Burn the Boats: Toss Plan B Overboard and Unleash Your Full Potent

I first learned of Matt Higgins while watching one of my favorite shows, Shark Tank. I remember him winning a bidding war with Mark Cuban and thinking, wow, that took guts. But what was really behind that was heart. I also remember him being so kind to the guests. Especially those kids with the cutting board… what a story. Further research showed Mr. Higgins owned or co-owned some of our favorite brands, Magnolia Bakery, VaynerX, Momofuku, Bluestone Lane (best coffee!) etc., etc. The stories behind these companies are powerful ones. The people are amazing. They are inherently good and want to do good.The unifying factor? Heart.So, when I saw on social media Matt had written a book, I knew what I had to do.With my copy proudly in hand and having read it already (in one sitting), here are my thoughts:THIS BOOK IS LIFE-CHANGING. Plain and simple.What struck me most is that Matt’s public persona isn’t just an act—he’s the real deal. The same generosity seen on Shark Tank, IG, Twitter, etc., are true IRL. He shares his story and his wisdom wholeheartedly.I loved the book because aside from having case studies (about 50 of them) to support the thesis, it has a narrative quality that makes for a great read. So many business books read like instruction manuals, with mundane checklists dictating “the steps we need to take for success.” One size fits all.This book is not that.It’s different in so many ways that it’s difficult to categorize. And maybe I shouldn’t try. But if I had to say: it’s the love child of an inspirational, uplifting entreprenurial book with a powerful nonfiction narrative detailing a life of fierce struggle and overcoming adversity against all odds.It’s about leveling up and following your dreams.Burn the Boats has changed my perception and the way I will now approach things—both personally and professionally. I’ve been struggling lately with a decision that will have a profound effect on my life. I’m finally ready and I know it will be amazing. My new-found confidence is one of the many gifts this book will give you, too.It’s approachable and honest. It’s vulnerable and powerful. Guts & heart in equal measure. I imagine it took a lot of guts for some of the founders/companies to share their stories. And it definitely took bravery for the author to share his personal story. It’s a doozy!Did I mention I cried while reading? Yeah, I don’t see your run-of-the-mill biz book having that effect on you.And that’s because this book IS different. It’s unique. It will meet you where you’re at and at the perfect moment. It’s the guide you didn’t know you needed. It gives you the tools and vocabulary to live your dreams.I get the sense that reading this book is like being able to sit down with the author (over Bluestone coffe!) and drawing a roadmap on how to take the leap. Whatever that looks like for you.But be prepared to do the work and really go for it. Burning the Boats only works if you truly eliminate ‘Plan B’. Heck, it even has a quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger himself on the back cover! And if it’s good enough for The Terminator, it’s good enough for me.The book talks a lot on how to view risk and how it factors into your decision making. You can contemplate risk (you have to), synthesize it, then go for it nonetheless. But that type of bravery takes introspection—which can be painful but vital to make big changes.Fortune favors the…All in all, I consider this to be an extremely important book. It's a keeper. One of the reasons we keep buying self-help or entrepreneurship books is because they don’t stick. It’s that same formula over and over. This one is here to stay and will have a permanent home on my desk. One book to rule them all.I can honestly say I’m ready to do my best work and become the best version of myself.This book is for dreamers, for doers, for the brave and the bold. But if you’re doubtful, confused, scared, or lost, this book is also for you.I truly hope it can affect you as it has me. I hope it becomes a movement and changes as many lives as possible.There is so much good in this book and so much to be done with it. There’s enough heart to go around for all of us to share. Scaling Heart… that’s a good book title BTW.It’s time to force ourselves to grow, change, and innovate. We need to inspire ourselves and those around us by declaring that failure is not an option—no ‘Plan B’, no looking to the past. We move forward, brave, bold, curious.So, what are you waiting for? Time to light the match. Time to change your life. I know it might be scary (it was for me for many years), but I promise that with this book as your guide, a beautiful future awaits you.BURN THE BOATS... AIN'T GONNA BE NO REMATCH!

Matt Higgins called it "Burn the boats" but for me, it became a lifeboat. Is this a contradiction? An oxymoron? You be the judge.It's not like I was looking for another business book to read. But my connection to Matt Higgins comes through someone who has illuminated my way of thinking for many years in countless ways so anyone who teaches with that mentor comes with a powerful endorsement. (By the way, this is also the power of a network - accessing great new insights because of the people you are connected to!)I started reading "Burn the boats" while I was embarking on the scariest thing I've ever done. As the founder of an MBA admissions consulting firm, I was working on my first product. I was doubting myself. I was scared of the investment I was making that required tapping into my safety net.I almost did NOT want to hear that you don't need a safety net. Or that "back up plans hobble us on the road to success".So I started reading almost reluctantly. What can a white American male venture capitalist teach me, the immigrant-entrepreneur who grew up on the other side of the Iron Curtain and lived through the 2,000% inflation of March 1997 when my family lost all their savings? Turns out there was a lot I could learn from him after all."Burn the boats" is about being bold, not reckless. It's about overcoming, building and creating - not being lucky. And especially about not being complacent or willing to be held back by conformity. And it's especially about how if you do all this, you will find way more success and freedom than if you continue to hedge.So I kept reading. I kept, as Matt advises, diluting my doubts by cultivating my conviction. I took the leap.At night, after a long day of building what has been my dream for the last two years - a space where under-resourced MBA candidates can access the same guidance and support that the most privileged ones have - I would sit down to read the next chapter, rebuilding my conviction and diluting the doubts of the day.It paid off. Earlier this month, I launched my dream and it is now home of MBA candidates from 19 countries. And the very first one to enroll was a candidate from Africa, bringing everything full circle as the conception of MBA Application Boost Camp started with a conversation with an MBA candidate and entrepreneur from Nigeria.Early on in "Burning the boats", Matt tells you: "This isn't just my story. It's every story, and it's all of history." He's right. And I'm not done reading - or burning!I highly recommend you give "Burn the boats" a read. It might just change the way you think of what your path in life should look like.

Matt Higgins’ Burn The Boats was a delight to read and a real page turner for entrepreneurial insights. Mr. Higgins’ humble childhood has imbued him with a business philosophy which encourages calculated risk taking and focusing on what you are talented and unique at. He encourages us to follow our dreams and that pursuing a business goal is not about just the goal, but enjoying the journey also.In addition to an accomplished entrepreneur, Matt is an investor and has also taught at Harvard Business School. There are so many jewels of wisdom in this book, not only about business, but also about life and friendships and relationships. And you don’t need to go to Harvard Business School to learn.I highly recommend Burn The Boats for its entrepreneurial and life sage advice and insights. If Matt writes a sequel to Burn The Boats, I will definitely add to my reading list.Steve

Matt Higgins’ 'Burn the Boats' is not just inspiring, it's tangible, teaching and triumphant. I can't tell you how many times I've purchased a "motivational" book that turns out to be a waste of time and money. Burn the Boats is the polar opposite. The book does not command directives, it teaches you how to take leaps through the author’s stories and experiences with others. He takes us on his own journey -- through his impossibly tough upbringing as a child, to his gambles in school as a teenager, then to his first jobs all the way to the corner office.Higgins -- a product of burning his own boats -- teaches us to get comfortable with the bumps in life. When we encounter obstacles it's human nature to be apprehensive, the book teaches us to embrace it and move forward. The more bumps the better -- it means you're making progress.Having a plan B is comforting and makes us inherently feel safe. The author shows us that that mindset is only holding us back. Taking that initial leap of faith and abandoning what's comforting is hard – this book makes it easier. It teaches us to leverage all opportunities as we move closer towards our goals by burning our own boats.I can't recommend this book enough. It is a must-read, must-buy, must-follow. The lessons can help anyone from any background own their story, stop hedging against their potential and move forward towards their dreams.Well done, sir.

Matt delivers an honest and very realistic appraise of what it takes to get to where you want to be.With complete transparency across his own personal life, and his deep observations into others journeys, this one of the most impressive and helpful books I have ever read, if not the most.Poignant messaging, guidance and advisory’s are omnipresent across its pages, with superbly relevant real life examples that provide powerful opportunity for self reflection.With so many books on the market designed to provide guidance this for me truly stands out as one of the most uplifting pieces of modern business literature I have ever read.Ian Taylor.