Burn the Boats
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4.2 • 66 Ratings
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
*A WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER!*
In this gripping rags-to-riches instant classic, Matt Higgins provides the blueprint he used to go from a desperate sixteen-year-old high school dropout caring for his sick mother in Queens, New York, to a shark on Shark Tank and the faculty of Harvard Business School. Told with raw emotion and radical transparency, Higgins writes the definitive tome on the oldest life hack in history: burn the boats.
From Sun Tzu to Julius Caesar, the ancient Israelites to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, there’s a bold and highly effective tactic seen throughout history—when leaders want to motivate their troops for success, they destroy all opportunities for retreat, and fully commit to the mission. They burn their boats; it’s win or perish, and the clarity of sheer desperation propels them to victory.
But the conviction of crisis decision-making can also be harnessed in peacetime to achieve unfathomable success. Higgins draws upon extensive research, historical precedent, and dozens of firsthand case studies—from actress-turned-entrepreneur Scarlett Johansson to NFL Coach Rex Ryan—that prove merely contemplating Plan B diminishes the probability of ever achieving Plan A. Now a self-made serial entrepreneur with a $1 billion consumer portfolio of some of America’s most iconic brands, Higgins explains how to burn the metaphorical boats that undermine total commitment, ranging from imposter syndrome to paralyzing anxiety to toxic leadership.
Burn the Boats is the manifesto for anyone looking to level up their life while navigating risk. Each chapter includes clear, actionable advice that readers can immediately start applying to their own lives, along with inspiration drawn from dozens of real-life success stories.
This book will give you the courage to confidently go all in on your life’s true purpose.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
Customer Reviews
A Quad Mom’s Perspective
Quality empowerment moments are presented throughout this scaling entrepreneurial read. Plus this book shares how the marketing process successes have shown in success stories to become. As well as shared the character archetypes it takes to grit through these 21st century times in the enterprise of the economy.
Solid Insights Drowned by Politics
"Burn the Boats" definitely takes a path less traveled by diving headfirst into politics, and honestly, it's a bit of a head-scratcher for me. Books in this genre usually stick to the life lessons and success strategies, steering clear of political waters. But this one? It leans so hard into left-leaning politics that it almost feels like you're getting an earful regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum. I'm all for everyone having their own views, but mixing it so heavily with the book's main theme kind of muddies the water for me.
It's a bit odd, really. The whole book is built around this idea of self-reliance, but then it throws in political takes that feel completely at odds with that. It's like trying to juggle being self-reliant while also playing the victim card, and I can't wrap my head around how those two go together. Plus, the political bits come off more like pandering for approval rather than something the author truly believes in, which just makes those parts harder to swallow.
Just when you're getting into the good stuff—hard work, strategy, that 'burn the boat' mentality—it's like you hit a wall of political talk that just saps the motivation right out of you. Honestly, the book could have been a solid hit, a 4 or even a 4.5, if it just stuck to its guns without veering off into politics.
Given the author's impressive background and some genuinely interesting insights, I'd feel a bit harsh rating it too low. But seriously, less of the political soapbox moments and more focus on the core messages of business smarts and self-reliance would've made this read so much more impactful. As it stands, I'm hovering around a 3, mainly out of respect for the author's experiences and the non-political gems sprinkled throughout the book.
Great book until
Great book until he mentions Gary Vaynerchuk who is a fake self proclaimed guru. Who profited off the general public by pumping and dumping NFT’s which made him a billionaire overnight. Dude should be in prison