I picked this up mainly because it was immediately available at the library, and I was in a nonfiction mood and didn't have any nonfiction books checked out. I expected some rah-rah hype, inspiration, and pie-in-the-sky promises about making a ton of money doing only what you love and "living your dream life" and whatnot. But The $100 Startup is astonishingly practical. I took a ton of notes to use later. I've been working in marketing for a full decade and I still found some new concepts and ideas here. There's also some extremely useful worksheets and checklists. It won't give you the business idea, but once you have an idea this book gives you the step-by-step process to make it happen. It simplifies the whole process of building a business into its foundational aspects. And it does it all while being surprisingly engaging to read. I was pleasantly surprised to find it not only a good read, but relentlessly practical.