The Personal MBA

Master the Art of Business

A world-class business education in a single volume. Learn the universal principles behind every successful business, then use these ideas to make more money, get more done, and have more fun in your life and work.

Buy the book:


What Is 'The Experimental Mindset'?

The Experimental Mindset is the healthy approach to business. There's no way to tell what will work and what won't. You need to constantly experiment.

Every experiment will teach you something new and prepare you better for the next challenge.

Experimentation is learning through play. It's the center of living a productive and fulfilling life.

Josh Kaufman Explains The 'Experimental Mindset'

When improving yourself or your business, it's often not clear what approach will create the intended result. That's where the Experimental Mindset comes in handy.

Constant experimentation is the only way you can identify what will actually produce the result you desire. Often, the best (or only) way to learn things is to jump in and try. At the beginning, you may be over your head, but there's no faster way to learn what works.

Once you're committed to exploring something, you'll learn far more quickly than if you'd cowered on the sidelines.

You learn the most from what doesn't go well. As long as your mistakes don't kill you, paying attention to what doesn't work can give you useful information you can use to discover what does. All failures are temporary-what you learn in the process always helps you move forward.

Experimentation is learning through play.

There's no need to build yourself up as a "serious businessperson" who cringes at the thought of the slightest mistake. If you choose to live up to your potential, you'll make thousands of mistakes, and that's perfectly okay.

Every experiment teaches you something new, and every new lesson you learn increases your capability to accomplish great things. Experimentation is at the center of living a satisfying, productive, fulfilling life.

The more you experiment, the more you learn, and the more you'll achieve.

Questions About The 'Experimental Mindset'


"The only way you learn to flip things is just to flip them!"

Julia Child, world-renowned chef, after flopping a potato pancake onto the floor during her TV show


From Chapter 11:

Understanding Systems


https://personalmba.com/experimental-mindset/



The Personal MBA

Master the Art of Business

A world-class business education in a single volume. Learn the universal principles behind every successful business, then use these ideas to make more money, get more done, and have more fun in your life and work.

Buy the book:


About Josh Kaufman

Josh Kaufman is an acclaimed business, learning, and skill acquisition expert. He is the author of two international bestsellers: The Personal MBA and The First 20 Hours. Josh's research and writing have helped millions of people worldwide learn the fundamentals of modern business.

More about Josh Kaufman →