The Book in Three Sentences
- Do not underestimate what you, your laptop, a good Wi-Fi connection and some hard work can accomplish.
- In order to be an entrepreneur, you need to act like an entrepreneur.
- Build a viable business that gives you the money and freedom to do what you love.
The Five Big Ideas
- “We always overestimate the size of our hurdles, until we overcome them.”
- “Life is short. Do work that matters.”
- “Move from being a consumer to being a producer.”
- “Always be proud of creating something out of nothing.”
- “You don’t have to outsmart your competition or have more resources, you just have to outwork them.”
Hack the Entrepreneur Summary
- “Do not underestimate what you, your laptop, a good Wi-Fi connection, and some hard work can accomplish. These are the new rules of business. Get used to it, or keep your day job.”
- “Overcoming my sense of inadequacy was one of the most liberating feelings in my life.”
- “Yes, of course, you have to find your periods of hustle and hard work, but you also have to nurture your periods of stepping back and taking time off from business. Allowing yourself this time, without becoming anxious you are not working enough, will give you the energy and focus required to build and launch your next project, and grow your business.”
- “In order to be an entrepreneur, you need to act like an entrepreneur. That means acting however you want, as long as you build things and put them out into the world.”
- “Rather than building a business around what you love, build a viable business that gives you the money and freedom to do what you love.”
- “What do you want your lifestyle and businesses to look like? Think about this when starting, and begin with your end goals in mind.”
- “Determine exactly what you want from your business. Then begin with the end in mind.”
- “We always overestimate the size of our hurdles, until we overcome them.”
- “Accept that the starting point is the worst your business will ever be.”
- “Life is short. Do work that matters.”
- “You will never have all the information, only the information that is available to you where you presently are.”
- “Move from being a consumer to being a producer.”
- “Enjoy the lows, because they make the highs much higher.”
- “Remember, your business is not about you. It is never about you. It is about your customer.”
- “Luck is a by-product of hard work.”
- “I have a piece of paper, a “fears page” if you will, where I write down whatever is keeping me from doing something at a specific moment. By doing so, I can dimensionalize my fears as Jay said. This has allowed me to see what mistakes I have made and how limiting fears can be.”
- “The future needs goals, today needs appreciating, and yesterday needs to be acknowledged.”
- “Your ideas are worthless until you take action.”
- “In order to win in your market, you need to understand your competition better than they understand themselves.”
- “Find people that will push you as far as they can.”
- “The value of an idea is only realized during its execution.”
- “What you make in your business or your spare time, no matter how insignificant it may seem, has the ability to change someone’s life.”
- “Failure is not the end of an idea or business venture, but the starting point of the next one.”
- “The only way to fail as an entrepreneur is to quit before you’ve seen enough failures to find your success.”
- “In order to be really successful, you have to be able to work hard every single day, celebrating the wins and accepting the failures.”
- “When you fall while climbing an obstacle, you simply land back on the plateau you were just on. You don’t have to start from scratch again.”
- “Always be proud of creating something out of nothing.”
- “Even if you don’t make a bunch of money out of it, you have done something most people in the world will never do and you deserve a pat on the back. You have executed your ideas, which gives them value.”
- “When you find yourself in the dip, put your head down, keep working, and don’t look up until it’s clear you’ve made it through.”
- “Entrepreneurs are not born – they are created through mindset, determination, and a willingness to work hard.”
- “You have to appreciate what you’ve accomplished, no matter how small it might seem, while remaining unimpressed, because that will drive you forward.”
- “Be the CEO of your show.”
- “At times, we have to do the work that has to be done, even if we’re not great at it and don’t like doing it. It is the nature of running a business. Think big and work small.”
- “Our businesses do not need us to be good at everything, but they do require us to acknowledge our shortcomings with courage and humility.”
- “You don’t have to outsmart your competition or have more resources, you just have to outwork them.”