THE DREAM IN ACTION

Back in March on the plane to SXSW I read Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson’s new book called ‘Rework‘. In short, it was a phenomenal read. A very inspiring collection of lessons for entrepreneurs, but maybe more important than it’s inspiration, it was actionable. In standard 37Signals fashion it was a collection of blog posts essays that keep your head spinning about your own endeavors and how you could handle situations differently.

Then on a recent (long) flight to SF I decided to reread Rework because I really wanted many of the lessons to sink in. It quickly became clear that more entrepreneurs need to read this book. Brad Feld’s thoughts on the book were interesting…

Rework nails it on every dimension.  I was annoyed during the first chapter since the book started out with the typical “bootstrap your business rather than raise money from clueless investors” screed that Fried is famous for.  While I strongly agree that is one way (my first company was started with $10 and that was all the money we ever raised), it’s not the only way and I get tired of hearing polarizing rhetoric around this.

It turns out that was Fried and Heinemeier’s way of getting my attention.  Rather than passively rolling into chapter two, I was fired up.  And then, in the style of Gary Vaynerchuk, they Crushed It (another awesome book, BTW).  I was glued to my couch for the next hour as I pounded my way through the book.  It’s a collection of short essays and cool drawings built around one liners that everyone running a business should ponder.  As a bonus, they have a great essay on four letter words and why “fuck” and “shit” are not ones you should be concerned with.  And, in a demonstration of their mad skills, they have an awesome attack ad for the book.

Hilarious right?

I got to meet Jason when I helped run Chicago Tech Meetup a few months back and although his views on VC are a bit polarizing, it’s crystal clear that the man is an entrepreneur through and through and knows how to create value and keep his customers needs and situations in mind. In one interview he talked about how in the last couple weeks before publishing they cut the book in half. David & Jason wanted to keep it simple and powerful, the less is more mantra continues to resonate through their products and they’re are better off for it. The value is compact and doesn’t take a lot of time away from an entrepreneurs already wacky schedule. It’s ideal for a flight or long drive (audio books are awesome).

Last I checked Rework was on the top of the NYTimes best sellers so you don’t have to take my word for it. Let me know what you guys though in the comments.