Biggest take aways from the business books I've read this year!

Because the year is coming to an end, I decided to go through my notes and list out some of the most important business ideas I learned about this year. A lot of this stuff is pretty simple stuff, but it still can be very powerful. **My 2024 Business Lessons** * When you come up with an idea, you must actually test if people have that idea. This will save a ton of wasted time on product ideas that nobody actually wants. **(The Lean Startup)** * Use a build-measure-learn feedback loop figuring out what the customer doesn’t like and make iterations as quickly as possible. Work in small batches to achieve faster iterations. **(The Lean Startup)** * The right people are much more important than the right ideas. Ideas come from people therefore people are more important. I cannot stress enough how important great people are to a business. **(Creativity, Inc.)** * To make a great product, the makers must pivot from creating a product for themselves to for others. **(Creativity, Inc.)** * To be original you must do a lot of volume/work. “Quantity is the most predictable path to quality.” **(Originals)** * Never worry about giving away too much free value to customers. **(Building a Storybrand)** <-(lots of great copywriting tips) * The more lives you positively impact, the more wealth you’ll attract. **(The Millionaire Fastlane)** * Great customer service is imperative because customers are great forms of advertising via word of mouth. **(The Millionaire Fastlane)** * The easiest way to make a great product is to make something you want to use. **(Rework)** * Ideas are treated like gold, but the real gold is good execution. **(The Millionaire Fastlane & Rework)** * Launch your product as fast as possible! If you had to launch in 2 weeks, what would you cut out? **(Rework)** * Instead of out spending or out selling competitors, out teach them **(Rework)** * The most important customer service tip is speed; get back to them fast! **(Rework)** * Dive deep into the ideal customer. Really try to understand them. **(Build)** * Deadlines force you to get shit done! They inspire creativity. **(Build)** * The best ideas are painkillers, not vitamins. Great ideas eliminate actual problems, not fulfill lightly desired wants. **(Build)** * “What you’re building never matters as much as who you are building it with.” Once again stresses the importance of people. **(Build)** * Make an incredible product for 1 audience not a so-so one for a bunch of different audiences. (Find a niche) **(The Mom Test)** * If the audience doesn’t care enough to be actively trying to solve the problem, they probably won’t care about the solution. **(The Mom Test)** * Product First, Marketing Second, Sales Third **(The Trillion Dollar Coach)** * Become active in the community/niche involved with your potential product. Look for problems within the community to solve. Build strong connections in the community by contributing. **(The Minimalist Entrepreneur)** * Before marketing/sales, really try to get your first 100 customers through family, friends, and the product’s community/niche. **(The Minimalist Entrepreneur)** * Try to create a niche to avoid competition. If not, try to iterate until the product idea is completely original. **(Expert Secrets)** * Encourage dreams, justify failure, allay fears, confirm suspicions, and throw rocks at enemy (marketing from the customer's point of view) **(Expert Secrets)** * List out all the false/limiting beliefs that a potential customer might have that would make them not want to buy the product and try to debunk them. Eliminate purchasing risk. **(Expert Secrets)** * Great reviews/refers go a long way; give discounts for them. **(Expert Secrets)** * If you have a very good product, do collabs/promotions with influencers in the specific niche. **(Expert Secrets)** * “The amateur is a weekend warrior; the professional is there 7 days a week.” Be a professional. **(The War of Art)** * Use permissionless leverage to your advantage like media **(The Almanack of Naval Ravikant)** * Become a creator who provides value in your product’s niche. **(Most of the books I read)** * Don’t learn then start; start then learn. You must start as soon as possible. **(Most of the books I read)** I hope you find this informative because looking back at my notes, I sure did. I hope to continue my learning journey next year and maybe even START a business. I would love you hear what y'all think about this list of info.