{"id":82901,"date":"2022-11-10T02:16:00","date_gmt":"2022-11-10T06:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=82901"},"modified":"2022-11-10T12:48:16","modified_gmt":"2022-11-10T16:48:16","slug":"anything-you-want-derek-sivers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/anything-you-want-derek-sivers\/","title":{"rendered":"Anything You Want: Derek Sivers’s Book Overview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Looking for an overview of Anything You Want<\/em> by Derek Sivers? What is his advice for starting and running a successful business<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Anything You Want<\/em>, Derek Sivers gives recommendations for building a business that meets customers\u2019 needs while still fulfilling your passions. Sivers argues that to run a successful business, you have to know yourself, what you love, and what you want in life<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on for an overview of Anything You Want<\/em>\u2014Derek Sivers’s best-selling book for hopeful entrepreneurs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Anything You Want<\/em> Overview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In Anything You Want<\/em><\/a>, Derek Sivers shares 40 lessons he learned from being an accidental entrepreneur whose hobby turned into a $22 million business. Sivers\u2019s non-traditional approach to business ownership\u2014centering on honesty, creativity, and humanity\u2014is a model for burgeoning entrepreneurs who want to stay true to themselves and do right by others while building their dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A professional musician, Sivers founded CD Baby in 1998 to sell his CDs online when major music companies wouldn\u2019t. What began as an endeavor to address his own unmet need quickly led to Sivers helping friends and other independent musicians sell their CDs online. After growing CD Baby successfully through trial and error, Sivers sold the company in 2008 and put the proceeds into a trust dedicated to music education. Published in 2011, this book presents the lessons he learned along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know What You Love <\/em>to Know What You Want  <\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Anything You Want<\/em>, Derek Sivers argues that to run a successful business you have to know yourself, what you love, and what you want in life. He asserts that the point of owning your own business and pursuing your dreams is to make you happy, so your passions should always be your guiding light<\/strong> and the benchmark against which you measure yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your role matters: <\/strong>Sivers says that as the owner of your own business, you can make your role anything you want, so you should pay attention to which tasks make you happy and only do the ones you love, which will fuel you<\/strong>. Therefore, he recommends delegating parts of your work that you don\u2019t like because doing things you don\u2019t feel passionate about will drain you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In addition to enjoying your business and keeping the passion alive,  understanding yourself and your priorities as a company head also builds confidence, makes you a more effective leader and decision-maker, and maximizes your performance<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Size also matters: <\/strong>Sivers warns against growing your business bigger than you truly want it to be, even if your company is successful. This is because pursuing superficial goals, like making money for the sake of making money, will eventually dampen your interest in your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Sivers doesn\u2019t specify how you get to know yourself<\/a> and your interests<\/a> better, but you can illuminate your inner workings by asking yourself a range of questions<\/a>, such as: What are my short- and long-term goals?<\/em> What am I passionate about?<\/em> and What new activities am I interested in or willing to try?<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay the course: <\/strong>Sivers asserts that once you\u2019ve homed in on what you love, you should keep doing it\u2014even if people tell you that others can do what you\u2019re doing better, faster, and more profitably. He argues that you should measure yourself only against what matters most to you, not what matters most to others because their<\/em> end goal is not your<\/em> end goal and it won\u2019t make you happy. He recommends that you ignore naysayers and continue to actively develop the skills you need to do the thing you love. Continue until these skills are so ingrained that they become part of who you are<\/a>: It\u2019s<\/strong> the act of <\/strong>doing<\/em><\/strong> that will make you what you want to <\/strong>be<\/em><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lesson illustrated:<\/strong> Sivers says he was a terrible singer as a teenager\u2014and people told him so\u2014but he continued singing<\/a> because, more than anything, he wanted to be a singer. Fifteen years of singing later, Sivers found that he actually liked the sound of his voice\u2014and others did too, suddenly praising him for his \u201cnatural\u201d talent. He\u2019s been a professional musician ever since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Anything You Want<\/em>, Derek Sivers asserts that knowing what you love to do should drive what tasks you take on and the role you play in your business. However, Michael Gerber contends in The E-Myth Revisited <\/em><\/a> that new owners of small businesses don\u2019t have the luxury of freely choosing what role they\u2019d like to play.<\/a> Instead, they must assume and balance three: 

1.<\/strong> Entrepreneur<\/strong> (a creative, future-focused visionary)
2. Manager <\/strong>(a pragmatic system implementer and enforcer)
3. Technician<\/strong> (an individualist who prefers to do things on his own, in his own way)

Gerber argues that your business will reflect the role you naturally lean into most, so you must master and learn to keep all three roles in check. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Develop Your Business Plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the previous section, we discussed the importance of identifying and pursuing the things you love. Now, we\u2019ll discuss Sivers\u2019s suggestions for developing a business plan<\/a> that can help you put your passions into action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, Get Going<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sivers says that great ideas are meaningless if you don\u2019t do something with them and that the best thing you can do to make them a reality is just get started<\/strong>. It\u2019s okay if you don\u2019t have a clear plan or vision<\/strong>: Sivers had neither when he started CD Baby\u2014he just had a desire to address an unmet need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sivers says the most important thing is to not get hung up on everything that could prevent you from pursuing your dream, like a lack of money or fear of something going wrong. Don\u2019t worry about developing the perfect business plan with terms and conditions and legal projections for scenarios that may never unfold. Just keep it simple, don\u2019t overthink, and get started\u2014because taking small steps toward your goal<\/a> is always better than doing nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plan Early and Often<\/strong>

In Anything You Want<\/em>, Derek Sivers discusses the importance of getting your business started right away so you can put your ideas into action, recommending that you keep things simple and not get bogged down by the details. But some argue that a well-laid-out plan can help you get off on the right foot<\/a>. Here are a few things you can prepare for before beginning:

1. Research your industry and competitors.
2. Identify your audience and mission.
3. Map out your finances.
4. Put together a business plan.
5. Identify mentors and professional support.

In addition, it can help to begin with a clear financial strategy, which you can develop by determining whether you plan to self-fund your company, approach investors, or seek loans to get it off the ground<\/a>.  <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mind the Boss-Employee Power Dynamic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sivers says that when you\u2019re the boss, you should always be mindful of the power dynamic that\u2019s built into your interactions with employees<\/strong> because it impacts the weight of your words as well as their work. If an employee asks your thoughts on an idea they\u2019ve come up with or a project they\u2019re working on, be aware that your opinion carries more weight than that of a peer and that they may perceive your feedback as a directive rather than a suggestion or collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sivers recommends that, in general, you respond positively to employees who ask your opinion about their ideas and projects, so long as doing so won\u2019t make or break your company. This will encourage them, increase their investment in your company\u2019s work, and will also boost staff morale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In Radical Candor<\/em><\/a>, Kim Scott builds on the idea of positive employer-employee communication. She argues that one of the most important things you can do as a leader to improve your work culture is regularly to ask your employees for honest feedback<\/a> about your impact on the business. After listening and considering what they say, show that you value their opinion by making adjustments accordingly.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prioritize Customers, Not Growth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Anything You Want<\/em>, Derek Sivers says that the primary goal of your business is to help people, so while your company needs to be profitable enough to survive, your primary focus should be on understanding and addressing your customers\u2019 needs<\/strong>, rather than growing your business or getting rich. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sivers argues that it\u2019s better to scrimp and save to build your business right than cater to investors. Although investors can help grow your business quickly, they may demand that you change your vision or compromise your values in ways that don\u2019t help your customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: If you\u2019re able to start your business<\/a> without outside investors, it will be easier to make customer satisfaction the priority of your business. To do this, however, you\u2019ll likely have to lower your start-up costs<\/a>. Are you selling merchandise? Consider an online store rather than brick and mortar. If manufacturing is a cost you\u2019re not able to afford, you might think about selling a service rather than a product. A willingness to start with used, free, or borrowed equipment and spaces will also save you money.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are two ways that Sivers says you can communicate to customers that they\u2019re your top priority: <\/p>\n\n\n\n