A great read for anyone who’s thinking about starting a business or is already a business owner that is struggling to grow.
This book has the potential to eliminate a lot of headaches and to save some passions from dying by painting an accurate picture of what it really means to start a business.
Many people make the incorrect assumption that because they are good at something (cooking, music, teaching, etc.) they’ll be good a running a business that delivers a product or service that relies on their technical skills. That is NOT true (which is why the failure rate of businesses is so high).
The book can feel as if there is too much of a “story” and you just want the author to get to the point. Yet, there are many valuable insights within the story. I’d suggest pushing through as it is an easy read.
There’s a good balance between stories, examples, and practical advice in this book.
Flow: 4/5, although it might get repetitive at some point, it’s still an easy read.
Actionability: 4/5, although it’s mainly a story, it has a lot of sections with specific steps and how-to advice.
Mindset: 5/5, it will expand your mental models when thinking about business.
Some Of My Highlights:
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“The technical work of a business and a business that does the technical work are two totally different things!”
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“All of them believing that by understanding the technical work of the business they are immediately and eminently qualified to run a business that does that kind of work. And it’s simply not true!”
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“Suddenly the job he knew how to do so well becomes one job he knows how to do plus a dozen others he doesn’t know how to do at all.”
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“The work that was born out of love becomes a chore, among a welter of other less familiar and less pleasant chores.”
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“The Entrepreneur would be free to forge ahead into new areas of interest; The Manager would be solidifying the base of operations; and The Technician would be doing the technical work.”
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“It’s easy to spot a business in Infancy – the owner and the business are one and the same thing.”
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“…the Entrepreneurial Model has less to do with what’s done in a business and more to do with how it’s done.”
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“…the true product of a business is not what it sells but how it sells it. The true product of a business is the business itself.”
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“A systems-dependent business, not a people-dependent business.”
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“The system runs the business. The people run the system.”