REWORK: Reduce, Reread
If you read other reviews of Rework that refer to the content as common sense, they are simply wrong. The advice of Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson is counter-intuitive and therefore genius.
I read REWORK for the first time this weekend, all in one go. With 270 plus pages, it is a surprisingly quick read; partly due to illustrations and mostly due to the fact that this book was created in the same way the authors approach business and life; edit, edit, simplify, cut some more and you’re half way there. I haven’t Reread REWORK today; not entirely; not yet anyway, but it is a book to Revisit regularly.
The authors are partners in 37Signals, an intentionally lean and wildly successful company that creates invaluable web based tools for business and individuals; simplicity is their secret weapon. Building a business the 37 signals way is about resisting growth, expansion and excess at all costs. Simply build a product that fulfills a need (preferably your own) and get out in the market as fast as you can. Take away features, don’t add them. Less is more, always simplify, say no.
Rework is a great reminder at any stage of your business. Productivity is not about trying to figure out how to get it all done, the secret is realizing that most of it should be strategically skipped and scrapped entirely!
Instead of providing new answers to the same old questions on business models and entrepreneurship, I love that Rework pushes you to ask a completely different set of questions. There is one point in the book regarding “less is more” where I completely disagree. No amount of ketchup could ever be “too much” and ruin the fries.
I’d love to hear how you apply REWORK to your own business and simplify your way to success!
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Ladies, Please step away from the schoolyard!
Moms, do you drop off and pick up your kids from school every day? Whether you are a proud Stay at Home Mom or a Working Mom that takes extreme measures to juggle your schedule for pick up duty, here’s my urgent plea for you to stop! It is not because of guilt that I make this request. My own son is picked up from school by our babysitter almost EVERY DAY, but I do not feel guilty.
Moms, I truly understand that you have the best intentions, but please stop corrupting my son. He is only six. There is still hope for him to grow up believing that both men and women have really important work to do in their professional lives; that being Mommies and Daddies is a really big and special part of life, but there are other interesting aspects too; that Mommies and Daddies share in the responsibilities and joys of parenting; that parents get to choose how they divide these joys and responsibilities; that there is no default woman’s work.
Filed under Just Life, Unsolicited Advice, Women | Comments (3)
Lifesaver Cake? Bagel Alley to the Rescue
If you are looking for a special occasion cake in the Netherlands with more pizazz than traditional Dutch Apple, your options are severely limited. My daughter and I celebrated our birthdays together last year with a Louis Vuitton purple handbag cake from a specialty wedding cake shop in The Hague. The shape and design of the cake fooled most people, they believed it really was a Louis Vuitton bag. Too bad the cake did not taste as good as it looked. Never the less, that shop is where I began my cake search as my 40th Birthday Bash loomed large.
Laptop in hand, to show a few cake photos spotted on Flickr, I walked in to the shop with a friend to order the cake. The shop owner quoted an exorbitant price, but I didn’t flinch, I even assured her that a simpler version of the trendy topsy turvy tiered cakes pictured would do, but she shook her head back and forth a lot in the dreaded horizontal direction (universal sign for not gonna happen). She said she wasn’t sure the date would work for her, she’d let me know, etc. Totally not interested in the business even though she quoted more than a few hundred euros. Already frustrated with the low service level (but not low price) from a different service provider benefactor of the party, I wasn’t looking for any more hassles.
We walked out of the shop vowing to attempt the multi-tiered cake ourselves! Luckily, a friend intervened and recommended Bagel Alley. She said the cafe owners seem to be the the type to try something new even though they don’t usually decorate cakes. Their cakes are delicious, so I immediately called with no particular expectations. My inquiry, “Do you make decorated tiered cakes?”, was met with a magical two word response, “Not yet.”
These two words and the accompanying upbeat tone spoke volumes. They were willing to give it a go! If someone other than one of the two owners would have answered the phone, maybe the outcome would be different, you never know? (Who answers the phone for your business?) My visit to Bagel Alley the next morning to discuss possibilities as well as the follow up emails and phone calls were all handled by Bagel Alley owners Sonja and Marrie, in the spirit of “Let’s see what we can do to make something nice for you.”
Living in a country without a service culture makes you truly appreciate great service when you do experience it. To my surprise, Marrie co-owner and cake creator came forward to greet me when we walked in to pick up the cakes. We had not met, but she recognized me from the photo on the party invitation. Marrie eagerly watched my reaction and when I was obviously thrilled with the cake, a mix of joy, relief and pride came over her. Her confession of a sleepless night due to my cake revealed true passion for her masterpiece, her business, and especially her customers.
Why all the fuss about cake? When you want to create something special it is great to do business with people that get it! Days later, my party guests are still raving about the delicious Love Boat themed Oreo Cake. You had to be there to get the “Love Boat” theme, but I’d happily meet you at Bagel Alley in Wassenaar for a slice of carrot cake and a cappuccino and you’ll instantly understand what the cake kudos are all about!
Ladies, Who wants to be a millionaire? 100% Self-made
Self made? Oh, that sounds like a lot of work, doesn’t it? No, I’m not asking who wants to marry a Millionaire, although there seems to be no shortage of women lining up for the opportunity on the Millionaire Matchmaker TV show!
This Quote magazine cover with the 100% SELFMADE headline really grabbed my attention. Sure the diamond encrusted Hermes saw, Louis Vuitton screwdrivers, Cartier wrench and not so subtle Tiffany Blue background might have had something to do with it? Convincing myself this feature would be worth the extra effort to read (decipher) in Dutch, I eagerly bought the magazine and started flipping through page after page of entrepreneurial men, yes almost only men!
Wanna guess how many women made it on to this Dutch list of 100 who have earned 6 million or more without inheriting a family fortune?
Well, you have to go all the way back on page 78 to the bottom half of the list, to eventually stumble upon a profile of a women. Finally we can all be proud? No, wait a minute, she is a model. Sadly only four women out of the 100 millionaires and 3 are models! The fourth is weight loss mogul, Sonja Bakker.
Hmmm Ladies, we have work to do. Don’t even think about picking up this magazine in search of eligible bachelors! Get out their and plant your own money tree!
