Tiny MBA Book

Tiny MBA by Alex Hillman is a fun little book with 100 pieces of business advice. It's to the point. Most pages only have a sentence or two. You can read it in one sitting. No wasting time on filler!

Much of the advice will probably look familiar if you follow those that regularly discuss independent software business (Patrick McKenzie, Rob Walling, Courtland Allen, Seth Godin, the Basecamp folks etc). Which is a good thing!

And even if you're an employee with no interest in starting an independent business, you're still running the business of your career. Many of the lessons can be applied.

What I like most is that the author is clearly practicing many of the lessons.

If done well, teaching and marketing can be nearly indistinguishable from each other.

The book is certainly teaching but it's also building awareness for the author and their other ventures. This ties into the building in public advice that so many profess, including the author. He's been open about writing the book and discussing challenges encountered along the way.

If you’re new to an industry, one of the best habits you can cultivate is to work in public. Document what you’re thinking, learning, and doing as you go.

This will be perpetually valuable as a skill and an asset, and harder to start the longer you wait.

Writing a book or informational product is a common piece of advice for those getting started. It's a great way to generate revenue while also earning attention and trust, which can eventually turn into more sales down the road.

Earning trust is a critical piece of sales.

Bad self promotion feels bad because it skips the step of earning the privilege of asking for the sale.

No book is going to transform you overnight. But if you can find one or two pieces of advice that reinforce your existing beliefs and one or two new ideas to experiment with (and I think you can), it's well worth the purchase.

My final note is that there is a fake discount sale sticker printed on the cover. If you've seen one before, you want to pull it off. It looks like it's held by adhesive. But you can't because it's printed on the book! Very clever design. Perhaps devious.