To: The Wantrepreneur
From: Enlightened Reader
Subject: Launch Your EdBiz in 48 Hours
Date: July 12, 2024
Intro
I kicked off the long 4th of July weekend picking up Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan.
The book for budding entrepreneurs had been on my Goodreads list for a while.
Then it popped up in someone's book rec LinkedIn post.
Finally, the bright green cover and digital art called out for me to pull it off the shelf at Barnes and Noble.
It's been one of the quickest reads of my adult life. I'm not sure what to credit the most from the
smooth writing style,
bite-sized and actionable tips,
or comforting but candid camaraderie credit for that.
For wantrepreneurs looking to move from dreaming to doing, this book has all the prompts you could want, delivered from a straight shooter.
Goals
Learn the difference between a wantrepreneur and an entrepreneur and how to overcome the fear and procrastination that comes with the former.
Complete the personal branding and customer discovery tasks sprinkled throughout each chapter.
Begin validating education entrepreneurship idea with ideal customers.
Tenets
Typically, I put together a list of the values of the project or event I'm writing about. For this book, here are 12 of the greatest hits mentioned throughout the book:
If you're afraid to start or ask, you can't experiment. And if you can't experiment, you can't do business. (xvii)
Marketing is easy when you have a great product. (9)
Don't be afraid to act. Be afraid of living a life that seems more like a resume than an adventure. (17)
Love rejections! Collect them like treasure! Set rejection goals. (22)
If you believe your product or service can fulfill a true need, it's your moral obligation to sell it. (30)
When you validate, you have to get comfortable with potentially selling a product before you've actually made it. (96)
Keep validating. Turn rejection into improvements. Feedback is gold. (101)
Don't overthink the design, the name, the language, the ads, or any of that. Just focus on seeing if you can get people to buy your product." (105)
People get hooked on CHARACTERS. People do business with REAL PEOPLE. Especially those who feel like a friend. (112)
If your audience is all under twenty-five and getting all its news, dance moves, and buying advice on TikTok, you've got to go where your people are. (117)
Email is the king and queen of communicating with customers. (133)
The best way I found to figure out your ideal customer is to look for patterns with your existing ones. (166)
State of the Business
Book completed✅
Book review shared in a LinkedIn post
Prompt work — IN PROGRESS
Lessons Learned
Whether you have a product idea or racing thoughts, act on them. Write down fleeting ideas and reach out to people you want to connect with.
Don't wait for an aha moment to slap you in the face. No MVP is perfect. 👇
Just get outside the building and validate your idea. Save yourself the time.
Strategic Priorities
Differentiate personal brand from venture idea.
Confirm what bat signal is and incorporate it into digital and work presence.