Summary of “Anything You Want”

Core Philosophy

Derek Sivers' "Anything You Want" distills wisdom from his journey of turning CD Baby from a hobby into a $22 million business. At its heart lies a refreshing approach to entrepreneurship focused on happiness, purpose, and genuine service.

"Don't be on your deathbed someday, having squandered your one chance at life, full of regret because you pursued little distractions instead of big dreams."

The book challenges conventional business thinking by emphasizing that business should be primarily about fulfillment, not money:

"Business is not about money. It's about making dreams come true for others and for yourself."

Building Your Perfect World

When you start a business, Sivers argues, you're creating your own universe:

"When you make a company, you make a utopia. It's where you design your perfect world."

For Sivers, this meant designing CD Baby around what independent musicians truly needed. His goal wasn't growth but creating a service that embodied his values.

"Never do anything just for the money."

Start Small and Focus on Helping

You don't need funding, complex business plans, or grand visions to start. What matters is solving real problems for people:

"Starting with no money is an advantage. You don't need money to start helping people."

When CD Baby began, Sivers invested just $500 and became profitable in the second month. This lean approach forced creativity:

"By not having any money to waste, you never waste money."

"Necessity is a great teacher."

The Power of Persistence in the Right Direction

Many entrepreneurs keep pushing ideas that aren't working. Sivers found success by recognizing when to pivot:

"Success comes from persistently improving and inventing, not from persistently doing what's not working."

When something clicks, it's immediately obvious:

"Once you've got a hit, suddenly all the locked doors open wide. People love the hit so much that it seems to promote itself. Instead of trying to create demand, you're managing the huge demand."

Customer-Centric Decision Making

Every business decision should prioritize customers' happiness:

"Never forget that absolutely everything you do is for your customers. Make every decision—even decisions about whether to expand the business, raise money, or promote someone—according to what's best for your customers."

This approach creates powerful word-of-mouth marketing:

"It's counterintuitive, but the way to grow your business is to focus entirely on your existing customers. Just thrill them, and they'll tell everyone."

Sivers went so far as to say:

"That's the Tao of business: Care about your customers more than about yourself, and you'll do well."

Small Details Create Loyal Customers

The now-famous CD Baby shipping confirmation email, with its whimsical story about packaging CDs with loving care, shows how small touches create dedicated fans:

"When you're thinking of how to make your business bigger, it's tempting to try to think all the big thoughts and come up with world-changing massive-action plans. But please know that it's often the tiny details that really thrill people enough to make them tell all their friends about you."

Deliberate Exclusion Creates Identity

Instead of trying to please everyone, Sivers deliberately excluded major-label musicians from CD Baby:

"You can't please everyone, so proudly exclude people."

"It's a big world. You can loudly leave out 99% of it. Have the confidence to know that when your target 1% hears you excluding the other 99%, the people in that 1% will come to you because you've shown how much you value them."

Building a Self-Sustaining Organization

To prevent burnout, Sivers documented his decision-making process so employees could act independently:

"Because my team was running the business, I was free to actually improve the business!"

The goal should be creating a business that thrives even in your absence:

"To be a true business owner, make sure you could leave for a year, and when you came back, your business would be doing better than when you left."

Focus on What Makes You Happy

Conventional expectations push entrepreneurs toward certain roles and goals, but Sivers reminds us business is ultimately about happiness:

"Happiness is the real reason you're doing anything, right? Even if you say it's for the money, the money is just a means to happiness, right?"

"You can't just live someone else's expectation of a traditional business. You have to just do whatever you love the most, or you'll lose interest in the whole thing."

"The real point of doing anything is to be happy, so do only what makes you happy."

The HELL YEAH Filter

One of Sivers' most practical decision-making frameworks applies to business and life generally: only pursue what genuinely excites you.

"If you're not saying 'HELL YEAH!' about something, say 'no.'"

Knowing When You're Done

After selling CD Baby, Sivers donated the $22 million to a music education charity:

"It's not that I'm altruistic. I'm sacrificing nothing. I've just learned what makes me happy. And doing it this way made me the happiest. I get the deeper happiness of knowing the lucky streak I've had in my life will benefit tons of people—not just me."

Final Thoughts

Sivers' approach challenges us to build businesses that reflect our values and bring joy, rather than following conventional wisdom. The book reminds us that success isn't measured by size or profit alone but by the happiness and value we create:

"Make sure you know what makes you happy, and don't forget it."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​