Josh Kaufman - The Personal MBA 10th Ann

Praise forThe Personal MBA 10th Anniversary Edition

A goldmine of useful ideas and helpful explanations. Every entrepreneur should own a copy.

James Clear, author of the million-copy bestseller Atomic Habits

Josh has done more for my business education than my MBA. The Personal MBA walks you through the mental models you need to excel in business. A lifetime of business knowledge in one volume.

Shane Parrish, founder of Farnam Street (fs.blog) and host of The Knowledge Project podcast

A masterpiece. This is the start here book I recommend to everyone interested in business. An amazing overview of everything you need to know. Covers all of the basics, minus buzzwords and fluff. One of the most inspiring things Ive read in years.

Derek Sivers, founder of CD Baby and bestselling author of Anything You Want

The Personal MBA is the single best business book Ive read. Most books focus on a single part of business in isolation, but The Personal MBA walks you through every moving part, and gives you the tools to understand how those parts work together to create a complete system.

Amy Hoy, founder of Noko Time Tracking and Stacking the Bricks

The only business book I recommend. Josh somehow condenses an entire library of crucial knowledge into a short book thats eminently readable, so you can spend less time reading and more time building your business. Its perfect for both providing an overview and serving as a reference. I revisit The Personal MBA more than any other book on my shelf.

Courtland Allen, cofounder of Indie Hackers

I read The Personal MBA cover to cover when it was first released and it had a major impact on how I view business. Its incredible how Josh was able to distill hundreds of books and hundreds of years of business knowledge into this succinct and elegant tome.

Rob Walling, cofounder of MicroConf and bestselling author of Start Small, Stay Small

Ten years ago, I got an MBA education courtesy of Kaufmans book. His practical business insights and mindset techniques havent let me down since. The Personal MBA is the most distilled, most accelerated MBA on the planet: all of the insights, none of the ego.

Joanna Wiebe, founder of Copyhackers

My well-worn copy of The Personal MBA has been sitting within arms reach by my desk for the better part of the past decade. Since starting and growing my own business, this book has been my go-to manual for insights, clarity, and wisdom that I never learned in school.

Shawn Blanc, founder of The Sweet Setup and The Focus Course

Ten years after reading (and rereading and rereading) The Personal MBA, I still refer to it often and use it to make better decisions. Whether its building a business plan to launch my writing studio, planning my day, or taking a systematic approach to identify and solve problems, I cant think of any other book thats had such a positive impact on my overall productivity and enjoyment of life.

Daniel Joshua Rubin, playwright and author of 27 Essential Principles of Story

The Personal MBA should be required reading for anyone in business. This book exposed me to ideas, systems, and best practices that I had never been taught anywhere else. Even after ten years, I still reference it on a regular basis. Buy it, read it, then keep it close. Itll be your constant business companion for years to come.

Tim Grahl, author of Running Down a Dream and founder of Book Launch

I graduated with an MBA in 2005 before I encountered The Personal MBA, but I still felt like I didnt know anything about business. In retrospect, I wish I had read this book before enrolling in an MBA programit wouldve helped me be more mindful while completing my degree. Who knows... I might have skipped the MBA completely. This is easily the best foundational business book available.

Roger Hui, senior software manager at RedHat, Inc.

I used the mental models in The Personal MBA to create a profitable business in less than four weeks. Josh quickly dispels many mistaken beliefs about entrepreneurship, and his guidance has made me vastly more productive and successful, and my life more fulfilling.

Evan Deaubl, president and CEO of Tic Tac Code, LLC

File this book under No Excuses. After youve read it, you wont be open to people telling you that youre not smart enough, not insightful enough, or not learned enough to do work that matters. Josh takes you on a worthwhile tour of the key ideas in business.

Seth Godin, bestselling author of This Is Marketing

No matter what they tell you, an MBA is not essential. If you combine reading this book with actually trying stuff, youll be far ahead in the business game.

Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired and bestselling author of The Inevitable

Portfolio / Penguin

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

penguinrandomhouse.com

The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business first published by Portfolio / Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, in 2010.

This revised and expanded edition published by Portfolio / Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, in 2020.

Copyright 2010, 2020 Worldly Wisdom Ventures LLC

Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.

THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE HARDCOVER EDITION AS FOLLOWS:

Kaufman, Josh.

The personal MBA: master the art of business / Josh Kaufman.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-59184-352-8 (hc.)

ISBN 978-1-59184-557-7 (pbk.)

1. Management. 2. ManagementStudy and teaching. 3. Business. 4. Commerce. I. Title.

HD31.K343 2010

650dc22 2010027919

ISBN 9780525543022 (trade edition)

ISBN 9780593418208 (ebook)

Cover design: Pete Garceau

Cover image: Tom Nance / Shutterstock

pid_prh_5.6.0_c0_r0

To the millions of business professionals worldwide who work to make peoples lives better, in ways large and small.