You can follow the beaten path and call yourself an entrepreneur or you can blaze your own trail and really be one.
When Derek Sivers started CD Baby, he wasn’t planning on building a major business. He was a successful independent musician who just wanted to sell his CDs online. When no one would help him do it, he set out on his own and built an online store from scratch.
He started in 1998 by helping his friends sell their CDs. In 2000, he hired his first employee. Eight years later, he sold CD Baby for $22 million.
Sivers didn’t need a business plan, and neither do you. You don’t need to think big; in fact, it’s better if you don’t. Start with what you have, care about your customers more than yourself, and run your business like you don’t need the money.
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"A wonderful life lesson by someone who made business work through generosity, trust and commitment to the right things. Sivers makes us travel through his curious journey with CD Baby and what he learned in the process, which helps us see the practical application of those same lessons and not just the "how to" of things."
— Roberto (5 out of 5 stars)
" A quick and inspiring read from the founder of CDBaby and one of my entrepreneurial heroes. Some great nuggets of wisdom here. "
— Joe, 2/15/2014" Great little book on optimizing for happiness. A short and enjoyable read. "
— Mike, 2/2/2014" Another pithy read. However, his story was interesting and it only took about an hour to get though it. He seems to enjoy his life and encourages you to do the same. "
— Erin, 12/15/2013" a great & very inspiring book. "
— Dan, 12/14/2013" Love this book! Inspirational. I got it on audio too so I could hear it again and again! "
— Teri, 12/13/2013" Can read in one sitting. An amazing look into the start of a multi-million dollar business by someone who always cared about the people more than the money "
— Bassam, 12/7/2013" GREAT book, can be read in one sitting. Very motivational. I love the way Derek thinks, his writing style is easy to read and gets the point across without belaboring the topics. I recommend this as an exceptional choice for anyone. "
— David, 11/21/2013" Good quick read that doesn't claim too much, just sheds light on how Derek Sivers has done things the last 15 or so years. "
— Dave, 11/4/2013" Take everything you thought you knew about business and drop it in the ocean. Then come back and read this book by CD Baby founder Derek Sivers. He'll tell you why he wanted to keep his company small, how to decide what to cross off your list, and more. Short and sweet, and full of quotable nuggets. "
— Lain, 10/23/2013" Sivers writes well and sincerely, great quick read, no reason not to read this if you have a few hours and thinking business, happiness etc. "
— Amir, 10/18/2013" Not bad, but this is just a book version of his older "Uncommon Sense" youtube video series. The book is worth reading but I think I'd recommend the videos more. Then again, there's some new stuff in the book and it is very short so there's no harm in doing both. "
— Matt, 10/10/2013" This book is unpretentious and sincere. It's just as long as it needs to be - enough to digest in an afternoon - and is a must-read for entrepreneurs or anyone in need of a reality check. Awesome. "
— Simon, 10/7/2013" Similar to Re:Work, maybe slightly superior. "
— Daniel, 9/28/2013" Quick, easy, very inspirational read -- particularly for entrepreneurs. Love Derek's story and fierce commitment to happiness, simplicity and doing what's best for his customers. "
— Jenny, 8/30/2013" Loved it! What a wonderful approach to business and making customers happy. I loved his humor, candor, and dogged focus on what would make him happy in his business - not what would make him money. "
— Adam, 5/19/2013" Simple and straight to the point invaluable advice. "
— Helmut, 3/22/2013" A business exists for its customers. "
— Chad, 1/20/2013" Short book. Derek Sivers used a hippy-capitalist approach when starting CDBaby - to promote Indie bands online - then essentially gave his company to charity. "
— Brendan, 10/21/2012" Lots of good lessons here, but to be taken with a grain of salt because of Mr. Sivers admitted naivete in some areas. Nonetheless, a quick, fun, and inspiring business book, with a great focus on customer-centricity. The bit about fancy desks "not helping musicians" I liked especially. "
— Chris, 8/2/2012" A lot of good gems in this book about entrepreneurship, though very short. The author is proud that you can read this book in an hour. "
— Katie, 1/18/2012" Similar to ReWork. Great read with good ideas for those who work in small businesses. "
— Jessica, 9/18/2011" A really short read, but a great story and a lot of lessons to learn in there. "
— Darrin, 8/22/2011Derek Sivers is best known as the founder of CD Baby, which was the largest seller of independent music on the web, with over $100 million in sales for over 150,000 musician clients. He won a 2003 World Technology Award and was featured in Esquire Magazine’s annual “Best and Brightest” for his work. In 2008, Derek sold CD Baby to focus on his new ventures to benefit musicians, including his new company MuckWork.