Anything You Want: 40 lessons for a new kind of entrepreneur

In the end, it’s about what you want to be, not what you want to have. To have something (a finished recording, a business, or millions of dollars) is the means, not the end. To be something (a good singer, a skilled entrepreneur, or just plain happy) is the real point.

Loud people are loud people, whether complaining or praising. So when you get some loud complaint, use that opportunity to make them so happy that they become a loud evangelist.

It’s another Tao of business: Set up your business like you don’t need the money, and it’ll likely come your way.

When someone’s doing something for the money, people can sense it, like a desperate lover. It’s a turn-off.

They’d tell me if I analyzed it better I could maximize profitability. Then I’d tell them about the taxi driver in Vegas. 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?

He kept saying, “Maybe we can get like 10 percent! That’s 100,000! But worst case scenario — if only 1 percent — that’s still 10,000!” The magazine issue came out, and… nothing. He bought an issue. There was his ad. But the orders were not coming in! Was something wrong? No. He tested it. Everything was working. Over the next few weeks he received

As your business grows, never let the leeches sucker you into all that stuff they pretend you need. They’ll play on your fears, saying that you need this stuff to protect yourself against lawsuits. They’ll scare you with horrible worst-case scenarios. But those are just sales tactics. You don’t need any of it.

None of these things looked like a business venture, at first. All of them were just sharing something I already had.

It’s counterintuitive, but the way to grow your business is to focus entirely on your existing customers. Just thrill them, and they’ll tell everyone.