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37 signals business books: Book 2
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Description edit
From the founders of the trailblazing software company 37signals, here is a different kind of business book – one that explores a new reality. Today, anyone can be in business. Tools that used to be out of reach are now easily accessible. Technology that cost thousands is now just a few... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
- - The bottom line of Rework is this: stop doing everything you thought you should be doing. Written with excitement.
People edit
- Jason Fried: A Book by Co-founder of 37signals and co-author of this book.
- David Heinemeier Hansson: Programmer at 37signals, the creator of Ruby on Rails (a popular web development framework) and co-author of this book.
Quotes edit
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“Some people consider us an Internet company, but that makes us cringe.”
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“The real world sounds like an awfully depressing place to live.”
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“The real world isn't a place, it's an excuse. It's a justification for not trying. It has nothing to do with you.”
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“Don't believe that "customer is always right" stuff....Let's say you're a chef. If enough of your customers say your food is too salty or hot, you change it. But if a few persnickety patrons tell you to add bananas to your lasagna, you're going to turn them down, and that's OK. Making a few vocal customers happy isn't worth it if it ruins the product for everyone else (pp. 153-154).”
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“If you are trying to decide among a few people to fill a position, hire the best writer. It doesn't matter if that person is a marketer, salesperson, designer, programmer, or whatever; their writing skills will pay off.That's because being a good writer is about more than writing. Clear writing is a sign of clear thinking. Great writers know how to communicate. They make things easy to understand. They can put themselves in someone else's shoes. They know what to omit. And those are qualities you want in any candidate."”
- Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
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What you do is what matters, not what you think or say or plan.
Highlighted by 1397 Kindle customers -
A business without a path to profit isn’t a business, it’s a hobby.
Highlighted by 1293 Kindle customers -
You’re better off with a kick-ass half than a half-assed whole.
Highlighted by 1204 Kindle customers -
If no one’s upset by what you’re saying, you’re probably not pushing hard enough. (And you’re probably boring, too.)
Highlighted by 1192 Kindle customers -
The real world isn’t a place, it’s an excuse. It’s a justification for not trying. It has nothing to do with you.
Highlighted by 1056 Kindle customers -
The core of your business should be built around things that won’t change. Things that people are going to want today and ten years from now. Those are the things you should invest in.
Highlighted by 959 Kindle customers -
Whenever you can, swap “Let’s think about it” for “Let’s decide on it.” Commit to making decisions. Don’t wait for the perfect solution. Decide and move forward.
Highlighted by 948 Kindle customers -
When you don’t know what you believe, everything becomes an argument. Everything is debatable. But when you stand for something, decisions are obvious.
Highlighted by 875 Kindle customers -
Workaholics aren’t heroes. They don’t save the day, they just use it up. The real hero is already home because she figured out a faster way to get things done.
Highlighted by 744 Kindle customers -
Ideas are cheap and plentiful. The original pitch idea is such a small part of a business that it’s almost negligible. The real question is how well you execute.
Highlighted by 687 Kindle customers
First Sentence edit
This is a different kind of business book for different kinds of people-from those who have never dreamed of starting a business to those who already have a successful business up and running.
Table of Contents edit
1. FIRST
The new reality
2. TAKEDOWNS
Ignore the real world
Learning from mistakes is overrated
Planning is guessing
Why grow?
Workaholism
Enough with “entrepreneurs”
3. GO
Make a dent in the universe
Scratch your own itch
Start making something
No time is no excuse
Draw a line in the sand
Mission statement impossible
Outside money is Plan Z
You need less than you think
Start a business, not a start-up
Building to flip is building to flop
Less mass
4. PROGRESS
Embrace constraints
Build half, not half-ass
Start at the epicenter
Ignore the details early on
Making the call is making progress
Be a curator
Throw less at the problem
Focus on what won't change
Tone is in your fingers
Sell your by-products
Launch now
5. PRODUCTIVITY
Illusions of agreement
Reasons to quit
Interruption is the enemy of productivity
Meetings are toxic
Good enough is fine
Quick wins
Don't be a hero
Go to sleep
Your estimates suck
Long lists don't get done
Make tiny decisions
6. COMPETITORS
Don't copy
Decommoditize your product
Pick a fight
Underdo your competition
Who cares what they’re doing?
7. EVOLUTION
Say no by default
Let your customers outgrow you
Don’t confuse enthusiasm with priority
Be at-home good
Don’t write it down
8. PROMOTION
Welcome obscurity
Build an audience
Out-teach your competition
Emulate chefs
Go behind the scenes
Nobody likes plastic flowers
Press releases are spam
Forget about the Wall Street Journal
Drug dealers get it right
Marketing is not a department
The myth of the overnight sensation
9. HIRING
Do it yourself first
Hire when it hurts
Pass on great people
Strangers at a cocktail party
Resumes are ridiculous
Years of irrelevance
Forget about formal education
Everybody works
Hire managers of one
Hire great writers
The best are everywhere
Test-drive employees
10. DAMAGE CONTROL
Own your bad news
Speed changes everything
How to say you’re sorry
Put everyone on the front lines
Take a deep breath
11. CULTURE
You don’t create a culture
Decisions are temporary
Skip the rock stars
They’re not thirteen
Send people home at 5:00
Don’t scar on the first cut
Sound like you
Four-letter words
ASAP is poison
12. CONCLUSION
Inspiration is perishable
13. RESOURCES
About 37signals
37signals products
Series & Lists edit
This is book 2 of 2 in 37 signals business books. (publisher series)
Preceded by Getting Real.
This is book 38 of 53 in Personal MBA. (community list)
Preceded by Bankable Business Plans, and followed by The Four Steps to the Epiphany.
Authors & Contributors edit
- Jason Fried (Author)
- David Heinemeier Hansson (Author)
- Jason Fried (Author)
Other Contributors:
- Mike Rohde (Illustrator)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Country: United States
Publication Date: March 9, 2010
ISBN: 9780307463746
Page Count: 279
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Country: United States
Publication Date: March 9, 2010
ISBN: 9780307463746
Page Count: 279
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 658
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