Rethinking work

'Rework' by Jason Fried and David Hansson is a brilliant book for entrepreneurs and investors

- ANAND TANDON

How often have you read a book that has one central idea that can be summarised effectively in half a page but the author goes on endlessly about it to make it book size? When it comes to business', it is rare to come across a book that has multiple ideas expressed succinctly. 'Rework' by Jason Fried and David Hansson is one such standout book. Written by authors who are not only entrepreneurs running successful businesses, it uses one of its own aphorisms well that of writing clearly and in brief. With about ninety 'rules' of running businesses (especially, small ones), the book is still short of 200 pages in length - making it an easy and valuable read.

How does one get ideas for business?

An easy way to find a problem to solve is to find things that improve your own work. As an example, the authors hold up the workflow-management software that is their company's flagship product. It was an outcome of an attempt to solve collaborative work issues in their own team.

Solving a problem that you understand removes the need for market validation and importantly, keeps the features list to the essential. Most products bloat by adding non-essential bells and whistles, increasing costs without utility.

But "ideas are cheap and plentiful.... until you start actually making something, your brilliant idea is just that, an idea". The book advises would-be businessmen to start work on making the idea into a business.

Less is more