Invisible Rules
How to Outsmart the Entrepreneurial Game
Author: Ujwal Arkalgud
Publisher: Page Two Books
In every industry, invisible rules silently determine who succeeds, which ideas gain traction, and what paths are considered legitimate. These unwritten codes were built to keep the one percent of unicorn businesses and the ecosystems around them thriving, not the majority of entrepreneurs who aim to bring their diverse experiences and passions and try to turn them into legitimate small and medium businesses. That is precisely who this book is written for—entrepreneurs often overlooked by traditional business and entrepreneurship advice—the 99% who face a playing field where the cards are stacked against them, providing practical frameworks to navigate and thrive despite these hidden constraints.
Drawing from my background in cultural anthropology and my journey bootstrapping and scaling MotivBase (acquired in 2022)—despite being repeatedly told by the venture industry that my business would not succeed—I've identified five distinct movements that allow entrepreneurs to transform the limitations imposed by invisible rules into unexpected strengths. Rather than conforming to Silicon Valley playbooks or challenging established systems head on, these movements provide a framework for navigating the complex interplay between our authentic vision and external expectations.
This isn't about choosing between our internal desires and external realities. It's about mastering the dynamic space between them—where genuine innovation and sustainable success emerge. Through stories of entrepreneurs who've skillfully navigated these invisible boundaries, from DomoINK founder Domonique Brown to Basecamp's Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, the book reveals how success often comes not from dramatic disruption but through patient, strategic navigation of existing systems.
Invisible Rules serves the 99% of entrepreneurs building something meaningful outside traditional venture pathways. It's for those who sense these hidden boundaries but don't quite know how to navigate them or how to avoid being held down by them—founders seeking to create businesses that aren't just profitable but purposeful, innovative leaders challenging status quo thinking, and anyone struggling to reconcile authentic vision with industry expectations.
This book isn't filled with abstract theories or inspirational stories without substance. It provides actionable tools for recognizing power dynamics in your industry, creating safe spaces for experimentation, building credibility that earns you the right to challenge norms, and ultimately creating ecosystems that transform possibilities for yourself and others.
Key Messages:
Navigate, Don't Fight: True innovation comes from understanding invisible rules well enough to work with them strategically, not from blindly fighting against them
Find Your Power Pocket: Success begins by identifying where established systems show weakness and your unique perspective offers strength
Build Through Evidence: Lasting credibility comes through consistent demonstration, not borrowed authority or dramatic declarations
Challenge Selectively: Transformation happens by focusing change efforts where you've earned the right to suggest new possibilities
Create Ecosystems, Not Just Products: Sustainable impact comes from building frameworks that allow others to thrive within newly created possibilities