Rework breaks the mold. Rather than offering the usual advice of focusing on a business plan, studying competitors, setting meetings, and creating culture— authors Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson focus on the opposite.
Rework is great for entrepreneurs, business owners and workers who dream of starting their own business someday. The book is an easy read and provides a list of business tips and tricks to help motivate and inspire people to turn their passion into a new business.
Getting Started
The initial process of turning an idea into actions can be one of the most difficult steps of starting a business. There are many excuses people can make that delay and discourage the formation of a new business idea into a successful company. Others may be pessimistic to your ideas and say it won’t work in the “real world”, so ignore the real world. The most important step to take is the initial action of becoming a business starter and building momentum with your enthusiasm.
There is no magic formula to make a business become successful. Just because a business model worked for one company doesn’t mean it is the best for another company. Similarly, just because other new businesses have failed doesn’t mean yours will. Other people’s failures have nothing to do with you. You have no way of knowing how your ideas will turn out until you actually try them.
Growing a Business
A business plan is really a business guess. There are too many factors involved in a running a business to know exactly where you’ll be in the future so don’t get too caught up in planning that you don’t focus on actually building your business and selling your products. It’s important to think about your company’s future but it’s ok to make decisions as situations come up.
Also, don’t feel pressured to grow just because competitors have more employees and locations. Grow slowly and see what feels right for the company because by growing too fast you might miss the ideal size for your business. Hiring just for the sake of hiring can lead to increased costs and artificial projects, while a smaller company size could mean increased efficiency and higher productivity.
Many larger businesses are obsessed with secrecy, so instead of trying to outsell, outspend, and out advertise competitors that have a huge budget, focus on out teaching them to stand out from your competitors. Teaching forms a stronger bond with customers and builds loyalty as customers keep coming back for more information and turning to you as an authority in the industry.
Business Culture
Business culture isn’t defined by a mission statement or rules. It’s defined by actions not words. New companies don’t have a culture because a culture isn’t something you can create. A real business culture is something that develops over time through consistent behaviors.
Rather than trying to hire “rock stars” for every position opening, focus instead on creating a “rock star” environment that brings out the most potential from every employee. A company that shows trust and responsibility for employees allows them to express their ideas and do great work. Be honest and authentic to employees and customers and they will respect and trust you as well.
Lisa Regall
Senior Organic Search Analyst
