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How I Built This

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How I Built This

The Unexpected Paths to Success from the World’s Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs

Mariner Books,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

In Guy Raz’s profiles, the humble beginnings of successful entrepreneurs offer plentiful inspiration.

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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Engaging
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

Starting your own business is tough. The road to success is rocky. A lot can – and will – go wrong as you generate, develop and fine-tune your initial idea, get people to believe in it, secure funding, and learn to build and sustain your company. And yet, as hard as it is, many people have already traveled this road. Based on interviews conducted for his popular NPR podcast How I Built This, journalist Guy Raz dives into the stories of successful entrepreneurs to show you how to navigate and overcome the challenges of starting your own business.

Summary

A great entrepreneurial idea builds on personal passion and solves real problems.

Some entrepreneurs actively search for business ideas; others simply stumble on them. In either case, you need an open mind to see the right opportunities. However, simply having an idea for a venture isn’t enough. Many people are enthusiastic about their hobbies or about problem-solving in general, but personal interest can’t be the basis for a business unless it corresponds with, and work to fix, a real-world problem that many people share.

What’s dangerous isn’t necessarily scary and vice versa.

When you consider turning an idea into a business, you need to know whether the decision is dangerous or just scary. Things can be dangerous without feeling scary, or feel frightening without being dangerous. For example, leaving a well-paid job to start a business is scary, but it’s not necessarily dangerous if you’ve weighed the risks and the viability of your business idea. In contrast, staying in a well-paid job that you don’t enjoy is dangerous, even though it doesn’t feel scary.

 

Starting your own business comes with ...

About the Author

Guy Raz is a journalist, correspondent, radio host, and creator and co-creator of several podcasts, including How I Built This, TED Radio Hour and Wow in the World. 

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