Derek Sivers: Systematizing Friendliness (The DOcast)

February 17, 2014 - no comments. Written by Richard Hanley Jr. in Entrepreneurship, The DOcast.

A talk Derek Sivers from his home in New Zealand.

A talk with Derek Sivers from his home in New Zealand.

In the early dawn of the internet, it wasn’t easy for an independent artist to sell their music online — so Derek, an musician himself, decided to create a system where he could. Then his friends, and friends of friends, wanted to do the same thing — that’s when CD Baby was born. It later became a lean sales machine producing over $100 million dollars in sales and servicing over 200,000 musicians. Derek later sold CD baby, giving proceeds to charity, in 2008 for $22 million — he’s also a best-selling author, musician, programmer, world traveler, and circus ringleader (to get over his fear of public speaking.)

I have the pleasure to speak with Derek, via Skype from his home in New Zealand, to talk about marketing, automation, and how it applies to product-based companies.

Be sure to get a pen and a pad, his story is jam-packed with ideas and tips to grow your business.

Interview with Derek Sivers

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Focusing on success. (2:40)
“For some people, the life of a musician is like party party party. But for me it was like, if I’m going to be a successful musician, that’s like wanting to be an Olympic athlete.”
“People later told me that I’m so lucky for the opportunities I had, but I think it’s just because I was that guy that never hung out, never watched TV, never was just chilling. I was always working. Always learning as much as I could.”
The start of CD Baby. (cdbaby.com) (9:10)
“It was 3 months of hard work, but when I was done I had a ‘Buy Now’ button on my website.” (Tweet this)
“Here is something that I have, which my friends need, so I’ll just find a way to share it with my friends for a very small fee. That was how the business got created.”
The speed of business growth. (11:30)
“I went from idea to reality in about 1 week.”
“Let the customers show you where automation is needed and what they need.” (Tweet this)
When is the time to hire somebody? (15:00)
“Most startups fail from trying to grow too fast, too early.” (Tweet this)
What do you look for in a new hire? (16:15)
“You wanna find somebody who is using you as a stepping stone to their own bigger aspirations.” (Tweet this)
SOD – Strategic operating document (21:20)
How did you automate CD Baby? (21:50)
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber (book mention)
“So much of CD Baby’s success was because of our personal touch, and people loved that we communicated in an oh-so-friendly way.”
“Systematizing friendliness. Systematizing a philosophy.” (Tweet this)
“If you communicate the philosophy really well, then the specific actions items just flow out of that philosophy.”
The only marketing move that Derek ever made took 15 minutes. (28:10)
“There is a normal way that everyone does things, and you don’t wanna do that.” (Tweet this)
The start of Derek’s new multinational business. (32:00)
Woodegg.com – Derek’s new book business
Business Idea: Asia has no Mexican food. Go start this business. (32:30)
“If you put something out there, even if it’s bad, then you’ve already beaten the 95% that never get to that point.”
Derek’s fantastic book reviews. (http://sivers.org/book)
“All marketing, all of business, all communication comes from thinking of things from the other person’s point of view.” (Tweet this)
What’s a book, a song, and a quote that you love? (41:40)
- Book: A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine
- Quote: “When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him he will win”
  – Ed Macauley
- Music: Derek enjoys listening to music he doesn’t like until he can appreciate it.

Check out Derek at:
Twitter: @sivers
TED: How to start a movement
Online: Sivers.org
Email: derek [at] sivers.org (Have a question? Drop him a line.)

Play the interview

The DOcast is a podcast of interviews from amazing entrepreneurs who are doing the unthinkable. With topics on how they got started, where they’re going, and how you can learn from them.