Customer Rating:  
Summary: A few ideas, overall terrible execution
Comment: I love a good business book. I especially ones that go against the grain of typical thinking and practice. Just like in business, if you can't offer something different than your competitors, you'll be lost in the noise. I heard about this offering on Marketplace several weeks ago and my heart fluttered a bit when the contents were discussed. A book that goes against the norm? Saying that workaholics are counterproductive? Someone finally wrote what I've been thinking for years.
And after opening the book, or in my case, hitting "Next Page" on the Kindle, that love affair ended. Although the points of the book make it worth the price of admission, the presentation is downright atrocious. Each "chapter" is a few pages and doesn't offer much beyond a glossing-over of the topic. Its disjointed to say the least. Present a topic, explain it, and give details and references as to why the reader should believe you and use it in practice. References are few and far between. I read more hidden advertisements about 37 Signals than proofs about the topics. Some ideas were logical, but others lacked substance. It read like Obama's "Hope" and "Change" posters, but without a man behind a podium explaining what they meant.
Finally, the overall tone of the book sounds like a motivational speaker at the local Holiday Inn. I felt like I was reading "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" again. No substance, just a training partner at the gym yelling motivational slogans.
If you can filter the trash from the gems, this book is a great read. Don't be surprised if you're worn out after reading 20 pages. It takes effort.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Every CEO in America Should Read this ... but they won't
Comment: I approached this with some skepticism but once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I really have never heard 37 Signals or the Authors until now. But as a reader of Seth Godin's work and he highly recommended it, I decided to give it a real shot. The advice in this book is not something old, it is something many would say they know but they certainly don't do. I spent 17 years with PepsiCo and another 3 with Compaq and consulted for many Fortune 50 companies later and this is solid advice that the folks at the top do not want to hear.
The book is constructed very simply, short but hard hitting advice from people who created a very successful company and learned along the way. In a section called Takedowns the advice in Planning is Guessing is worth the price of the book. Because planning is guessing and every big company in the world, including our illustrious US government, is spending millions trying to predict the future. These guys just dont tell you it's wrong they tell you what works.
The Authors question why you 'must' grow your business? They challenge many so called principles in business and bring a real common sense approach that will work. Absolutely must read book. The CEO's will not read it of course but if you have a small business that is growing or you are in a new start up ... buy this book and take it to heart and you'll be much better for it.
Great read, greater real world advice!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Dropping the F bomb in a business book?
Comment: The F bomb? Yes, on page 235 it says "Give me a f...ing break". When you are used to reading books on business by Ziglar, Rohn, Maxwell, Widener, Jolley, Hardy, Waitley, or Tracy you get spoiled on mature, professional writing that you wouldn't mind your teenagers reading. I probably read 25-30 books a year and can't recall this in a business book. I can't believe Crown Publishing let this get by. It would've had the same effect to say "Give me a break". Maybe there were others that read this and said yeeeessss!! My regret is that this was not on page 20 or earlier. Could have saved some time. Maybe this is what I get for not reading their blog. Maybe I would've known what to expect.
What is funny is that I was looking on-line at the products of 37signals until I got to page 235 even though the book was not informative. The looking stopped there but according to the book, they don't care. No planning, don't listen to the customer?
Here is how I felt after 232.2 pages. You've had nothing to eat all day. You drive through and order a triple burger combo. You drive 10 miles home looking forward to the triple. When you arrive and open the sack.....they put a biscuit and sausage in there, forgot the fries but had plenty of napkins.
Customer Rating:
Summary: nice easy read
Comment: This book was recommended to me. It took me only 2 days to read and was such an easy read which is good for me because it's quite difficult to keep my attention.
It has great case examples, the chapters are super short and to the point and gives some great advice. A lot of the lessons really made me think of the way I see things.
The only thing is that these lessons work if you are in a very small company or a start-up, but probably wouldn't apply for large companies.
Anyway, it's worth a read and I def. recommend it (especially for small startups)
Customer Rating:
Summary: Opinions with no Practical Advice (Read these books instead!)
Comment: Mike Chamberlain's REWORK is an opinion based book with very weak examples and no practical advice on how to achieve real goals. On two occasions he gave advice that was a direct contradiction of the seven habits of highly effective people. I cringed as Chamberlain made foolish or painfully obvious statements throughout this book. Some examples are as follow:
"Forget formal education... There are plenty of intelligent people who don't excel in the classroom."
--There are more that do excel in the classroom, and those that don't gain more out of school in their struggle as they learn to establish work ethic, fortitude and self-discipline. Chamberlain is unable to grasp the difference between creativeness and intelligence.--
"Marketing is not a department"
--Oh good you can explain this to several companies that I work with that doubled there profits in less then two years after establishing a marketing team. His advice is often only relevant to his niche.--
"Never hire anyone unless you tried it yourself first"
--My company recently needed a bioengineer, should myself or anyone else in the company attempt to do the required task without the education and experience, I think not. A company should create a team to compensate for it's weaknesses.--
"It makes no sense to tell everyone to look at you when you are not ready to be looked at."
--Yes, this called humility.--
"Emulate the drug dealer."
-- Chamberlain tries to connect a drug dealers giving away samples of their drugs to that of icecream shops that give tastes of ice cream and car dealerships that give test drives. Think about that analogy for a minute.--
The list goes on and Chamberlain provides band aid fixes to serious defects in character such as a lack of temperance, fortitude and humility, all of which are qualities of many millionaires who through their work created hundreds of jobs and stimulated the American economy.
If you really want your personal life and business to succeed, the most practical books to read are: "MAKING THINGS HAPPEN" by Scott Belsky and "7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE" by Stephen R. Covey. Good luck to everyone!
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