The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
by Mike Michalowicz · first published 2008
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Practical, down-to-earth advice for starting a business with little money, covering how to get customers and do the work you can't yet afford to hire out; suits founders who want a grounded, low-budget approach.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"In this book, Mike teaches you: why a business plan is a total waste of your time; why fullfilling your own needs is the first and last order of business; which three sheets of paper you need to successfully launhc, manage, and grow your business; how to get started in business with little or no money; how to find and exploit resources that no on else knows about; how to stop procrastinating and take action now."--Publisher description.
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Read excellent book The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur by Mike Michalowicz. You will find excellent answers.
on “Ask HN: If you started over with your business how would you save money?” ↗…Entrepreneurs (Christopher Gergen, Gregg Vanourek)-- the title sounds gimmicky, but the content is excellent and gets you thinking about how to create the life you want, not just the business you want. The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur (Mike Michalowicz) -- solid, practical advice. Goes beyond the usual business-book cliches.
on “Ask YC: Business books actually worth reading?” ↗The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur by Mike Michalowicz. Only about a third of the way in, but it's awesome so far.
on “Ask HN: What are you reading right now?” ↗"The snowball: Warren Buffett and the business of life" "The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" "The toilet paper entrepreneur" "The lean startup" "Anything you want"
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011” ↗…like The Ten Day MBA (it's super dated, but the principles still apply). The fundamental truth of small business or entrepreneurship is that you have to do the things you can't afford to hire for (see Toilet Paper Entrepreneur). Marketing is very very easy. Marketing on a budget is expensive. Go to the library and start reading. Don't forget to measure your results.
on “Ask HN: My site is better than that of competitors, how do I make my site known?” ↗