Rework is by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson. Jason Fried is one of the co-founders of Basecamp and offers some really great advice for “starters”. The book is full of practical guidance for just about any business.
So much common sense…and very cool that half the book is pictures and graphics. Following are some notes on some highlights and particularly strong points of agreement and expanded viewpoints:
Notes on Rework
1. make something you want to use
2. dump word entreprenuer and be a starter
3. workaholics arent heroes
4. ideas are cheap and plentiful, its how well you execute
5. if you are upsetting people – you are not pushing hard enough and probably boring too
6. don’t borrow – you end up doing what investor want instead of customers
7. do you really need an accountant? *
8. fancy business cards **
9. worry about profit from day one!!
10. Build an audience – you don’t have to buy peoples attention – they give it to you
11. Don’t care about the competition – focus on what you are doing – whats going on with your business is much more important that the external world – when you spend time worrying about someone else, you are wasting time you could be spending on yourself
12. Quote “your chances of coming up with something fresh go way down when you keep feeding your brain with other peoples ideas”
* sometimes it pays to fly first class, you need legal and financial you can trust, and that can represent your interests properly – its worth paying for – issues with CRA, workers comp, legal and insurance claims can be costly and not the place for too much DIY….where your competencies end in these areas, pay for the advice of those that know and spend energy and time vetting and researching the right help.
** where you are not selling a tangible commodity, have a quality business card,(thick card stock and embossed or letterpress) its might be the only physical thing about your business and should stand out