The Minimalist Entrepreneur - by Sahil Lavingia (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A new roadmap for building sustainable startups that last beyond the hype. As more and more cracks form in the myth of the VC-funded, IPO-driven billion-dollar company--they're not profitable, and are unethically run to boot--entrepreneurs are seeking an alternative path to building useful, sustainable, and sane businesses. The Minimalist Entrepreneur is the manifesto for a new generation of entrepreneurs who would rather build great companies than big ones. In 2011, Sahil Lavingia left his position as the second hire at Pinterest to chase his own dream of founding a billion-dollar company. His startup, Gumroad, was growing quickly and raising venture capital easily. Gumroad, a platform connecting creators with sellers, seemed like it was on the road to unicorn status, with the fancy offices and rapid hiring to match. Until one quarter, when growth faltered, and everything crumbled. But Lavingia rebuilt Gumroad from the ground up. In contrast to the waste and hypergrowth-for-growth's sake mentality that characterized his first attempt, he became a minimalist entrepreneur. Weaving together his own experience at Gumroad with stories of other likeminded companies, he offers a new roadmap for entrepreneurs choosing to grow meaningfully over growing unsustainably. Unicorns are not the best or only path for a startup. The Minimalist Entrepreneur teaches founders how to resist investments that set you up to fail, run a tight ship amid the rise of the gig economy and remote work, develop and release products without failing fast or often, and how to get to profitability and stay there"--

Book Synopsis

"Pay attention."--Jason Fried

A revolutionary roadmap for building startups that go the distance

Now more than ever, you don't need a fancy office, Ivy League degree, or millions of dollars in venture capital to launch a business that matters for the communities you care most about. Software, the internet, and remote work have made it possible for entrepreneurs to start for free, make a customer of anyone, and grow a profitable, sustainable company from anywhere.

Packed with hard-won, battle-tested lessons from Lavingia's own journey of building Gumroad, a platform for creators to sell their work, The Minimalist Entrepreneur teaches founders how to:

- start then learn
- build a community, then solve a problem for them
- charge for something even before you've built anything
- avoid running out of money and, more importantly, energy
- run a tight ship amid the rise of the gig economy and remote work
- own a business without it owning you back.

The Minimalist Entrepreneur is the manifesto for a new generation of founders who would rather build great companies than big ones. This is essential knowledge for every founder aspiring to build a business worth building.

Review Quotes

"Sahil Lavingia's book changed the way I think about my life and my business, and opened my mind to possibilities for a different--and better--model for successful entrepreneurship. A brilliant, fascinating read."
--John Green, cofounder of Complexly and author of The Fault in Our Stars and The Anthropocene Reviewed

"Sahil knows not. He knows what not to do, what not to follow, how not to waste, and how not to get caught up in the hype. What's left is the yes - the stuff that really works, the things that actually matter. It's all in this book, and much of it only in this book. Pay attention."
--Jason Fried, cofounder of Basecamp and coauthor of Rework

"A must-read for any potential founder. Brilliant insights into starting something simply and sensibly. Best guide to the new world of starting from anywhere."
--Derek Sivers, founder of CDBaby and author of Anything You Want

"A timely, hard-won guide for entrepreneurs looking to build sustainable, profitable businesses with real-world impact. This is the path to a world in which people are able to do what they love for a living, with creativity, ownership, and freedom."
--Li Jin, founder of Atelier Ventures

"Few people can simplify a complex topic like Sahil. This book is as fun to read as it is informative."
--Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of Money

"In a world where things have become grossly overcomplicated, The Minimalist Entrepreneur teaches us how to strip away the unnecessary and do more with less. Sahil has a profound understanding of the power of community and how to build a business with intention, which makes this book a must read for any aspiring founder."
--Alexis Ohanian, Founder, Seven Seven Six and Former Executive Chair, Reddit

About the Author

Sahil Lavingia is the Founder and CEO of Gumroad, an angel investor, a painter, and a writer.