(Written in 2011)
What is Rework? Rework is a book on rethinking what it is to be a small businessperson. The book was written by the founders of 37signals. Real quick, what I just did by inserting their link into this blog post has helped to increase their SEO. Why is this important in a book review? Well not really a book review… but a thank you to the writers of Rework. SEO is search engine optimization. In the world of the internet in order for your business to be found in the search results of Google people have to share your link. This is placed in some funky program in Google’s search engine and the more links to your site, the higher your site is listed when someone searches for certain information. This is important to me because I have found that through research and all kinds of stuff, my site ranks very low. Damn you people who don’t understand this!
Okay sorry about that, but as most of you know who follow my shoe company blog/store I’m going through a transitional period right now. If you want to read about that visit http://www.arch-usa.com/ and you can’t miss my current attack on eBay. How is this book review getting so far off topic? It isn’t bear with me and everything will come together. I recently read Just Do It by Donald Katz. This is an insider’s look at Nike from 89-94. A turbulent period for Nike. This book was a different more business-based approach than Swoosh: Unauthorized Story of Nike and the Men Who Played There, which read like fiction. I guess that’s because Rob Strasser’s, a former Nike Man from the early days, wife wrote the book. Once again, I deviate. Just Do It gives this incredible insight into the culture of Nike and how the company has come to so thoroughly dominate the sportswear market. This is relevant to my small business because I am working on ARCH. So what does Rework have to do with this and why isn’t this turning into a book review?
Rework is the book I just wrote. Let me rephrase that. I’ve been working on my book since 2008 and I finally finished it this summer. The book is called One Hour To Wealth: Your Great Idea is Valuable…Get Up and Write It Down! Wealth really isn’t what the book is about. It is, but not in that way.
This isn’t about me, this is about Rework. I read Rework in about 3 hours. Why so fast? Because I am going to read it again. It’s that type of book. There is so much great advice in the pages that it becomes overwhelming, but it’s not overwhelming. Paradox? Yep, but no. The book is/was written in a way that makes it accessible. It doesn’t sound like the advice of a millionaire who is a millionaire giving advice to a thousandaire on the verge of becoming a millionaire. Wait a minute, let me make that clear. Fried and Hansson have written a book that is for any person aspiring to work on their ideas for business. They don’t give a framework and a step by step manual; they look at the excuses, the obstacles, the lies that a person tells themselves when approaching the start or the continuing of a business, and they explain why you have to rethink, redo, revise a lot of the ideas you have about business.
Rework captures the essence of Just Do It, and well, tells you to stay motivated. Okay you caught me with that one. Stay motivated is the slogan for ARCH. I had to throw that in there, along with one more link to Rework. If you are in a business funk, rut, hole, slowdown or if you are booming and your biz is doing well, I recommend this book because no businessperson should remain in the same place. You have to constantly change and rework your plan… sorry actually don’t rework the plan, “stop guessing and start doing,” or something like that. Read the book, thank me later and do what I did. Write them and thank them.
