Make Your Mark: The Creative’s Guide to Building a Business With Impact

99u #3

by Jocelyn K. Glei (Editor)

Finally, a business book for makers, not managers.

Are you ready to "make a dent in the universe"? As a creative, you no longer have to take a backseat. In fact, stepping up and embracing entrepreneurship is the fastest route to impact. But where do you start? And what sets the businesses that succeed apart?

To find out, we asked the bright minds behind companies like Google X, Warby Parker, Facebook, O’Reilly Media, and more to share their startup wisdom. Featuring hard-won wisdom from twenty leading entrepreneurs and designers, 99U’s Make Your Mark will arm you with practical insights for launching a purpose-driven business, refining your product, delighting your customers, inspiring your team—and ultimately—making something that matters.

Make Your Mark features contributions from: Will Allen, Rich Armstrong, Warren Berger, Sean Blanda, Neil Blumenthal, Craig Dalton, Jane ni Dhulchaointigh, Aaron Dignan, Andy Dunn, Joel Gascoigne, Seth Godin, Chris Guillebeau, Emily Heyward, John Maeda, David Marquet, Tim O’Reilly, Shane Snow, Sebastian Thrun, Keith Yamashita, and Julie Zhuo. Plus, a foreword from Behance founder Scott Belsky.

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Design, Productivity, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Self Help

260 pages, Paperback

First published September 9, 2014

About the author

Jocelyn K. Glei is a writer who's obsessed with how we can find more creativity and meaning in our daily work. Her latest book, Unsubscribe, is a modern guide to killing email anxiety, avoiding distraction, and getting real work done. Her previous works include Manage Your Day-to-Day, Maximize Your Potential, and Make Your Mark, which offer pragmatic, actionable advice for creatives on managing their time, their careers, and their businesses. She was formerly the founding director of the 99U Conference and editor of 99u.com, which earned two Webby Awards for Best Cultural Blog and a rabid fan base of productivity nerds. She lives in Los Angeles and online at jkglei.com.

Reviews

[John Stepper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot - and got inspired by - each of the 3 books in this series. Even if you don't love every essay of the many in each book, you're sure to find several that can help you.

[TJ Lippert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this, and I did quite a bit of underlining and dog-earing along the way.

A lot of great general advice for the designer/artist/creative in your life that wants to put their talents to developing their own business. In the last couple of chapters there’s a bit more about leadership and management, so I would say this is also a book for those trying to gain more perspective on their own position (especially if they come from a creative background with a lack of management experience).

[Ayesha Ratnayake · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay, mostly unmemorable guide to entrepreneurship as a creative person.

[Ana Carolina Lemmens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third book of the 99u series.
Again some great insights! I especially enjoyed the second half of the book: ‘Serving your customers’ and ‘Leading your team’ Had not read much on these subjects before.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish there was more original content. It felt exactly as it was - a physically printed version of articles from 99U.com.

[Charles Mcdonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good business book.

[Janna Brancolini · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Make Your Mark" is by far the weakest in 99u's three-book series of how-to guides for building a productive creative career. Published in 2014, the book does not age well, as many of the businesses held up as paradigms of "purpose" have gone on to wreak havoc on communities (AirBnb), workers' rights (Amazon and Arianna Huffington brands), and even democracy (Facebook). A surprising number of chapters seemed to boil down to "act and think like a human being" instead of taking your customers for granted. Several also offer directly conflicting advice. For example, one chapter says you need to know exactly who your intended audience is; another says determine your purpose and trust that your audience will eventually reveal itself. I guess the good news is that in business, anything goes? Notably, the two best chapters came from two of the three women contributors. (Out of 21 chapters, only three were written by women. Happy International Women's Day, 99u!) Luckily, "Make Your Mark" is a quick read, so if you have a couple of hours to spare and a library copy, it's likely worth your time. It's probably not worth your money, though.

[Arnied · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a lot of what you've heard before but still great stuff. And it is a pretty easy read with lots of relevant examples. Some fun facts too.. like Alexander Bell wanted everyone to say the word Ahoy as a greeting on his invention. His friend, Thomas Edison coined the word -- Hello -- instead. This book is really for people who want to make something but can't quite get there. It's inspirational with some hints at what to do and what not to do. It isn't detailed though. In a nutshell, start something you are passionate about and work at it till it happens. Try different iterations of it even if they fail quickly and often till you get to a good point. And be collaborative and transparent. These are things we all need to continuously work at - especially me. It is easy to forget them at the office and in life.

[Terry · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many books in business, but the ideas that have been presented are done so clearly with good presentation. It contains valuable input from the perspective of some key entrepreneurs, each offering their own unique insight.

[Warren Berger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great handbook for creative entrepreneurs looking for insights from a wide range of successful entrepreneurs and writers.

[Imane Errayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jocelyn Glei’s Make Your Mark is a rallying cry for creative thinkers who refuse to conform to traditional notions of success. More than a guide, it’s a blueprint for designing work that is meaningful, impactful, and authentically yours. What sets this book apart is its recognition that the entrepreneurial journey isn’t just about execution—it’s about intention. Glei and her collaborators delve into the essence of building a creative business, focusing on aligning passion with purpose.

The book’s most striking idea is its rejection of the hustle-at-all-costs mentality. Instead, Make Your Mark argues that creativity thrives not under relentless pressure, but when individuals create space for reflection, experimentation, and growth. This isn’t just about finding your niche; it’s about crafting an approach to work that sustains you, mentally and emotionally, while delivering value to the world.

What makes this book truly disruptive is its emphasis on personal agency. Glei doesn’t just give you tools for creative work—she challenges you to own your process and redefine what success looks like on your terms. The insights from leaders like Seth Godin and Tony Fadell add depth, but the real power lies in its actionable advice, making the book a hybrid of inspiration and practicality.

Make Your Mark isn’t just a guide for starting a creative project—it’s a manifesto for anyone determined to carve out a meaningful existence in a world of distractions and mediocrity. It’s a reminder that your work is a reflection of your values, and the only way to truly make your mark is to lead with authenticity.

[Zak Schmoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book would be interesting. After all, I have worked with a lot of really creative people (I am not one of creative people), and I have always had a more business oriented mind. I thought this book might help me develop and understand a little bit more about doing business from a creative's perspective. This book is basically a collection of essays and interviews. Most of them are pretty good, and there are some very valuable soundbites here and there. Most of this information is pretty commonplace and is available in other forms online that would present a similar message. However, all of that being said, it is a nice collection of essays, they are well written, and it does help you think about what is needed to run a business, especially for people who might be less familiar with the kinds of things I learned in business school.

[Wulan Suci Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compilation of snackable advices. I was little bit confused with it at the beginning, as the content is quite shallow. The structure is only on the topic and the remaining of the content piece that consist of questions are quite random. But overall okay to read; another book that shows how actually advises from people whom already success on their sector are always practical; defining the purpose, making experiences not products, serving costumers, and be a good leader by makin transparency an essential part of thenculture and communicating for speed, clarity and innovation, lastly building a team of leaders not followers.

[Mike Hales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Golden nuggets

Business and management books are tricky things. Too specific and they're easily dismissed. Too broad and they lack meaning. The best books give you what I call golden nuggets, rich enough to be valuable but small enough to be manageable. The joy of this book is the diversity of voices and the multitude of nuggets, little highlights to come back to that stimulate the idea to get you moving forwards. A quick and valuable read regardless of whether you're a leader or business owner or simply trying to do a better job. Good investment in time and money.

[Keshav Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book not just for the creative people but for people who are entrepreneurs or running their own businesses. It will give you a bit of insight into some of the great brands and what they are doing right. It won't give you the whole picture of how things are being done, just giving you a glimpse that is why I didn't give it 5 stars. It feels incomplete and you will long to get into more depth of the topics that it has covered. I ended up doing a bit of a case study on some of the brands that this book mentioned.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring & practical

Confirms & articulates many thoughts I had about innovative business models from authorities on the matter, even a nuclear submarine captain thrown in the mix. Great for creative types at any stage of developing a business or nonprofit organization.

Being part of a management team for a non profit NGO this book has given me inspiration to endure and applicable material that will surely breathe new life to our organization.

[Ardavan Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of inspiring short articles and interviews from leading enterprouneors and innovators from a diverse range of disciplines. The book covers all aspects of business from ideas to building products and services and some light touches on team cultures and leadership.

IMO, this collection helps to exercise your business intuition by learning about the core rules you must consider for having a business with impact. It's also interesting to find common grounds from experts pov.

[Puty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the other books on the series, it can be looked from different points of views: a) it's so good because it's like 'creme de la creme' advices from the best people from creative business, or b) because it's the 'creme de la creme' so all of the writings may feel short and shallow. They are too short they almost look like snackable contents with short explanations by 'so called Instagram motivators'.

Personally it's a bit of both for me, but 4 stars anyway!

[Nate Solberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. As a curated collection of essays from business and creative leaders It hit all the right notes for me. There were a number of good lessons I will take to my role as a leader and manager at my company. I thought the story of the caption of the nuclear submarine USS Santa Fe was especially pertinent to my experience, as the empowerment of team members is the real path to better teams.

[Everlecia J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What still rings for me is the piece for Seth Godin. Basically saying that the world is never “ready” for new ideas, we are never ready to put them out at the right time. It’s perfect timing as I work on my latest patent. #2. And I’m reminded that you just have to do.

Also this: when launching new products show users what they can do rather then telling them.

[Ed Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought Provoking Anthology

A series of essays and articles on building businesses and products with focus and impact. There are some decent takeaways by some very well known business leaders. If you are responsible for strategy development, product development or marketing, this quick read is worth picking up.

[alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Food for thought.

This is a quick guide to creatives looking to get into the adventure of building a business, but this is also great for people who are managers who want to get inspired in a creative way.

[Sylvia Swann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got more out of this little book than I ever dreamed possible. Bravo 99U and Jocelyn K. Glei! Reading Manage Your Day-to-Day next,and I can’t wait. Really want to attend your next conference in NYC.

[Tugrul Yuksel · Rating 3 out of 5]

99u series are sorta okay, although they consist of blog-article-level texts each chapter.

This one by far is the fluffiest in terms of content quality.

For example: responsive organizations vs legacy organizations chapter, it feels like a school essay with liminal research.

[Jinal Shah (If I Were Marketing) · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was super generic and the information given was common knowledge. Nothing new, nothing different. Very boring. Felt like it was compiled from a dozen existing and old marketing and entrepreneurship books. Not at all worth spending on.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some great food for thought

Excellent read for those who just started mulling over starting a business or introducing a product. You'll have to assign yourself some homework, if you want to figure out how to apply a lot of this, but it'll be well worth it.

[Naved · Rating 4 out of 5]

its a good little book, filled with ideas and call to actions, Easy to read and easy to carry especially on our travels, i would recommend this book to anyone who works for himself or is thinking to start a business.

[Jason Kiever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspiring

Chalked full of stories of some of the leaders and employees of great companies. This book will inspire you to look at your life and business through a different lens. Definitely adds perspective by reading about lessons learned by innovative people.

[Mariann]

Sose tudom, hogy az ilyen "üzleti blogposztok egy kötetben" jellegű ebookra milyen csillagozást lehet adni, mindenestre ingyen (kreditbeváltásnak) jó kis metróolvasmány volt.
(Amúgy nagyjából 2 óra alatt végig lehet szaladni rajta)

[Sindiwe James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical Advice

I started reading this book and was immediately impressed. The businesses highlighted gave practical and timely advice of actionable steps that can be taken no matter the stage of your business. It was a quick read but quite impactful. I would recommend it to entrepreneurs and those thinking of starting a business.