Book Review : The $100 Startup

The $100 Startup …Chris Guillebeau (Pan Macmillan Publishers)

                Most of us think we do not have it in us to start & run a successful business for one or more of the following  reasons :

        1) It involves big bucks

        2) I do not have an MBA
        3) I do not have special skills
        4) I don’t have a 80-page business plan

        5) I need to run a big office in the center of the town

Chris Guillebeau, a serial entrepreneur himself, offers an alternative concept called Microbusiness through his book “The $100 Startup”.Chris explains through various real-life examples who are pursuing their passion through their Microbusiness. He starts with definition of a microbusinesss:

 1) It is based on the hobby or activity that a person is enthusiastic about

 2) Start-up cost < $1000

 3) Yearly net income of at least $50K

 4) No special skills (something you do that  your grandmother can understand!)

 5) Fewer than five employees

The book not only offers  just the examples of Microbusinesses but also the blue-print to start one. And  the Magic Formula for starting up is …Hold your breathe...

Passion or Skill (yours)  + Usefulness (others) = Success

According to Chris , all you  need for a Micro-business is

Product or Service (what you sell) + People willing to pay for it (Customers) + A way to get paid (Ex., PayPal account).

 Having said that, Chris Guillebeau is realistic and states that there is no Fail-proof method. Many people are accidental entrepreneurs either because of the situation they were in or because they never knew they were starting-up! And they learnt to work through the issues on the fly and handle the failures.Chris goes on to explain the basic principles of setting up a service,Advertising without money   & simply to make Profit.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has the faintest interest of wanting to  start-up a business.