These articles are not easy to write. Writing a book is not easy. I know this first hand having written one myself. I respect anyone who dedicates himself or herself to this challenge. But, unfortunately, there are a lot of books out there, and not all of them worth your limited time.
Many such books have picked up steam and have sold like crazy for a whole host of reasons, including because they have great publishers or motivating social media campaigns. For me, sales do not always mean quality. Therefore, in our Sabio Books “Not Worth Your Time Series” I am writing to tell you about the books that, although they may have achieved bestseller status or may be popular in business, entrepreneurial or investing circles, just are not, in my opinion, after reading and considering them, deserving of your time.
I created Sabio Books to make sure that you only spend your valuable time consuming the best books available for entrepreneurs, business owners and investors. So this commentary is not meant to offend. Rather, the goal here is to help you dedicate your limited energies to only the best books. The others, well, you can read the Cliffnotes or watch the YouTube summary.
Today´s Book
I unfortunately have to add Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson to our Not Worth Your Time list.
It’s a New York Times Bestseller, so it has to be good right? I was excited when I first found this book. These guys are obviously successful entrepreneurs and brilliant in their fields. Additionally, I liked the overarching idea: ignore the norms of business like adopting a business plan, tracking the competition and bringing in outside investors.
It did, however, feel lazy. The book is clearly just a conglomeration of old blog articles converted into book chapters. It lacks cohesiveness. My objection to this book further boils down to its lack of actual practical guidance and action items. While it expounded some interesting against-the-status-quo business practices, as I read it I often was asking myself “OK great, but so how does one actually apply this advice.”
Without question this book has some good tips: sell your byproducts, question the norms of business, good enough is often fine for launching a new product or business with the details working out as things progress. It does not, however, because of the reasons I mentioned above, deserve to crack into that upper echelon of books that busy entreprepreneurs, business owners and investors should add to their libraries.
A Better Book(s)
Let me offer some alternative books in this same category that I think will be more valuable to you. When it comes to challenging the entrepreneurial myth of always going after growth, I recommend Small Giants. That book will cause you to step back and remember to focus on greatness, not just bigness. Rework also touched on the topic of systemizing your business so that you actually become and serve in the role of an owner. No question, that is really what it means to be an entrepreneur. The goal of starting a business is never to just simply create a job for yourself. Work for someone else if you are going to do that. If you are struggling in your business to go from worker to owner, then Traction and The E-Myth Revisited will be the only two books that you will ever need to read on this topic. Those, you need to check out.
Are these articles helpful? Let me know and write to us. Unfortunately, to focus on the best, some books just have to be left off your list.
89 Books Read So Far This Year?
It is about halfway through 2020 and I have been trudging through a lot of books for you guys. The last time I looked at my list, I was up to 89 books for the year. That is a lot of information, and a lot of great fodder for more and more recommendations for you all as readers here at Sabio Books. I could not get through that many books without Audible. I listen while I exercise, do things around the house, run errands, you name it. My life, I’m sure much like yours, is not conducive to long times sitting around and reading traditional paper books. So I turn to Audible to make sure I can actually get through all the content I need to to be the best entrepreneur, business owner and investor that I can. If you don’t have an Audible subscription, you should get one. It is well worth the investment. You can also help support our site and, along the way, get a free monthly audiobook when you sign up for Audible by clicking through. Here is a link to grab your free trial!
