The 10% Entrepreneur: Live Your Startup Dream Without Quitting Your Day Job

I've already loaned this book to three of my friends and if I ever get it back (hope you're reading this) I anticipate many more. McGinnis uses relatable anecdotes and a very plain-speaking style to guide readers through a process that a hell of a lot more people are interested in than I realized- engaging in at least casual, and occasionally ultimately quite expansive, entrepreneurial enterprises. I've been self-employed for years, and learned quite a lot about how to view managing my choice of contracts, negotiation, etc., in very useful- and better- ways. However, this book was also useful to friends running virtual storefronts and an investment dreamer.If you fit anywhere within the definition of "entrepreneur," I think you'll learn at least one very valuable- and surprising- lesson about managing a dream business that will make this book worth it.

Loved the concept of the book and I found it fun but finding too much information about actually starting your new business, that was lacking. In all fairness, there are many books to there to help you come up with your entrepreneurial idea. This author seems to have the chops for the successful execution of helping you become a 10% entrepreneur. It's a fun book to read, the advice is solid of "don't quit your day job", and the advice to diversify is interesting but the book still feels like it's missing point A to point Z.

Finally... I have been waiting for this book to be written. This is an incredible guide to becoming an entrepreneur in a practical, realistic way. I think this speaks to American dream of having your cake and eating it too. Whether you are a carpenter or a Wall Street executive, this book is for you, because it teaches you to explore your interest while not having to sacrifice the security of knowing you have a paycheck coming every week. This is an exceedingly well written self help guide for everyone. Even a full time entrepreneur enjoys side projects. I highly recommend that you get this fast read and enter the growing class of 10% Entrepreneurs.

The 10% Entrepreneur is one of the best books on entrepreneurship I've read. As a former startup founder who migrated back to the corporate world, this book provided a much needed jolt of motivation to re-engage in entrepreneurial ventures. McGinnis does an excellent job of demonstrating that successful entrepreneurship is not one size fits all. Despite, the common media narrative of entrepreneur's are "all or nothing," McGinnis provides contemporary, concrete, real-life examples across multiple industries (consumer packaged goods, restaurants, services, technology) of individuals that approached entrepreneurship with different methods and successful outcomes. I highly recommend this book to both aspiring and current entrepreneurs looking for original and interesting content, which I believe will increase their odds of success for current and future ventures.

Absolutely loved it! Even though I'm not currently working on a side venture, this book helped me understand that I can enjoy all the benefits of being an entrepreneur without the risks of jumping in full-time. I've constantly been inspired to look for new opportunities. The most inspiring book I've read in the past year.

I really liked the premise of the book and the approach. I think it's a must read for anyone who who finds themselves involved in many different types of businesses. My one issue is that the book describes several models of being a 10% entrepreneur, but it didn't explore all the models equally. I was actually hoping for more information on one of the models. Perhaps that is in his next book - which I will gladly buy.

... a practical guide to entrepreneurship. With the knowledge in this book, anyone can begin planning a coherent path towards the freedom (and hard work) that living your dream everyday brings. I would also point out that those of us in large corporations can apply the same concepts in this book by creating and landing new positions across business units by networking and getting involved.

The 10% Entrepreneur, gave me a different perspective on starting an entrepreneurship while being an employee. I always operated with the assumption that I had to give it all up in order to pursue my dreams, This book was unique in providing a different approach, with very clear suggestions on how to get all done. Become an entrepreneur while having the stability to make it all happen.

‘The 10% Entrepreneur’ forces us to give a closer look to an omnipresent feature of the modern world: the search for meaning at work. The book tackles two opposite but complementary trends. On the one hand, the recent generations find themselves in a more fragmentary and automated work environment. There has never been so much distance between the work force and the final product of their work, consequently rendering work somehow meaningless. On the other hand, an equally powerful phenomenon appears: media presents entrepreneurship as the epitome of professional realization. This is what the author calls Entrepreneurship Inc, a generated perception of entrepreneurship as the perfect balance between financial wellbeing and freedom. The first trend is an inexorable reality and the second one is a fallacy created by the media that focuses only on successful cases and neglects the fact that successful entrepreneurship is more often than not accidental.It is in this aspect where ‘The 10% Entrepreneur’ becomes an extraordinary resource to tackle professional meaningless from a realistic perspective. The book’s main idea is that your day job and your entrepreneurial ventures are compatible: your day jobs allows you to pay for the bills and your side ventures allow you to bring meaning into your professional life. ‘The 10% Entrepreneur’ is a rare book because of it comprehensive nature. It does not only develop the main idea but offers a series of working principles – referred to as entrepreneurial ‘mind-set’ – and practical strategies to become an entrepreneur. It also includes a detailed explanation of the different ways in which you may become a 10% entrepreneur, how to give your first steps, how to do a due diligence analysis and some interesting reflections on personal marketing.Throughout, the book is full of examples of several entrepreneurs in different industries and various geographical areas. This was my favourite part of the book, since it displays an unusual epistemological honesty by not only focusing in positive evidence, i.e.: successful ventures, but also in failed ventures. In these cases there is always a lesson behind the story.In connexion with the previous point, another relevant feature of this work is that it offers a sincere approach to risk assessment. It is not a ‘go-and-do-it’ kind of book. On the contrary, the author makes a point of the causal necessity between your day job and your side ventures. The idea that the security of your day job is what allows you to take risks in your 10% is of paramount importance in the logical structure of this book. In this same line, the author offers throughout the chapters a series of exercises of introspection to better understand your talents and your capacities in order to create synergy between your ambitions and your circumstances.In summary ‘The 10% Entrepreneur’ offers an intelligent approach to the modern trends surrounding entrepreneurship that is based in prudence, feasibility and self-knowledge.

Do you feel like you could be an entrepreneur? If so, like me, you would have seen books that boasts the following selling points: "Fire your boss! Quit your job! Live your dream! Find freedom! And get rich while you are at it!"I have always found these statements a little unrealistic and insensitive to the circumstances of most readers, ie. those who have spent years of their life honing their skills at their careers and with obligations (family, mortgage, lifestyle, etc) - where "taking the jump into the unknown" is not only risky but can also be irresponsible. While living in a dorm room on nothing but instant noodles to build a billion dollar app sounds like a romantic notion, this is not a reality that many of us will happily trade for.On that note, this book is the best i have ever read that bridges the gap between a career veteran and an entrepreneur. It shows the reader that it does not have to be a choice of one or the other, and gives ideas and guides on how to traverse the common ground between the two - to utilise all the skills (and money) that the reader has accumulated in his career to feed his entrepreneurial hunger. And keeping the day job he is already so good at.I love this book as it is aimed at a more mature audience with a respectable career and/or saved capital and shows them how to leverage these in the world of startups, without having to start from scratch.Top read for anyone wanting more to life than their careers without sacrificing the benefits their careers provide.

What a disappointment. I listened to a webinar that included an interview with Patrick where he sounded like a switched on type of person. His book was a series of banalities that most of us could write in an afternoon. Please, please, don't waste your money and the paper this book is printed on/

Needs more case studies. Really this whole book could have been condensed into a magazine article. Only helpful if you are yet to go into business and sure you don't want to leave your day jobs.

I bought this after seeing Patrick speak at an event. This book is based on his experience and as he is living this himself makes this even more appealing.