Starting Small: The Key to Entrepreneurial Success
Entrepreneurship can seem overwhelming, especially when you have big goals and ambitions. Many entrepreneurs get stuck thinking they need extensive resources, a perfect plan, or everything to fall into place before they can take the first step. However, as Sahil Lavingia emphasizes in his book “The Minimalist Entrepreneur”, the journey doesn’t start with resources—it starts with taking action, even with the smallest steps. The core question to keep asking is: “What can I do right now?”
The Minimalist Entrepreneur Mindset: Start Small, Focus on Value
In The Minimalist Entrepreneur, Lavingia challenges traditional startup culture, which often encourages growth at any cost and resource-heavy launches. Instead, he advocates for building meaningful, sustainable businesses by starting small, using what you already have, and staying closely connected to your customers.
A great way to focus your efforts in this minimalist, resourceful way is by using the Value Proposition Canvas. It helps you define your customer’s pain points and how your service or product can address them. But beyond strategy, the question remains: “What can I do today to move closer to delivering that value?” This is the essence of Lavingia’s approach—taking small, practical actions that build toward your larger goal.
Identifying Your First Steps
When you’ve mapped out your value proposition, the next step is to identify activities that align with your long-term vision but can be done right now with minimal resources.
- Focus on Your Customers’ Needs First
According to Lavingia, successful businesses are built by solving real problems for real people. Ask yourself:- What problem am I solving for my customers?What simple, immediate action can I take to start solving that problem?
- Leverage What You Have
Lavingia emphasizes that starting a business doesn’t require massive resources—it requires creativity and resourcefulness. Look around and ask:- What skills, tools, or connections do I already have that I can use right now?
- How can I solve my customers’ problems with the resources available to me today?
- Embrace Simplicity: Do the Small Things That Matter
In the spirit of the minimalist entrepreneur, you don’t need to build a perfect product or have a polished plan to get started. Instead, focus on the small, meaningful actions you can take today. Ask yourself:
“What can I do right now?”Maybe you can start by validating your idea with a simple survey, or by offering your service to a small group of people at a discount. Lavingia himself built Gumroad by focusing on providing value in the simplest way possible, launching a basic product quickly, and improving it gradually based on user feedback. - Lower the Barrier to Action
One of the greatest takeaways from The Minimalist Entrepreneur is that entrepreneurship doesn’t require perfection. Lavingia advises that instead of waiting for the perfect product, focus on the minimum viable product (MVP)—a version of your idea that you can build with minimal resources. This allows you to test your concept and refine it based on real-world feedback.Whether it’s a rough prototype or a simple landing page, starting with what’s feasible helps reduce the barrier to taking action.
Steps You Can Take Today
Here are some practical actions, inspired by Lavingia’s minimalist approach, that you can take right now to begin building your entrepreneurial project:
- Create a Simple Landing Page
A full website isn’t necessary to begin engaging with potential customers. A basic landing page that explains your concept and invites visitors to join a waitlist or subscribe for updates is enough to start building your audience. - Start a Conversation with Customers
As Lavingia suggests, listen to your customers before investing too much into your product. Start by creating a survey or joining online communities where your potential customers gather. Engage with them, learn their pain points, and tailor your offering to their needs. - Launch a Prototype or MVP
Using free or inexpensive tools, create a basic version of your product. Even if it’s not perfect, this allows you to start testing your concept. You can refine it over time as you gather feedback. Lavingia’s early version of Gumroad was a simple tool, and it evolved as users interacted with it. - Document Your Journey
Start a blog or social media account where you share your entrepreneurial journey. This not only helps you clarify your ideas but also builds an audience that is invested in your success. Lavingia often speaks about the power of transparency in building trust with your community. - Offer Early Services for Free
If you’re developing a service-based business, offer your services for free or at a reduced cost to get initial clients and testimonials. This allows you to gain experience and build your credibility without needing a fully developed product.
The Power of Asking: “What Can I Do Right Now?”
One of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself, as Lavingia emphasizes, is “What can I do right now?”Instead of getting stuck in the trap of thinking about what you don’t have, shift your focus to what’s immediately actionable. Each small step you take today builds momentum for your project, and over time, these small actions accumulate into something significant.
By embracing this mindset, you not only make steady progress, but you also reduce the mental barriers that come from feeling like you need everything to be perfect or in place. The minimalist entrepreneur doesn’t wait for the perfect time—they take action, learn, and iterate as they go.
Conclusion: Start Small, Act Now
Sahil Lavingia’s The Minimalist Entrepreneur offers a refreshing perspective on how to build a business by focusing on what truly matters: creating value for your customers, using the resources you already have, and starting small. Entrepreneurship is not about waiting for perfect conditions—it’s about consistently asking yourself: “What can I do right now?” and taking action.
The entrepreneurial journey doesn’t require perfection. It requires you to take that first step, no matter how small, and build from there. Start today with the resources and creativity at your disposal, and over time, your actions will compound into meaningful progress. Whether it’s engaging with customers, building a basic product, or simply documenting your journey, there’s always something you can do right now to move closer to your goal.
So, what can you do today? Take that first step, and watch your vision grow.