UNSCRIPTED: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Entrepreneurship Paperback – February 1, 2023

"Unscripted: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Entrepreneurship” by MJ Demarco is an outstanding guide for anyone who wants to live a meaningful and fulfilling life via entrepreneurship. The author challenges conventional wisdom and provides guideposts that we can use for an UNSCRIPTED existence which means doing whatever you want, wherever and whenever.Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, who sang the lyric, I can’t get no satisfaction, captures a lot of the spirit of part I and part 2 of this book. MJ provides a diagnosis of the human predicament with vivid examples that we can all relate to. The author poses two questions that I found thought-provoking and his answers were spot-on: how do you feel on Sunday night or Monday morning?, What is the greatest con of the civilized world? Both questions made me think about my predicament and the myths that we follow or accept as the facts of life. For instance, who came up with the rule that Saturday and Sunday are for relaxing while work occurs Monday through Friday or retirement happens at sixty-five after 40 years of doing what you don’t like.Once you become aware and understand our predicament, then the author provides a framework that can cure us. I was skeptical about this framework because of how complex it was and the odds of success. But after, researching other successful entrepreneurs like Phil Knight and Scott Adams, I realized that MJ has provided the most complete guide for entrepreneurial success. There isn’t a magical checklist we can use that will provide the path for successfully starting a business but MJ’s framework can improve our odds. The Unscripted Entrepreneurial Framework (TUNEF) is the prescription for our predicament and represents the bulk of the book. There were five key takeaways for me:1. Change your head will change your results - we have been brainwashed by the media and many other sources to have delusional and limiting beliefs that prevent us from transforming ourselves. For example, if you believe “entrepreneurship is risky,” you’ll avoid starting a business. But, if you can change your identity and actually believe that “I am a successful entrepreneur” than you have a shot.2. Process-principle - extraordinary results require an extraordinary effort consisting of daily habits, routines, and sacrifices. For example, when Michael Phelps won 9 gold medals in the 2008 Olympics and makes millions in endorsement afterwards, most of us only see his successful outcome. But behind his wins was a grueling process that required rigorous training and sacrifices. So, to be successful entrepreneurs we need to modify our habits and daily routine.3. The Commandment of Need - Need defines our opportunity in the market place. The author said think about the market as “a spoiled brat, narrowly-minded and singular in its purpose….Its laser-like focus is centered on one fundamental truth: What value are you to me?” By reframing the market as a spoiled brat, I’ve become more aware of the need of others.4. Sell or be sold: “If you don’t have any ideas, learn how to sell. Selling and all of its cousins (marketing, copywriting, negotiation) are the most important skills, no matter what your business is… The best sales secret isn’t about sales at all. It’s peer testimonials and reviews.”5. Comparative immunity - Abstaining from the unwinnable game of comparison which is the drive for more when more isn’t needed. We tend to focus on what’s missing such as the person driving a Mercedes while your driving a Subaru or the person with the perfect nose while yours is crooked. I agree with the author that you will never find happiness if you are constantly comparing yourself with others because the finish line always moves.I highly recommend “Unscripted” because it has allowed me to better understand my predicament, see the world differently, and provide a backtested framework for entrepreneurship.

Great read. Goes over everything. Whether you own a business and are a seasoned entrepreneur or if you are a total noob, it is a great read.

MJ's previous book was an instant classic and exposed a lot of truths about entrepreneurship and the unhappy state of modern society in general. This book tackles many of the the same ideas from a different more in-depth angle, and takes it to another level for several reasons. For starters, it is side-splittingly, roll-on-the-floor, unrelentingly hilarious and entertaining (at least to my mind). To me, almost every single page is full of funny anecdotes and analogies. Listening to the Audible version of this is better than listening to a good HBO stage comedian, and far more useful. Second, the book makes a concerted effort to address the psychological barriers that I've come to believe are the biggest obstacles to entrepreneurship. As the Romans (apparently) understood, a proper slave doesn't need chains to remain in bondage...once conditioned, a person's attitudes and beliefs are far more effective tools of servitude. This applies not only to the poor, but to many of us who have successfully navigated years of 'success' milestones, and yet found themselves with a career environment that has not held up its end of the bargain. That's the reason for the title "Unscripted", to re-engineer years of ingrained and indoctrinated beliefs that won't really serve your dreams of success and freedom. Finally, this book is impressively in-depth and detailed. It doesn't (and can't) give you a specific formula for a successful business for your situation. But it works from a number of angles, over and over, chipping away at the roadblocks that will snare most of us who decide to go for something more. In that sense its a useful reference with some meaningful ideas and approaches to tackle challenges, many of which are not in The Millionaire Fastlane.If you're a cozy, happily employed person who is deeply satisfied with your weekend lifestyle, then this book is absolutely not for you. In fact, run away! Its only going to cause you trouble. But if you find yourself among the discontented 70%, stuck in traffic and depressed, profoundly disillusioned with your own past choices; pay close attention. Whining about the traps of our modern society will get you nowhere, and the true cause of your ills is not really the common scapegoats: politics, racial or class issues (although they have their moments). It's your mental framework and a lack of understanding of and experience with entrepreneurship. The truth is that America can be a truly great country for anyone, but its rewards mercilessly and relentlessly go to those entrepreneurs who deliver relative value. Provide real value to others and whatever limits you presume exist in your life (sex, age, race, upbringing, education) will rapidly vanish. In that sense, its a real hopeful step forward and a useful tool for many of us.Absolutely highly recommended, he's now among my favorite authors.UPDATE: I've now completed the book 3 times, and it only gets better. Each time I go through it I realize there are some useful pearls of wisdom in there that I had grasped conceptually but not completely faced (about myself). Some people might regard the material in this book as shocking. But what's really shocking is that here in the 'Land of Opportunity' after years and years of college and real world experience, this is not common wisdom. You don't hear this material anywhere. It should be Business 101, or Prosperity 101, Life 101.