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Startup Your Life: Hustle and Hack Your Way to Happiness
As an entrepreneur, Anna Akbari learned that one of the best things about startups is their ability to “pivot” quickly—basically a euphemism for failing and starting over. And she quickly found that personal success is no different. It’s not just about developing and following the right process but also having a good idea. And that demands rigor and daily maintenance—far beyond a few positive affirmations. Like any Silicon Valley startup, the business of life is not as glamorous as its Instagram account would make it seem.
What do you do when planning is not an option? When control is out of your reach? You isolate the small stuff, experiment constantly, and use the results to lay a more sustainable foundation for the future. You validate your idealized vision by testing it out in bite-sized increments. You see what sticks, integrate, and move forward. And inevitably, you experience a series of failures along the way, but those failures are key to your next success.
Living a start up life is about maximizing flexibility and measuring on-going results, not avoiding failure or reaching one particular end goal. It's about embracing defeat, analyzing it, and failing up. After all, it's often the stumbles that pave the way for real happiness.
What do you do when planning is not an option? When control is out of your reach? You isolate the small stuff, experiment constantly, and use the results to lay a more sustainable foundation for the future. You validate your idealized vision by testing it out in bite-sized increments. You see what sticks, integrate, and move forward. And inevitably, you experience a series of failures along the way, but those failures are key to your next success.
Living a start up life is about maximizing flexibility and measuring on-going results, not avoiding failure or reaching one particular end goal. It's about embracing defeat, analyzing it, and failing up. After all, it's often the stumbles that pave the way for real happiness.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 27, 2016
About the author
Anna Akbari
5 books89 followersAnna Akbari, PhD, is a sociologist and the author of multiple books, including collaborations with more than a dozen authors and public figures across multiple fields and industries. She is a former professor at New York University and Parsons School of Design. She speaks internationally, makes regular media appearances, and has written for or been featured by many top media outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, Forbes, the Atlantic,Time, the Financial Times, TED, Bulletproof Executive, Psychology Today, Google Talks, Sirius XM, and many more. She is the creator of the Substack “The Sociology of… Everything.” Learn more at annaakbari.com, and follow on Instagram / Threads: @annaakbari.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 21, 2017
I've been in the business world for quite a while, including working as an IT project manager in an Agile environment. I've read a lot of business books, including the Tony Hsieh book the author cites. I was expecting a book about achieving personal happiness. This book felt like a book of advice for the entrepreneurially-minded to achieve success. For some people personal happiness and entrepreneurial success might be the same thing, and for those people this might be an awesome book. For me they are not the same; it didn't speak to me at all. All of the examples I saw here related to starting businesses, not to achieving happiness.
Other issues:
1. The analogy doesn't work. It just doesn't. Since that's the premise of the book, that's a problem. Unless I completely misunderstood the purpose of the book.
2. The author tosses in buzzwords like "scrum," but they don't fit what she's saying. If you are a Scrum Master you will wince.
3. Sometimes the book just doesn't make sense. "Finding the most sustainable place in your life for any given passion requires some thoughtful interrogation." What?
4. Little to no how-to. Several examples of various well-known entrepreneurs who achieved success but I saw little readers could actually use to achieve their own success/happiness.
The one thing I saw that seemed useful is on page 73-74 about expanding your worldview to open up possibilities and perspectives you might not have thought of before. There might be more, but having found just that one useful idea by page 86, and that being one I already practice, I decided to put this book aside and pick up something that seemed more rewarding of my time.
If you would like to apply Agile and Scrum principles in your personal life, try Jeff Sutherland's excellent book. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
I received a copy of this book for free via the Firstreads program. Now you know that doesn't automatically get it a 5-star review from me.
Other issues:
1. The analogy doesn't work. It just doesn't. Since that's the premise of the book, that's a problem. Unless I completely misunderstood the purpose of the book.
2. The author tosses in buzzwords like "scrum," but they don't fit what she's saying. If you are a Scrum Master you will wince.
3. Sometimes the book just doesn't make sense. "Finding the most sustainable place in your life for any given passion requires some thoughtful interrogation." What?
4. Little to no how-to. Several examples of various well-known entrepreneurs who achieved success but I saw little readers could actually use to achieve their own success/happiness.
The one thing I saw that seemed useful is on page 73-74 about expanding your worldview to open up possibilities and perspectives you might not have thought of before. There might be more, but having found just that one useful idea by page 86, and that being one I already practice, I decided to put this book aside and pick up something that seemed more rewarding of my time.
If you would like to apply Agile and Scrum principles in your personal life, try Jeff Sutherland's excellent book. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
I received a copy of this book for free via the Firstreads program. Now you know that doesn't automatically get it a 5-star review from me.
January 28, 2017
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. i am so grateful I did, this has given me the motivation, tools and steps to get my life back on track and head in the direction I want to go.
The writing is straight forward,a s is the advice. The analogies used are relevant to the subject and help to put context to the topic. There are both positive and negative examples to show how things can go pear shaped if things are done in the wrong manner.
Best self- help book I have read since The Road Less Travelled.
The writing is straight forward,a s is the advice. The analogies used are relevant to the subject and help to put context to the topic. There are both positive and negative examples to show how things can go pear shaped if things are done in the wrong manner.
Best self- help book I have read since The Road Less Travelled.
February 1, 2017
Book was great inspire a couple new songs another pretty book with valuable information her perspective was strong kinda enjoy the way she put it her word structure was nice...Enjoy the overall theme pull it all together at the end finish with a conclusion...Great Job
March 23, 2018
The concept is a bit late to the party - and at this point it's worth noting that the majority of start-ups, FAIL.
Not sure I want to design my life in the way of a failing business.
Not very helpful and the concept would have been cute 7 years ago. Now, it feels dated and out of touch.
Not sure I want to design my life in the way of a failing business.
Not very helpful and the concept would have been cute 7 years ago. Now, it feels dated and out of touch.
August 16, 2017
90% fluff. Don't waste your time.
December 22, 2016
Startup Your Life is a GREAT book with a very important theme that is super relevant to navigating today's rapidly changing world. Well written and, more importantly, very practical. I don't understand the low reviews from the other reviewers. This book has a great story about how the author started out as an academic and ended up as a successful founder of her own startup.
I love the perspective that we need to abandon the outdated paradigms of how to go through modern life and why we should adapt the flexibility and agility of a Silicon Valley startup. This applies whether you're looking to become an entrepreneur or just want to get the most out of life. I've used many of these strategies to improve my own life.
My advice: don't just read this book and judge it on whether you liked it or not. Instead, APPLY the lessons in experiments to see the RESULTS they give you. That, in my opinion, is what this book is all about!
I love the perspective that we need to abandon the outdated paradigms of how to go through modern life and why we should adapt the flexibility and agility of a Silicon Valley startup. This applies whether you're looking to become an entrepreneur or just want to get the most out of life. I've used many of these strategies to improve my own life.
My advice: don't just read this book and judge it on whether you liked it or not. Instead, APPLY the lessons in experiments to see the RESULTS they give you. That, in my opinion, is what this book is all about!
June 28, 2017
I was lucky enough to win this book in a Goodreads giveaway. This book is very great if you enjoy self help and motivational reads. It was very easy to connect with the author and their story. I was able to pick and choose parts of this book that related and benefit me but think that this book would be more meaningful to readers who come from a business background/setting.
February 2, 2018
This is the self-help book for people who don't see themselves as the self-help type. It's a practical guide for using startup principles to make your life measurably better right now — regardless of your stage in life.
June 19, 2019
Anna Akbari filed for bankruptcy in 2017. Why would I take her advice? This is totally insulting as a reader. If she was successful it might be worth considering but she failed at life so it’s worthless.
September 17, 2019
Okay read. Wanted more information on intersectionality of identities and how those serve as barriers for people as they are trying to start-up their lives. Enjoyed reading about the author's journey.
September 20, 2017
I really enjoyed this book and liked the MVP analogy. It offers practical and realistic advice; the tone is exciting and encouraging.
October 7, 2018
A quick read that encourages an entrepreneurial mindset about all aspects of life. Good anecdotes and smooth writing.
January 13, 2020
skimmed
August 8, 2021
May have been 4 stars but I didn’t really like the order of the book because it impacted how the author used her own examples…and the ones at the end were better for being more relatable.
December 27, 2016
Wow! Finally a realistic, practical alternative to the hundreds of psycho-bable books on self-improvement. If you want to move out of wishful thinking to see real progress on your professional/personal goals, this is a handbook on how to create positive change.
The author is your teacher, the book is your textbook, each chapter a lesson on empowerment, laying the foundation for daily progress measures on attitude AND activity.
Too many self-help books focus only on attitude; leading to the idea that if I just change my attitude success will magically appear. Not true! One of the themes of this book is that success is created; it is not luck. This book inspires and pushes us to daily action to create profound positive change. You learn how to incorporate the start-up world’s results oriented approach, applied to yourself or your projects. Concepts like MVP-Minimally Viable Product, optimization, pivoting out of failure, flow, and many more, provide a fresh approach to developing a consistent modus operandi to anchor ourselves and create happiness in a world of constant change. You can read and re-read this little book to mine gold for yourself.
The author is your teacher, the book is your textbook, each chapter a lesson on empowerment, laying the foundation for daily progress measures on attitude AND activity.
Too many self-help books focus only on attitude; leading to the idea that if I just change my attitude success will magically appear. Not true! One of the themes of this book is that success is created; it is not luck. This book inspires and pushes us to daily action to create profound positive change. You learn how to incorporate the start-up world’s results oriented approach, applied to yourself or your projects. Concepts like MVP-Minimally Viable Product, optimization, pivoting out of failure, flow, and many more, provide a fresh approach to developing a consistent modus operandi to anchor ourselves and create happiness in a world of constant change. You can read and re-read this little book to mine gold for yourself.
July 10, 2017
Startup Your Life is a self-help book for people who aren't into self-help. The idea is to think of your life as a startup and run it as you would a new business. Concepts like MVP (Minimally Viable Product), pivoting and flow can be applied to your personal life, as well. Akbari argues they must, if you want to see the results you crave.
Instead than affirmations and meditations, Akbari shares practical tips anyone can use right now to start making changes in their life. Akbari doesn't believe in luck. She believes in hard work. She reminds you that successful people aren't afraid to try new things, experiment, fail and pivot. The key is taking action. Every day, do something that brings you closer to your goals. Reading this book counts too. :)
Instead than affirmations and meditations, Akbari shares practical tips anyone can use right now to start making changes in their life. Akbari doesn't believe in luck. She believes in hard work. She reminds you that successful people aren't afraid to try new things, experiment, fail and pivot. The key is taking action. Every day, do something that brings you closer to your goals. Reading this book counts too. :)
Want to Read
February 7, 2017I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 26, 2016
As someone that is trying to become the best version of myself everyday, I'm always looking for inspirational books with practical advice that I can apply to my life right away. And, that's why I'm so glad that I found this book, because it's packed with practical advice that can help you live a better and happier life. It's a MUST read.
October 6, 2016
Savvy self-help for millennials.
April 4, 2017
I received this book, for free, in exchange for an honest review.
I am not sure who the target audience for this book is. I thought that as a computer developer who adores both agile and The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses's concepts I would be the ideal reader, apparently not. I am also staunchly anti-consumerist, jaded, against corporate ladder climbers and in my mid 30s. My guess is that this book is intended more for millennials who wish to succeed in the conventional sense (by rising to the top of the socioeconomic ladder). On the other hand, perhaps I am just rationalizing why I disliked this book and maybe the author's personality just didn't grab me.
The book started out strong by suggesting applying lean startup/agile approaches to personal life. I had heard this concept before, most memorably in The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Rethink Family Dinner, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More, and didn't find anything new to implement. The rest of the book was less memorable. The author did summarize each chapter with a bulleted list of action points (which I wish all authors did), but even with that I didn't find much to take away from the book. Perhaps I've read too many Tim Ferriss books and similar podcasts/blogs. Perhaps other readers who haven't will find useful material in the book.
The book also seemed like an academic exercise. It wasn't that the book was hard to read, it wasn't. In my overly judgmental mind, the author came across as distant from the subject material and approaching it in an intellectual way without really grasping it. The author talked about her time selling posh clothes, dressing as a hooker as a social experiment, her classroom experience and her failed startup ventures. All of this goes against my preconceived notions of obtaining happiness via detachment from ego and material goods. I realize that there are many paths to happiness and that I personally expect too much of happiness leaders. However, I don't think I need them to be perfect; Joe Rogan, Duncan Trussel and Pete Holmes certainly aren't (although they do fit a common mold so perhaps I do have some standards to let go of). Perhaps she is a genuine seeker after growth and happiness I just wasn't getting that vibe.
I am not against women experimenting with revealing fashion (that's the one redeeming quality of Halloween), but to propose that as an scientific experiment and do it for a short time seems superficial. I don't doubt that women who dress in a revealing fashion regularly have a different experience than women who wear pant suits. It just seems that a day or two in a purposely chosen experimental costume skims the surface of that experience and is more an exercise in ego (look at what I've done).
The author also seems to focus only on the successful application of her theories (she isn't the only one). I am a bit sick of books that talk about Google or Apple and then try to generalize their successes. I agree that there are things to learn from successful companies/people, but not testing to see how many unsuccessful people/companies applied these ideas seems irresponsible.
The book even contained a quote that implied that if a startup didn't succeed it's because it didn't try hard enough. This quote, from a venture capitalist, seems to think that success is everything. It doesn't matter if you sacrifice your health and family just as long as you make it. It also, in my opinion, implies that if there isn't a market for your life project you should scrap it and try something the market demands. I think these ideas make for unhappy individuals and a sad society.
I am not sure who the target audience for this book is. I thought that as a computer developer who adores both agile and The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses's concepts I would be the ideal reader, apparently not. I am also staunchly anti-consumerist, jaded, against corporate ladder climbers and in my mid 30s. My guess is that this book is intended more for millennials who wish to succeed in the conventional sense (by rising to the top of the socioeconomic ladder). On the other hand, perhaps I am just rationalizing why I disliked this book and maybe the author's personality just didn't grab me.
The book started out strong by suggesting applying lean startup/agile approaches to personal life. I had heard this concept before, most memorably in The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Rethink Family Dinner, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More, and didn't find anything new to implement. The rest of the book was less memorable. The author did summarize each chapter with a bulleted list of action points (which I wish all authors did), but even with that I didn't find much to take away from the book. Perhaps I've read too many Tim Ferriss books and similar podcasts/blogs. Perhaps other readers who haven't will find useful material in the book.
The book also seemed like an academic exercise. It wasn't that the book was hard to read, it wasn't. In my overly judgmental mind, the author came across as distant from the subject material and approaching it in an intellectual way without really grasping it. The author talked about her time selling posh clothes, dressing as a hooker as a social experiment, her classroom experience and her failed startup ventures. All of this goes against my preconceived notions of obtaining happiness via detachment from ego and material goods. I realize that there are many paths to happiness and that I personally expect too much of happiness leaders. However, I don't think I need them to be perfect; Joe Rogan, Duncan Trussel and Pete Holmes certainly aren't (although they do fit a common mold so perhaps I do have some standards to let go of). Perhaps she is a genuine seeker after growth and happiness I just wasn't getting that vibe.
I am not against women experimenting with revealing fashion (that's the one redeeming quality of Halloween), but to propose that as an scientific experiment and do it for a short time seems superficial. I don't doubt that women who dress in a revealing fashion regularly have a different experience than women who wear pant suits. It just seems that a day or two in a purposely chosen experimental costume skims the surface of that experience and is more an exercise in ego (look at what I've done).
The author also seems to focus only on the successful application of her theories (she isn't the only one). I am a bit sick of books that talk about Google or Apple and then try to generalize their successes. I agree that there are things to learn from successful companies/people, but not testing to see how many unsuccessful people/companies applied these ideas seems irresponsible.
The book even contained a quote that implied that if a startup didn't succeed it's because it didn't try hard enough. This quote, from a venture capitalist, seems to think that success is everything. It doesn't matter if you sacrifice your health and family just as long as you make it. It also, in my opinion, implies that if there isn't a market for your life project you should scrap it and try something the market demands. I think these ideas make for unhappy individuals and a sad society.
April 28, 2017
good advice backed by interesting stories and examples in a very nice format. nothing groundbreaking but still a good read
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews