The Minimalist Entrepreneur By Sahil Lavingia. What I’ve Learned?

I feel close to the Minimalist movement. I love entrepreneurship. So with a title like “The Minimalist Entrepreneur,” I was curious.

I started with a preconception; I’m not sure I’ll learn something new in this book. But as I have no problem starting a book and not finishing it, I began. 

But this one enters in the category “started and finished quickly.” It made me discover this movement of young entrepreneurs who are no longer interested in outside capital. They have another model for the business of tomorrow. 

I enjoyed it and learned a lot. 

Sahil’s story. 

Sahil was born in the internet culture. His latest Job, designer at Pinterest. 

A curious and ambitious guy with an idea in mind to become a Billionaire. 

One weekend he has the idea of Gumroad. A platform to help designers to sell online easily.

“I was looking for a way to sell an icon for a buck, and couldn’t find anything great online.”

As he didn’t find the solution, he thought why not create it. 🙂

With a minimalist approach, he gave himself a weekend to launch the prototype. And he did it. 

Sometimes you wonder how long it takes to change a life trajectory. For Sahil it was a weekend. He quit his great job and embarked on the Gumroad adventure. 

“Starting a business should be an option for everyone, no matter your background.”

His initial idea and his identity change…

Create the next Unicorn, those famous startups that reach a billion valuations. But he was quickly disillusioned. 

Short-term growth at all costs did not suit him. He didn’t see himself in “growth at all cost” and “winner takes all markets.” 

“Make more money than you spend, and you’ll never go out of business. Simple as that. I got in this to stay in this, not to get out of it, so profits align very nicely with longevity in business.”
— Jason Fried

This is where the identity switch started to happen. From “Unicorn chaser to Minimalist entrepreneur’. 

The minimalist Entrepreneur. What is it? 

“Making a difference while making a living.” And to be able to live this ideal, the minimalist entrepreneur aims for small but profitable from day one. This is the key to his independence. 

In fact, I knew these companies without knowing the term. 

When I was leading a European subsidiary for an international group, I was looking (before Covid) for a way to communicate in a faster and more transparent way with my employees. I found the Basecamp software. 

I first read the book” Rework by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried” and was convinced. And yes, Basecamp is one of the pioneers of this movement. 

Recently to manage my newsletter, I chose Convertkit. Natan Barry can also be defined in this trend. 

One of the objectives of the Minimalist is to understand an existing problem for his prospect and to solve it. In the corporate world, we often use barbaric words like “customer-centric,” even if it doesn’t always show up in corporate products.

One of the highlights for me with Basecamp and Convertkit is the ease of use, the more human tone of the after-sales service, and the transparency of the founder in the communication. 

Where to start? Sahil’s recommendation: The community. 

“Communities are a place where we can connect, learn, and have fun.” 

To launch the blog, I started looking at communities on the net. 

I was very skeptical. But today, they have become one of the main reasons I continue to share on the web. 

Finding people who have the same interests as you is not always easy in the real life. 

And that’s what the community allows you to do. 

The minimalist entrepreneur starts with the community. He chooses a topic that interests him, immerses himself in the community to learn. 

He doesn’t try to create a new need; he ends up discovering through his immersion an existing problem that has no solution. And this is the beginning of his adventure. 

Not so bad. It means that the problem and the prospects exist. In the corporate world, we would call this “Market Research.” But instead of delegating it to an external structure of which you are not even sure of the result, you live it by exchanging daily with your prospects. And on top of that, you enjoy it because you are passionate about the topic.

Jim Collins calls it a “Flywheel.” You learn, you grow and you help others. (check : Why Do You Start Attracting More People And Opportunities When You Grow? What We Can Learn From This New Generation Of Entrepreneurs And Apply In Our Daily Lives. )

How do I build my prototype? Build as little as possible. 

“You don’t learn, then start. You start, then learn.”

Sahil speaks from experience. A weekend to create his prototype. (Check : We Don’t Lack Ideas, We Lack Execution. How Did Tope Awotana Launch Calendly?

“Start before you feel ready. Start today.” (It Took Me A While To Figure Out That I Would Get There Faster By Launching And Learning Simultaneously)

The explosion of technology allows you to learn, automate and outsource a maximum of things. The author suggests sites like Markedpad.co for the “no-code” part. 

Only start trying to sell when you can solve a real problem. And spend some time on the “Processization.” Until today Gumroad processes everything. 

When you have a clear process, everyone should be able to follow it and you can automate or outsource faster. 

Who do I start selling to? 

The minimalist entrepreneur is more interested in educating than selling. So he spends part of his time presenting his solution. Sahil suggests starting with family and friends and expanding to cold prospects. 

And even though he is from the internet generation. He goes back to the basics. For him, nothing works better than prospecting. 

He even practiced it himself for a long time. Contacting creator after creator by email to “educate” them on the Gumroad solution. 

In the beginning, you spend a lot of time “educating” until word of mouth starts to spread and the product sells itself. 

Discover my Resource guide: The 11 books that have influenced my career the most. (Including my favorite of all categories).

Your marketing is also YOU

“Marketing is really just about sharing your passion.”
— MICHAEL HYATT

The Minimalist entrepreneur is vulnerable. He doesn’t present himself as the superhero who solves all problems. Instead, he publicly shows his doubts, failures, and what he has learned from them. 

This makes him more authentic and approachable to people. He creates a network of fans who love the product and the person behind it. 

And Sahil gives a recipe for success on social networks. 

“First, educate. Second, inspire. Third, entertain. Ideally, you’ll do all three”

Grow yourself and your business mindfully. 

I am surprised by this generation of new entrepreneurs who have the maturity to leave the traditional “Venture Capital model.” For Sahil, it’s a growth model that can’t last. 

The more profitable you are and stay, the more you can afford to aim for another way, where you focus on long-term growth. He talks about “profitable confidence,” which is well explained in the article of Chris Savage, another founder in this trend. 

Build the house you want to live in.

The minimalist creates and invents a different culture where every employee is asked to think like an entrepreneur. One of the ambitions is to develop entrepreneurs.

Instead of promoting one person, the minimalist tests new organizational approaches. The best people continue to do what they do, they are augmented instead of promoted. 

And Sahil ends with “if you’ve made money, now make time,” which is one of the first things he did when he took control back of his company. Take time for himself and his passions. The processes and the company’s entrepreneurial spirit allow him not to get caught up in Gumroad. 

I am on the verge of creating my own business, and Sahil’s advice will be helpful. By becoming financially independent, I already have the time and want to keep it—my goal is to have fun and reduce my risks on the FI (financial independence) part. 

A reading that I recommend you.