Book Tip No. 39 (2019): JASON FRIED AND DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON: REWORK
New York 2010.
I admit that this book has been unread in my bookshelf for quite some time – in Taleb’s terminology in my anti-library. What a neglect! And at this point thanks to Fred McAdam and his family, who had chosen it for me.
Maybe it’s the title: Rework. It couldn’t really develop any fascination. But you also know such books, whose titles promise a lot and then are only disappointing in content.
Jason Fried and David Heineman Hansson are founders of several successful software companies. They have collected their experiences and prepared them for practitioners in extremely readable form. Especially young entrepreneurs can only recommend this guide, because it contains many good ideas (and saves the reading of much more extensive volumes). I am considering whether to recommend it to our own young company’s management level as voluntary compulsory reading.
Make your customers addicted to you
A few examples: “Ignore the real world.” You should think about what that means. Or: “Unless you are a fortune teller, long-term business planning is a fantasy.” And for entrepreneurs: “… no matter what kind of business you’re starting, take on as little outside cash as you can. Spending other people’s money may sound great, but there’s a noose to it.”
On the other hand, secrecy is not recommended: “All companies have customers. Lucky companies have fans. But the most fortunate companies have audiences. An audience can be your secret weapon.” Read how to build an “Audience”. We call this low budget marketing. Just right for young companies.
And last but not least, you should learn from drug dealers: “Emulate drug dealers. Make your product so good, so addictive, so “can’t miss” that giving customers a small, free taste makes them come back with cash in hand.”
More than worth reading. The advice is suitable for everyday business. And if you follow them, you can save yourself a lot of unnecessary discussions.
22.9.2019
Dr. Hans-Christian Riekhof
