The Soul of an Entrepreneur

An award-winning business writer delivers a new view of entrepreneurship, shifting the focus from the glitzy world of venture capital to the everyday self-starters

“A necessary corrective to Silicon Valley’s stranglehold on the meaning of entrepreneurship.” —Cal Newport, New York Times bestselling author of Deep Work

Small businesses anchor our communities and are the fabric of our economy. Yet we are often too distracted by the idea of the Silicon Valley startup, funded by vast cash resources and backed by a board of directors, to worry about what it’s like to build a business ourselves.

In this earnest and searching account, David Sax reports on the deeply personal questions of entrepreneurship: why an immigrant family risks everything to build a bakery; how a small farmer fights to manage his debt; and what it feels like to rise and fall with a business you built for yourself.

Abandoning the narrow definition of the entrepreneur as a wunderkind college dropout, The Soul of an Entrepreneur is a tribute to the everyday people who take on risk and sacrifice in the name of entrepreneurship.

• “Timely . . . [We] come away with an appreciation of the daunting challenges faced by small businesses and, most poignantly, by those who supply our food.”

  Wall Street Journal

• “You may think business books are not for you—that’s why you need to read this one. David Sax takes us on a tour of real, non-digital businesses—from beauty salons to Syrian bakeries—that is both enlightening and inspiring. If this book doesn’t make you want to start a company, you probably already own one.”

  A. J. Jacobs, New York Times bestselling author of The Year of Living Biblically

• ”A necessary corrective to Silicon Valley’s stranglehold on the meaning of entrepreneurship. David Sax’s latest will get you fired up about the many different ways to build a meaningful life by striking out on your own.”

  Cal Newport, New York Times bestselling author of Deep Work

• “Sax looks at entrepreneurship in a whole new way, drawing out valuable lessons for anyone who wants to lead more a passionate and productive life.”

  Sheelah Kolhatkar, New York Times bestselling author of Black Edge

• “The Soul of an Entrepreneur reclaims entrepreneurship for the 99.99% of businesspeople who aren't at the helm of billion-dollar corporations. David Sax writes poetically (and often humorously) about what makes these everyday entrepreneurs tick, and why tens of millions of us choose entrepreneurship over the corporate rat race.”

  Adam Alter, New York Times bestselling author of Irresistible

• “A fascinating and humane book that changes the very meaning of entrepreneurship. Don’t even think about starting a business without reading The Soul of an Entrepreneur.”

  Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, New York Times bestselling author of Everybody Lies

• “David Sax brilliantly zeroes in on the crucial questions we must ask ourselves—and insights we must consider—as we begin the entrepreneur's task of making something from nothing. If you wish to start a company, this book will help you act with intention and make an impact.”

  Scott Belsky, founder of Behance and author of Making Ideas Happen