01
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Find Your Passion
Uncover what drives you and transform that energy into a viable brand concept worth building.
SHORTCUT
#1 Amazon Best Seller
The Shortcut: How to Start Your Brand with Zero ExperienceMaster The
Shortcut.
The Shortcut: How to Start Your Brand with Zero Experience is Dylan Trussell’s practical entrepreneurship book for first-time founders who want a clear path to build, market, fund, and exit a brand with no prior experience.
“The definitive guide to building a brand from scratch without the decades of trial and error.”
#1AmazonBestSeller
Forbes 30 Under 30★Harvard Lecturer★Culprit Press★The Shortcut★Founder of Culprit★
#1 Amazon Best Seller
There are no
shortcuts in life.
Except for this.
Founding a company is the hardest thing you'll ever do. But it's infinitely easier than leaving your dreams unpursued. Something compels you to dive into the piranha-infested waters.
Dylan Trussell knows what it's like to make millions one year and be millions in debt the next. He's studied 150 of history's wisest entrepreneurs and everything he learned is here in 127 bite-sized chapters.
Discover how to convert your blood, sweat, and nightmares into sweet, hard cash.
127
Bite-sized Chapters Filled with Wisdom
#1
Amazon Bestseller in 'Starting a Business'
30
Under 30 | Forbes
300M+
Campaign Views
Inside the Book
Your complete
roadmap to success
02
02↗
Design to Sell
Learn how to create products that don't just look good—they move off shelves and into people's lives.
03
03↗
Market Like a Pro
Master brand storytelling in seven steps to generate millions of views on any platform.
04
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Raise the Money
Navigate funding rounds, investor psychology, and pitch decks that actually close deals.
05
05↗
Survive the Fire
Dylan went from millions in profit to millions in debt. Here's how to navigate the inevitable disasters.
06
06↗
Your Exit Strategy
Build toward an exit from day one. Convert years of grind into a life-changing outcome.
Read Dylan's Chapters Free
Eleven free chapters to read now, download, or share. It is a sample, not the full book.
“
The Philosophy
“Founding a company is the hardest thing you'll ever do — but it's so much easier than leaving your dreams unpursued.”
— Dylan Trussell, The Shortcut
The Author
Meet
Dylan Trussell.
Dylan Trussell is an acclaimed director, writer, and the founder of Culprit Underwear. From $500 on his first ad to an 8-figure brand and every mistake in between, he's lived the shortcut.
He has built brands that disrupted industries and lectured at Harvard Business School despite never finishing college. The Shortcutisn't just a book; it's the distilled essence of a decade of warfare in the startup world and a labor of love studying those who came before him.
Currently, Dylan is still running Culprit, while helping other entrepreneurs evolve, or as he puts it ‘sending the elevator back down’.
Stay in touch
Community
The 90-Day Regret Test
Stop waiting for your life to change. Tell me what action you're taking TODAY.
I'll Check Back In 3 Months.
“Write down what it is you would change right now... that shot in the dark you would take or that long overdue course correction. Act immediately because in three months, I'm going to drop into your inbox and ask you face-to-face how it went.”
01
Filter the choice through your 80-year-old self. Will you regret staying safe?
02
Your new life starts today. Anything you say in the form is kept private. If you'd like to publicly proclaim your pledge with some added social pressure, post on the Shortcut FACEBOOK PAGE.
Uplink Status: Active
The Shortcut
Connect Channels
Connect with Dylan and a global collective of high-performers. Share your progress, your struggles, and your wins.
Your email is used only to send the 90-day check-in and a short confirmation. It is not added to a newsletter and it is not shown publicly. Leave your name blank to stay anonymous. Dylan receives the pledge so he can read your reply.
Collective Pressure Works.
Available Now
Start here.
Start now.
Everything you need to build, grow, and exit your brand. The Shortcut exists to save you years of agony.
Get on Kindle →- KindleASIN B0GL4T8FXQ
- PaperbackISBN 9781544551043
- HardcoverISBN 9781544551050
- AudiobookISBN 9781544553467 · Narrated by Dylan
- Want to Read on Goodreads ↗
- dylantrussell.com
Published March 3, 2026 · Culprit Press · 494 print pages (482 on Kindle)
Paperback 9781544551043 · Hardcover 9781544551050 · Audiobook 9781544553467 · Kindle B0GL4T8FXQ
Questions worth a straight answer
What is The Shortcut: How to Start Your Brand with Zero Experience?
The Shortcut: How to Start Your Brand with Zero Experience is Dylan Trussell’s practical entrepreneurship book for first-time founders who want a clear path to build, market, fund, and exit a brand with no prior experience. Culprit Press published it on March 3, 2026.
Who is The Shortcut for?
The Shortcut is for first-time founders with zero experience who want to start a brand. You do not need an MBA, a cofounder, or a company already in motion.
Where can I buy The Shortcut, and what are the ISBNs?
Buy The Shortcut on Amazon. Kindle is ASIN B0GL4T8FXQ. Paperback is ISBN 9781544551043. Hardcover is ISBN 9781544551050. The audiobook, narrated by Dylan Trussell, is ISBN 9781544553467. Print editions are 494 pages. The Kindle edition is 482 pages. It is also on Goodreads, book 247505739. The author hub is https://dylantrussell.com/books/the-shortcut.
Is there a free sample of The Shortcut?
Yes. Eleven chapters are free as a PDF. The buttons labeled Read 11 chapters free (PDF) open that sample. It is not the full Kindle book.
What is the 90-Day Regret Test?
Chapter 6, Life Is Tragically Short, asks you to write down the change you would make if you had three months to live, then say it publicly or anonymously at myshortcut.co. Leave your email and Dylan emails you in 90 days to ask how it went. Your name is optional. The email is only used for that check-in.
From the back of the book
Deleted chapters, videos, and tips
The book sends you here for deleted chapters, videos, and more tips. None of that is posted yet. When Dylan adds a piece, it will show up in this shelf. Until then, the bonus channel is his Substack profile.