10 Lessons from Seth Godin


Lessons from Seth Godin

There may never be a better business book than Seth Godin’s All Marketers are Liars.

Seth has built a massive and diverse global audience because he’s an inspiration and a role model to many entrepreneurs and first-time business owners, including myself.

That said, let’s dive into 10 business lessons from Seth Godin that you’ll enjoy. There’s countless more where these came from, so if you’re not familiar with Seth you should check him out!

Want to learn more insights from startup founders? Check out our founder series for interviews, company profiles, and more!

Tell Us Your Startup Story

Are you a startup founder and want to share your entrepreneurial journey with our readers? Click below to contact us today!

Request an Interview

1) The only thing worse than starting and failing, is not starting anything at all.

If you read every successful entrepreneur’s story you’d see yourself that the majority of them experienced failure in the beginning. However, these entrepreneurs were brave enough to pick up all the little pieces and do their best to turn things around.

It’s better to try and fail than to not have tried at all.

2) There’s no shortage of remarkable ideas, what’s missing is the will to execute them.

Humans are naturally gifted and every second amazing new business ideas are sprouting - the ability to think is definitely not a problem.

The biggest challenge of all is willpower. Without it, business ideas and goals will never become a reality. It’s hard to consistently have the will to act because entrepreneurship is a scary place! Will you overcome this fear to become successful?

3) You have to go where the other guys can’t. Take advantage of what you have so that you can beat the competition with what they don’t.

If you try to fit in and follow the herd, you’ll never taste victory. Oftentimes, starting a business that’s unique and out-of-the-ordinary will yield greater results than being average.

Be different, take the road that other entrepreneurs won’t dare to travel, and only then will you realize how rewarding it is to have gone to the road less traveled.

Godin explains,

“The key to success is to find a way to stand out, to be the purple cow in a field of monochrome holsteins.”

4) Waiting for perfect is never as smart as making progress.

There’s no perfect timing when it comes to starting a new business. As long as you’ve done your part by studying your chosen industry closely, there’s no point in waiting and prolonging things. Before someone takes action on your idea, it’s best that you start building today so you can see results early on.

Do make sure and build a strong business plan before jumping the gun though. It’s critical.

5) Playing safe is very risky.

Business is no place for the weak and feeble. Remaining in your comfort zone won’t get you anywhere incredible.

If you truly want to “take off,” you’ve got to take risks. Sometimes bigger risks than others. You can fail but you also have to remember that there’s also a huge possibility of success - if you do the work.

6) Vulnerable is the only way we can feel when we truly share the art we’ve made.

In the world of business, only those willing and courageous enough to expose themselves and their innovations have a real shot at greatness.

Sometimes, being transparent in business is quite difficult because you always want to protect your business, but this is the most efficient way to share your products or services and gain loyal customers.

7) You don’t need more time in your day. You need to decide.

Part of business is making zillions of decisions, obviously, so the faster and more efficient you are in this respect the better. If you’re driven by a belief, move. Take action. Do something to give the idea a hold on the world. It can be a big thing, or a small thing, just decide and act.

8) A tattoo is a forever decision. However, just about every decision you make about your business is temporary so don’t sweat it.

If you made a wrong decision and it didn’t turn out like you expected or intended, don’t fret. You can always find a solution and make new decisions. Decisions are just temporary and while making the wrong choices will hurt you a little, it likely won’t kill you or your business.

9) Change is not a threat, it’s an opportunity. Survival is not the goal, transformative success is.

Change is often viewed by entrepreneurs as their enemy and not a challenge that can help them become better. Nothing is constant in business and if you’re threatened by change, you’ll always feel like running for your life.

Don’t avoid it. Change should be embraced. You have to take advantage of it because it will make you a better entrepreneur.

10) Doubt is the project killer, and investing in diminishing that doubt is time well spent.

Second-guessing yourself all the time will not allow you to grow and improve as an entrepreneur. If you’ve done the necessary preparations, it’s time to execute your plans and launch your startup.

For new entrepreneurs doubt is often numbers-related. With a little modern accounting software in place, you’ll know quickly whether the math makes sense. You’ll have that security.

Wrapping Up

Seth Godin’s business lessons are simple and easy-to-understand, but profound at the same time and applicable to life in general.

The world is filled with negativity and most of us are affected by this. As a result, we settle for mediocrity. In the words of Seth Godin, “How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be great.