By Chris Guillebeau $100 Startup

The $100 Startup is an interesting book. It has a couple of unusual premises, one is that many many entrepreneurs are more successful if they DON'T expand. We seem to be programmed to think that success means expansion! If one location is good, two must be twice as good, right? Not necessarily for quality of life, it turns out.Another idea that goes along with this, is how for some people, doing everything themselves works the best, not depending on others. And for other businesses, delegating as much as possible seems to be what makes things work. It's important to be openminded about this—don't refuse to try to delegate just because you think you should do it all, and conversely, don't insist on hiring outsiders (or even employees) just because other people think you should.Probably the most important takeaway I got from this book is, do the things that you get paid for. Having a perfect website is not the most important thing. Delaying your opening until the décor is perfect is not important. Do the things that people want to pay you for, and keep doing those things! I think we all get sidetracked trying to make things perfect, when it's not crucial.There are many many case studies in this book, complete with what they spent to start up AND what they earn. Which is something you don't get in other business books.This book is very readable and engaging, overall very enjoyable.