This is a summary review of Anything You Want containing key details about the book.

What is Anything You Want About?

Anything You Want by Derek Sivers offers unconventional and inspiring advice on entrepreneurship, creativity, and living a meaningful life. (Full Summary…)

Anything You Want Summary Review

“Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur” by Derek Sivers provides a concise yet profound exploration of entrepreneurial principles and business philosophy. The author draws on his personal experiences, having accidentally founded a successful business that became the largest online seller of independent music, generating over $100 million in sales and ultimately selling for $22 million.

Sivers’ writing style is both engaging and insightful, offering 40 powerful lessons that challenge conventional notions about entrepreneurship. The central theme revolves around the idea that a successful business is not solely about financial gains but rather about making dreams come true for both the entrepreneur and others. The author emphasizes the importance of creating a utopia, a perfect world, through one’s business endeavors.

One notable aspect of the book is its brevity, allowing readers to absorb its wisdom in about an hour. Sivers dismantles the traditional view of business plans, asserting that launching and learning from the market is more valuable than meticulously planning in advance. He advocates for a customer-centric approach, emphasizing the significance of answering calls for help and prioritizing the satisfaction of customers over immediate profits.

The author candidly shares memorable stories of his own mistakes, illustrating valuable lessons learned from experiences such as a $3.3 million loss due to saving ten minutes and an unexpected encounter with Steve Jobs.

The humanistic approach to business presented in “Anything You Want” challenges the conventional focus on profits and instead encourages entrepreneurs to prioritize generosity and happiness. This perspective, as outlined in the book, has resonated with thousands of entrepreneurs, guiding them to reevaluate their priorities and find their unique path to success.

While the book has garnered positive reviews, it is important to note that its simplicity, though effective for conveying key principles succinctly, may leave some readers desiring more depth. Nevertheless, its impact is evident in testimonials from readers who describe it as one of the best business books they have ever read, highlighting the author’s ability to present profound insights with simplicity.

Essentially, “Anything You Want” by Derek Sivers stands as a valuable guide for entrepreneurs, providing a fresh perspective on business success. Its concise nature, coupled with real-world examples and unconventional wisdom, makes it a compelling read for those seeking inspiration and a new approach to entrepreneurial endeavors. Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur or an established business owner, the lessons shared in this book challenge conventional norms and encourage a more humanistic approach to business.

Who is the author of Anything You Want?

Derek Sivers is an American writer and programmer. A former entrepreneur and musician, he is best known for starting CD Baby. Sivers grew up in Hillsdale, Illinois. Sivers started CD Baby by accident in 1997 after requests from other independent musicians for him to sell their CDs on his website

How long is Anything You Want?

• Print length: 90 pages

What genre is Anything You Want?

Business, Nonfiction, Entrepreneurship

What are the main summary points of Anything You Want?

Takeaway 1: The more you optimize and adjust your ideas, the higher the odds are that you’ll end up with one that people love.

Takeaway 2: If you’re not getting a lot of positive feedback for a specific idea, then it’s best to adjust it. If your “perfect” idea goes nowhere after a period of time, then it’s probably wise to let go of it.

Takeaway 3: A business plan does not have to be complex. You don’t need a 100-page document but instead, a simple and easy to understand plan that explains how you’ll make a profit and when.

Takeaway 4: Define your main target audiences and tailor your products and services to their needs. You can’t expect to please everyone so make sure you only fulfill the major needs.

Takeaway 5: You don’t need big pockets to realize a big idea. In fact, having a small amount of money can be an advantage as it boosts creativity and simpler solutions.

Takeaway 6: A business’s main focus should be to create value and become extremely useful to its customers.

Takeaway 7: Your customer needs can grow and develop. Listen carefully and always follow your customers’ needs.

Takeaway 8: Failing to delegate can lead to burning out. Make sure you dedicate time to hiring, training, and delegating ongoing tasks. Also, don’t ask your employees or freelancers what they’re good at, but what they enjoy and love to do. The same applies to you. Focus on important work that you enjoy, delegate the rest.

Takeaway 9: Over-delegating can also be an issue. Trust, but verify. Make sure you cultivate a trusting relationship with your freelancers or employees and that you put in place some simple control mechanisms.

Takeaway 10: Pay close attention to what excites you and what drains you.

What are good quotes from Anything You Want?

“Don’t be on your deathbed someday, having squandered your one chance at life, full of regret because you pursued little distractions instead of big dreams… In the end, it’s about what you want to be, not what you want to have.”

“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 think your life’s purpose needs to hit you like a lightning bolt, you’ll overlook the little day-to-day things that fascinate you.”

“When you sign up to run a marathon, you don’t want a taxi to take you to the finish line.”

“Just pay close attention to what excites you and what drains you. Pay close attention to when you’re being the real you and when you’re trying to impress an invisible jury.”

“Never forget why you’re really doing what you’re doing. Are you helping people? Are they happy? Are you happy? Are you profitable? Isn’t that enough…?”

“Most people don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing. They imitate others, go with the flow, and follow paths without making their own. They spend decades in pursuit of something that someone convinced them they should want, without realizing that it won’t make them happy.”

“Trust, but verify. Remember it when delegating. You have to do both.”

“When you make a business, you get to make a little universe where you control all the laws. This is your utopia.”

“Make sure you know what makes you happy, and don’t forget it.”

Is Anything You Want worth reading?

The majority of customer reviews on leading review sites are positive. Here’s what some reviewers had to say about the book:

“This is not a how-to business book. It is much more a manifesto on keeping things clear, simple and taking a common sense approach to work. Sivers, founded and sold CDBaby.com. This book is a summation of the lessons he learned with the stories that taught him….This book seems to speak to the entrepreneurial spirits out there. But I also think that it serves as a fun quick “gut check” for those looking to tweak their existing business set-ups. I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.”

* Key sources: LibraryThing, Amazon, Wikipedia