By: Alex Bell
Mario Peshev cuts through the noise with practical advice for new and seasoned entrepreneurs in ‘MBA Disrupted: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Bootstrapping $1M+ Digital Businesses,’ Forget intangible theories—Peshev offers practical strategies and real-life examples that will surely resonate with readers. He covers everything a digital CEO needs, from building a resilient mindset to choosing the right business model. But that’s not all—Peshev delves into popular models like e-commerce and SaaS, sharing insights and best practices. With a focus on continuous learning and adaptability, ‘MBA Disrupted’ is a must-read guide for launching and growing a digital business in today’s fast-paced world.
Writing a book is a significant commitment in terms of time and energy. What inspired you to write ‘MBA Disrupted’?
I’ve been blogging for over 15 years now, compiling insights, frameworks, and strategies battle-tested across my companies and in my network. Some of my guides are taught at universities across North America, Europe, and Asia. I often reference my work in relevant conversations across my teams with prospects, existing clients, and industry peers.
After releasing my first book, “126 Steps to Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur”, back in 2019, I was determined to build a comprehensive and encompassing guide on building sustainable companies. Over the next 5 years, I kept writing, launching new products, advising and investing in businesses, and refining my workflows based on iterative feedback. After selling one of my companies earlier in 2024, I allocated several weeks to polishing the final draft and finally taking it live!
What was one of your biggest challenges during the process, and conversely, what was one of your greatest successes?
Perfection was the biggest obstacle in releasing “MBA Disrupted.” Even though I’m preaching different principles around agile development, 80/20, and incremental improvements, publishing a book is a fairly immutable process. Refining different principles, introducing more examples, and referencing success stories from modern businesses was an endless loop that kept evolving and mutating in the ever-changing macro environment. Settling on a form and structure that makes sense today and is both foundational AND very tactical is the reason I’m thrilled with all the positive feedback in the first weeks of post-launch campaigns.
Your book has been on the bestseller list since its release. What has that been like for you on both a personal and professional level?
As an author, writing a bestseller has certainly been a dream, and I couldn’t be happier to make this come true. My book covers a handful of success stories from my own professional life – bootstrapping 7-figure businesses, selling companies, and making successful investments. The core principles touch on the complete funnel – from thoughtful research and meticulous product development to go-to-market strategy, hiring, and building sustainable processes.
I applied the same principles to the book launch accordingly: working with a great editorial team, spending two months on pre-launch campaigns, collecting reviews from industry veterans, and running a thoroughly planned and carefully executed launch process. While not being easy at all, building a great product and a strong funnel made this possible and proved that the core principles work just as advertised!
What is the most compelling or impactful feedback you have received from a reader about your book?
I was invited as a guest on Gert Mellak’s podcast a week after the book was live. Gert texted me a few hours before our call saying how awesome the book was as he was doing research for the interview. And during the Zoom, he genuinely said that it’s now one of his go-to books to re-read every year, given the loads of practical tips and tactical frameworks worth revisiting over and over again.
Totally unexpected and absolutely honored when a veteran business owner still finds tons of nuggets after years in the trenches. Some of the Amazon reviews I’ve read since agreeing with Gert, and I’m excited to help as many new and experienced entrepreneurs as possible over the coming years.
Can you share a quick yet impactful tip that aspiring digital entrepreneurs can use right now to start scaling their businesses?
If you’re just starting out, get in the field immediately and put your idea to the test. Schedule a dozen 1:1 meetings or calls with your ideal customers whatever it takes. Go to industry events or meetups, reach out on LinkedIn, ask your industry peers for intros. Hand out a dozen Amazon gift cards if you can as a sign of good karma to busy prospects open to 20 minutes of questions around your value proposition.
Don’t blatantly sell – be fully transparent, brief, and willing to learn – what do they struggle with, and how does that align with your skill set? This may be frightening – or at least intimidating – but there’s a reason why so many successful entrepreneurs started with door-to-door sales: there’s nothing like meeting your potential clients in person, discussing fears, objections, obstacles, and hesitations, and refining your messaging after every single meeting.
When you finished writing ‘MBA Disrupted,’ how did you celebrate?
I worked on a tight deadline during a trip to New York with my fiancée (the plan was scheduled 3 months out). I wrapped up the final read and polished the copy for the last time, sending the last draft to my editor and closing the lid of my notebook. We ended up with a picnic in Central Park and a lovely sunset in between the Manhattan skyscrapers, making this an unforgettable start to a whole new chapter of 25 years of entrepreneurship.
You can pick up a copy of ‘MBA Disrupted: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Bootstrapping $1M+ Digital Businesses’ on Amazon.
Published by: Holy Minoza
