Rework — Jason Fried & David Heinemeir

Notes

· The “real world” isn’t a place; it’s an excuse.

· Failure is OK, but not a prerequisite. Be open, but don’t embrace it.

· Plans are guesses. Don’t stress on that. You have information when you are doing something, not before. And “Plans” are done before you’ve begun.

· The easiest, most straightforward way to create a great product or service is to make something YOU want to use.

· What you do is what matters, not what you say, think or plan.

· Execution is all.

· The perfect time never arrives.

· Spending other people’s money is addictive.

· You need much less than you think.

· Start a business, not a startup.

· Focus on one thing done right. Start by the epicenter. Focus on building the best you can.

· Getting into details earlier will take meetings, discussions and delays.

· Commit to make decisions today and move forward.

· “You don’t make a great museum by putting all the arte in a room. That is a warehouse. Be a curator”.

· Trimming it down comes first.

· Beware of tools. Tiger Woods is great with cheap clubs.

· Focus on what matters.

· Value is about balance. Not by adding more. French fries with too much ketchup are ruined.

· You can copy, but you will miss the understanding. Understanding is how you grow. Copycats can never keep up.

· Pour yourself in the product.

· Don’t worry about things you can’t control. Like your competition.

· Let your grand ideas calm for a few days. Don’t jump into doing it right away.

· Obscurity is a great place to experiment and try new things. Enjoy being a nobody.

· It makes no sense to tell everyone to look at you if you are not ready to be looked at you.

· Some companies have customers, few have fans, and fewer have audiences. Build an audience.

· Teach your audience. Share your recipes. Don’t be afraid they copy you. Is not that easy.

· Everything is marketing.

· Launching isn’t a good story. Build your story.

· Hire after you’ve done the job. You will know what to look for.

· For hiring don’t look at resumes, look for a cover letter.

· Own your bad news. Be honest; don’t hide it. Someone will tell the story; it might be you.