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Hipster Business Models: How to make a living in the modern world Paperback – December 15, 2014

3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 99 ratings

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Tight pants, fake reading glasses, beards, irony: this is modern society’s interpretation of the word ‘hipster’. Yet, today’s young people have much more to offer. If half of the hipster stereotype is a consumer who tries to show off how cool he is based on his tastes, the other half of the stereotype is ‘The Maker’ -- the person out hawking homemade cheese, knitting sweaters for your beard, or repurposing steel-framed bicycles. The hipster business model is distinctive: Make a product you love so much that you’ll make it yourself. See if anyone wants it. Try again. When they want to build apparel companies, they teach themselves how to sew. When they dream of producing toys, they learn how to use 3D printing software. When they don’t know investors who will back their restaurant concepts, they open food trucks. All the while, they are guided by books, instructional videos, and intuition; only later do they move production to real factories, or hire lawyers. They frequent public parks to see if anyone will buy their custom, typewritten stories. They use crowdfunding websites to raise money from customers before their products even exist. They post their ideas to massive web forums to gauge interest, or set up online shops the second they have a product to sell. In their world, sales come first, not last. While each entrepreneur featured in this book embarked on his or her own unique quest, their stories share a common thread: like true hipsters, they were not afraid to try new things.
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Priceonomics is a San Francisco-based company that writes stories about innovators and economics, and also provides data services for businesses. The authors of this book are: Rohin Dhar: Rohin is a new dad. He likes to ride bikes and drink coffee. He holds an MBA from Stanford and BA from Dartmouth. Zachary Crockett: Zack plays many stringed instruments, climbs mountains, and is working on a collection of South American travel narratives. Rosie Cima: Rosie can usually be found making slow progress on several different music, digital art, and literature projects at a time, and generally tuckering herself out. She likes punk rock shows. Alex Mayyasi: Alex enjoys hiking, good food, and the rare days when the San Francisco fog lifts. He is writing a book about the Egyptian Revolution.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Priceonomics (December 15, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 252 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0692340726
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0692340721
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.2 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.63 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 99 ratings

About the author

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Zachary Crockett
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Zachary Crockett is a San Francisco-based author.

As an in-house writer for Priceonomics, he's published articles on everything from the economics of college textbooks to the history of the red M&M. His written work has been recognized by The Atlantic's Longreads, Huffington Post, Forbes, and Gizmodo; he has also been a guest on NPR, Marketplace (PRI), and WGN Radio.

An avid traveller, Crockett has backpacked through the Amazon, climbed peaks in Patagonia, and hiked the 211-mile John Muir Trail, which winds through California's Sierras. He also plays an array of stringed instruments in several bands.

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
99 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book informative and useful for understanding young urban business opportunities. They appreciate the insightful stories from start-up entrepreneurs.

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15 customers mention "Readability"15 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and informative. They say it's a great read and eye-opening for anyone trying to start a business. The book is useful and important for understanding urban 20-somethings and 30-year-olds.

"A collection of fun and educational entrepreneurship stories, ranging all the way from roaming around the country in a mini bus and doing odd jobs,..." Read more

"It's an entertaining read and certainly makes me want to strike out on my own with some crazy product...." Read more

"...Bottom Line: I give this book THREE STARS for being entertaining and potentially educational, but an entrepreneur's time is better spent on the well-..." Read more

"Excellent book!..." Read more

9 customers mention "Story quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the stories insightful and inspiring. They say the book provides a valuable view of young urban business opportunities and an intelligent look at the future of self-employment.

"A collection of fun and educational entrepreneurship stories, ranging all the way from roaming around the country in a mini bus and doing odd jobs,..." Read more

"...new opportunities arise in these times and this book gives some amazing stories about those who took those opportunities." Read more

"I feel the book had great potential and indeed there are few stories that are quite good...." Read more

"...doesn't bring you in to any detail what so ever, it's just cute stories every 2-3 pages that never even get into real business tips, just feel good..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2015
    A collection of fun and educational entrepreneurship stories, ranging all the way from roaming around the country in a mini bus and doing odd jobs, to tinkering on a toy design that will go on to sell in the millions (and then some). The takeaway? Success and personal fulfillment can be found at scales, and you don't need to build a multi-million sales machine to be "successful".

    One nitpick: I think the choice of "hipster" in the title is a misnomer. The book is entrepreneurship 101, but told through a collection of somewhat unconventional stories, which is exactly what makes it stand out. Great read.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2015
    It's an entertaining read and certainly makes me want to strike out on my own with some crazy product. But, the cautionary side is never really addressed. Just as in history, the case studies that are highlighted in this book are the winners; you never really see all those crazy ideas that failed to flourish.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2015
    I bought this book (subtitled "how to make a living in the modern world") because (1) I like reading business case studies (I know... awesome -- right?) and (2) I wanted to learn more about these hipster business models.

    On the first, I was not disappointed to see that people sometimes succeed with crazy ideas (jellyfish aquaria!?!). The book's ~20 chapters (of varying quality) cover one case at a time. The details on how they tried one thing, then another before getting lucky are sometimes amusing, sometimes face-palming, but the overall impression is of hard work and vision leading to success.

    Which leads me to reason #2: the business models, which are not always present or useful. I scanned for "fail(ure)" in the book and came up with nothing. The main idea behind a business model, of course, is that someone else can read it and use it for their own business. Although there are some models in this book (e.g., food trucks vs restaurants, phish, verynice, etc.), it seems that many success boil down to:

    1. Unusual personality
    2. Kooky, can't-be-real idea
    3. ???
    4. Profit!

    .... where ??? is often "massive media coverage." That's not a model. That's hope.

    Speaking of hope, the stories really do convey passion and hope -- feelings that hipsters know a lot more about than spreadsheet-obsessed, strategically-networked, wannabe-millionaire MBA grads.

    Bottom Line: I give this book THREE STARS for being entertaining and potentially educational, but an entrepreneur's time is better spent on the well-worn path to business success, i.e., work hard, look for value, listen to customers, dump failing ideas, and diversify your bets so you don't starve on the path of success failure life.
    43 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2017
    Excellent book! If you are in business, plan to be in business, or just want insight into effective business models and marketing, this is one of the books you need to read over and over. Also, I receive emails from Priceonomics, a web site owned by the authors of the book, and I highly recommend either getting on their email list (Not something I've ever recommended) or going to their website and reading their business/marketing blogs and article.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2017
    A useful and important book for understanding urban 20-somethings and 30-somethings. But if you're in your 50's like me the book requires you to know more about fads, trends, hipster world view, and social media saturation to make sense of it.
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2015
    OK read but really I wouldn't bother...
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2015
    Every one of the "business models" presented here follow the same pattern.

    -Person makes thing at great cost to themselves
    -Person realizes their model is not profitable, but keeps doing it. References "passion" as the reason they continue to pursue an unprofitable business.
    -Person randomly gets media attention for free.
    -Person suddenly becomes far more busy and no longer likes the thing they created.
    -Person has no idea how they became "successful", but references "hard work", "perseverance", and "passion".

    None of these "business models" are repeatable. Every single one of them hinged on the person randomly getting media attention.
    30 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2015
    Great book. All the stories are insightful and inspiring. We are really living in a era where business models are challenged, however new opportunities arise in these times and this book gives some amazing stories about those who took those opportunities.

Top reviews from other countries

  • Victor
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great examples of innovative business ideas
    Reviewed in France on May 11, 2016
    The main goal of this book is to teach you to actually try and build your own business !

    For each example, you'll tell yourself : "Wow, how did I not think of this ??"
  • GO FASTER MASTER !
    3.0 out of 5 stars Average book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2015
    So so, best to read the blog.
  • mr o a karim
    2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 15, 2015
    case study, no real examination, riddled with conjecture and long winded descriptions of simple concepts. Meh.