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Idea to Execution: How to Optimize, Automate, and Outsource Everything in Your Business
Nick Sonnenberg and Ari Meisel recently launched a profitable Virtual Assistant (VA) business in just one day – challenging the startup mentality that every new venture requires months of planning and a large investment of capital. Their VA business was born from scribbled notes on a cocktail napkin during dinner and was an up-and-running less than 24 hours later. By following their 3 step Optimize, Automate, Outsource, they leveraged free, readily available digital tools and apps with no outlay of cash whatsoever.Meisel and Sonnenberg reveal tactics for building a scalable business in today’s world. This fascinating and informative book chronicles their first year in business together. An essential read for any entrepreneur. It follows their journey from idea to execution, detailing a bold new approach to 21st century business based on a fearless ingenuity and a willingness to rewrite the rules.
168 pages, Paperback
Published September 14, 2016
115 people are currently reading
544 people want to read
About the author
Ari R. Meisel
19 books40 followersAri Meisel is a self described, “Overwhelmologist” who helps entrepreneurs who have opportunity in excess of what their infrastructure can handle, to optimize, automate, and outsource everything in their business, so they can make themselves replaceable and scale their business.
Ari is the Founder of Less Doing, author of the best-selling book, “The Art of Less Doing”, and its sequel, the forthcoming “The Replaceable Founder”, coming this September.
He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, an Ironman, and a devoted husband to Anna and father to four children, Ben, 6, Sebastien and Lucas, 4 and Chloe, 2.
When Ari Meisel was diagnosed with a severe case of the incurable digestive ailment known as Crohn’s disease, he quickly found himself in the hospital and soon thereafter on a host of medications. After hitting a truly low point, he decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. Putting himself on a strict regiment of yoga, healthy eating, nutritional supplements and intense exercise, Meisel not only beat back the symptoms, he was in fact eventually declared cured of his "incurable" disease.
One of the outcomes of this log and difficult journey was the deep realization that he wanted to live his precious gift of healthy life much more fully. He quickly saw how much of his time was wasted by tasks that could just as easily be done by others. Thus was born his blog, the art of Less Doing, so that we all might have more living.
Ari is the Founder of Less Doing, author of the best-selling book, “The Art of Less Doing”, and its sequel, the forthcoming “The Replaceable Founder”, coming this September.
He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, an Ironman, and a devoted husband to Anna and father to four children, Ben, 6, Sebastien and Lucas, 4 and Chloe, 2.
When Ari Meisel was diagnosed with a severe case of the incurable digestive ailment known as Crohn’s disease, he quickly found himself in the hospital and soon thereafter on a host of medications. After hitting a truly low point, he decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. Putting himself on a strict regiment of yoga, healthy eating, nutritional supplements and intense exercise, Meisel not only beat back the symptoms, he was in fact eventually declared cured of his "incurable" disease.
One of the outcomes of this log and difficult journey was the deep realization that he wanted to live his precious gift of healthy life much more fully. He quickly saw how much of his time was wasted by tasks that could just as easily be done by others. Thus was born his blog, the art of Less Doing, so that we all might have more living.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 5, 2021
This book had a few nuggets but overall annoying as hell. It sounded like two bros playing in other people’s lives and livelihoods. Every single person of power mentioned in the book was a white man. Every person doing labor (outside of a developer and one other person) were all women - no idea if any were of color. The company no longer exists, and from what I can tell from its new interation it’s not making it.
Do you want to know why women and marginalized people are so over white men? This book is a great example.
The book is billed as something that will change how you do and think about business... but all I read was mistakes made from arrogance built on free tools that are either no longer free or obsolete in business run by men that wasted everybody’s time but their own. It was written in 2015 and early 2016, so that may be its only excuse for how dated it seems.
I’ll leave with this excerpt from the book that literally made my jaw drop:
“Meanwhile, Ari’s daughter, Chloe, was born in mid-February. Two days after she got home, her temperature dropped dramatically. She had to be monitored in the emergency room for close to a week. Ari and his wife were with her day in and day out, but he was still able to get his work done.
It occurred to us then that there were no excuses for poor performance. If Ari was able to stay on top of things with everything he had going on, then there was no excuse for anyone else to slack off. No one in the company aside from Nick even knew what was going on with Ari’s daughter, because he didn’t miss a beat.
We started firing people based on the objective standards we had originally set out, but had been too lenient with. Because our internal system was set up so efficiently, we were able to remove those people within a matter of minutes and without any of our clients’ sensitive information being compromised. We were only as good as the perceived value of the VAs.”
Fucking yikes.
In short: please, more people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals writing books about business and productivity.
Do you want to know why women and marginalized people are so over white men? This book is a great example.
The book is billed as something that will change how you do and think about business... but all I read was mistakes made from arrogance built on free tools that are either no longer free or obsolete in business run by men that wasted everybody’s time but their own. It was written in 2015 and early 2016, so that may be its only excuse for how dated it seems.
I’ll leave with this excerpt from the book that literally made my jaw drop:
“Meanwhile, Ari’s daughter, Chloe, was born in mid-February. Two days after she got home, her temperature dropped dramatically. She had to be monitored in the emergency room for close to a week. Ari and his wife were with her day in and day out, but he was still able to get his work done.
It occurred to us then that there were no excuses for poor performance. If Ari was able to stay on top of things with everything he had going on, then there was no excuse for anyone else to slack off. No one in the company aside from Nick even knew what was going on with Ari’s daughter, because he didn’t miss a beat.
We started firing people based on the objective standards we had originally set out, but had been too lenient with. Because our internal system was set up so efficiently, we were able to remove those people within a matter of minutes and without any of our clients’ sensitive information being compromised. We were only as good as the perceived value of the VAs.”
Fucking yikes.
In short: please, more people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ individuals writing books about business and productivity.
December 14, 2023
Doesn’t do what is says on the cover. It's more of a memior of a consulting firms first year. It contains annoying glorification of hustle culture, and an unending list of apps and how they were used.
At least it’s super short.
At least it’s super short.
November 10, 2022
Automate but buying tools that do what you need- Basically just invest in a tech stack is what this boils down too
July 5, 2020
Story and ideas on creating your potential business in 24 hours
December 16, 2016
Good book but it could be better
The story of how they get from zero to one is amazing and inspiring, but I would liked a more distilled book. May one with better structured chapters with the clear lessons for the reader stated. Though, the advice about tech tools is great.
The story of how they get from zero to one is amazing and inspiring, but I would liked a more distilled book. May one with better structured chapters with the clear lessons for the reader stated. Though, the advice about tech tools is great.
February 2, 2022
"Hire fast, fire faster"
And other ridiculous statements make this book a no go for me.
And other ridiculous statements make this book a no go for me.
December 14, 2022
The main key point of the book is good to understand how founders come to ideas, test them and adjust where needed.
It's also great that there is no fluff like most books that have stories repeating the same thing just to add more pages.
Issue I have is the way they see their staff. They change a lot so keep expecting people to keep up. Yes you need people in a company that can follow the goals and deal with change but as with their business model, they discard people the same way they discard a process.
It may be how it's written, and the editing to remove fluff, that makes them sound like heartless owners, but the kicker for me was when one of the co-founders had a baby and the baby was very ill after birth.
During this time the co-founder was able to deal with this personal issue and get his work done. Yet because a co-founder who is passionate about the company he set up and makes him a lot of money managed to do that, the author wrote then all staff are expected to get work done, no matter the personal issues. Basically expect you to work at your best still even if their child is dying!
Not even a note to say anything as a caveat after that statement, only to then again talk about how they used this new knowledge to get rid of more people again.
How they read this back before publication and thought, "Yes, we sound like great people".
Yeah business is business but people are still people and people. Would have loved to see their attrition rate and glassdoor reviews 🫣
It's also great that there is no fluff like most books that have stories repeating the same thing just to add more pages.
Issue I have is the way they see their staff. They change a lot so keep expecting people to keep up. Yes you need people in a company that can follow the goals and deal with change but as with their business model, they discard people the same way they discard a process.
It may be how it's written, and the editing to remove fluff, that makes them sound like heartless owners, but the kicker for me was when one of the co-founders had a baby and the baby was very ill after birth.
During this time the co-founder was able to deal with this personal issue and get his work done. Yet because a co-founder who is passionate about the company he set up and makes him a lot of money managed to do that, the author wrote then all staff are expected to get work done, no matter the personal issues. Basically expect you to work at your best still even if their child is dying!
Not even a note to say anything as a caveat after that statement, only to then again talk about how they used this new knowledge to get rid of more people again.
How they read this back before publication and thought, "Yes, we sound like great people".
Yeah business is business but people are still people and people. Would have loved to see their attrition rate and glassdoor reviews 🫣
December 10, 2020
# Key Points:
-This book follows the authors, two entrepreneurs from idea all the way to a full-fledged business. It’s more of a story than a how to guide.
-Ari and Nick make good use of free and cheap tools to build a business. It really is more about the idea than the tools you use to bring it about. Tools matter, but the right one isn’t always the most expensive one.
-The list of technologies they use is listed in the back of the book. Throughout they describe, in detail, how they use each thing to fulfill their needs.
-This book is a case study of two entrepreneurs that started a business with very little amounts of capital. While they make it seem deceptively easy, they do show that it is possible. This is a good look at the week to week happenings of a new business. This can be helpful to new entrepreneurs as there is plenty of detail about the issues they faced.
-This book follows the authors, two entrepreneurs from idea all the way to a full-fledged business. It’s more of a story than a how to guide.
-Ari and Nick make good use of free and cheap tools to build a business. It really is more about the idea than the tools you use to bring it about. Tools matter, but the right one isn’t always the most expensive one.
-The list of technologies they use is listed in the back of the book. Throughout they describe, in detail, how they use each thing to fulfill their needs.
-This book is a case study of two entrepreneurs that started a business with very little amounts of capital. While they make it seem deceptively easy, they do show that it is possible. This is a good look at the week to week happenings of a new business. This can be helpful to new entrepreneurs as there is plenty of detail about the issues they faced.
April 29, 2023
If you’re looking for a very short read about how one company/two founders made the product go from just a thought to success in a short time with limited funds, this is it.
It reads like an extended podcast of “How I Built This” with the two owners. They break down in very transparent ways how they made certain decisions, and even some mistakes.
If you’re expecting anything more on this, like some reviewers mentioned, in terms of how to scale *your* business, you’re going to be disappointed. This book is not a “how to do it your way”manual. It is a “how we did it” manual.
Overall, very solid ideas and tips and enjoyable short business read.
It reads like an extended podcast of “How I Built This” with the two owners. They break down in very transparent ways how they made certain decisions, and even some mistakes.
If you’re expecting anything more on this, like some reviewers mentioned, in terms of how to scale *your* business, you’re going to be disappointed. This book is not a “how to do it your way”manual. It is a “how we did it” manual.
Overall, very solid ideas and tips and enjoyable short business read.
May 15, 2023
As much as I agree with the sentiment of optimising, automating and outsourcing menial tasks so that you can spend time working and doing what you're best at, I wish this book had some more structured frameworks and steps to follow so that I can implement this in my professional life.
I also found that as much as the startup pair are both highly skilled and have great networks, the challenges that the business faced when launching was really glossed over. Every startup has challenge, especially unique ones in their specific niche. It would've made for a great read if some of the failures and challenges were expanded on, to really connect with someone hustling in bootstrapped businesses like me!
I also found that as much as the startup pair are both highly skilled and have great networks, the challenges that the business faced when launching was really glossed over. Every startup has challenge, especially unique ones in their specific niche. It would've made for a great read if some of the failures and challenges were expanded on, to really connect with someone hustling in bootstrapped businesses like me!
December 31, 2020
This book brings me to the last and final book of Ari Meisel. Just like the other two I read (Replaceable Founder, Art of Less Doing), this turned out to be a fast read. But unlike the other two, this provided hardly any interesting content.
This is because unlike the previous too, this book went all out in terms of marketing their Virtual Assistant – it was beginning to sound like an infomercial. Even for a short book as this, the content seems to be too shallow.
I would give it a pass.
This is because unlike the previous too, this book went all out in terms of marketing their Virtual Assistant – it was beginning to sound like an infomercial. Even for a short book as this, the content seems to be too shallow.
I would give it a pass.
April 21, 2022
A great audiobook, not too long: about 2-3 hours listening at 1.3x
Great content, showcasing how to actually implement your ideas and get a business started. It's the story of a company, how it was built, how it changed and how it has grown over the years, transforming its business model from a pay-one to a subscription model (don't all companies nowadays do that?!?).
Overall pleasant to listen to, not too demanding and can easily be listened to while doing something else.
Great content, showcasing how to actually implement your ideas and get a business started. It's the story of a company, how it was built, how it changed and how it has grown over the years, transforming its business model from a pay-one to a subscription model (don't all companies nowadays do that?!?).
Overall pleasant to listen to, not too demanding and can easily be listened to while doing something else.
December 26, 2022
The title of the book is completely mismatched with the content. This is the tale of a startup that built a smallish (at the time of writing) bpo/automation business and the struggles faced in the first year+ of operations. It is NOT guide to optimizing, outsourcing, and automating “everything” for other businesses. I have worked in business automation and this doesn’t even scratch the surface. That said, nice little startup autobiography?
January 13, 2023
This is the prime example of someone finding moderate and temporary success in their business and thinking it means they have something to say. Turns out, all they said was a lot of nothing about meaningful lessons for organizational development leaders and a lot of self-aggrandizing fluff about themselves. Using words like “brilliant” and “genius” should be reserved for your biography not your autobiography.
January 22, 2022
I only gave it a 3 because of its focus on the business they made rather then the process. The methodology of their process seems more like a background piece to their business story.
Besides that was an interesting read, it makes you realize how running business has so many variables and tools at your disposal.
Besides that was an interesting read, it makes you realize how running business has so many variables and tools at your disposal.
January 23, 2024
A quick and interesting read that was very educational and really demonstrated that if you focus on your numbers and metrics how you can take your business and let it grow in a tremendously short time. It’s all about your work ethic, time management, and knowledge of your numbers!
Great and inspiring, pushes me to get to work!
Great and inspiring, pushes me to get to work!
March 4, 2017
Blinkist.
Very interesting story of how Less Doing or Leverage is established. And quite recent too - from Aug 2015 to now. The biggest takeaway for me is to simply start doing whatever you want to do. Otherwise none of the tips/tricks can be applied.
Very interesting story of how Less Doing or Leverage is established. And quite recent too - from Aug 2015 to now. The biggest takeaway for me is to simply start doing whatever you want to do. Otherwise none of the tips/tricks can be applied.
February 2, 2018
It was very informative. I love all the apps they mentioned and started trying to see what could be beneficial for my firm. It was a little hard to read and a bit dry even for a nonfiction book. However, I did enjoy learning how the business unraveled and developed.
December 22, 2022
(Audiobook) A book really nothing more than having virtual assistances (VA) doing everything in your business. Outsourcing business to VA’s and basically sit back and relax while they do everything for you.
February 1, 2023
This book is the best Cliff notes on how to launch a product/service/business in a streamlined and automated manner, with zero budget.
Nothing revelatory, but a great reminder to what matters the most when starting a new idea.
Nothing revelatory, but a great reminder to what matters the most when starting a new idea.
July 8, 2023
libro experiencia al 100%
Muy bueno saber el paso a paso por el que pasaron los fundadores de less doing.. Sin embargo el título hace entender al lector que habrá otra cosa en ek libro y es la historia de uds 2 como equipo de trabajo de firma de consultora de VAs company.
Muy bueno saber el paso a paso por el que pasaron los fundadores de less doing.. Sin embargo el título hace entender al lector que habrá otra cosa en ek libro y es la historia de uds 2 como equipo de trabajo de firma de consultora de VAs company.
January 31, 2018
Some nice practical ideas, but could've been way better.
January 13, 2020
Disappointing.
Seems like a bit of bait and switch. Great title, but the book is basically a rundown of the history of their journey. There is not a really how to.
Seems like a bit of bait and switch. Great title, but the book is basically a rundown of the history of their journey. There is not a really how to.
September 18, 2021
Optimise. Automate. Outsource. A good resource on business process optimisation...
March 31, 2022
This is a case study and a step-by-step guide to creating and launching a company.
June 9, 2022
Good for consultancy or even a startup
June 20, 2022
The core concepts are useful; optimize, automation and outsourcing. These simple steps can be applied to whatever business you are building. However, the content itself in this book is boring. The tools they suggested might not be relevant to you. I listened this via audiobook and most of the time I lost my interest and just multi task in the background.
January 3, 2023
Great book, but author isn't exactly an "empathetic human"
December 14, 2023
It’s incredible that a book on efficiency wasted two hours of my life.
November 19, 2016
Sempre legal acessar relatos pessoais de empreendedores. Reforçou percepções e crenças minhas.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews