Table Of ContentDEDICATION
FIRST, THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO YOU.
Thank you for wanting to do cool shit in this lifetime. It’s a short one, so we need to make it count!
Second, this book is dedicated to baby Emi, my first niece and the very first baby to be born in the
next generation of my family.
Emi, may your journey be thoughtful, courageous, and without hesitation. I am so looking forward to
watching you choose your own adventure. I will be right next to you, cheering you on!
CONTENTS
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Foreword by Tony Hsieh
Preface
1 Is “Success” Really What You Think It Is?
2 Stray from the Group
3 How 9/11 Changed My World
4 Making the Team
5 Finding Your Calling
6 What Sucks in Your World
7 I Got This
8 Business Plans Don’t Raise Dollars, People Do
9 Get Shit Done Fast
10 Breaking News
11 Disaster Launch
12 Partners in Crime
13 Doing Good and Doing Well
14 Keeping It Tight
15 L.A.C.E.
16 Stop with the Same-Old, Same-Old
17 Community Is Everything
18 Giving Back
19 You Are as Cool as the Friends You Keep
20 Doing Cool Shit
21 To Our Children’s Children
About the Author
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would love to give my deepest gratitude to the following people:
Mama and Daddy—for marching to your own drums and bravely coming to
this country on your own and making the American dream come true. Thank you
for thinking about us before thinking about yourselves. Also for creating Agra-
Palooza; we’re cool because of you.
Yuri (a.k.a. Dr. Agrawal)—for being the most admired big sister and setting
the bar at an unreachable level and for becoming a surgeon and allowing our
Asian parents to be satisfied with one doctor in the house, thus allowing Rads
and I to pursue our dreams. This journey was made possible because of you!
Benny Z—for getting my big sis pregnant. And for helping save our planet
from extinction.
Radha (a.k.a. Rads)—for our egg splitting and for giving me someone fun to
play with for a few months while I was chilling in the womb. Oh, and also for
being a constant source of competitive inspiration (and being my best friend). I
also happen to think that the Super Sprowtz are the raddest bunch ever.
Andrew Horn—for being my rock and my light, and for teaching me the
important lessons of slowing down and appreciation.
Colleen Lawrie—for editing this crazy book and for being super patient with
me. You’re a saint!
Michele Rubin—for kicking ass and helping me get a book deal in two weeks
flat.
Antonia Dunbar—for going through each chapter with me and editing this
book as I wrote it. You’ve been an incredible friend and business partner; the
future is bright for us!
Sam Horn—for supporting this book and for helping me get the book proposal
to a place where I could sell it! And for producing a magical son.
Zach Iscol and the Iscol family—for your endless support; for putting up with
your little hellions for a very, very long time; and for being catalysts to some of
our “life breaks.”
Zach Lynd—for being a first-class confidant and for designing a restaurant
brand that I am truly proud of.
John Arena—for being my sensei and perspective-check in all my crisis
moments.
To the WILD team—you guys are so good-looking and make me so happy
going to the best restaurant in New York (and Vegas!).
To all of my incredible friends—“I am who I am because of who we all are”
(Ubuntu).
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
FOREWORD
I’ve never met anyone quite like Miki.
Actually, that’s not true.
I also know her identical twin sister, Radha, who looks a lot like Miki, but
that’s beside the point.
When Miki first asked me to write the foreword for her book, I was a little
reluctant. I told her I wanted to wait and read a draft of the entire book first
before committing to write anything.
So after a few weeks, she sent me the rest of her book. And I procrastinated
and didn’t read it for a few more weeks, until one day when I was getting on a
long flight from Los Angeles to Munich I decided to finally start reading the
book.
To my surprise, on that flight, I ended up finishing the entire book.
Even though I’ve hung out with Miki many times as friends, and we are about
to partner together professionally as she opens up her pizza place in downtown
Vegas (it’s an important part of our Downtown Project revitalization efforts), I
never knew her full story before, or really understood what drove her. I guess I
just assumed she was born that way.
As I read through Miki’s journey, I found myself nodding and agreeing with a
lot of the lessons learned and the advice and tips she gives. Her stories are great
stories, not just for entrepreneurs, but really for anyone who wants to lead a
more fulfilling life.
In a lot of ways, Miki is like a little sister to me. So I guess this is my
roundabout way of saying that although I was at first a little reluctant to write the
foreword (as any big brother that likes to tease his little sister would be), I was
pleasantly surprised and am really proud of her for writing this book. It’s
actually a really good book.
Don’t let the fact that it’s an easy read fool you. It’s full of great insights that
could have a transformative effect on your own life.
And, Miki—no, this does not mean I will stop teasing you.
Tony Hsieh
Zappos.com CEO
Author of the number one New York
Times bestseller Delivering Happiness
DowntownProject.com
PREFACE
To ensure that this book has found its way into your hands for the right reasons,
please ask yourself, “Do I fall into one or more of these following categories?”
I don’t want to work a day job in a “respectable industry” just to make a
buck.
I want to have the social life I always dreamed about.
I want to get the blessing of my parents/significant others to chase my real
passion.
I actually don’t know what my real passion is yet, and I really want to
figure it out.
I have a really great idea and want to start a business but I have no clue
where to begin.
The books that do teach me how to start a business put me to sleep after
page three.
I want to raise money for my business, but I have never raised money
before.
I’m sick of feeling self-conscious when I walk into a room full of strangers,
and I want to know how to break into a new circle with sparkle and
confidence.
I’m done going to bars and watching football for ten hours on weekends
with my college friends who drink their faces off, and I want more.
I want to build a new community of friends who challenge, support, and
inspire me.
I realize that there are people in my life who aren’t helping me be my best;
they may even be holding me back. I want to surround myself with the right
people.
If you nodded your head to any one of those statements, buckle up and get
ready to do the coolest shit you’ve ever done.
From now on, you will no longer feel envious of others who “have the perfect
