The one-sentence summary
Ignore what normal companies do and do the opposite.
WHAT THE BOOK SAYS
Most of what you are told about building, running and growing a business is nonsense. You can change the way you work forever by ignoring most conventions from normal companies
The book doesn’t really have chapters. Instead it has ultra-short sections with pithy pieces of advice, and there are lots of them, including:
- Ignore the real world – people who say something won’t work are often wrong
- Learn from your successes, not your failures
- Planning is guessing – have a go and get on with it
- Why grow? Being a large business may be pointless and counterproductive
- Workaholism is for fools – you don’t have to be that busy to succeed
- Enough with ‘entrepreneurs’ – let’s just call them starters
- Make a dent in the universe – try to change something
- Scratch your own itch – do something you want to do
- Start making something – no time is no excuse
- Outside money is plan Z – don’t borrow if you don’t have to
- Embrace constraints – they make your work more specific
- Throw less at the problem – do less, better
- Sell your by-products – the stuff you reject on the way may have value too
- Meetings are toxic – have as few as possible
- Good enough is fine – get something underway and fix it as you go
- Long lists don’t get done – make tiny decisions and see the progress
- Don’t confuse enthusiasm with priority
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT
- The gems keep coming: ASAP is poison, underdo the competition, inspiration is perishable – fight bloat and fire the workaholics
- You could dip into this book anywhere and grab a motivating thought on anything from launching to hiring, productivity to promotion
WHAT YOU HAVE TO WATCH
Nothing. It’s great.