The Minimalist Entrepreneur: How Great Founders Do More with Less

That doesn’t mean you should run out and find a community to join just for the purpose of starting a business. It means that most businesses fail because they aren’t built with a particular group of people in mind. Often, the ones that succeed do so because they’re focused on a community that a founder knows well.

Instead of spending money, spend your time. Build relationships, have passionate customers who spread the word, and then think about spending a little bit of your profits to slightly expand your horizon. If you can do that, you will stay lean and grow at a comfortable rate that never overextends your business.

I used to think that communicating company values was kind of dumb, to be honest. Be nice, work hard, show up on time—isn’t it obvious? Then I started Gumroad and realized that if you don’t constantly remind everyone—including yourself—what you do, how you do it, and why you do it that way, you will veer off course. And then you’ll have to make cor... See more

If people are only sharing your product because they are being financially rewarded for it, it is unsustainable.

There is something profoundly beautiful in a value-oriented mission and a genuine purpose driven by your own lived experience. This is what being a minimalist entrepreneur is all about: making a difference while making a living.

Too many people think their business account is enough. No, it’s not. People don’t care about your business and its success, they care about you and your struggles.

Everyone is doing something important when you ask them for help, so do what you can to save them time and expensive back-and-forth.

it will be really great for a few people, and if you define your values early and often and tell the world who you are, they will find you.

“Creating a product is a process of discovery, not mere implementation. Technology is applied science,” Naval Ravikant says.