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

“Hey, I’m working on something interesting. It’s going to be a big deal when it’s finished, but for now I’m just letting you know that it’s coming down the line.”

Many business owners talk about their work in terms of the features it offers, but it’s much more powerful to talk about the benefits customers receive. A feature is descriptive; a benefit is emotional.

Tip: When thinking about different business ideas, also think about money. Get in the habit of equating “money stuff” with ideas. When brainstorming and evaluating different projects, money isn’t the sole consideration—but it’s an important one. Ask three questions for every idea: a. How would I get paid with this idea? b. How much would I get paid

A better way is to give people what they actually want, and the way to do that lies in understanding something very simple about who we are. Get this point right, and a lot of other things become much easier.

you can join the $100 Startup community in our campaign for clean water in Ethiopia by visiting charitywater.org/​aonc. You can also sign up with groups, such as Kiva.org and AcumenFund.org, that provide loans (usually very small ones) to help people start microbusinesses in their own communities.

Remember that most core needs are emotional: We want to be loved and affirmed. Relate your product or service to attractive benefits, not boring features.

There was usually a story behind the affirmative answer, and the story often related to a particular day, event, or moment when they knew their business was going to work.

Finally, if you enjoyed the book, feel free to let me know. You can write in directly from chrisguillebeau.com, where I follow the model outlined in

Find out what people want, and find a way to give it to them. Give them the fish!