ReWork audiobook cover - Unorthodox advice for growing companies

ReWork

Unorthodox advice for growing companies

Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

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Categories:
EntrepreneurshipCorporate Culture

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ReWork
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Leveraging Smallness+
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Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 10
According to the authors, when is the best time to launch your new business?
  • A. When every aspect of the business plan is fully complete.
  • B. As soon as the core of your business is ready.
  • C. After securing significant external funding.
  • D. When you can afford to quit your day job and work 100-hour weeks.
Question 2 of 10
How do the authors view the idea of starting a business with an 'exit strategy' in mind from day one?
  • A. It is a smart financial move that attracts investors.
  • B. It is essential for measuring long-term growth.
  • C. It is absurd, much like entering a relationship with the aim of breaking up.
  • D. It is the best way to ensure your product remains competitive.
Question 3 of 10
What strategy do the authors recommend for promoting your company once you have a unique product?
  • A. Keep all your processes strictly confidential to avoid copycats.
  • B. Share your specialized knowledge and experiences openly, much like a chef publishing a cookbook.
  • C. Aggressively patent every feature to ensure market dominance.
  • D. Focus exclusively on traditional advertising to build brand awareness.
Question 4 of 10
What is highlighted as a major advantage of keeping your company small in the beginning?
  • A. It allows you to experiment with ideas away from the media radar.
  • B. It makes it easier to secure large amounts of venture capital.
  • C. It allows you to build complex hierarchies for better management.
  • D. It guarantees immediate profitability without needing a business model.
Question 5 of 10
How should you handle an increasing number of feature requests from customers as your business grows?
  • A. Immediately add the most requested features to keep customers happy.
  • B. Say no to even the best-sounding ideas at first to keep the product lean.
  • C. Create a premium version of your product that includes every requested feature.
  • D. Emulate your biggest competitor's feature set to ensure you don't lose market share.
Question 6 of 10
When dealing with bad news or company shortcomings, how should a small business communicate with its customers?
  • A. Use professional corporate jargon to minimize the perceived impact.
  • B. Sweep minor problems under the rug to maintain a strong brand image.
  • C. Be frank, honest, and offer a straightforward apology without pseudo-corporate lingo.
  • D. Issue a mass press release to ensure the message reaches everyone simultaneously.
Question 7 of 10
Why do the authors advise against using the word 'ASAP' in workplace communication?
  • A. It creates unnecessary legal liabilities for missed deadlines.
  • B. It suffers from inflation and makes other requests seem less urgent.
  • C. It is too informal for a professional business environment.
  • D. It discourages employees from managing themselves.
Question 8 of 10
What is the authors' stance on long-term business planning and estimating?
  • A. It is critical for securing external investment and business loans.
  • B. It should be done in yearly increments to ensure accuracy.
  • C. It is basically guesswork and can dangerously limit your ability to improvise.
  • D. It is the best way to anticipate and prevent potential downsides.
Question 9 of 10
According to the book, what is considered the worst kind of interruption to workplace productivity?
  • A. Social media usage.
  • B. Unscheduled phone calls.
  • C. Perfectionism.
  • D. Meetings.
Question 10 of 10
When recruiting new employees, what approach do the authors recommend over analyzing resumes and GPAs?
  • A. Conducting multiple rounds of high-pressure behavioral interviews.
  • B. Giving candidates a mini-project to test-drive their actual performance on the job.
  • C. Hiring exclusively from top-tier universities to ensure high competency.
  • D. Hiring people for roles before the actual need arises, just to secure top talent.

ReWork — Full Chapter Overview

ReWork Summary & Overview

Rework (2010) throws out the traditional notions of what it takes to run a business and offers a collection of unorthodox advice, ranging from productivity to communication and product development.

These lessons are based on the authors’ own experiences in building, running and growing their company to a point where it generates millions of dollars in profits annually.

Who Should Listen to ReWork?

  • Anyone who has ever considered starting their own company
  • Anyone interested in what work should be like in the 21st century
  • Anyone trying to create an environment of productivity

About the Author: Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Jason Fried is one of the original founders of 37signals, a web development company that offers simple yet powerful collaboration tools.

David Heinemeier Hansson is a partner at the same company, and the creator of the popular Ruby on Rails programming framework, which powers not only 37signals’ products but also Twitter, Hulu and thousands of other web services.

The duo’s previous book Getting Real was also a bestseller.

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