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Rework Book Summary (Jason Fried & David Hansson)
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Mar 3, 2025
Hey future game-changers! 🚀 Ready to flip the script on traditional business rules? Join me as we break down "Rework". If you want to improve your communication skills and ability to talk to people, this book is for you. It will help you develop this quality. What is the magic of people’s ability to receive respect and love immediately? And everybody would like to make them friends and achieve success in the corporate world. What is their “Midas touch?” Is that the right way of behavior? How to talk to anyone (master the art of conversation) is a little trick for big success in a relationship. Here, we will discuss the technique that will provide you immense success in your personal, job, or business. The book that's challenging everything you thought you knew about success. Forget the old playbook! We're exploring simpler, smarter ways to work, build, and grow. No MBA required, just real talk about working less and creating more. Less meetings, more doing. Less planning, more action. Let's rewrite your business story! 💪 #ReworkRevolution
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0:00
all right so we're diving into rework
0:01
today I feel like everyone who is
0:04
interested in shaking things up in
0:06
business has had this book recommended
0:08
to them at some point yeah definitely a
0:09
popular one um and for good reason seems
0:13
like almost every traditional business
0:15
idea gets thrown out the window in this
0:17
one right like ditching the whole
0:19
fundraising thing and even questioning
0:21
the need for a super detailed business
0:23
plan you're not wrong Jason Fred and
0:26
David H Meer Hansen definitely don't
0:28
follow the usual path with their ideas I
0:31
guess you could say they poke at pretty
0:32
much all the secret cows in business
0:34
before we get into the specifics I'm
0:36
kind of curious what's like the biggest
0:38
business myth that you are ready to
0:40
rework H that's a good question to start
0:43
with um I think a big one for many is
0:46
this idea that you absolutely need a ton
0:48
of money a huge amount of capital to
0:49
even get started oh yeah for sure and
0:51
rework really pushes back against that
0:53
right totally right off the bat in the
0:54
first section go they lay out this idea
0:57
of actually embracing limitation
0:59
embracing limit is interesting yeah
1:02
their argument is that starting small
1:05
even bootstrapping can force you to be
1:07
more resourceful and creative because
1:09
you just don't have those big resources
1:11
to fall back on so it's like that old
1:13
saying necessity is the mother of
1:15
invention constraints actually can breed
1:19
Innovation exactly they even go as far
1:21
as comparing it to Shakespeare sonnets
1:24
all those strict rules in a sonnet you
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know the 14 lines the specific rhyme
1:28
scheme all that it didn't stifle his
1:31
creativity at all in fact it forced him
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to get really creative with his language
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and honestly some of his most powerful
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work came out of having to work within
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those limitations so instead of just
1:40
seeing limitations as like roadblocks
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rework is saying that we should try to
1:44
view them as opportunities to come up
1:45
with new ideas yeah think of it like a
1:46
springboard you know limitations can
1:49
actually launch you forward they use
1:50
that example of James Dyson too right
1:52
like he was super frustrated with vacuum
1:54
cleaners clogging all the time so he
1:56
just went ahead and invented the bagless
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vacuum yep scratched his own itch as
1:59
they said
2:00
and in the process he solved a problem
2:02
that millions of people had I think
2:04
that's key right it's not just about
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scratching your own itch but finding
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that sweet spot where your passion
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overlaps with a need that lots of other
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people have definitely and you know
2:14
nothing thing they push back on is this
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idea that you have to wait for the
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perfect time to get started oh my gosh
2:20
the I don't have enough time I don't
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have enough resources I need to do more
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research all those excuses yep but
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rework would say no time is no excuse
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start now
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they'd even go as far as to suggest
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maybe cut back on things like TV or
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other leisure activities to make time
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for your goals that's where discipline
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comes in I guess it's about making
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conscious choices with your time and
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focusing on what really matters yeah I
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think a lot of times though it's not
2:47
just about the time it's about feeling
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overwhelmed and LW like where do I even
2:50
begin with all of this okay yeah I've
2:53
definitely felt that so that's where
2:54
their idea of focusing on the epicenter
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comes in what is the epicenter exactly
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okay imagine a hot dog stand what's the
3:00
absolute most important thing there well
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the hot dog obviously exactly the hot
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dog is their epicenter that's their core
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product everything else basically
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revolves around that hot dog and they
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say this can apply to any business you
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need to figure out that one essential
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element the core offering that defines
3:19
your whole business so it's like finding
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your North Star that one guiding
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principle that keeps you on track yeah
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prevents you from getting pulled in a
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million different directions and once
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You' figured out what that epicenter is
3:31
rework has another somewhat radical
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piece of advice they say ignore the
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details early on Perfection comes later
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wait really isn't paying attention to
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detail important especially in business
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it definitely is but their argument is
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that getting too caught up in all the
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tiny details early on can actually slow
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you down so it's more about getting a
3:53
solid base and then iterating from there
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yeah refining and perfecting as you go
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along because a lot of the time you
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don't really know what needs tweaking
4:00
until you actually have something to
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work with that's the rework Philosophy
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for sure action over endless planning
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they have that great line too launch now
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perfect later exactly no more waiting
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for the perfect moment or the perfect
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product what about quality though most
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people want to make sure what they're
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putting out there is really good
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topnotch they would argue that waiting
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for Perfection can sometimes lead to you
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know never actually launching anything
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it's kind of like analysis paralysis you
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get so stuck in the planning phase that
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you never actually do anything they use
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that analogy of Tiger Woods using really
4:31
cheap golf clubs would he suddenly be
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less talented just because the equipment
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isn't perfect right right so it's more
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about focusing on the value you're
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providing instead of getting stuck on
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having every little thing polished up
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from the start exactly and this leads to
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another key Concept in this section the
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idea of being a curator a curator like
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in a museum exactly think about what a
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curator does they very carefully choose
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and arrange items to tell a story to
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create a certain experience for visitors
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rework says that businesses should do
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the same thing be really intentional
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about simplifying streamlining and
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focusing on the Essential Elements
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that's like cutting out all the Clutter
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exactly both in your actual product your
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service and even in the way you operate
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your business and this mentality extends
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to how they approach failing Ventures
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too instead of just throwing more and
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more resources at a problem they suggest
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trimming things down to the bare minimum
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and really focus focusing on what's
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actually working so like instead of
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adding more and more sometimes you need
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to step back and take some things away
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precisely kind of like pruning a plant
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you got to cut back the dead weight to
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allow the healthy parts to flourish so
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we've talked about make a difference no
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time is no excuse you need less than you
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think and start a business not a startup
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that's a lot to unpack in just the first
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section of the book we're just getting
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started there's so much more to cover in
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rework and I think the next section
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progress might just challenge a few
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assumptions about how we think about
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moving forward in business okay I'm
6:01
ready for it all right so let's dig into
6:02
progress this section is all about well
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moving forward but in a way that fits
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with the whole rework mindset okay makes
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sense one of the fun things they tackle
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is this idea of competition competition
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oh interesting I feel like you always
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hear about needing to beat the
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competition stay under the curve all of
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that right and they actually tell us to
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get this stop obsessing over the
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competition whoa okay that's kind of
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radical I mean especially in the
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business World Everyone is always
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talking about market share and like
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getting that Competitive Edge you're not
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wrong but their argument is that
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constantly looking over your shoulder at
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what other people are doing can actually
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stifle your own creativity you start
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comparing yourself to others and maybe
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end up just copying what's already out
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there exactly like trying to trace a
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masterpiece you might be able to get the
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surface details but you're missing all
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the depth and the real Artistry
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underneath so it's more about focusing
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on what you're bringing to the table
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your unique perspective and vision
7:00
exactly they use this great phrase pour
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yourself into your work it's about
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really putting your own spin on things
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your passion your creativity all that
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that's what sets you apart from everyone
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else because I mean what's the point of
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building a business if it's just a
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copycat version of something that
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already exists right and they also
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challenged this assumption that
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businesses need to constantly be
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one-upping their Rivals to succeed it's
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like with software updates how every new
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version needs to have a million new
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features even if it makes the product
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more complicated to use exactly but
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rework would say sometimes less is more
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simpler more streamlined products often
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actually win out in the end like how
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simple bicycles are making a comeback
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yeah people are moving away from those
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super high-tech bikes with all the gears
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and features and going back to the
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basics it's a good reminder that a lot
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of times people just want something
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that's easy to use and understand okay
7:56
Switching gears a little bit let's jump
7:57
into the evolution section sounds good
8:00
this section is about how to navigate a
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business world that's always changing
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and how to adapt when things are
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shifting that feels especially relevant
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now everything moves so fast you're not
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wrong and one of the first things they
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say is learn to say no ooh that's a
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tough one especially when you're just
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starting out and want to say yes to
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every opportunity it can be hard but
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they make a really good case for the
8:21
power of saying no so you can focus on
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what's really important exactly they use
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the example of ING Direct bank which was
8:29
super Successful by really simplifying
8:32
what they offered and saying no to
8:34
complex stuff it's like by saying no to
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some things you're actually saying yes
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to what matters most totally and along
8:40
similar lines they say to let your
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customers outgrow you wait what isn't
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the goal to keep your customers happy so
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they stick around it is but what they're
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getting at is you don't want to become
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too reliant on any one customer because
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their needs might change right and if
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you only focus on pleasing one specific
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customer you might end up making making
8:59
your product or service less appealing
9:01
to a wider audience so it's about
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finding that balance between taking care
9:05
of your current customers but also
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staying open to new possibilities and
9:09
evolving with the market precisely it's
9:12
about not getting complacent and being
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willing to adapt even if it means some
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customers eventually move on to
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something else that fits their needs
9:20
better that can be a tough one to
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swallow especially if you've really
9:24
poured your heart into building
9:25
something it's about having that
9:27
long-term Vision you know the business
9:29
landscape is always changing and what
9:31
worked yesterday might not work tomorrow
9:34
you got to be willing to roll with the
9:35
punches exactly and then on a slightly
9:38
different note they talk about this
9:40
balance between enthusiasm and priority
9:44
oh this is a good one I tend to get
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really excited about new ideas but I
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often struggle with figuring out which
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ones to actually focus on you're
9:51
definitely not alone yeah rework warns
9:53
against letting initial excitement about
9:55
an idea totally Cloud your judgment okay
9:57
so how do you tell which idea are
9:59
actually worth pursuing and which ones
10:01
are just like fleeting bursts of
10:02
inspiration they suggest writing those
10:04
ideas down but letting them simmer for a
10:06
bit before jumping in give yourself some
10:08
space from the initial excitement right
10:10
come back to them later with a fresh
10:12
perspective and then they also talk
10:13
about at home good products yeah have
10:16
you heard that phrase before not really
10:18
what does that mean it's basically
10:20
products that you know might not have
10:21
super flashy packaging or the biggest
10:23
marketing campaign but once you get them
10:25
home they just deliver they're not
10:26
trying to wow you with all the bells and
10:28
whistles they just get the job done
10:30
exactly they win you over with their
10:32
actual substance not just surface appeal
10:35
and you know this ties back to their
10:37
overall idea of keeping things simple
10:39
and focusing on the core value you're
10:41
providing letting the actual results
10:43
speak for themselves right so are you
10:45
ready to jump into the world of
10:47
promotion let's do it this should be
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good okay
10:54
promotion this is where I'm expecting
10:56
some real unconventional wisdom because
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rework definitely doesn't seem like a
11:00
book that follows the typical marketing
11:02
Playbook you're definitely right about
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that and they start off this section
11:06
with a suggestion that might seem kind
11:08
of
11:09
counterintuitive Embrace obscurity
11:12
Embrace obscurity but isn't the whole
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point of promotion to like get as much
11:17
visibility as possible that's a
11:19
traditional thinking yeah but rework
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suggests that there's a real benefit to
11:24
you know flying under the radar a little
11:26
bit at least at first so it's like
11:28
having that space to f figure things out
11:30
before you have all eyes on you exactly
11:32
it's like having a dress rehearsal
11:34
before the big opening night you can
11:35
test things out get feedback from a
11:37
smaller group and tweak things as you go
11:40
without the fear of a total flop I can
11:42
see that yeah when you're first starting
11:45
out it's probably more important to
11:46
focus on perfecting your product and
11:48
less on trying to be everywhere all at
11:50
once right and then when you're ready to
11:53
connect with a wider audience rework
11:56
suggests shifting your focus from
11:58
customer
11:59
to building an audience that's an
12:01
interesting distinction what's the
12:02
difference between a customer and an
12:03
audience in this context so a customer
12:06
is someone who you know they make a
12:07
purchase and that might be it but an
12:09
audience is more like a group of people
12:11
who are really interested in what you do
12:13
they're invested in your journey they're
12:15
following along so you want people to
12:17
connect with your brand on a deeper
12:18
level exactly and they say you can do
12:21
that by sharing your knowledge your
12:23
insights your expertise whether it's
12:24
through writing speaking videos whatever
12:27
works for you it's all about providing
12:29
adding value building trust and turning
12:31
those customers into you know real fans
12:34
so it's about becoming a thought leader
12:36
in your space exactly and they have this
12:38
um well it's a bit of an edgy analogy
12:42
for this approach they call it the drug
12:44
dealer model the truck dealer model okay
12:46
I'm a little scared but also curious
12:48
what exactly does that mean don't worry
12:49
they're not actually advocating for any
12:51
illegal activities it's a metaphor
12:54
basically they're saying give away some
12:55
valuable content or free samples upfront
12:58
to entice people to come back for more
13:00
so it's like those free samples at the
13:02
grocery store exactly you try a little
13:03
bit you like it and now you're more
13:05
likely to buy the whole thing you're
13:07
hooked it's about showing people what
13:09
you've got and they also talk about how
13:11
there's no such thing as an overnight
13:12
success that's so true it's easy to look
13:15
at a business that's doing really well
13:18
and assume they just you know popped up
13:20
out of nowhere but in reality there's
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almost always years of hard work behind
13:24
that yeah it's like that saying the
13:26
overnight success that took 10 years to
13:28
happen
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exactly so while it's great to have big
13:32
dreams and goals it's also important to
13:34
be realistic about the journey you know
13:37
and be prepared for the Long Haul okay
13:40
let's talk about hiring because I think
13:41
this is something a lot of businesses
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struggle with especially as they start
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to grow yeah for sure and rework has
13:47
some again kind of unexpected advice
13:49
here they say to do the work yourself
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first really I always thought the goal
13:55
was to delegate and free yourself up to
13:57
focus on bigger pictures stuff there's
13:59
definitely a time for that but they're
14:01
saying that when it comes to hiring
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having firsthand experience of the roles
14:05
you're hiring for is super valuable
14:07
because then you really understand what
14:09
the job entails exactly you'll be able
14:11
to write a better job description ask
14:12
more insightful interview questions and
14:15
just overall make better hiring
14:17
decisions so it's about having actually
14:19
walk the walk before you try to find
14:21
someone else to do it and they also say
14:23
to only hire when you absolutely have to
14:26
like when the workload is truly too much
14:27
to handle it's about growing sustainably
14:30
right don't scale up too quickly and
14:32
this next piece of advice I love this
14:34
hire slowly yeah I think it's easy to
14:37
feel pressure to fill positions quickly
14:40
but taking your time is usually better
14:42
in the long run rework Compares Hing too
14:45
quickly to being at a party surrounded
14:47
by strangers oh I get that it can lead
14:49
to a lack of connection miscommunication
14:51
and just an overall feeling of like
14:54
uneasiness it's much better to build a
14:57
team slowly and carefully finding people
14:59
who are not only good at what they do
15:01
but who also fit the culture and share
15:03
the company values so taking the time to
15:05
find the right people is key and then
15:08
you know in true rework style they
15:10
challenge this traditional idea of
15:12
relying on resumés and formal
15:13
credentials so instead of looking at
15:15
where someone went to school or what
15:17
their last job title was it's more about
15:18
what they've actually done exactly focus
15:21
on skills and experience not just pieces
15:23
of paper look for evidence of what
15:25
they've actually accomplished in the
15:27
real world and they talk about how
15:29
important it is to hire great writers
15:31
Clear communication is so important in
15:33
any business and strong writing skills
15:36
are essential for pretty much everything
15:38
from marketing materials to internal
15:41
documents and when it comes to hiring
15:42
managers they say to look for people who
15:45
Empower their teams yeah find leaders
15:47
who Inspire motivate and create an
15:50
environment where people can do their
15:51
best work and they also suggest looking
15:53
Beyond geographical limitations right
15:56
right with all the technology we have
15:57
today you can work with talented people
15:59
from all over the world Okay so we've
16:01
got promotion and hiring covered what's
16:04
next let's talk damage control every
16:07
business is going to run into challenges
16:08
and setbacks so it's important to have a
16:10
plan for dealing with those tough
16:12
situations damage control not the most
16:15
fun topic but definitely a necessary one
16:17
for sure and the first thing rework says
16:19
is own your mistakes don't hide bad news
16:22
it's kind of counterintuitive right our
16:25
natural instinct is to try to downplay
16:27
or cover up mistakes to totally but they
16:30
argue that being open and honest is
16:32
actually the best approach especially
16:34
when things go wrong it's about
16:36
maintaining trust exactly they talk
16:38
about the Exxon Valdez oil spill where
16:40
the company tried to downplay the
16:42
situation and it just made everything so
16:44
much worse it's almost always better to
16:46
be upfront about problems and they also
16:49
emphasize how important speed is so
16:51
respond quickly to customer issues
16:54
exactly a fast response can often
16:56
prevent things from escalating it shows
16:59
that you care and that you're taking the
17:00
issue seriously and they also encourage
17:02
leaders to get directly involved yeah
17:04
get on the front lines talk to your
17:06
customers directly they use the analogy
17:09
of chefs and waiters interacting with
17:11
diners to show how valuable that direct
17:14
feedback loop is it's about getting out
17:16
of the office and talking to the people
17:17
who are actually using your product or
17:19
service exactly all right last stop on
17:21
our rework Journey let's talk about
17:24
culture this is where it all comes
17:26
together you know the values the beliefs
17:28
the environment Vibe of the whole
17:29
company exactly and rework stresses how
17:33
important it is to create a positive and
17:35
supportive work environment they talk
17:37
about building trust and giving people
17:39
the freedom to do their best work yeah
17:41
cultivate trust freedom and
17:43
responsibility it's about treating
17:45
people like adults empowering them to
17:46
make decisions and not micromanaging
17:49
every little thing and making sure
17:50
people have a good work life balance
17:52
because no one does their best work when
17:54
they're burnt out and then I love this
17:56
they say Be Yourself drop the corporate
17:59
jargon yeah just talk like a normal
18:01
human exactly they even call out
18:03
specific phrases to avoid like ASAP
18:06
because they say it creates this
18:07
unnecessary urgency and stress so ditch
18:10
the formality and be real so there you
18:13
have it a whirlwind tour of rework it's
18:16
a book that really challenges the way we
18:18
think about business and offers a whole
18:20
new perspective on how to build
18:21
something that's both successful and
18:23
fulfilling and they leave us with this
18:24
challenge to ignore the naysayers to go
18:27
after what we want and to Embrace that
18:29
starter mentality you know that
18:31
willingness to just dive in experiment
18:34
and learn as you go so one final
18:36
question to leave you with what outdated
18:39
business rule are you ready to rework
18:42
that's a great question thanks for
18:44
joining us for this deep dive into
18:46
rework we hope you found it helpful
18:48
until next time
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