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Afaceri în stil punk. Încalcă toate regulile după metoda BrewDog
După ce a petrecut 7 ani pe Atlanticul de Nord, James Watt a revenit în Scoția și a pus bazele berăriei artizanale BrewDog alături de bunul său prieten, Martin Dickie. Nu au avut un plan de afaceri, ci doar dorința de a revoluţiona consumul de bere şi de a-i molipsi pe ceilalţi cu pasiunea lor pentru berea artizanală.
Și le-a reușit. În câțiva ani, BrewDog a devenit o afacere uriașă – o fabrică de bere artizanală cunoscută în toată lumea, cu baruri de-a lungul și de-a latul mapamondului şi cu sute de mii de fani. Odată cu rescrierea registrelor contabile și cu demararea acestei revoluții, James Watt şi BrewDog au inventat un mod nou de a face afaceri. Afaceri în stil Punk surprinde esența metodei lui James într-un manifest accesibil şi sincer. Printre crezurile sale se numără și:
- Fă-i pe oameni să te urască. N-o să câştigi nimic dacă te străduiești să-i mulţumeşti pe toţi, aşa că nu-ţi mai bate capul cu asta. Lasă-i pe cei care te urăsc să toarne gaz pe foc și-n timpul ăsta tu concentrează-te pe fanii înrăiţi.
- Fură din alte domenii şi reinventează. Inspiră-te de peste tot – mai puţin de la oamenii din aceeaşi industrie.
- Detestă interviurile. Acestea nu arată niciodată cât de bun este un posibil angajat în general, ci doar cât de priceput este la interviuri. Mai bine scoate-l la un test drive şi vezi cât de pasionat este şi cât se potriveşte cu restul echipei.
James Watt a pornit o rebeliune împotriva berilor de masă, fără gust, prin fondarea BrewDog. Berea artizanală, barurile şi crowdfundingul au ajutat această afacere să se dezvolte fulminant şi să-şi câştige renumele pretutindeni în lume. În această carte isteaţă şi amuzantă, autorul îşi deapănă povestea arătând cum se pot face ferfeniţă regulile şi cum se poate fonda o companie după bunul plac. Un ghid al antreprenorului anarhic şi îndemânatic şi un manifest al noilor afaceri.
Și le-a reușit. În câțiva ani, BrewDog a devenit o afacere uriașă – o fabrică de bere artizanală cunoscută în toată lumea, cu baruri de-a lungul și de-a latul mapamondului şi cu sute de mii de fani. Odată cu rescrierea registrelor contabile și cu demararea acestei revoluții, James Watt şi BrewDog au inventat un mod nou de a face afaceri. Afaceri în stil Punk surprinde esența metodei lui James într-un manifest accesibil şi sincer. Printre crezurile sale se numără și:
- Fă-i pe oameni să te urască. N-o să câştigi nimic dacă te străduiești să-i mulţumeşti pe toţi, aşa că nu-ţi mai bate capul cu asta. Lasă-i pe cei care te urăsc să toarne gaz pe foc și-n timpul ăsta tu concentrează-te pe fanii înrăiţi.
- Fură din alte domenii şi reinventează. Inspiră-te de peste tot – mai puţin de la oamenii din aceeaşi industrie.
- Detestă interviurile. Acestea nu arată niciodată cât de bun este un posibil angajat în general, ci doar cât de priceput este la interviuri. Mai bine scoate-l la un test drive şi vezi cât de pasionat este şi cât se potriveşte cu restul echipei.
James Watt a pornit o rebeliune împotriva berilor de masă, fără gust, prin fondarea BrewDog. Berea artizanală, barurile şi crowdfundingul au ajutat această afacere să se dezvolte fulminant şi să-şi câştige renumele pretutindeni în lume. În această carte isteaţă şi amuzantă, autorul îşi deapănă povestea arătând cum se pot face ferfeniţă regulile şi cum se poate fonda o companie după bunul plac. Un ghid al antreprenorului anarhic şi îndemânatic şi un manifest al noilor afaceri.
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 23, 2016
95 people are currently reading
1033 people want to read
About the author
James Watt
7 books5 followersJames Watt co-founded BrewDog in 2007 with Martin Dickie. He was named Scotland's youngest ever Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010 and won Food and Drink Entrepreneur of the Year, Retail Entrepreneur of the Year and Great British Entrepreneur of the Year 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
June 8, 2016
It's probably new word record on bragging/advice ratio. Lots of new wave startup "fuck oldschool" type of rhetoric that uses dramatic language to present "revolutionary" management principles what were tad mainstream back the Andy Grove founded Intel.
September 29, 2017
Hmm. How do I rate this book? Well I think that depends on which way I rate it.
The first, most obviously, is the content. Actually, this is a pretty good primer on starting and running a business. Most of the advice is pretty standard, but there is an energy and drive which is lacking from most books of this nature. The advice that such energy and drive is essential for a successful business start-up is absolutely on the money. Also focus on things like cash rather than profits is great advice. I've been involved in 5 start-ups, none anything like as successful as BrewDog, and all would have been better with this advice.
The second is the writing and the writing style. I think it's either a love it or hate it in terms of style. At first it irritated me intensely. Then I realised it was meant to irritate me as I am probably, in the authors eyes, one of the old farts in a suit who the book riles against. Once I had realised this, I started to enjoy it. The tone is part of the message - and it is a good message. But to be frank this worked for the first 100-150 pages. After that it just started to bore me and grate on my nerves.
Finally, this book is not really just a book about business start-up - it's all part of the branding and marketing of BrewDog itself. Now you could argue any book by someone who runs a business is a bit of its marketing. That's probably true, but it is even more so with this book. It is just so much about the BrewDog brand. Buying this book is like buying a piece of advertising. And isn't BrewDog a very self-satisfied brand. Like any branding it is all about making you think BrewDog is something different and special, and influencing you to go out and buy their product. BrewDog really does sound different from many other businesses, but in the end it is obsessed with selling its product and growing. So it's not that different - and honestly not really that Punk.
Four stars for the content. Three for the style, although you may like it more than that. Two stars for the blatant use of the book as an advert for BrewDog. Averages out at 3 stars.
On the other hand 5 stars from a business perspective on a brillant piece of branding - but that's not really rating the book!
The first, most obviously, is the content. Actually, this is a pretty good primer on starting and running a business. Most of the advice is pretty standard, but there is an energy and drive which is lacking from most books of this nature. The advice that such energy and drive is essential for a successful business start-up is absolutely on the money. Also focus on things like cash rather than profits is great advice. I've been involved in 5 start-ups, none anything like as successful as BrewDog, and all would have been better with this advice.
The second is the writing and the writing style. I think it's either a love it or hate it in terms of style. At first it irritated me intensely. Then I realised it was meant to irritate me as I am probably, in the authors eyes, one of the old farts in a suit who the book riles against. Once I had realised this, I started to enjoy it. The tone is part of the message - and it is a good message. But to be frank this worked for the first 100-150 pages. After that it just started to bore me and grate on my nerves.
Finally, this book is not really just a book about business start-up - it's all part of the branding and marketing of BrewDog itself. Now you could argue any book by someone who runs a business is a bit of its marketing. That's probably true, but it is even more so with this book. It is just so much about the BrewDog brand. Buying this book is like buying a piece of advertising. And isn't BrewDog a very self-satisfied brand. Like any branding it is all about making you think BrewDog is something different and special, and influencing you to go out and buy their product. BrewDog really does sound different from many other businesses, but in the end it is obsessed with selling its product and growing. So it's not that different - and honestly not really that Punk.
Four stars for the content. Three for the style, although you may like it more than that. Two stars for the blatant use of the book as an advert for BrewDog. Averages out at 3 stars.
On the other hand 5 stars from a business perspective on a brillant piece of branding - but that's not really rating the book!
February 22, 2016
A good book. Well worth the read.
I would be interested to see what the author thinks of this in 20 years, 50 years as his company goes from being a fast growing start-up to being a venerable institution.
I found these comments of particular note:
Pg. 27: "The whole gap-in-the-market approach is an outdated fallacy that should be burnt and banished from history."
Pg. 31: "Planning is merely glorified guesswork. Long-term planning is a vain, self-indulgent fantasy. Don't waste your time."
Pg. 33: "Don't outsource stuff like a hammerhead, and don't pay people with money you don't have. Not having cash to pay folks is a blessing in disguise. External people don;t care about your business as much as yoy do, and the sure as hell don't understand it like you do. So do stuff yourselves. Consultants, marketing agencies, recruitment firms are all just unnecessary garbage that poisons the spirit and the finances of any start-up."
Pg. 37: "Conventional models of selling should be consigned to a marketing museum, which would close down after six months, as the paying public have got better things to do with their hard-earned cash. The way you act, function and communicate as a business has a direct bearing on how you are perceived, and in turn on your sales. Everything you do is sales and all of your employees are selling all the time. Act accordingly."
Pg. 87: "Your price-cutting habit will rapidly spiral out of control. Cut costs make it cheaper, cut costs, make it cheaper. You'll be trying to save money on production. Reducing the quality of your product, cutting corners, until you'll eventually be cutting your own business's throat.
Pg. 103: "For today's business marketing is everything. Everything you and your business does is marketing. Modern brands don't belong to companies, they belong to the customer. And marketing dialogue is a two -way street, with customers actively engaged in shaping your brand."
Pg. 113: "The bottom line is that unless you actually do something that is worth talking about, it does not matter how much of a budget you have, no one is going to talk about what you are doing."
Pg. 170: "The only thing you learn in an interview is how good that person is at doing interviews."
Pg. 229: "You can build a much stronger bond with someone in a thirty-minute face-to-face meeting, than you can in twelve months of emails."
Pg. 250: "Put your team first."
I would be interested to see what the author thinks of this in 20 years, 50 years as his company goes from being a fast growing start-up to being a venerable institution.
I found these comments of particular note:
Pg. 27: "The whole gap-in-the-market approach is an outdated fallacy that should be burnt and banished from history."
Pg. 31: "Planning is merely glorified guesswork. Long-term planning is a vain, self-indulgent fantasy. Don't waste your time."
Pg. 33: "Don't outsource stuff like a hammerhead, and don't pay people with money you don't have. Not having cash to pay folks is a blessing in disguise. External people don;t care about your business as much as yoy do, and the sure as hell don't understand it like you do. So do stuff yourselves. Consultants, marketing agencies, recruitment firms are all just unnecessary garbage that poisons the spirit and the finances of any start-up."
Pg. 37: "Conventional models of selling should be consigned to a marketing museum, which would close down after six months, as the paying public have got better things to do with their hard-earned cash. The way you act, function and communicate as a business has a direct bearing on how you are perceived, and in turn on your sales. Everything you do is sales and all of your employees are selling all the time. Act accordingly."
Pg. 87: "Your price-cutting habit will rapidly spiral out of control. Cut costs make it cheaper, cut costs, make it cheaper. You'll be trying to save money on production. Reducing the quality of your product, cutting corners, until you'll eventually be cutting your own business's throat.
Pg. 103: "For today's business marketing is everything. Everything you and your business does is marketing. Modern brands don't belong to companies, they belong to the customer. And marketing dialogue is a two -way street, with customers actively engaged in shaping your brand."
Pg. 113: "The bottom line is that unless you actually do something that is worth talking about, it does not matter how much of a budget you have, no one is going to talk about what you are doing."
Pg. 170: "The only thing you learn in an interview is how good that person is at doing interviews."
Pg. 229: "You can build a much stronger bond with someone in a thirty-minute face-to-face meeting, than you can in twelve months of emails."
Pg. 250: "Put your team first."
February 2, 2021
Busines for Punks is a frustrating read. Whether you enjoy it or not really depends what you are looking for going in.
For me, I read the book because I enjoy business books to gain an insight into how different businesses operate (good or bad, it’s interesting for me to see what they do) and Brewdog is a company that I think is really interesting, particularly around their people development practices so for me there were things here for me to enjoy.
However the book is written as a guide for entrepreneurs and if you’re looking for advice for starting a new business you might not find this so practical. There’s a lot of advice in the mold of ‘Screw the old school rules’, some of which sounds innovative, most sound really impractical for most.
James Watt’s writing style is very abrasive with an over reliance of metaphor, sometimes stringing three or four in a row leaving the reader screaming ‘Get on with it’. The book, it seems, is written for an American audience and given that the author is from the north-east of Scotland it’s really strange seeing words like ‘Diaper’ being used.
Overall the book is interesting enough, certainly Brewdog is an incredibly innovative company and this book talks about some of these innovations, I would have liked to have gotten more into the decision making processes though. The way it’s presented definitely makes it seem like the author has never made a mistake in his career, for business book, I find it’s usually the most interesting to learn how organizations learned and recovered from things that went wrong. Also in one of the first sections in the book, Watt advises the reader that listening to advice is for chumps which is honestly terrible advice. Great leaders surround themselves with smart people and listen to their council. If you want a great example of a leader who doesn’t listen to advice there’s an orange one who was recently evicted from the White House.
So ultimately I would recommend reading the book, there are useful nuggets of info here and it is a fast read. Certainly if you are just interested in the Brewdog brand it’s a really good look behind the curtains.
For me, I read the book because I enjoy business books to gain an insight into how different businesses operate (good or bad, it’s interesting for me to see what they do) and Brewdog is a company that I think is really interesting, particularly around their people development practices so for me there were things here for me to enjoy.
However the book is written as a guide for entrepreneurs and if you’re looking for advice for starting a new business you might not find this so practical. There’s a lot of advice in the mold of ‘Screw the old school rules’, some of which sounds innovative, most sound really impractical for most.
James Watt’s writing style is very abrasive with an over reliance of metaphor, sometimes stringing three or four in a row leaving the reader screaming ‘Get on with it’. The book, it seems, is written for an American audience and given that the author is from the north-east of Scotland it’s really strange seeing words like ‘Diaper’ being used.
Overall the book is interesting enough, certainly Brewdog is an incredibly innovative company and this book talks about some of these innovations, I would have liked to have gotten more into the decision making processes though. The way it’s presented definitely makes it seem like the author has never made a mistake in his career, for business book, I find it’s usually the most interesting to learn how organizations learned and recovered from things that went wrong. Also in one of the first sections in the book, Watt advises the reader that listening to advice is for chumps which is honestly terrible advice. Great leaders surround themselves with smart people and listen to their council. If you want a great example of a leader who doesn’t listen to advice there’s an orange one who was recently evicted from the White House.
So ultimately I would recommend reading the book, there are useful nuggets of info here and it is a fast read. Certainly if you are just interested in the Brewdog brand it’s a really good look behind the curtains.
July 12, 2017
One of those books that says a lot without saying much at all. Would have been interesting to hear the other founder's perspective on things too as I suspect James is the one with the big ego. Hats off to them both for building a successful business but it's a shame they didn't really share anything of value. Few interesting stories and trotted out much of the same business catchphrases as other books. The tone and language was almost a caricature of itself and felt forced and contrived. Do people really talk and behave like that in real life? There are much better books out there on entrepreneurship.
December 23, 2020
PR piece, respect what he's accomplished and some of the beers.
Not much going on between the pages
Not much going on between the pages
July 20, 2016
James Watt is a genius. He took my time and money to advertise his company and brand. I have to listen his advices.
September 6, 2024
Mix of cliché tips and aggressive marketing.
Mentions russia too often.
Mentions russia too often.
October 6, 2020
Good motivational book for someone that wants to start a business
August 9, 2019
This is an interesting one, since it will probably divide readers depending heavily on their goal for going through this book. If you are a fan of BrewDog and know what James Watt is like, then this will be familiar and maybe only slightly annoying at times.
However, if you simply picked this as a random book with tips for starting a modern business I'm not sure if I could recommend it. I can easily imagine the writing style being off-putting and the tips being a bit too revolutionary.
As a shareholder of BrewDog through the Equity For Punks program I have been surprised many times by the decisions they've made (both positive and negative), and this actually explains a lot. I feel like I've gotten to know James and Martin a bit with the BrewDogs TV show, but many sections in this book have finally shown me how James really works and thinks.
Recommended for anybody that's interested in BrewDog or craft beer in general. If you mainly want to learn about setting up your start-up it's more difficult to predict whether or not this is the book for you.
However, if you simply picked this as a random book with tips for starting a modern business I'm not sure if I could recommend it. I can easily imagine the writing style being off-putting and the tips being a bit too revolutionary.
As a shareholder of BrewDog through the Equity For Punks program I have been surprised many times by the decisions they've made (both positive and negative), and this actually explains a lot. I feel like I've gotten to know James and Martin a bit with the BrewDogs TV show, but many sections in this book have finally shown me how James really works and thinks.
Recommended for anybody that's interested in BrewDog or craft beer in general. If you mainly want to learn about setting up your start-up it's more difficult to predict whether or not this is the book for you.
Want to read
June 30, 2019Dnf @50%: perhaps the most obnoxious, self-congratulatory mess I have ever read. I cannot for the life of me fathom how and why you would think it's a good idea to call everyone else fucking morons every other page, offer no concrete advice (except how you and your company are the best at everything and super punk and cool and edgy, and all your marketing plunders were actually just really intelligent, punky risks) and then think your book is a fucking masterpiece. I really really wanted to finish this one, because I'm interested in Brewdog and business, and I was genuinely interested in 'how they did it', but I couldn't force myself to waste any more time with this. Somebody, please let me know if it greatly improves at section D, I think I'll get rid of my copy somehow, somewhere.
Also, they quote famous people and call them all 'revolutionary punk', 'original punk', 'rock star punk' and so on. As if it couldn't get any more obnoxious.
Also, they quote famous people and call them all 'revolutionary punk', 'original punk', 'rock star punk' and so on. As if it couldn't get any more obnoxious.
January 11, 2017
As a lot of critical reviews have already said, many existing corporate ideas rebadged as radical or punk. No problem in itself, especially in the short bursts BrewDog's PR presents itself but a whole book of it is impossible to enjoy.
May 7, 2021
It's SO MUCH FUN TO READ.
June 11, 2020
The passion in this book is contagious, but most of the information is actually the kind of one you find in most of business books and I would have liked to get more insights regarding the beer craft itself. There is a strong highlight though in the importance of brand and mission that is probably not stressed enough in the actual business books and that is the cornerstone of success and freshness. Good reading.
November 28, 2016
Sisu poolest ütleks, et see "ennast kiitmast ma ei väsi" stiil viskas lõpuks üle ning tõlge tundus lugedes üsna toores.
February 1, 2018
Too much words, too little sense. The book is permeated with ego and sense of uniqueness. Looks like it's just another piece of their PR.
February 15, 2021
(The English review is placed beneath Russian one)
Книгу можно раздавать бесплатно, как это происходит с рекламными листовками, т.к. по сути своей она и есть одна большая рекламная листовка, в данном случаи, по какой-то причине, всё же обозначаемой словом «книга».
Ну, во-первых, в книге речь идёт об английской пивоварни, чья продукция известна только в самой Англии и, я думаю, больше нигде. Лично я подобного пива ни в России, ни в Европе, никогда не встречал.
Во-вторых, как я понял, это не просто обычное пиво, которое мы все знаем, типа Beck's, а крафтовое пиво, которое по своей сути дальше определённого региона не продаётся. Правда, в данном случаи, пиво, как я понял, всё же можно встретить в других частях мира. Вроде. Но не суть. Важно, что это о крафтовом пиве, а не о классическом. В любом случаи, для граждан России имеет значение только то, что бренд, о котором идёт речь в книге, не присутствует на российском рынке, а, следовательно, сравнить свои ощущения от взаимодействия с брендом и мнение автора книги, читатель не сможет.
В-третьих, если кто-то думал найти в книге секреты успеха построения сильного бренда или историю бизнеса или «как мы управляем пивоварней», т.е. инструменты, способы которыми руководствуются создатели пивоварни и которыми они хотели бы поделиться с читателями, как делают все или почти все подобные книги, вот всего этого в книге нет.
Что есть. Итак, почти половину книги автор посвятит вопросам построения бизнеса, что можно выразить одним словом – страсть. Делать бизнес нужно только со страстью. Не ново, скажу я. Далее идут две большие, основные темы, в которых автор пишет о финансах и маркетинге. Тут тоже ничего интересного нет, кроме общих фраз, лозунгов и самоочевидных вещей. В главе «Финансы», всё сводится к идеи, что «деньги – всё» и, следовательно, нужно строго отслеживать их приход и уход. Автор пишет, что он стал экспертом в финансовых вопросах, прочтя тонну книг именно потому, что это главный вопрос бизнеса.
Что касается маркетинга, то ключевая идея: «Маркетинг – это всё и всё что вы делаете, это маркетинг». Далее автор делает упор на социальные медиа (этим он ограничивает всю рекламную деятельность). А так же делает упор на развитие программы лояльности (нужно ли говорить, что он не описывает никакую реальную программу лояльности, а ограничивается только лишь словами?) Фанаты – это главное. Тоже не новое. Возможно, что для крафтового пива, это основная категория потребителей и поэтому автор делает такой упор на них.
И, разумеется, команда. Тут тоже обычные, всем приевшиеся штампы о командной игре, о лояльных сотрудниках, о важности набора по системе Zappos и так далее. Вот собственно и всё. Последняя часть книги посвящена ещё более пустым вопросам, где автор пишет о «продуктивности», «креативности» и «действии». Данные главы уже полностью состоят из одних лозунгов и пустословия.
В общем, книга если и будет кому интересна, то только самим фанатам данного бренда.
Единственный интересный момент в книге, это где автор описывает свои рекламные кампании. Но, увы, это всего 2-3 страницы.
This book can be given away for free, as it happens with flyers, because in essence, it is one big flyer, yet, in this case, for some reason, marked by the word "book.
Well, first of all, the book is about an English brewery whose products are known only in England itself and, I think, nowhere else. Personally, I have never seen such a beer in Russia or Europe.
Secondly, as I understand it, this is not just a regular beer that everyone knows, like Beck's, but a craft beer, which in essence, is not sold beyond a certain region. True, in this case, I understand the beer can still be found in other parts of the world. I guess. But that's not the point. What matters is that it is about craft beer and not about classic beer. In any case, for Russian citizens, it only matters that the brand discussed in the book is not present on the Russian market and, therefore, the reader cannot compare his or her impressions of the interaction with the brand and the opinion of the author of the book.
Thirdly, if anyone thought to find in the book the secrets of success of building a strong brand or the history of the business or "how we run a brewery", i.e. the tools used by the brewery founders and which they would like to share with readers, as all or almost all similar books do, all this is not presented in the book.
What we have. So, almost half of the book the author devotes to the issues of building a business, which can be expressed in one word - passion. Doing business should only be done with passion. Not new, I'll say. Then there are two big, major topics in which the author writes about finance and marketing. Nothing is interesting here either, except general phrases, slogans, and self-evident things. In the chapter on finance, it all boils down to the idea that "money is everything" and, therefore, one must keep track of its coming and going. The author writes that he became an expert in financial matters after reading a tremendous amount of books precisely because this is the main issue of business.
As for marketing, the key idea is: "Marketing is everything and everything you do is marketing". The author goes on to emphasize social media (by which he limits all advertising activity). And he also emphasizes the development of a loyalty program (need I say that he does not describe any real loyalty program but limits himself to words?) Fans are the main thing. Not new either. Perhaps for craft beer, it is the main category of consumers and that is why the author makes such an emphasis on them.
And, of course, the team. Here, too, are the usual clichés about teamwork, loyal employees, the importance of recruiting through the Zappos system, and so on. That's pretty much it. The last part of the book is devoted to even more empty questions, where the author writes about "productivity", "creativity" and "action". These chapters consist entirely of slogans and verbiage.
All in all, if the book will be interesting to anyone, then only to the fans of this brand.
The only interesting moment in the book is where the author describes his advertising campaigns. But, alas, it is only 2-3 pages.
Книгу можно раздавать бесплатно, как это происходит с рекламными листовками, т.к. по сути своей она и есть одна большая рекламная листовка, в данном случаи, по какой-то причине, всё же обозначаемой словом «книга».
Ну, во-первых, в книге речь идёт об английской пивоварни, чья продукция известна только в самой Англии и, я думаю, больше нигде. Лично я подобного пива ни в России, ни в Европе, никогда не встречал.
Во-вторых, как я понял, это не просто обычное пиво, которое мы все знаем, типа Beck's, а крафтовое пиво, которое по своей сути дальше определённого региона не продаётся. Правда, в данном случаи, пиво, как я понял, всё же можно встретить в других частях мира. Вроде. Но не суть. Важно, что это о крафтовом пиве, а не о классическом. В любом случаи, для граждан России имеет значение только то, что бренд, о котором идёт речь в книге, не присутствует на российском рынке, а, следовательно, сравнить свои ощущения от взаимодействия с брендом и мнение автора книги, читатель не сможет.
В-третьих, если кто-то думал найти в книге секреты успеха построения сильного бренда или историю бизнеса или «как мы управляем пивоварней», т.е. инструменты, способы которыми руководствуются создатели пивоварни и которыми они хотели бы поделиться с читателями, как делают все или почти все подобные книги, вот всего этого в книге нет.
Что есть. Итак, почти половину книги автор посвятит вопросам построения бизнеса, что можно выразить одним словом – страсть. Делать бизнес нужно только со страстью. Не ново, скажу я. Далее идут две большие, основные темы, в которых автор пишет о финансах и маркетинге. Тут тоже ничего интересного нет, кроме общих фраз, лозунгов и самоочевидных вещей. В главе «Финансы», всё сводится к идеи, что «деньги – всё» и, следовательно, нужно строго отслеживать их приход и уход. Автор пишет, что он стал экспертом в финансовых вопросах, прочтя тонну книг именно потому, что это главный вопрос бизнеса.
Что касается маркетинга, то ключевая идея: «Маркетинг – это всё и всё что вы делаете, это маркетинг». Далее автор делает упор на социальные медиа (этим он ограничивает всю рекламную деятельность). А так же делает упор на развитие программы лояльности (нужно ли говорить, что он не описывает никакую реальную программу лояльности, а ограничивается только лишь словами?) Фанаты – это главное. Тоже не новое. Возможно, что для крафтового пива, это основная категория потребителей и поэтому автор делает такой упор на них.
И, разумеется, команда. Тут тоже обычные, всем приевшиеся штампы о командной игре, о лояльных сотрудниках, о важности набора по системе Zappos и так далее. Вот собственно и всё. Последняя часть книги посвящена ещё более пустым вопросам, где автор пишет о «продуктивности», «креативности» и «действии». Данные главы уже полностью состоят из одних лозунгов и пустословия.
В общем, книга если и будет кому интересна, то только самим фанатам данного бренда.
Единственный интересный момент в книге, это где автор описывает свои рекламные кампании. Но, увы, это всего 2-3 страницы.
This book can be given away for free, as it happens with flyers, because in essence, it is one big flyer, yet, in this case, for some reason, marked by the word "book.
Well, first of all, the book is about an English brewery whose products are known only in England itself and, I think, nowhere else. Personally, I have never seen such a beer in Russia or Europe.
Secondly, as I understand it, this is not just a regular beer that everyone knows, like Beck's, but a craft beer, which in essence, is not sold beyond a certain region. True, in this case, I understand the beer can still be found in other parts of the world. I guess. But that's not the point. What matters is that it is about craft beer and not about classic beer. In any case, for Russian citizens, it only matters that the brand discussed in the book is not present on the Russian market and, therefore, the reader cannot compare his or her impressions of the interaction with the brand and the opinion of the author of the book.
Thirdly, if anyone thought to find in the book the secrets of success of building a strong brand or the history of the business or "how we run a brewery", i.e. the tools used by the brewery founders and which they would like to share with readers, as all or almost all similar books do, all this is not presented in the book.
What we have. So, almost half of the book the author devotes to the issues of building a business, which can be expressed in one word - passion. Doing business should only be done with passion. Not new, I'll say. Then there are two big, major topics in which the author writes about finance and marketing. Nothing is interesting here either, except general phrases, slogans, and self-evident things. In the chapter on finance, it all boils down to the idea that "money is everything" and, therefore, one must keep track of its coming and going. The author writes that he became an expert in financial matters after reading a tremendous amount of books precisely because this is the main issue of business.
As for marketing, the key idea is: "Marketing is everything and everything you do is marketing". The author goes on to emphasize social media (by which he limits all advertising activity). And he also emphasizes the development of a loyalty program (need I say that he does not describe any real loyalty program but limits himself to words?) Fans are the main thing. Not new either. Perhaps for craft beer, it is the main category of consumers and that is why the author makes such an emphasis on them.
And, of course, the team. Here, too, are the usual clichés about teamwork, loyal employees, the importance of recruiting through the Zappos system, and so on. That's pretty much it. The last part of the book is devoted to even more empty questions, where the author writes about "productivity", "creativity" and "action". These chapters consist entirely of slogans and verbiage.
All in all, if the book will be interesting to anyone, then only to the fans of this brand.
The only interesting moment in the book is where the author describes his advertising campaigns. But, alas, it is only 2-3 pages.
December 31, 2019
Я скажу то, что для тебя не новость. Мир не такой уж солнечный и приветливый. Это очень опасное, жесткое место. Если только дашь слабину, он опрокинет с такой силой тебя, что больше уже не встанешь. Ни ты, ни я, никто на свете, не бьет так сильно, как жизнь. Совсем не важно как ты ударишь, а важно какой держишь удар. Как двигаешься вперед... Будешь идти — иди! Если с испугу не свернешь. Если знаешь, чего ты стоишь — иди, и бери свое! Но будь готов удары держать.
December 29, 2023
Largely a load of dross.
August 23, 2019
Mistä kirja kertoo?
Business for Punks on käytännönläheinen ja ravisteleva opas liiketoiminnan tekemiseen huikeasti kasvaneen pienpanimon BrewDogin näkökulmasta. Kirjoittaja James Watt ei kiertele sanoissaan vaan puhuu suunsa puhtaaksi omaan kokemukseen perustuen. Osansa Wattin kirjassa saavat byrokraatit, konsultit, vastarannankiisket, pyrkyrit ja ylipäänsä kaikki mukavuudenhaluiset sohvaperunat, jotka eivät ole valmiita toimintaan.
Keskeisimmät käymistuotteet 🍺
👉Yritysjohtajan kolme (tavallaan neljä) tärkeintä sanaa: 1) yrityskulttuuri 2) tarjonnan laatu 3) kate
👉 Liuta yrittämisen alkeita: älä yritä myydä keskeneräistä ja keskinkertaista tuotetta pötypuheilla; älä toista muiden jo testaamia juttuja; ole valmis riskinottoon; tee itsellesi sininen meri eli kilpailusta vapaa markkinkategoria; älä lähde yrittäjäksi rahan takia; säilytä aina henkinen altavastaajan ja aloittelijan asenne
👉 Rajoitteet lisäävät luovuutta.
👉 Opettele yrityksesi talous niin, että osaat sen vaikka unissasi. Käytä hinnoittelua hyväksesi aina kun mahdollista ja pidä kiinni katteista niinkuin yrityksen henki riippuisi niistä (koska se riippuu).
👉 Keskity markkinoinnin sijasta tuotteeseen ja tuotteen sijasta missioosi. Pidä huoli, että saat kilpailijasi pelistä pois asiakkaitesi jatkuvalla opettamisella.
👉 Yrityskulttuuri on sitä, mitä yritys tekee silloin, kun kukaan ei näe. Ongelmaksi monille yrityksille, joilla on heikko yrityskulttuuri, muodostuu se, että nykyään joku katselee aina.
👉 Businesspunkkarin kuusi johtajuusoppia: 1) maalaa kuva maailmasta, jota ei vielä ole 2) juhli omiesi voittoa kuin sekopää 3) anna aikaa tiimille 4) ole turvaverkko tiimillesi 5) hanki huippuihmisiä ja vältä niiden vastakohtia 6) ota ohjat ja täysi vastuu.
👉 Ennakoinnista. Lopeta reaktiivinen arkisäätö. Se on vain tapahtuneiden asioiden käsittelyä. On paljon tärkeämpää miettiä tulevia tapahtumia jos aikoo tehdä jotain merkittävää.
👉 Etsi inspiraatiota kaikkialta, paitsi omalta alalta. Tarkkailemalla muita oman alasi ihmisiä luovutat vain oman ajattelusi jollekulle toiselle. Se johtaa parhaimmillaankin vain kakkosluokan kamaan.
👉 Nopeudesta. Yrityksen on pelättävä paljon enemmän hitauden takia menetettyjä tilaisuuksia kuin virheiden tekemistä.
👉 Älä kysele lupia jos odottaminen on tuhoisampaa. Kyse ei ole tarkoituksellisesta väärin tekemisestä vaan siitä, että tietää, milloin tapoja on hyvä venyttää. Kyse on siitä, että tajuaa, kuinka käsittämättömän moni ihminen on vain kärttyinen vastustelija.
👉 Hyväksy kaaos osana nopeaa toimintaa. Ainoa paikka, jossa kaaokselle ei ole sijaa, on yrityksen raha-asiat.
👉 Stoalaista pienpanimofilosofiaa: vain idiootit tuhlaavat arvokkaan aikansa ja energiansa huolehtimalla asioista, jotka ovat täysin heidän vaikutusvaltansa ulkopuolella. Keskity vain siihen, mitä voit hallita, ja pidä huoli, että lopputulos on paras mahdollinen.
👉 Lisää stoalaista pienpanimofilosofiaa: johtajan kannattaa olla kiitollinen aina, kun hommat kusevat tai vastaan tulee isoja ongelmia, sillä juuri ne kerrat auttavat näkemään, millaisia tiimin jäsenet todella ovat.
Business for Punks on käytännönläheinen ja ravisteleva opas liiketoiminnan tekemiseen huikeasti kasvaneen pienpanimon BrewDogin näkökulmasta. Kirjoittaja James Watt ei kiertele sanoissaan vaan puhuu suunsa puhtaaksi omaan kokemukseen perustuen. Osansa Wattin kirjassa saavat byrokraatit, konsultit, vastarannankiisket, pyrkyrit ja ylipäänsä kaikki mukavuudenhaluiset sohvaperunat, jotka eivät ole valmiita toimintaan.
Keskeisimmät käymistuotteet 🍺
👉Yritysjohtajan kolme (tavallaan neljä) tärkeintä sanaa: 1) yrityskulttuuri 2) tarjonnan laatu 3) kate
👉 Liuta yrittämisen alkeita: älä yritä myydä keskeneräistä ja keskinkertaista tuotetta pötypuheilla; älä toista muiden jo testaamia juttuja; ole valmis riskinottoon; tee itsellesi sininen meri eli kilpailusta vapaa markkinkategoria; älä lähde yrittäjäksi rahan takia; säilytä aina henkinen altavastaajan ja aloittelijan asenne
👉 Rajoitteet lisäävät luovuutta.
"Jos tajuat kasvuvaiheessa kyseenalaistaa joka ikisen menon kuin olisit koko planeetan kyynisin ja narsistisin paskiainen, pysyt paljon vakaammin pystyssä. Itse asiassa vähempi on usein enemmän. Rajoitukset ovat vain naamioituneita hyötyjä ja tilaisuuksia tehdä jotain innovatiivista ja kekseliästä. Rakasta rajoitteitasi. Arvosta niitä. Ne tekevät sinusta terävämmän ja nirsomman ja juurruttavat rahan arvon brutaalisti luuytimeen saakka."
👉 Opettele yrityksesi talous niin, että osaat sen vaikka unissasi. Käytä hinnoittelua hyväksesi aina kun mahdollista ja pidä kiinni katteista niinkuin yrityksen henki riippuisi niistä (koska se riippuu).
👉 Keskity markkinoinnin sijasta tuotteeseen ja tuotteen sijasta missioosi. Pidä huoli, että saat kilpailijasi pelistä pois asiakkaitesi jatkuvalla opettamisella.
👉 Yrityskulttuuri on sitä, mitä yritys tekee silloin, kun kukaan ei näe. Ongelmaksi monille yrityksille, joilla on heikko yrityskulttuuri, muodostuu se, että nykyään joku katselee aina.
👉 Businesspunkkarin kuusi johtajuusoppia: 1) maalaa kuva maailmasta, jota ei vielä ole 2) juhli omiesi voittoa kuin sekopää 3) anna aikaa tiimille 4) ole turvaverkko tiimillesi 5) hanki huippuihmisiä ja vältä niiden vastakohtia 6) ota ohjat ja täysi vastuu.
👉 Ennakoinnista. Lopeta reaktiivinen arkisäätö. Se on vain tapahtuneiden asioiden käsittelyä. On paljon tärkeämpää miettiä tulevia tapahtumia jos aikoo tehdä jotain merkittävää.
"On haitallista olla asioista perillä ja yhteydessä kaikkeen, jos se varastaa kaiken aikasi ajatella ja tehdä todellisia muutoksia."
👉 Etsi inspiraatiota kaikkialta, paitsi omalta alalta. Tarkkailemalla muita oman alasi ihmisiä luovutat vain oman ajattelusi jollekulle toiselle. Se johtaa parhaimmillaankin vain kakkosluokan kamaan.
👉 Nopeudesta. Yrityksen on pelättävä paljon enemmän hitauden takia menetettyjä tilaisuuksia kuin virheiden tekemistä.
👉 Älä kysele lupia jos odottaminen on tuhoisampaa. Kyse ei ole tarkoituksellisesta väärin tekemisestä vaan siitä, että tietää, milloin tapoja on hyvä venyttää. Kyse on siitä, että tajuaa, kuinka käsittämättömän moni ihminen on vain kärttyinen vastustelija.
👉 Hyväksy kaaos osana nopeaa toimintaa. Ainoa paikka, jossa kaaokselle ei ole sijaa, on yrityksen raha-asiat.
👉 Stoalaista pienpanimofilosofiaa: vain idiootit tuhlaavat arvokkaan aikansa ja energiansa huolehtimalla asioista, jotka ovat täysin heidän vaikutusvaltansa ulkopuolella. Keskity vain siihen, mitä voit hallita, ja pidä huoli, että lopputulos on paras mahdollinen.
👉 Lisää stoalaista pienpanimofilosofiaa: johtajan kannattaa olla kiitollinen aina, kun hommat kusevat tai vastaan tulee isoja ongelmia, sillä juuri ne kerrat auttavat näkemään, millaisia tiimin jäsenet todella ovat.
"Ongelma ei koskaan ole se todellinen ongelma. Todellinen ongelma on aina se, miten ihmiset suhtautuvat ongelmaan."
👉 Tarve verkostoitua on menneisyyttä. Sillä ei ole enää väliä, kenet tunnet. Jos ole lahjakas ja älykäs, ihmiset oppivat kyllä tuntemaan sinut. Verkostoitumisen varaan rakennettu yritys kaatuu takuuvarmasti. Ne kaatuvat nopeasti ja rumasti.
👉 Viestintä. Johtaja, joka pitää huolen, että viestintä on tarkkaa ja selkeää, on miljoona kertaa tehokkaampi kuin johtaja, jonka puheet tajutaan vain silloin tällöin. Aika on rahaa ja selkeys ajaa yritystä eteenpäin.
👉 Mittaa ja tarkkaile kaikkia perusasioita, jotta raiteilta ei karkaisi mitään tärkeää. Muuten nämä lapasista karkaavat asiat jyräävät koko yrityksen alleen. Ei mittauksia = ei raportteja = ei näkyvyyttä = ei kiinnostusta = kuolema. Pidä huoli, että mittaat, hallitset ja huollat kaikkia yrityksellesi tärkeitä asioita.
👉 Tee aina kotiläksyt. Ota selvää, mikä neuvottelukumppania kiinnostaa ja mikä ei. Keksi ratkaisu, rakenne ja sopimus, johon vastapuoli on tyytyväinen ja iloinen. Muotoile se kuitenkin omien halujesi mukaan.
👉 Rakenna systeemit, joiden uskot vievän tavoitteeseesi ja noudata niitä sitten johdonmukaisesti.
👉 Komiteat ovat tappavia."Mitä useampi kokki, sitä huonompi soppa. Jos kokkeja on liikaa, he kykenevät parhaimmillaankin vain lämmittämään mitäänsanomattoman keitoksen. Pahimmillaan he polttavat pohjaan jotain, mikä olisi voinut olla hyvää. Sammuta liesi ja lähde keittiöstä. Siitä voi lyödä viimeisetkin penninsä vetoa, että jokaisella idiootilla on neuvo, jos sitä vain kysyy. Ja olipa neuvo hyvä, huono tai yhdentekevä, se sumentaa näön."
Kenelle kirja sopii?
Kirja sopii kaikille, joita uhkaa oman ajattelun vähittäinen sammuminen ja jämähtäminen varautuneeseen ja pelokkaaseen yrityskulttuuriin. Watt kannustaa kirjoituksillaan lukijaa ottamaan itseään niskasta kiinni ja lopettamaan muiden lammasmaisen seuraamisen.
July 28, 2021
I could stop at the fact that they think Break Point is a bad movie ...
But that would mean the rest of the book is good, when it isn't.
It's full of self-congratulations, and treating everyone who isn't BrewDog as clowns.
There's also a lot of contradictions across the book. For example, don't build a business model. However, you should build a "cash-flow model" which look very much like the same thing.
Finally, the tone is so wrong. This could be a new version of the bro code.
It's even disrespectful in some areas. For example, you hired a dwarf to protect for you (he even got arrested). The least thing to do would be to name that person, not to mention him as "the dwarf".
But that would mean the rest of the book is good, when it isn't.
It's full of self-congratulations, and treating everyone who isn't BrewDog as clowns.
There's also a lot of contradictions across the book. For example, don't build a business model. However, you should build a "cash-flow model" which look very much like the same thing.
Finally, the tone is so wrong. This could be a new version of the bro code.
It's even disrespectful in some areas. For example, you hired a dwarf to protect for you (he even got arrested). The least thing to do would be to name that person, not to mention him as "the dwarf".
January 26, 2019
If you’re looking for any insight in business or just on the craft beer industry this is not the book for you. Instead you’ll find lots of bragging interspersed with the odd Kurt Cobain quote and lots of buzz words that essentially translate too “be more punk”, and ultimately one must question the punk credentials of an author that brags about being a millionaire on the first page.
September 4, 2017
Part of the marketing campaign of Brewdog Brewery
March 15, 2023
A great book with funny anecdotes and a very relaxed writing style. Also made me want to drink a beer or two.
November 21, 2017
A string of catchphrases telling you not to believe in catchphrases.
October 16, 2018
Ultimate book of business braggery if you ask me. A couple interesting chapters, but the rest was skin-deep pseudo-brand-marketing.
June 25, 2019
Couldn't finish this. Too many buzz words and the authors saying how great they are at everything.
January 5, 2019
Business for the Posh and the Beautiful. Obviously the book is pretty pointless business advice branded as "anarchy, irreverence and quirkiness" (that phrase is repeated like a gazillion times). Which means, yeah you guessed it, it is filled with a lot of buzz words and not a lot of substance. Don't get me wrong the advice is solid, it's just generic and honestly - has been common knowledge for the past decade. What the book does is serve as a good piece to Brewdog's branding puzzle of "anarchy, irreverence and quirkiness". And it hilariously fails in front of anyone interested in craft beer history and culture.
The book starts with the fable of James and Martin being clueless and jumping head on into brewing and the craft beer business after a beer critic or something tries their beer and tells them to go for it. According to the records Brewdog was started in 2007. Well Martin, as many of us know, was a brewing superstar at this point. Martin is the guy who came up with Jaipur at Thornbridge - their flagship beer. Thornbridge for the uninitiated was the leading craft brewery before Brewdog came around. That happened in 2005. Not so inexperienced and "punk" were we? Starting with this blatant dishonesty just to make yourself look hip and cool is the recipe for looking like a loser. Not that the use of "punk" in the same sentence with "business" did not achieve that anyway.
The book bastardizes the word punk to the point of vomit. Towards its end it even claims punk is about individuals fighting the establishment. Putting aside the history of punk as a collective movement against cronies, businessmen, such as James, who package, brand and ship the culture as a hot, steaming pile of poo, and the state, which together form Voltron (the establishment) lets look further into the "punkiness" of Brewdog. According to James holding a business meeting while swimming with killer whales was so punk. Except it isn't. It's posh as fuck James. Almost as posh as fabricating your company's story to sell fabricated beer culture. Because if the foundations are false everything else becomes false too.
By the end of the book you easily figure that James is a poor man's Malcolm Mclaren just without the understanding of punk culture. Because Malcolm packaged it and sold it for money, but at least he didn't go on yachts and call it being punk.
Now on the way it's written - the structure is wonky at best. One of two things happened (probably both, but whatever). Either the editor was hungover and was lazy to edit or James was hungover and was lazy to structure. Enormous chunks of the book seem to have been written at random times with no regard for continuity. The majority of it is James repeating the same thing like a mad man. If the book is 246 pages, the unique ideas are probably 30. Everything else is repetition. I do appreciate the self awareness of the book ending on "don't take this advice". It is too late mate, I took that advice in grade 9 IGCSE Business class. That's how unique and "anti establishment" it is. At moments James rambles on how cool and unique he is so much, in hope of making you believe him, that you start wondering if he isn't too far gone in the pose he is striking.
The fact the book is just a mix of employer and general branding while advocating how much James cares about his marketing is hilarious, because he couldn't give two shits to read it at least once, omit all the repetitions and actually write a properly structured whole book.
All in all Brewdog appears to be an Apple, if Steve Jobs had less the vision and double the tendency to fabricate narratives. We got James Watt trying to be a Steve Jobs, while apparently lacking the obsession and attention to detail. And we got Martin Dickie, the Steve Wozniack, who's talent is so great he just needs someone to take care of publicity. And no matter how full of shit that guy is in the case of Brewdog, the product is so good it carries itself on its own.
Come to think of it, James Watt has been perfectly depicted in media already. He's Erlich Bachman from HBO's Silicon Valley.
The book starts with the fable of James and Martin being clueless and jumping head on into brewing and the craft beer business after a beer critic or something tries their beer and tells them to go for it. According to the records Brewdog was started in 2007. Well Martin, as many of us know, was a brewing superstar at this point. Martin is the guy who came up with Jaipur at Thornbridge - their flagship beer. Thornbridge for the uninitiated was the leading craft brewery before Brewdog came around. That happened in 2005. Not so inexperienced and "punk" were we? Starting with this blatant dishonesty just to make yourself look hip and cool is the recipe for looking like a loser. Not that the use of "punk" in the same sentence with "business" did not achieve that anyway.
The book bastardizes the word punk to the point of vomit. Towards its end it even claims punk is about individuals fighting the establishment. Putting aside the history of punk as a collective movement against cronies, businessmen, such as James, who package, brand and ship the culture as a hot, steaming pile of poo, and the state, which together form Voltron (the establishment) lets look further into the "punkiness" of Brewdog. According to James holding a business meeting while swimming with killer whales was so punk. Except it isn't. It's posh as fuck James. Almost as posh as fabricating your company's story to sell fabricated beer culture. Because if the foundations are false everything else becomes false too.
By the end of the book you easily figure that James is a poor man's Malcolm Mclaren just without the understanding of punk culture. Because Malcolm packaged it and sold it for money, but at least he didn't go on yachts and call it being punk.
Now on the way it's written - the structure is wonky at best. One of two things happened (probably both, but whatever). Either the editor was hungover and was lazy to edit or James was hungover and was lazy to structure. Enormous chunks of the book seem to have been written at random times with no regard for continuity. The majority of it is James repeating the same thing like a mad man. If the book is 246 pages, the unique ideas are probably 30. Everything else is repetition. I do appreciate the self awareness of the book ending on "don't take this advice". It is too late mate, I took that advice in grade 9 IGCSE Business class. That's how unique and "anti establishment" it is. At moments James rambles on how cool and unique he is so much, in hope of making you believe him, that you start wondering if he isn't too far gone in the pose he is striking.
The fact the book is just a mix of employer and general branding while advocating how much James cares about his marketing is hilarious, because he couldn't give two shits to read it at least once, omit all the repetitions and actually write a properly structured whole book.
All in all Brewdog appears to be an Apple, if Steve Jobs had less the vision and double the tendency to fabricate narratives. We got James Watt trying to be a Steve Jobs, while apparently lacking the obsession and attention to detail. And we got Martin Dickie, the Steve Wozniack, who's talent is so great he just needs someone to take care of publicity. And no matter how full of shit that guy is in the case of Brewdog, the product is so good it carries itself on its own.
Come to think of it, James Watt has been perfectly depicted in media already. He's Erlich Bachman from HBO's Silicon Valley.
July 25, 2018
Damn, mate. I wish I would be able to rate this book 3.5/5, but unfortunately I can not, so here I am, giving four stars to this.
Easy to read. Giving the motivational feeling at the end of the day and probably the courage for many people. I guess it achieves what it wants. It was never meant to be a manual on how to start a business or an NGO, but rather just a book from which one could get some inspiration during a cigarette break. Funny enough, even the author says at the end to do whatever we would like with this book and never listen to any piece of advice.
This should be taken for what it exactly is. If you are looking for more clear ways of improving you start-ups' finances, I guess, mate, you are in the wrong. Or maybe not, maybe this book could help you open your eyes and take some risk after you were busy sticking to the conformist rules that an old-tailored business school has given you. If you are looking for some ways of optimising your business that you could apply straight-forward, maybe it is not for you. Or maybe it is, fella, as it might give you the courage needed to step out of the comfort-zone and try to do things differently.
Amazing or not, those guys have created a crafting beer brand based on a revolutionary rhetoric, doing something that was not advised by anyone. They did it their own way, putting a tank in front of the Government, putting the fans to create their own beers and the list can go on...
Maybe if you are looking for something very specific in business, maybe you should give at first this book a try, in order to give you a foundation stone of what risks mean and how to better use what is around you. Fuck conformism, in a nutshell, do your own stuff and live up to it.
Enjoy it!
Easy to read. Giving the motivational feeling at the end of the day and probably the courage for many people. I guess it achieves what it wants. It was never meant to be a manual on how to start a business or an NGO, but rather just a book from which one could get some inspiration during a cigarette break. Funny enough, even the author says at the end to do whatever we would like with this book and never listen to any piece of advice.
This should be taken for what it exactly is. If you are looking for more clear ways of improving you start-ups' finances, I guess, mate, you are in the wrong. Or maybe not, maybe this book could help you open your eyes and take some risk after you were busy sticking to the conformist rules that an old-tailored business school has given you. If you are looking for some ways of optimising your business that you could apply straight-forward, maybe it is not for you. Or maybe it is, fella, as it might give you the courage needed to step out of the comfort-zone and try to do things differently.
Amazing or not, those guys have created a crafting beer brand based on a revolutionary rhetoric, doing something that was not advised by anyone. They did it their own way, putting a tank in front of the Government, putting the fans to create their own beers and the list can go on...
Maybe if you are looking for something very specific in business, maybe you should give at first this book a try, in order to give you a foundation stone of what risks mean and how to better use what is around you. Fuck conformism, in a nutshell, do your own stuff and live up to it.
Enjoy it!
March 30, 2021
First up - huge kudos to James for building his beer empire, and for his drive and energy. He’s achieved big things... but I am not a fan of this book.
James has a bombastic style that is initially rousing and motivational but swiftly becomes tired and then annoying. His style is like that of the loudest kid in the classroom.
As you flick through fairly generic tips found in any beginners guide to business, you’re left wanting more information on exactly how to achieve these things and less hype about how Brewdog already achieved them. It quickly becomes apparent this is an extended marketing piece for Brewdog and not an entrepreneurs’ handbook.
To be fair - at the highest level possible it does serve as a checklist of things to look into further, but there are books out there that go into the necessary detail without the waffle. It is sometimes repetitive and a little laboured despite trying to be to the point.
It does also reinforce the cultish powers of the post millennial brand - how personality can help you build the community your business will thrive on... depending on your sector.
Finally - I wasn’t a fan of some of the gendered language - b***h and m**********r. Several throwaway phrases no doubt meant in a harmless ‘punk’ way but which really annoyed me. As a female entrepreneur I get that most people might not notice, but I can do without it.
Ultimately, you could give it a go if you’re brand new to entrepreneurship and intended to read a lot of other books as well. If you have business experience, don’t bother.
James has a bombastic style that is initially rousing and motivational but swiftly becomes tired and then annoying. His style is like that of the loudest kid in the classroom.
As you flick through fairly generic tips found in any beginners guide to business, you’re left wanting more information on exactly how to achieve these things and less hype about how Brewdog already achieved them. It quickly becomes apparent this is an extended marketing piece for Brewdog and not an entrepreneurs’ handbook.
To be fair - at the highest level possible it does serve as a checklist of things to look into further, but there are books out there that go into the necessary detail without the waffle. It is sometimes repetitive and a little laboured despite trying to be to the point.
It does also reinforce the cultish powers of the post millennial brand - how personality can help you build the community your business will thrive on... depending on your sector.
Finally - I wasn’t a fan of some of the gendered language - b***h and m**********r. Several throwaway phrases no doubt meant in a harmless ‘punk’ way but which really annoyed me. As a female entrepreneur I get that most people might not notice, but I can do without it.
Ultimately, you could give it a go if you’re brand new to entrepreneurship and intended to read a lot of other books as well. If you have business experience, don’t bother.
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