--- title: "How To Start a Business With (almost) Nothing" id: "2972" type: "post" slug: "100-startup" published_at: "2012-06-18T13:49:22+00:00" modified_at: "2014-04-12T20:45:52+00:00" url: "https://johnpoelstra.com/100-startup/" markdown_url: "https://johnpoelstra.com/100-startup.md" excerpt: "Jonathan Fields has an inspiring review review of Chris Guillebeau’s new book, “The $100 Startup.” Johnathan’s FTC disclosure at the bottom is hilarious and worth reading even if you have no interest in Chris’ book. It is a really good..." taxonomy_category: - "Personal" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Business" - "Startups" --- [Skip to the content](#site-content) [John Poelstra](https://johnpoelstra.com) ### Bringing order to chaos and clarity to confusion - [One Conversation](https://johnpoelstra.com/) - [Podcast](https://johnpoelstra.com/category/podcast/) - [Coaching for Directors](https://johnpoelstra.com/coach/) - [About](https://johnpoelstra.com/about/) Toggle search field - [One Conversation](https://johnpoelstra.com/) - [Podcast](https://johnpoelstra.com/category/podcast/) - [Coaching for Directors](https://johnpoelstra.com/coach/) - [About](https://johnpoelstra.com/about/) # [How To Start a Business With (almost) Nothing](https://johnpoelstra.com/100-startup/) [http://www.amazon.com/The-100-Startup-Reinvent-Living/dp/0307951529?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ26524Q7ZHBU7YQQ&tag=poelcat-20](http://www.amazon.com/The-100-Startup-Reinvent-Living/dp/0307951529?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ26524Q7ZHBU7YQQ&tag=poelcat-20) Jonathan Fields has an inspiring review [review of Chris Guillebeau’s new book](http://www.jonathanfields.com/blog/can-you-really-start-a-business-for-100) , “[The $100 Startup](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307951529/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=poelcat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0307951529) .” Johnathan’s FTC disclosure at the bottom is hilarious and worth reading even if you have no interest in Chris’ book. It is a really good book. There are tons of interesting stories about people who have succeeded that started with nothing. There are also lots of practical ideas for launching, pricing products, while also genuinely engaging with your customers and a true desire to help them. The accompanying [website for the book](http://100startup.com/resources) also has some nice summaries from different sections of the book that look useful. I also recommend [Andrew Warner’s interview with Chris Guillebeau](http://mixergy.com/chris-guillebeau-100-startup-interview/) on [Mixergy](http://mixergy.com/) . It gives you a sense of who Chris is and what he is about. I saw Chris speak at Powells Books earlier this month and enjoyed the insights and perspective he gave. He really seems like the real deal. Reading The $100 Startup further confirmed my desire to [launch something](https://johnpoelstra.com/where-should-i-take-things/) . I am still searching for that “something.” I just know that I want to see a more direct relationship between what I create and do and how it impacts people. I’d also like one measure of its success to be money earned from doing it. It’s been really satisfying to create [Affordable Binding Equipment.com](http://affordablebindingequipment.com/) from scratch and see traffic and corresponding sales grow from nothing to a decent level each month. In turn, these quality products have reached more people and created a better livelihood for the person who creates them–everybody benefits. [Photo and book links are affiliate](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307951529/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=poelcat-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0307951529) #### John Poelstra John Poelstra coaches directors in finance and software. Trained through the Co-Active Training Institute, he has coached for more than 10 years, with over 520 clients and 3,150 sessions, including people at well-known Fortune 100 companies. In over 30 years of professional experience, he spent 25 in technology and finance: software testing, project management and team leadership at Red Hat and Dell/EMC, and finance as a bank auditor at Wells Fargo and a CPA at Grant Thornton. He hosts The John Poelstra Show podcast and is based in Portland, Oregon. [Author archive](https://johnpoelstra.com/author/john-poelstra/) [Author website](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-john-poelstra-show/id1130635146) June 18, 2012 [Personal](https://johnpoelstra.com/category/personal/) [Business](https://johnpoelstra.com/tag/business/) , [Startups](https://johnpoelstra.com/tag/startups/) [Previous post](https://johnpoelstra.com/understanding-gnome3/) [Next post](https://johnpoelstra.com/openshift-origin-networkmanager/) ## 3 Comments ## [Add yours](#respond) 1. [Jim](http://www.affordablebindingequipment.com) [April 11, 2013 at 7:31 pm](https://johnpoelstra.com/100-startup/#comment-2621) [Reply](#comment-2621) Well, being the one who has benefited from your expertise, we at Affordable Binding Equipment want to recommend your services to whoever wants quality website design. Your friendly service, great recommendations and especially your patience has made the process of gaining a web presence a pleasure. Thank you for helping to launch our business! [Reply](#comment-2621) 2. [Rob Calhoun](http://robcalhoun.com/blog/) [July 1, 2012 at 12:04 pm](https://johnpoelstra.com/100-startup/#comment-1933) [Reply](#comment-1933) John, I took your advice and looked at Jonathan’s FTC disclosure and it was ROFLMAO funny. I actually found your blog via a media search that brought me to a post you wrote TWO YEARS ago, “[Kitchen Timer Power](http://johnpoelstra.com/kitchen-timer-power/) .” And that my friend is why I advocate businesses use blogs! It’s the gift that keeps on giving. [Reply](#comment-1933) - John Poelstra[July 1, 2012 at 7:56 pm](https://johnpoelstra.com/100-startup/#comment-1935) [Reply](#comment-1935) Awesome! Thanks for letting me know. It’s fun and interesting to know how people end up here. .. much more personal than just looking at the analytics. [Reply](#comment-1935) ### Leave a Reply [Cancel reply](/100-startup/#respond) ### John Poelstra [https://johnpoelstra.com/?attachment_id=3756](https://johnpoelstra.com/?attachment_id=3756) ### Work With Me I coach directors in finance and software who want to prioritize, delegate, and lead with clarity. Start with One Conversation, a complimentary 60-minute coaching conversation. 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