Act Like You Don’t Need the Money & Be Wildly Successful

5 life lessons from a book so good, I’ve gifted it to 30+ people

Hands in the air if you love a free gift?

Oh yeah, I saw you nodding. It’s human nature. When a bottle of wine is free, it tastes so much better.

It’s one of the reasons I gift books to podcast guests. I also tuck in a bookmark and handwritten card because — well, why the f*ck not?

My favourite book is less than 90 pages long, meaning it can be read in under an hour. I should know because I’ve gone through it nine times — front to back.

The book in question is Anything You Want by Derek Sivers.

In 1998, Sivers founded CD Baby as a favour for a friend. It accidentally became the largest seller of independent music on the web, with more than $100 million in sales. He sold it in 2008 and has since travelled the world, engaging in creative projects.

Here are five life lessons you can take from this fantastic book.

Lesson #1: “Start now. No funding needed.”

How often have you heard, “I’ll start when…”?

A friend goes on and on about their business idea, claiming it’s the next big thing. They just need to raise money and build a team and X, Y, Z…

For a long time, I was one of these people. I’d come up with a bunch of ideas, convinced they’d make millions. I rarely acted, though.

And I didn’t make money.

Sivers warns against this thinking.

“Watch out when anyone (including you) says he wants to do something big, but can’t until he raises money.
“It usually means the person is more in love with the idea of being big-big-big than with doing something useful.”
— Derek Sivers

He adds, “ideas are a multiplier of execution”.

A good idea on its own without execution isn’t worth much. A not-so-good idea brought to life is better. A brilliant idea and brilliant execution is the holy grail.

Screenshot taken from Ross Simmonds on Twitter

For this reason, I posted 300+ business ideas on BitClout. I haven’t got time to act. They’re in a Google doc I’ve pulled together as a result of writing five ideas a day.

You’re welcome to the ideas too!

Screenshot taken from https://bitclout.com/u/ScottStockdale

Lesson #2: “The best plans start simple”

When Sivers started CD Baby, he went to a local records store. He noticed they had musicians’ CDs on the counter. After asking the assistant how selling CDs works, she told him.

Sivers then went home and used this model for CD Baby. It served the company for six years and generated $10 million in sales.

“A business plan should never take more than a few hours of work — hopefully no more than a few minutes.
“The best plans start simple. A quick glance and common sense should tell you if the numbers will work. The rest are details.”
— Derek Sivers

I applied a similar strategy.

When I wanted to get into coaching, I asked my mentor. He helps clients launch their podcasts but his agency couldn’t cope with demand. I offered to help.

I hadn’t coached before, but I did know the following:

I like podcasting
My mentor is well-connected
He’s someone I want to learn from

When framed like this, the decision was easy. I had nothing to lose and a lot to gain. I’d also read Ego Is the Enemy and had been waiting to apply the “canvas strategy”.

The strategy goes like so. Find canvasses for other people to paint on and you’ll secure a “powerful position”. The Romans called this Anteambulo — a person who cleared the path for their patron.

By helping my mentor, I could secure a “powerful position”. I also had the opportunity to learn more about podcasting.

Punchline?

Follow someone’s lead and piggyback off their success. You’ll arrive at your destination ten times faster.

Lesson #3: “Thrill them and they’ll tell everyone”

One of CD Baby’s principles is to focus on the customer.

Always.

Every decision — whether to expand the business or promote someone — is made for them.

As Sivers discovered, this has an unintended consequence. Customers soon spread the word about CD Baby. They loved the attention to detail, such as the “goofy” email that’s sent after every order.

Ironically, Sivers didn’t want the company to expand. He wanted to make music. He’d started CD Baby as a favour for a friend, but the requests kept coming, so the company kept growing.

“None of your customers will ask you to turn your attention to expanding. They want you to keep your attention focused on them.
“It’s counterintuitive, but the way to grow your business is to focus entirely on your existing customers. Just thrill them, and they’ll tell everyone.”
— Derek Sivers

I’ve noticed something similar for my Udemy courses. After the launch, I barely mention them, and they continue to make money. Other people seem to promote them on my behalf.

Thanks for the mention below, Kristina :)

Screenshot taken from an article by Kristina God

Lesson #4: “We want to give to those who give”

We’ve all been in a situation where someone’s tried to sell us something.

Just last week, I signed up for a credit card after a salesman cornered me in a supermarket. I’ve read Influence enough times to know the tricks he was pulling, and yet I couldn’t resist.

He may have got a sign-up, but I’m never going to use it.

Sivers avoids this scarcity mindset. He wanted CD Baby customers to experience great customer service. If this meant doing a few favours, he encouraged it.

For example, one musician asked if CD Baby could include a “small, rubber squid” with his order. The shipping guys didn’t disappoint. They included it in his box, along with his CDs.

Their policy is simple: “We’ll do anything for a pizza.”

“If you set up your business like you don’t need the money, people are happier to pay you.
“When someone’s doing something for the money, people can sense it, like they sense a desperate lover.
“When someone’s doing something for love… it triggers this law: We want to give to those who give.”
— Derek Sivers

Curtis Jackson also applies this principle. In Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter, he writes:

“One of the secrets to getting what you want in life is creating the perception that you don’t need a thing.
“That can be a difficult energy to project — especially when you’re struggling — but committing to that perception will make you more attractive professionally, personally, and even romantically.”
— Curtis Jackson

I’ve tried this approach with my creative projects.

With my newsletter, for example, I send subscribers a link to a Google form. It’s automatically sent after they’ve received three of my weekly emails. The form asks them questions about the emails, such as what they like and how they can be improved.

In return, subscribers get free access to one of my Udemy courses.

I get useful feedback and they get access to an online course worth £69.99. Win-win.

Lesson #5: “There’s a big difference between being self-employed and being a business owner.”

I love my mum and her partner, and they’re two of the hardest-working people I know. I’m forever grateful for their support.

Do I want a career like theirs, though?

Not really.

Although they’re business owners, they’re far from free. They work five days a week — sometimes six — and avoid taking time off. Their last holiday came in 2019. Fortunately, they enjoy what they do.

In my eyes, they’ve fallen into what Sivers calls the “Self-Employment Trap”.

“There’s a big difference between being self-employed and being a business owner.
“Being self-employed feels like freedom [until] you realise that if you take time off, your business crumbles.
“To be a true business owner, make it so that you could leave for a year, and when you came back, your business would be doing better than when you left.”
— Derek Sivers

Although I don’t own a business, I’ve bought into the delegation mindset. I’ve streamlined my podcast and have been working with a virtual assistant since April 2020.

I’ve written a number of articles on this topic in case you’re interested:

Takeaways

Every time I watch Inception, I see something new. A detail I’ve missed. A piece of dialogue.

It’s the same with Anything You Want. When I pick it up and read from cover to cover, I learn something new. Sivers’s masterpiece keeps on giving.

And like the best books, it has an uncanny knack of finding you when you need it most.

“A real book is not one we read but one that reads us.” — WH Auden

When it comes to business, Sivers has achieved everything I want, and CD Baby is still going strong.

Here are five life lessons I’ve taken from his book:

#1: “Start now.” Ideas are a multiplier of execution.
#2: “The best plans start simple.” Find canvasses for other people to paint on and enjoy the ride.
#3: “Thrill them and they’ll tell everyone.” When you make customers your priority, they become cheerleaders.
#4: “We want to give to those who give.” Adopt an abundance mindset — not scarcity.
#5: “There’s a big difference between being self-employed and being a business owner.” Avoid the “self-employment trap” by delegating as much as you can.

Want to ditch the 9–5? Get my free 19-page guide: Everything I Did to Quit My 9–5 Job & Transition Into Profitable, Sustainable Solopreneuring :)