Idea to Execution cover art

Idea to Execution

How to Optimize, Automate, and Outsource Everything in Your Business

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Idea to Execution

By: Ari Meisel
Narrated by: Drew Birdseye
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About this listen

Please download the supplementary PDF for a list of the figures referenced in the audio.

When Ari Meisel and Nick Sonnenberg launched their high-end virtual assistant (VA) company, Less Doing™, they changed the culture of start-ups forever, effectively debunking the gospel that every new venture requires months of preplanning and a hefty investment of capital. A business born from scribbled notes on a cocktail napkin during dinner was an up-and-running concern less than 24 hours later, ingeniously brought to life with the help of free, readily available digital tools and apps and no outlay of cash whatsoever.

Meisel and Sonnenberg reveal how a scalable start-up is done to perfection in this fascinating and informative chronicle of their first year in business together. An essential listen for any budding entrepreneur, it follows the creative commercial process from inspiration to inception to success, detailing a bold new approach to 21st century business based on a fearless ingenuity and a willingness to rewrite the rules.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2016 Ari Meisel (P)2016 Podium Audio Management Management & Leadership Business Business Management
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The book in a few sentences: Apparently the entire business world hasn't heard of internal messaging software, or project planning tools, so they are #1 because the authors use Slack and Trello, and tell everyone about it. (I'm sure next year they will find Atlassians software suite or Microsoft teams and be mind blown.)

First half of the book is basically an advertisement for their VA service where they recommend tracking nothing, not planning presentations, using free software, and outsourcing everything.
The second half of the book they say they were able to handle difficulties because they learnt how to track everything, plan presentations, write their own custom software, and only outsource things that aren't their key roles.

Good job setting up a business, and telling an interesting story. However, I'm not sure who would find business value in this book - also it only covers their first year in business where they did a total 180 on their first hour or so of advice.

Not really helpful

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The book provides the tools in way of a story about how Nick and Ari and their startup growth.

Although filled with insights on how to optimise, It wasn’t what I was looking for. I work for a company remotely so was aware of ways to optimise a business, in saying that, I did find it to be more a confirmation in the process I intend to implement in my personal startup.

For he person who isn’t aware of the tech solutions or what is actually capable with the tools and resources available today, this book would be a brief and handy insight.

Worth the knowledge

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love thre story got lot of high level learnings. and a ton of self evaluation questions in my business around OAO

a good quick read

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It is a nice book, with some good ideas about automation and outsourcing.
Could've go deeper in the Optimise, Automate and Outsourcing theory.

Good, with some nice ideas of automation

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Ok, I have to be honest, I haven’t finished the book yet. But I’m in chapter 4 and so far it has been one long marketing pitch of why their VA company is so good and it looks like the rest of it is just about how they built up the business. In one sentence: hire one of their VAs or learn how to delegate.

Just a long way of saying to hire a VA

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Just a interview on what the author did setting up his very particular business not a guide on how to setup processes etc

Just one whitepaper on a very specific case

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This book is just a 2 hr ad for a virtual assistant company 🤦🏻‍♀️ with all the same recycled points as reading any article on the topic. Don’t waste your time.

This is just a 2 hr ad

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was hoping to learn some fascinating stories on go to market strategy, vision, segmentation, etc but it was a shallow story of a successful business. suitable for first year University students I'd say.

different from what the title tells you

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