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The Entrepreneur's Weekly Nietzsche: A Book for Disruptors
FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE-PATRON PHILOSOPHER
OF TODAY'S DISRUPTIVE ENTREPRENEURS
His favorite personality was a "free spirit" an obsessed individual with a vision of the future and the will to make it so, a rebel who creates the future with childlike enthusiasm.
Now, serial entrepreneur Dave Jilk and venture capitalist Brad Feld extract from Nietzsche a modern Art of War, connecting the dots to our high-tech business environment.
Each quick, digestible chapter expands on a quote from Nietzsche to stimulate your thinking about a vital aspect of entrepreneurship, and stories from entrepreneurs help make the ideas concrete.
Understand why hitting bottom might be the best thing that can happen, how your firm's "artistic style" can align your organization, and the role obsession plays in your success-and your definition of it.
Glean insight and inspiration from every page of this surprising, approachable gem.
OF TODAY'S DISRUPTIVE ENTREPRENEURS
His favorite personality was a "free spirit" an obsessed individual with a vision of the future and the will to make it so, a rebel who creates the future with childlike enthusiasm.
Now, serial entrepreneur Dave Jilk and venture capitalist Brad Feld extract from Nietzsche a modern Art of War, connecting the dots to our high-tech business environment.
Each quick, digestible chapter expands on a quote from Nietzsche to stimulate your thinking about a vital aspect of entrepreneurship, and stories from entrepreneurs help make the ideas concrete.
Understand why hitting bottom might be the best thing that can happen, how your firm's "artistic style" can align your organization, and the role obsession plays in your success-and your definition of it.
Glean insight and inspiration from every page of this surprising, approachable gem.
296 pages, Hardcover
Published May 6, 2021
146 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 25, 2021
Applies Nietzsche's ideas to startups—offering founders and creators an invaluable set of philosophical tools.
September 29, 2021
I was not really familiar with Nietzsche's work, but I read the book because Brad wrote it. I think Brad is a great teacher and writer.
You are supposed to be reading the book throughout the year, there are fifty-two chapters - one for each week, but I read the whole book in just a few days. For me personally, this book comes in such perfect timing. When I found the book, I was almost at a breaking point. I was exhausted. My team and I have been working non-stop for months building our product. I lost my dear father, my Papa, due to a heart attack just a couple of months prior, and I was stuck in the grieving process. I fell into a bout of depression, and I started to question myself and my effectiveness as a leader.
Reading this book helped me to put things in perspective and to have hope again.
This is the part that really helped me: Reflecting Your Light.
(if you are in a dark place right now, please read this chapter)
"
As an entrepreneur, you are a leader. Your co-founders, your team, and to some extent, your customers and investors all work with you because you play an important and positive role for them. They see you as a “light” in their lives. It is completely irrelevant in your present dark hour whether you think this is justified or important. The fact that your light shines is inescapable, and recognizing it is not an act of ego or vanity but simply one of acknowledging reality. Once you have recognized this reality, you can observe your light’s reflection. It is visible even if you are inclined to say, “so what?” Observe how your presence changes and animates discussions. Observe how people respond to your requests and questions. Notice the level of motivation in your organization, even in difficult times, and recognize that you selected these people, and they selected you to work with. Watch for the reflection and the effects of your light shining. Don’t actively minimize it, just see it, like you see the illumination of the moon. If a sense of detachment accompanies your mental state, use that to help see things as a disinterested observer. You have now recognized your importance in these people’s lives and observed and experienced how you affect them. These are simple facts. You may elect to make judgments about those facts in your depressed state. You might dismiss them as unimportant. Sometimes “Imposter Syndrome” is a component of depression—in that case, you may have the thought that these people are making a mistake or that you are a fraud. This does not change the fact that your own light, reflecting off these people and your role in their lives, has now reflected back onto you. You may not enjoy or appreciate it in your depressed state, but it is there and worth acknowledging. No matter how dark the world may seem, it would be darker without you. It would also be darker if you did not have those other people to reflect your light."
Thank you, Brad and Dave, for writing this book. I forever owe you.
You are supposed to be reading the book throughout the year, there are fifty-two chapters - one for each week, but I read the whole book in just a few days. For me personally, this book comes in such perfect timing. When I found the book, I was almost at a breaking point. I was exhausted. My team and I have been working non-stop for months building our product. I lost my dear father, my Papa, due to a heart attack just a couple of months prior, and I was stuck in the grieving process. I fell into a bout of depression, and I started to question myself and my effectiveness as a leader.
Reading this book helped me to put things in perspective and to have hope again.
This is the part that really helped me: Reflecting Your Light.
(if you are in a dark place right now, please read this chapter)
"
As an entrepreneur, you are a leader. Your co-founders, your team, and to some extent, your customers and investors all work with you because you play an important and positive role for them. They see you as a “light” in their lives. It is completely irrelevant in your present dark hour whether you think this is justified or important. The fact that your light shines is inescapable, and recognizing it is not an act of ego or vanity but simply one of acknowledging reality. Once you have recognized this reality, you can observe your light’s reflection. It is visible even if you are inclined to say, “so what?” Observe how your presence changes and animates discussions. Observe how people respond to your requests and questions. Notice the level of motivation in your organization, even in difficult times, and recognize that you selected these people, and they selected you to work with. Watch for the reflection and the effects of your light shining. Don’t actively minimize it, just see it, like you see the illumination of the moon. If a sense of detachment accompanies your mental state, use that to help see things as a disinterested observer. You have now recognized your importance in these people’s lives and observed and experienced how you affect them. These are simple facts. You may elect to make judgments about those facts in your depressed state. You might dismiss them as unimportant. Sometimes “Imposter Syndrome” is a component of depression—in that case, you may have the thought that these people are making a mistake or that you are a fraud. This does not change the fact that your own light, reflecting off these people and your role in their lives, has now reflected back onto you. You may not enjoy or appreciate it in your depressed state, but it is there and worth acknowledging. No matter how dark the world may seem, it would be darker without you. It would also be darker if you did not have those other people to reflect your light."
Thank you, Brad and Dave, for writing this book. I forever owe you.
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November 16, 2021The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Nietzsche is not only full of bite-sized wisdom for busy entrepreneurs, but it speaks to the very spirit of what it is to BE an Entrepreneur. Two examples right off the top of my head are the sections “Genius” and “Surpassing”, and here are the quotes that kick off the discussion in each:
Genius: “What is Genius? – To aspire to a lofty aim and to will the means to that aim.”
Surpassing: “Life herself spoke this secret to me: “Behold,” said she, “I am that which must ever surpass itself”.
Interestingly, my connection to Nietzsche’s work came pretty early in my life. In high school, I found the philosophy section of our little library and would carry a massive pile of books around with me trying to get through them all. I remember a teacher seeing Nietzsche on the top of the stack and commenting, “a little LIGHT reading, Kelly?” – to which I thought he was being literal, because they were in fact heavy to carry around from class to class.
He may have simply meant that the subject matter in general was not necessarily “light reading”, but I also later realized what people’s impressions were of Nietzsche’s work, versus what I was finding in the pages. It is SO cool to now be able to read a book shared in such a way to illuminate some of the more exciting and insightful pieces of wisdom that I found so interesting (and strangely comforting back) at 16. The book takes those concepts further though, applying them, luckily for me, to where I am in my journey now, as a founder and entrepreneur. Wow. It feels like, for a second time, Neitzsche’s understanding of the entrepreneurial spirit, duty and journey (and the inspiration I take from that understanding) is brought back to me full circle, just when I needed it. This book is satisfying, helpful, and artful connecting what was written by Nietzsche, to something highly related, but perhaps not necessarily seen as such before this book.
Genius: “What is Genius? – To aspire to a lofty aim and to will the means to that aim.”
Surpassing: “Life herself spoke this secret to me: “Behold,” said she, “I am that which must ever surpass itself”.
Interestingly, my connection to Nietzsche’s work came pretty early in my life. In high school, I found the philosophy section of our little library and would carry a massive pile of books around with me trying to get through them all. I remember a teacher seeing Nietzsche on the top of the stack and commenting, “a little LIGHT reading, Kelly?” – to which I thought he was being literal, because they were in fact heavy to carry around from class to class.
He may have simply meant that the subject matter in general was not necessarily “light reading”, but I also later realized what people’s impressions were of Nietzsche’s work, versus what I was finding in the pages. It is SO cool to now be able to read a book shared in such a way to illuminate some of the more exciting and insightful pieces of wisdom that I found so interesting (and strangely comforting back) at 16. The book takes those concepts further though, applying them, luckily for me, to where I am in my journey now, as a founder and entrepreneur. Wow. It feels like, for a second time, Neitzsche’s understanding of the entrepreneurial spirit, duty and journey (and the inspiration I take from that understanding) is brought back to me full circle, just when I needed it. This book is satisfying, helpful, and artful connecting what was written by Nietzsche, to something highly related, but perhaps not necessarily seen as such before this book.
August 13, 2021
A delicious book for the unconventional. I can't wait!
Opening reading:
Reading "The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Nietzsche: A Book for Disruptors" by Dave Jilk, Brad Feld and wanted to share this quote with you.
"As part of his rebellion, Nietzsche philosophized with a hammer: he wanted to destroy the old mindsets that locked people into the past, and thus better equip them to embrace the possibility of the new. Nietzsche’s desire to shift mindsets is also why he emphasized new styles of argument. Whereas most philosophers would typically open an argument in a classical form or by reviewing a historical great, Nietzsche would lead with an arresting aphorism or a completely new mythological narrative.
He was, above all else, a disruptor of pieties and convention, always in search of new and original ways to be contrarian and right, never satisfied with the status quo."
Opening reading:
Reading "The Entrepreneur’s Weekly Nietzsche: A Book for Disruptors" by Dave Jilk, Brad Feld and wanted to share this quote with you.
"As part of his rebellion, Nietzsche philosophized with a hammer: he wanted to destroy the old mindsets that locked people into the past, and thus better equip them to embrace the possibility of the new. Nietzsche’s desire to shift mindsets is also why he emphasized new styles of argument. Whereas most philosophers would typically open an argument in a classical form or by reviewing a historical great, Nietzsche would lead with an arresting aphorism or a completely new mythological narrative.
He was, above all else, a disruptor of pieties and convention, always in search of new and original ways to be contrarian and right, never satisfied with the status quo."
November 11, 2023
Nice idea to read Nietzsche's quotes in the context of startups but average execution. Instantly falls into repetition. I liked its style: first original quote and then a modern translation, that follows with a brief explanation and ends with an anecdote. That means the exact message is given four times in one chapter and when it repeats between chapters without adding a new perspective, it's too much. Additionally, in stories, I would prefer seeing more different individuals instead of same CEOs round robining and maybe even with more dramatic successes (i.e. more revenue/profits etc.). Finally, appendix to clear Nietzsche ideas from anti-semitism, sexism, etc. was criticizing better than many philosophical materials.
July 28, 2025
Fun little book looking at entrepreneurship through the eyes of Nietzsche's writings. It's an easy read, I enjoyed the "weekly" nature of it. Nothing groundbreaking and they're potentially shoehorning some lessons into Nietzsche's words, but the lessons are all solid and worth reminding yourself.
September 14, 2021
It is like a protein shake for the entrepreneur's brain. It has all the right ingredients, namely inspiration and wisdom.
February 10, 2022
3.5 stars
July 24, 2021
If brain governs action, philosophy governs the brain
I happened to read this book concurrently with The Daily Stoic, both lending a philosophical telescope to look into the brain. This look has helped me restate situations and create solutions different than I would’ve before
I’ll now do what the authors suggest - enumerate the key topics and go back to their associated chapters when encountering a vexing problem in the topical areas
I happened to read this book concurrently with The Daily Stoic, both lending a philosophical telescope to look into the brain. This look has helped me restate situations and create solutions different than I would’ve before
I’ll now do what the authors suggest - enumerate the key topics and go back to their associated chapters when encountering a vexing problem in the topical areas
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews