Book Review: $100 Startup

In January, I read $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau. It is a book about beginning your own startup on minimal costs. Guillebeau uses many examples throughout his book, from children running a garbage service aboard a medical ship to a man who sells mattresses (and delivers them by bicycle).

As someone who likes to daydream and taunt the idea of starting my own side business, I found the book to be a good resource. The stories are inspiring (from losing a job to "making it" on your own), especially when you can picture yourself in that person's shoes. I constantly found myself thinking, "If she can do it, then I can do it too!"

Guillebeau doesn't sugarcoat the issue of starting your own business. He interviews people on what worked, what didn't work, and what changes had to be made. He emphasizes that it will take a lot of time and real work to achieve a goal. I liked that. It helped me think through possible scenarios I might run into if I start my own business.

One thing I did not like, however, was how Guillebeau references his website for a resource. It's not that I'm against self promotion, but it just gave me a weird feeling as I read the book. I felt like I wasn't reading a "real" book but more like an advertisement or a entrepreneur's e-mail (I'm on a lot of entrepreneurs' mailing lists).

I will still reference the book though, and maybe even check out the website (http://100startup.com/), when I decide to make the brave leap into the startup world.