first weeks and months to generate significant cash; some of the key mistakes they made along the way, and the crucial insights that made the business stick. Among Chris’s key principles: If you’re good at one thing, you’re probably good at something else; never teach a man to fish—sell him the fish instead; and in the battle between planning and action, action wins.
In ancient times, people who were dissatisfied with their lives dreamed of finding magic lamps, buried treasure, or streets paved with gold. Today, we know that it’s up to us to change our lives. And the best part is, if we change our own life, we can help others change theirs. This remarkable book will start you on your way.

The Reviews

Didn't know what to expect so was pleasantly surprised (probably because the title evoked "get rich fast"). Things I liked: 1) thorough coverage of all things related to conceiving, test driving, launching and growing a micro business. 2) case studies and realistic financials: perfectly highlighted the diverse range of product and services that can be offered through such a model of micro business. The financials are realistic numbers, therefore setting reasonable expectations (hopefully) for people who might consider trying or benchmarking. 3) The discussion about scaling vs. keeping it small is a very interesting one: I liked that the author presented real-life cases for either scenarios for food for thought instead of advocating one or the other (e.g. presenting a single "formula" as the golden rule that all shall follow)--I can see how this particular decision can be case sensitive and there really is no "right" answer as long as it works for the entrepreneur! 4) Keep hearing the term "the gig economy" these days and this book now gives me a window into a world of side-hustle and micro businesses that I was not previously aware of or super interested in. Enjoyed the book a lot, and might be considering trying my hand at some side-gigs. I mean, why not?

There are no actionable plans here, just an author who hopes to intrigue people to a catchy title to buy the book. There is little to no actionable steps here in this book. But there are lots of stories of people who built a side hustle from their passions. Also, the title is $100 Start up, yet the author shares some stories on how people have started small business that surely would take more than $100 to start, for example, the author shares about a fed-up lawyer who opened a yoga studio to pursue her passion, the irony. So to sum it all up, just a bunch of stories, some are not consistent with title even that, and nothing actionable here. Please don't waste your time and money with this garbage.

I found this book to be largely anecdotal and whose primary message was that other people found a variety of ideas for start ups that fit their lives. Although the title suggested very low cost start ups, much of the book was about startups that involved a great deal more funding and even discussed incorporation and starting non-profits. There were a few check-list pages that I may find useful in the future. Otherwise, if you are looking for a truly useful book, I would look elsewhere.

Excellent book. No book is the final answer, but this book has abundant suggestions. It is way more than vague, motivational stuff. It is full of stories of companies people have started along with how they did it. It also has lots of specific tips, steps, etch. Chris Guillebeau is going to be a savior to countless of us trying to escape Cube-atory. After checking it out from my local library, I bought my own copy, and I'm making my equally miserable coworkers read it. Chris' other books are also excellent. I'll soon purchase a few copies of "The Happiness of Pursuit" to give to friends.

While some of the information contained in this book might be "well, duh!" I did not find that to be the case. I just finished reading the book and I have to say that I have found it to be very, ver useful. I have my own business, but was struggling with ways to make it more fun, challenging and profitable. " The $100 STARTUP" Has provided me with new ideas that are simple to implement. When creating or growing a business, many things are a leap of faith: if you are willing to take it this book will help you.

If anything, I analyzed my days, how I spend my time, and everything I do for free that doesn't generate any income simply because I'm nice, or missed the value of my time. I have a few businesses. Gymnastics gym - I spent endless amounts of time creating, uploading videos and pictures of gymnasts for parents. Since reading $100 Startup, I will charge a fee for this service. Bed and Breakfast - building a new web site focusing on Chris's "What people really want". Cheers to success.