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Zero to One by Peter Thiel

19 December 2019 •

By: Adrian Reviews

If you want to build a better future, you must believe in secrets. The great secret of our time is that there are still uncharted frontiers to explore and new inventions to create. In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel shows how we can find singular ways to create those new things. In today's blog Adrian shares why he was inspired to read this book.

Q: What attracted you to this book?
A:

I discovered this book when I Googled books lists on how to build a software company, more specifically how to build a company behind a mobile app. I wanted to know as much about this as possible. One of the best ways to gather knowledge about a specific subject is to read books written by successful people who have done what you want to do. One of the books on the list was Zero To One. I immediately bought it along with six or seven others.

Q: What is the basic storyline?
A:

One of the core ideas to create a business that thrives, is not to copy what everyone else is doing: that’s called 1 to n, but rather to create something completely new… Going from Zero to One. The first few chapters are the most fundamental. The author focuses a lot on the future, and how we can better it with technology. He loves to challenge popular ideologies such as “competition is good” and conforming to “best practises”. It really makes you think about how we could approach developing business solutions to everyday problems.

Q: What were some highlights?
A:

I picked up some distinct thoughts that really resonated with me while reading this book. To quote the author, “The best paths are new and untried”. That’s my favourite quote from the book. It speaks a lot and encourages the reader/thinker to always strive to think creatively and push the limits when creating something new.  The author extensively breaks down existing companies, such as Facebook and Google, and discusses how they started and some of the key milestones they made to create the success they have as being the top giants in the world of tech companies.

Q: What insights have you gained?
A:

I learned that you shouldn’t always conform to convention. I also learned from the mistakes that famous entrepreneurs had made in their career. How to create something completely new (or how to look for something that can act as something completely new and innovative); when and how to build your business so that you gain a competitive advantage, but most importantly - how to think big.

Q: Who do you think should read this book?
A:

This book is for anyone who has an interest in business or entrepreneurship. It’s a really good read and it changes your perception a bit from what we are used to in everyday society. If you’re up for learning, definitely check out this book (it’s only two hundred pages anyway).

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19 December 2019
By: Adrian
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