# Derek Sivers ![[2025-08-22_derek_sivers.jpg|400]] Derek Sivers (born September 22, 1969) is an American entrepreneur, programmer, and author best known for founding CD Baby, the first online record store for independent musicians. Born in Berkeley, California, he studied at Berklee College of Music and was a professional musician and circus performer before becoming an entrepreneur. Sivers founded CD Baby in 1997, which became the largest seller of independent music online. He sold the company in 2008 for $22 million, giving the proceeds to a charitable trust for music education. He has since written several books including "Anything You Want," "Hell Yeah or No," and "How to Live." An advocate for minimalism and focused work, Sivers has lived in various countries including Singapore, New Zealand, and England. He is known for his unconventional approach to business and life philosophy. ## Quotes <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Derek Sivers]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> <!-- SerializedQuery: LIST FROM #type/quote AND [[Derek Sivers]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC --> - [[Every person you have ever met has the potential to help you]] - [[Mastery is the best goal because the rich can't buy it, the impatient can't rush it, the privileged can't inherit it, and nobody can steal it. You can only earn it through hard work]] - [[Only dead fish go with the flow]] - [[Out of touch, out of mind]] - [[Start now]] - [[You can have anything you want, but not everything]] - [[You won't act differently until you think of yourself differently. So start by taking one small action that will change your self-identity]] <!-- SerializedQuery END --> ## Books <!-- QueryToSerialize: LIST FROM #books AND [[Derek Sivers]] WHERE public_note = true SORT file.name ASC -->