Book Review: The Minimalist Entrepreneur by Sahil Lavingia
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Growing up, I worked in my parents’ small businesses. From packing and shipping books for their vintage bookstore to taking pictures and editing videos for their real estate companies, I learned what it was like to be a bootstrapper before I even became one myself.
Now, I run my small businesses this website and Kingdom of Pavement, labors of love meant to bring writing services and scripted podcasts to people everywhere.
I read The Minimalist Entrepreneur by Sahil Lavignia in part because months prior, I had considered raising VC funds or going after investors for my companies. However, the lessons my parents had taught me about business were ones that I would return to, ones that mirrored what I had read in this book and in Sahil’s Twitter threads and blog posts about working in a way that preserves quality of life.
I read The Minimalist Entrepreneur in an afternoon here in Venice, Italy, and it hit on a lot of different things I’ve been thinking about recently. But first…
What is a Minimalist Entrepreneur?
Sahil defines a Minimalist Entrepreneur as someone who…
Creates a business “that are profitable at all costs”
“Builds on a foundation of community”
Grows slowly yet intentionally and prioritizes sustainability over flashy VC investment
I found this to be profound because most business advice revolves around “the next big idea” or unicorn company that will make a billion dollars: not an underserved community or a problem that could be solved to improve someone’s life in a real way.
Fast-grow startups are sexy: small businesses are not. However, when you look at the numbers, small businesses are often more sustainable, more profitable, and ultimately more life-changing in the long-run for the largest group of people. Startups are risky, often fail, and rely on a faucet of other people’s money to keep the business growing.
The Importance of Community
I’ve enjoyed meeting those of you in my communities on TikTok and Twitter, in part because I love talking to others about the intersection of creativity and entrepreneurship. I love learning from others and sharing my knowledge, and that’s led to a ton of cool freelance opportunities, collaborations, and ways in which I can continue to expand my own offerings to my communities.
Part of the stumbling block I ran into with my first company, Kingdom of Pavement, is that we had an in-person community built around our open mic nights that we were then pivoting into the virtual space through scripted podcasts. Our community helped boost our listens and supported us through merch purchases and downloads, but it wasn’t enough to exist off of alone.
When people talk about building a community, it’s often just as a marketing ploy. But as someone who has been involved in building multiple community-centric spaces, I know how much of a challenge it really is, so don’t take it lightly.
Minimalist Means Flexibility
While running these companies, I’ve also honed my skills as a freelance copywriter, memoir ghostwriter, and brand strategist. For me, being a “minimalist entrepreneur” means I get to go all in on my multi-passionate personality. I’m able to work with a wide variety of people on different projects, and I’m able to do so through my frameworks, automation of my workflow, and support from my team.
Some days, I’m writing copy for a billboard. Other days, I’m helping someone write their memoir and tell their life story. And then, on a day like today, I’m reading and writing by the canals in Venice, learning and growing and resting in-between travel adventures.
That’s not to say being a minimalist entrepreneur is easy. I’ve had a ton of deadlines over the past few days, and because I prioritize making sure everything I turn in to my clients meets my high standards, I’ve had to spend more time working in my hostel than I’ve wanted to. However, I’m optimizing for following through on my contracts, and any leftover time I have I get to run around beautiful places and do cool things, so I can’t complain that much.
It’s also taken me years of work to build up to where I’m at now. I’m still working on creating content for my community, and blog on a weekly basis and continue to maintain my weekly newsletter on Storytelling Secrets you’ve probably heard me write about that spills my weekly storytelling thoughts at the intersection of business and creativity.
At the end of the day, when you’re a minimalist entrepreneur, you truly work for yourself. You don’t have to answer to a board or investors, and your only goal is to deliver great work and products to your clients.
No Hype, Just Results
One of my favorite concepts in this book is the idea that most small businesses…
Start small
Take years to grow at the pace it needs to evolve
Grow in parallel to their founder’s own journey and learnings
There’s no flashy hype, no overnight success in minimalist entrepreneurship. In fact, Sahil’s whole point is that every day you should just be talking to customers, doing manual sales, and making your offerings better. Don’t build a business that depends on a ton of paid advertising. Don’t spend money you don’t have on expensive marketing hype. That will eventually run dry.
(That’s also part of why I prioritize content marketing + organic SEO to every other form of marketing!)
Being a minimalist entrepreneur forces you to get smart and crafty and reckon with whether or not people actually want what you’re selling.
I also love how the book reframes sales as an exploration of what the market wants. I find that to be incredibly refreshing because in the one-on-one sales I’ve done for my business, I’ve learned more about what my clients and customers want, and how myself and my business can better serve them.
At the end of the day, building a successful business takes blood, sweat, and tears. Several million dollars of someone else’s money might not actually get you to a place where you have a sustainable, profitable business. In reality? Money doesn’t solve everything.
Anyone Can Be a Minimalist Entrepreneur
When I began my journey to become a founder, I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to be an entrepreneur. All I knew is that I wanted to create stuff with other people who shared my vision and also wanted to create stuff.
…and it turns out? That’s actually a definition of being an entrepreneur. You don’t need to be a slick Harvard MBA selling a pen to succeed. You can sell just by being your own authentic self, excited about your company and what you can do for others.
These days, I’m following in the footsteps of my parents. I’ve created my own profitable small businesses, do my own freelance writing and consulting work, and get to write and create the things I love every day. If that’s not success, I don’t know what is.
If this post resonated with you, be sure to support Sahil’s work and independent bookstores by picking up a copy of The Minimalist Entrepreneur from Bookshop, my favorite online bookstore that supports local, independent bookstores all over the country.
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