The new book from Ryan Deiss · March 2, 2027
The simple system that scales your business... without burning you out.
The Million Dollar Napkin is the story of how one burned-out founder got his company (and his life) back. It's a simple, proven framework you can use to turn your chaotic company into a scalable growth machine.
Ready to preorder now? Grab your copy here. (You'll still get every bonus.)
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Be first in line to read my new book: The Million Dollar Napkin
The book ships March 2, but you don't have to wait until then to get started. Join the waitlist and get three bonus gifts today:
- The first three chapters, free. Watch Chuck's death spiral unfold and meet the stranger... and his napkin.
- The 12-Hour CEO Time System. This is the time management system built for busy entrepreneurs. Just 12 hours, 5 blocks, and 3 rules that will make you more productive... even when things are crazy and chaotic.
- A live "Million Dollar Napkin" Masterclass, where I'll show you how to design a napkin of your own and answer all your questions.
Plus, you'll hear first when the preorder bonuses go live on December 2.
You'll also get The Accidental MBA, my weekly newsletter for owners. Unsubscribe anytime.
"This is it. I don't think I can save it this time..."
Chuck is exhausted.
Sales are slipping, his executive team is splintering, and the bank is threatening to pull his line of credit.
His business is on the brink, his home life is a mess, and all he can think about is how he'll cover payroll next month.
But just when he's ready to call it quits, a stranger slides a cocktail napkin across the table and asks one deceptively simple question...
"How do customers happen?"
What Chuck discovers isn't a "quick-fix" tactic or motivational mumbo-jumbo. It's a complete growth operating system... and it just might save his business (and his marriage).
The Million Dollar Napkin is part fable and part step-by-step playbook.
So read Chuck's story... then use the playbook to draw your own napkin.
Read the First Three Chapters FreeYour job isn't to work harder. It's to keep the flywheel spinning.
Why a napkin? Most business books tell you to start with your company's mission, vision, and goals (as if any of those will make the cash register ring)...
...but a napkin only leaves room for what matters.
In this book, you'll get three tools that work together to form a loop I call the Growth Flywheel. Keep it spinning, and the business scales itself...
1 · Map it
Value Engines map how your company creates value. (If you can't visualize it, you can't scale it.)
2 · Measure it
Scorecards reveal how well it's working. (If you can't measure it, you can't optimize it.)
3 · Make it better
Quarterly Sprint Plans show you how to make it better, 90 days at a time. (Because annual plans are just New Year's resolutions for business owners.)
Map it. Measure it. Make it better. Repeat.
This book is for you if...
The business can't survive a day without you.
You're the bottleneck, and you know it. You just don't know how to fix it.
Growth has stalled somewhere between $2M and $10M.
That No-Man's Land where the old playbook stops working. This book is the new one.
Your team is busy, but nothing is getting DONE.
Everyone's working hard, they're not working off the same napkin (and that's the problem).
You're burnt out and you need options.
Sell it, step back from it, or keep scaling it. Whichever you pick, this book will help you build it like you'll sell it... even if you never do.
Running a business shouldn't be this complicated.
You already did the hard part...
You built the product, found customers, made the payroll, and built a company that actually works.
So why are you working harder than ever, more stressed than ever, and somehow making less money than ever?
The business that was supposed to set you free now can't survive a single day without you.
Here's the good news: the problem isn't you, and it isn't your team. Your company is missing a system… one simple enough to sketch on a napkin, and powerful enough to change everything.
The Million Dollar Napkin delivers that system inside a story you'll actually want to read: a business fable about a founder on the brink, his mysterious mentor, and the napkin that saved a company. Then it hands you the complete playbook so you can do it yourself.
Inside the book, you'll learn...
- 1The one question that explains why your growth is stuck (and how to answer it for your company)
- 2How to map your Value Engines, so everyone can see exactly how customers happen
- 3How to build a scorecard that tells you what's working... without drowning in dashboards
- 4How to run Quarterly Sprint Plans that turn the numbers into your next 90 days of priorities
- 5Why hiring "rockstars" won't save you, and how to build a company that doesn't need them
- 6How to get your leadership team working off the same napkin
- 7How to stop being your company's operating system... and start building one
- 8How the three tools connect into the Growth Flywheel, and why each turn gets easier than the last
...plus a few things I learned the expensive way.
Ready to build your own napkin?
Join the waitlist and get the first three chapters free, plus the 12-Hour CEO Time System that Ryan uses to manage his own calendar.
You'll also get The Accidental MBA, my weekly newsletter for owners. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ready to preorder now? Grab your copy here. (You'll still get every bonus.)
What other business owners are saying:
"I woke up this morning to realize I am obsolete. My business doesn't need me anymore. It was what I was working towards, but it came as a shock."
Kay FrancisFounder, Francis Plumbing
"After 27 years of being the dancing bear in my business… we finally have systems that don't depend on me. And it feels AMAZING."
Gary BackeCEO, Tank Specialists of California
"I've read a ton of business books and am generally unimpressed. Most books have one or two good ideas but not a comprehensive 'operating system' like Scalable."
Peter KoshlandCEO, Koshland Pharm
Here's what happens when you add a "napkin" to your business...
Value Engines
$1M in overlooked revenue, found
"The Value Engine mapping blew me away. Like turning on the lights in a dark room. We uncovered $1M in revenue and $275K in profit we'd completely overlooked."
Jerrold Johnson, Co-Founder, E-Z Block
Scorecards
More in Q3 than Q1 and Q2 combined
"Q1/2 was a rough patch... We generated more in Q3 than Q1 & Q2 combined. In virtual events alone we generated $701k."
Debbie Montis, CEO, Rockwell Trading
90-day sprints
$100K a month added in 90 days
"Within the first 12 weeks (month three) we opened up an additional $100K per month in revenue. The same growth that sometimes took us a year to hit. We did that in 90 days."
Brad Broncati, COO, 7FigureLaw
Bring the napkin to your team
This system works best when everyone is running on the same "napkin". Get copies for your leadership team, your whole company, or your entire network.
Package 1
The Leadership Team
One for every person on your leadership team.
$24710 copies
- 10 copies of The Million Dollar Napkin
- Napkin Resource Kit: example "napkins", scorecard templates, and everything else you need to design and build your own "Million Dollar Napkin"
- The Napkin Masterclass recording
- The Team Implementation Kit: a facilitation guide, agenda and worksheets for running the napkin exercise with your team
Package 2
The Whole Company
Get all your managers working from the same napkin.
$59725 copies
- 25 copies of The Million Dollar Napkin
- A live bonus AMA with me, just for Whole Company buyers. Bring your questions (and your managers).
- Everything in The Leadership Team
Package 3
Limited to 50 buyersThe Round Table
Bring your people. I'll join your table.
$3,000100 copies
- 100 copies of The Million Dollar Napkin
- A private 45-minute virtual session with me. Just you, your team, or your group. Use it as a consult, a private Q&A, or an "Ask Me Anything" session for your clients/colleagues.
- Everything in The Whole Company
About the Author: Ryan Deiss
Hi, I'm Ryan...
I've started businesses from my dorm room, scaled eight companies to $10M+, fired myself, nearly gone bankrupt (twice), and somehow managed to exit four companies (yay!).
I've also spent the last 25+ years learning the same painful lesson over and over again, which is:
“The more valuable I am to my business, the less valuable my business is.”
This book is the napkin I wish someone had handed me when I was building my first business.
Questions
When does the book come out?+
March 2, 2027 in paperback, ebook, and audiobook versions.
Can I preorder now?+
Yes. It's live at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million and Bookshop.org. The preorder bonuses go live December 2, and if you've already ordered, you'll still get every one of them. Just hang on to your receipt.
What do I get for joining the waitlist?+
The first three chapters right away, the 12-Hour CEO Time System, an invite to a live preview with me, and first notice when preorder bonuses open.
It's a fable? I don't have time for a story.+
Neither do I. Chuck's story is there so the system sticks, because you'll remember a story long after you forget a list. The playbook half gives you the tools, step by step.
I've already tried productivity systems, the "perfect hire" and a binder full of SOPs. Why is this different?+
Because none of those fix the real problem. You can't time-manage, hire, or document your way out of a broken operating system. This book doesn't ask you to work harder, find a unicorn, or write down every tiny thing. It asks one question first... how do customers happen? Then it gives you the system to answer it.
Is there an ebook or audiobook?+
Yes. The Million Dollar Napkin will be available as an ebook and an audiobook, too.
I'm outside the US. Can I get it?+
Yes. It's available to preorder in Canada, across Europe, and in Brazil, Mexico, the UAE, India and Australia. Use the "Outside the US?" links. The UK edition follows about a month after the US release.
I want copies for my team. Is there a bulk discount?+
Bulk discounts are available, but we've put together bonus bundles that are even better than a discount. See all team & group packages.
So... how do customers happen at your company?
Could you answer that question on a napkin? If not, you're not alone. That's why I wrote this book, and when you join the waitlist, you can start reading it today, free.
You'll also get The Accidental MBA, my weekly newsletter for owners. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ready to preorder now? Grab your copy here. (You'll still get every bonus.)