Want to learn the ideas in The Execution Factor better than ever? Read the world’s #1 book summary of The Execution Factor by Kim Perell here.

Read a brief 1-Page Summary or watch video summaries curated by our expert team. Note: this book guide is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher or author, and we always encourage you to purchase and read the full book.

Video Summaries of The Execution Factor

We’ve scoured the Internet for the very best videos on The Execution Factor, from high-quality videos summaries to interviews or commentary by Kim Perell.

1-Page Summary of The Execution Factor

Overview

When you want to develop the five traits described in this article, it’s important to start with an exercise. Imagine someone else who is having a problem with one of the traits and think about what kind of advice you would give her. For instance, imagine that you have a friend who wants to quit her job and start her own company but she doesn’t really know where she wants to go or how much money she has saved up. What would you advise her? You can do similar exercises for all five traits by imagining other people having problems with those traits. The exercises help because it’s easier to offer advice than it is when dealing with your own personal problems which are often tangled up in emotions and difficult thoughts.

The author set three goals for her life: freedom, being her own boss and controlling her destiny. At the age of 23, she was broke and unemployed. However, in just seven years (2008), she sold a company for $30 million dollars.

Having achieved her goals, she decided to help other entrepreneurs achieve their dreams as well. To that end, she became an angel investor—someone who invests in startups. She has observed that the most crucial factor for turning entrepreneurial dreams into successful realities is the ability to execute – to carry out a plan of action.

Execution is the most important part of any plan. It’s also one of the hardest parts to get right. The five traits that make up execution are all developed by doing work and practicing in order to master them. These key points will explore each trait, explain some general principles about it, and then give you specific techniques for mastering it.

This book will help you refine your vision, take the first step towards pursuing it and become more resilient in your pursuit of that vision.

Big Idea #1: Having a vision is essential for success.

In 1961, the United States was lagging behind the Soviet Union in space exploration. The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first human to reach outer space. This inspired President John F. Kennedy to make a bold proclamation: by the end of that decade, an American astronaut would land on the moon.

When Kennedy said that, he was expressing a vision. Visions are ambitious goals or ideas for the future. In his case, it was a vision for an entire country, but you can have visions for yourself and your career as well.

While keeping the context of our analogies in mind, we can think of vision as a celestial body that helps us navigate life’s unpredictable waters.

There are many things that can distract you from achieving your goals. These distractions can cause problems in the form of setbacks and competing pressures. However, if you keep your vision fixed firmly on what you want to achieve, then those events will not be a problem for you because they won’t get in the way of what is important to you.

Your destination is the future you envision for yourself. It could be a purpose, like having a positive impact on the environment. It could be a vocation, such as cooking. Or it could be a personal goal, such as purchasing a home or starting your own business.

If you have a vision, it might take some unforeseen turns while you’re trying to achieve that goal. For example, the author’s first business was a digital marketing company that sold products like teeth whiteners and remote-control toys.

This is not what the author imagined for herself when she was younger, but it’s part of the path that led her to financial freedom.

It’s impossible to know exactly where your vision will take you until you get there.