Here are my notes from Anything You Want by Derek Sivers.
On the purpose of business
Business is not about money. It’s about making dreams come true for others and for yourself.
When you make a business, you get to make a little universe where you control all the laws. This is your utopia. When you make it a dream come true for yourself, it’ll be a dream come true for someone else, too.
I thought that by taking an unrealistically utopian approach, I could keep the business from growing too much. Instead of trying to make it big, I was going to make it small.
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.
A business is started to solve a problem. But if the problem were truly solved, that business would no longer be needed! So the business accidentally or unconsciously keeps the problem around so that they can keep solving it for a fee.
On success
Revolution is a term that people use only when you’re successful. Before that, you’re just a quirky person who does things differently.
Success comes from persistently improving and inventing, not from persistently doing what’s not working.
If you think your life’s purpose needs to hit you like a lightning bolt, you’ll overlook the little day-to-day things that fascinate you.
On customer focus
Never forget that absolutely everything you do is for your customers. Make every decision—even decisions about whether to expand the business, raise money, or promote someone—according to what’s best for your customers. If you’re ever unsure what to prioritize, just ask your customers the open-ended question, “How can I best help you now?” Then focus on satisfying those requests.
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.