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Masters of Scale: Surprising truths from the world’s most successful entrepreneurs
What can you learn from a Silicon Valley legend and a pantheon of iconic leaders? The key to scaling a successful business isn't talent, network or strategy. It's an entrepreneurial mindset - and that mindset can be cultivated.
Behind the scenes in Silicon Valley, Reid Hoffman (founder of LinkedIn, investor at Greylock) is a sought-after advisor to heads of companies and heads of state. On his podcast Masters of Scale, he sits down with an all-star list of visionary founders and leaders, digging into the surprising strategies that power their growth. In this book, he draws on their most riveting, revealing stories - as well his own experience as a founder and investor - to distil the counterintuitive secrets behind the most extraordinary success stories of our times.
Here, Hoffman teams up with Masters of Scale's executive producers to offer a rare window into the entrepreneurial mind. They share surprising, never-before-told stories from leaders of the world's most iconic companies, including Apple, Nike, Netflix, Spotify, Starbucks, Google, Instagram and Microsoft, as well as the bold, disruptive startups - from 23andMe to TaskRabbit, from the Black List to the Bevel razor - solving the problems of the twenty-first century.
Through vivid storytelling and straightforward analysis, Masters of Scale distils their collective insights into a set of counterintuitive principles that anyone can use. How do you find a winning idea and turn it into a scalable venture? What can you learn from a 'squirmy no'? When should you stop listening to your customers? Which fires should you put out right away, and which should you let burn? And can you really make money while making the world a better place? ( Yes. But you have to do the work to keep your profits and values aligned.)
Based on more than 100 interviews, and incorporating new material never aired on the podcast, Masters of Scale offers a unique insider's guide, filled with insights, wisdom, and strategies that will inspire you to reimagine how you do business today.
Behind the scenes in Silicon Valley, Reid Hoffman (founder of LinkedIn, investor at Greylock) is a sought-after advisor to heads of companies and heads of state. On his podcast Masters of Scale, he sits down with an all-star list of visionary founders and leaders, digging into the surprising strategies that power their growth. In this book, he draws on their most riveting, revealing stories - as well his own experience as a founder and investor - to distil the counterintuitive secrets behind the most extraordinary success stories of our times.
Here, Hoffman teams up with Masters of Scale's executive producers to offer a rare window into the entrepreneurial mind. They share surprising, never-before-told stories from leaders of the world's most iconic companies, including Apple, Nike, Netflix, Spotify, Starbucks, Google, Instagram and Microsoft, as well as the bold, disruptive startups - from 23andMe to TaskRabbit, from the Black List to the Bevel razor - solving the problems of the twenty-first century.
Through vivid storytelling and straightforward analysis, Masters of Scale distils their collective insights into a set of counterintuitive principles that anyone can use. How do you find a winning idea and turn it into a scalable venture? What can you learn from a 'squirmy no'? When should you stop listening to your customers? Which fires should you put out right away, and which should you let burn? And can you really make money while making the world a better place? ( Yes. But you have to do the work to keep your profits and values aligned.)
Based on more than 100 interviews, and incorporating new material never aired on the podcast, Masters of Scale offers a unique insider's guide, filled with insights, wisdom, and strategies that will inspire you to reimagine how you do business today.
283 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 7, 2021
459 people are currently reading
5343 people want to read
About the author
Reid Hoffman
31 books948 followersAn accomplished entrepreneur, executive, and investor, Reid Hoffman has played an integral role in building many of today’s leading consumer technology businesses, including LinkedIn and PayPal. He possesses a unique understanding of consumer behavior and the dynamics of viral businesses, as well as deep experience in driving companies from the earliest stages through periods of explosive, “blitzscale” growth. Ranging from LinkedIn to PayPal, from Airbnb to Convoy to Facebook, he invests in businesses with network effects and collaborates on building their product ecosystems.
Hoffman co-founded LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking service, in 2003. LinkedIn is thriving with more than 700 million members around the world and a diversified revenue model that includes subscriptions, advertising, and software licensing. He led LinkedIn through its first four years and to profitability as Chief Executive Officer. In 2016 LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft, and he became a board member of Microsoft.
Prior to LinkedIn, Hoffman served as executive vice president at PayPal, where he was also a founding board member.
Hoffman joined Greylock in 2009. He focuses on building products that can reach hundreds of millions of participants and businesses that have network effects. He currently serves on the boards of Aurora, Coda, Convoy, Entrepreneur First, Joby, Microsoft, Nauto, Neeva, and a few early stage companies still in stealth. In addition, he serves on a number of not-for-profit boards, including Kiva, Endeavor, CZ Biohub, New America, Berggruen Institute, Opportunity@Work, the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, and the MacArthur Foundation’s Lever for Change. Prior to joining Greylock, he invested personally in many influential Internet companies, including Facebook, Flickr, Last.fm, and Zynga.
In 2022, Hoffman co-founded Inflection AI, an artificial intelligence company that aims to create software products that make it easier for humans to communicate with computers.
Hoffman is the host of Masters of Scale, an original podcast series and the first American media program to commit to a 50-50 gender balance for featured guests as well as Possible, a podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. He is the co-author of five best-selling books: The Startup of You, The Alliance, Blitzscaling, Masters of Scale, and Impromptu.
Hoffman earned a master’s degree in philosophy from Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar, and a bachelor’s degree with distinction in symbolic systems from Stanford University. In 2010 he was the recipient of an SD Forum Visionary Award and named a Henry Crown Fellow by The Aspen Institute. In 2012, he was honored by the Martin Luther King center’s Salute to Greatness Award. Also in 2012, he received the David Packard Medal of Achievement from TechAmerica and an honorary doctor of law from Babson University. In 2017, he was appointed as a CBE by her majesty Queen Elizabeth II. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Oulu, an international science university, in 2020. In 2022, Reid received Vanderbilt University's prestigious Nichols-Chancellor's Medal and delivered the Graduates Day address to the Class of 2022 on the importance and power of friendship.
Hoffman co-founded LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking service, in 2003. LinkedIn is thriving with more than 700 million members around the world and a diversified revenue model that includes subscriptions, advertising, and software licensing. He led LinkedIn through its first four years and to profitability as Chief Executive Officer. In 2016 LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft, and he became a board member of Microsoft.
Prior to LinkedIn, Hoffman served as executive vice president at PayPal, where he was also a founding board member.
Hoffman joined Greylock in 2009. He focuses on building products that can reach hundreds of millions of participants and businesses that have network effects. He currently serves on the boards of Aurora, Coda, Convoy, Entrepreneur First, Joby, Microsoft, Nauto, Neeva, and a few early stage companies still in stealth. In addition, he serves on a number of not-for-profit boards, including Kiva, Endeavor, CZ Biohub, New America, Berggruen Institute, Opportunity@Work, the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, and the MacArthur Foundation’s Lever for Change. Prior to joining Greylock, he invested personally in many influential Internet companies, including Facebook, Flickr, Last.fm, and Zynga.
In 2022, Hoffman co-founded Inflection AI, an artificial intelligence company that aims to create software products that make it easier for humans to communicate with computers.
Hoffman is the host of Masters of Scale, an original podcast series and the first American media program to commit to a 50-50 gender balance for featured guests as well as Possible, a podcast that sketches out the brightest version of the future—and what it will take to get there. He is the co-author of five best-selling books: The Startup of You, The Alliance, Blitzscaling, Masters of Scale, and Impromptu.
Hoffman earned a master’s degree in philosophy from Oxford University, where he was a Marshall Scholar, and a bachelor’s degree with distinction in symbolic systems from Stanford University. In 2010 he was the recipient of an SD Forum Visionary Award and named a Henry Crown Fellow by The Aspen Institute. In 2012, he was honored by the Martin Luther King center’s Salute to Greatness Award. Also in 2012, he received the David Packard Medal of Achievement from TechAmerica and an honorary doctor of law from Babson University. In 2017, he was appointed as a CBE by her majesty Queen Elizabeth II. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Oulu, an international science university, in 2020. In 2022, Reid received Vanderbilt University's prestigious Nichols-Chancellor's Medal and delivered the Graduates Day address to the Class of 2022 on the importance and power of friendship.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
August 19, 2022
Good but very heavy on anecdotes (and therefor anecdotal advice) as well as strong survivorship bias.
August 5, 2021
I had been dying to read this book since I love Reid Hoffman's strategic thinking and leadership advice and also follow his blog. Super thrilled to receive my approval from NetGalley!
This book is not just for wannabe entrepreneurs or business owners, but for anyone who aspires to leadership roles or in product development or intrapreneurs. Brilliant insights into how to take feedback for ideas, raise money and create a culture of innovation in your team (or company).
Amazing book - must read! I wish universities would make it mandatory reading material for MBA classes and entrepreneur courses!
This book is not just for wannabe entrepreneurs or business owners, but for anyone who aspires to leadership roles or in product development or intrapreneurs. Brilliant insights into how to take feedback for ideas, raise money and create a culture of innovation in your team (or company).
Amazing book - must read! I wish universities would make it mandatory reading material for MBA classes and entrepreneur courses!
September 16, 2021
There are books about startups that are aimed to inspire you. There are chronicles of a particular startup story. And finally, there are practical ones, that share the 'technical' details of how to run a startup. "MoS" belongs to the 1st category and it does its job really well.
Honestly, if you know the author's podcast (Master of Scale), you know what to expect - each chapter (/story) illustrates a concept (cultural, product-related, growth-related, etc.) and it's based on some piece of individual's/startup's history, peppered with fragments of interview recording (from the actual podcast episode).
It's approachable, comprehensible, and covers very different angles (that's why it sometimes feels a bit chaotic), but it's definitely fun to read (or even better - listen to, as an audiobook). It's definitely less practical than (frequently quoted) "Blitzscaling", but it's understandable.
What didn't I like? TBH none of the stories had a "wow effect" on me - maybe it's because I was already familiar with many of those anecdotes (or whole companies), maybe because I "breathe" startups on a daily basis. But even w/o that effect, it's well-deserved 4 stars.
Honestly, if you know the author's podcast (Master of Scale), you know what to expect - each chapter (/story) illustrates a concept (cultural, product-related, growth-related, etc.) and it's based on some piece of individual's/startup's history, peppered with fragments of interview recording (from the actual podcast episode).
It's approachable, comprehensible, and covers very different angles (that's why it sometimes feels a bit chaotic), but it's definitely fun to read (or even better - listen to, as an audiobook). It's definitely less practical than (frequently quoted) "Blitzscaling", but it's understandable.
What didn't I like? TBH none of the stories had a "wow effect" on me - maybe it's because I was already familiar with many of those anecdotes (or whole companies), maybe because I "breathe" startups on a daily basis. But even w/o that effect, it's well-deserved 4 stars.
August 31, 2021
Reid is a successful podcaster and entrepreneur. Oh, and he co-founded Linkedin. He clearly knows some very influential business people, and he is totally obsessed with how they made it all happen. Collecting the best stories and wisdom from over 100 of his interviews with CEOs and innovators, Reid has arranged them into 10 powerful lessons: on leadership, on growing your business, scaling your business, nurturing ideas, communicating, and much more. This punchy book is a fast, surprising and very entertaining read; full of secrets, practical advice and juicy anecdotes (especially on the Silicon Valley tech giants). It’s the best popular business book I’ve read in a long while, truly inspirational. A gift for the aspiring startup.
May 18, 2022
I was skeptical, thinking this book would be nothing more than the podcast episodes (named the same as this book)--and I had already listened to all the episodes (and loved them). But it turned out to be better than I feared. Yes, there was a ton of content from the podcast, but it was organized by principle, not by guest and there was extra content that wasn't in the podcasts. So it turned out to be a deeper dive into the same challenges and I really enjoyed this one.
February 18, 2022
Rapid decisions are what's needs to be done if you're want to survive ever changing fast paced market
≥You don't need a particular degree or skills to thrive as an entrepreneur; you need the correct mentality.
≥When you cultivate loyalty among a small number of endorsers, you create a narrow but deep wedge that serves as a firm foundation for growth.
≥This poses an almost Zen-like riddle for entrepreneurs: The first step to scale is to renounce your desire to scale.
≥An idea is at its most vulnerable in its infancy.
≥Sometimes, like a rose from concrete, a tremendous idea emerges from adversity. Simply put, resistance generates friction, which causes sparks.
≥It’s better to have one hundred users who love you than a million users who just kind of like you.
≥Great entrepreneurs understand that not every idea will succeed. However, even if your initial concept doesn't take off, it can simply put you on the path to your next big idea.
≥The idea of the lone genius is one of the most pervasive and detrimental fallacies in business today. We tend to tell heroic stories about creativity, a narrative about a single inventor: the creator, the founder. A genius comes up with a brilliant idea, and everyone else is in charge of putting the plan into action. Then everyone waits for the genius to come up with another brilliant idea.
≥Big ideas are often based on formative experiences from your past. You never know exactly what parts of your past will come together to complete that puzzle and be a product that you want to build for the world.
≥When you're beginning a business, the first individuals you recruit aren't simply employees; they're also your cultural co-founders. Their abilities and competencies will decide what your firm can achieve and who it can be. Those initial workers determine the DNA of your firm, as well as its culture.
≥If you're the creator of a company, you're like a master distiller, in charge of selecting the perfect balance of ingredients to expand your business and hiring the people who make up the soul of your culture.
≥It is nice to have the right people on your bus, but it is even more critical to keep the wrong people off your bus.
≥There's also a role for active decision-making in a company's organizational culture. They educate you to make quick judgments over and over again in aviation: Decide. Decide. Decide. It's preferable to make a choice and then live with the consequences
≥To gain quick feedback, be willing to regularly share your faulty work-in-progress with the outside world from early on.
≥Many leaders have learned that the best way to get to know their customers is to listen to them: 1. Conduct a survey. 2. Hold focus groups with them. 3. Examine their online reviews, social media posts, and incoming emails.
≥It's simple to destroy a failing product; it's considerably more difficult to terminate one that has the potential to scale.
≥I believe you’re not just responsible for scaling your world-changing idea. You’re also responsible for stewarding its development and wider use.
≥• Recognize that business conditions are constantly shifting.
• Start quickly, but don't overwork yourself.
• Rapid decision-making is essential for rapid growth.
• Allow the flames to burn. When running a fast-growing business, you must keep pushing forward.
• Ensure there is enough money left over to cover a Plan B and try new things.
• Consider an investor to be a later-stage co-founder — someone who knows you and your company's mission.
≥You don't need a particular degree or skills to thrive as an entrepreneur; you need the correct mentality.
≥When you cultivate loyalty among a small number of endorsers, you create a narrow but deep wedge that serves as a firm foundation for growth.
≥This poses an almost Zen-like riddle for entrepreneurs: The first step to scale is to renounce your desire to scale.
≥An idea is at its most vulnerable in its infancy.
≥Sometimes, like a rose from concrete, a tremendous idea emerges from adversity. Simply put, resistance generates friction, which causes sparks.
≥It’s better to have one hundred users who love you than a million users who just kind of like you.
≥Great entrepreneurs understand that not every idea will succeed. However, even if your initial concept doesn't take off, it can simply put you on the path to your next big idea.
≥The idea of the lone genius is one of the most pervasive and detrimental fallacies in business today. We tend to tell heroic stories about creativity, a narrative about a single inventor: the creator, the founder. A genius comes up with a brilliant idea, and everyone else is in charge of putting the plan into action. Then everyone waits for the genius to come up with another brilliant idea.
≥Big ideas are often based on formative experiences from your past. You never know exactly what parts of your past will come together to complete that puzzle and be a product that you want to build for the world.
≥When you're beginning a business, the first individuals you recruit aren't simply employees; they're also your cultural co-founders. Their abilities and competencies will decide what your firm can achieve and who it can be. Those initial workers determine the DNA of your firm, as well as its culture.
≥If you're the creator of a company, you're like a master distiller, in charge of selecting the perfect balance of ingredients to expand your business and hiring the people who make up the soul of your culture.
≥It is nice to have the right people on your bus, but it is even more critical to keep the wrong people off your bus.
≥There's also a role for active decision-making in a company's organizational culture. They educate you to make quick judgments over and over again in aviation: Decide. Decide. Decide. It's preferable to make a choice and then live with the consequences
≥To gain quick feedback, be willing to regularly share your faulty work-in-progress with the outside world from early on.
≥Many leaders have learned that the best way to get to know their customers is to listen to them: 1. Conduct a survey. 2. Hold focus groups with them. 3. Examine their online reviews, social media posts, and incoming emails.
≥It's simple to destroy a failing product; it's considerably more difficult to terminate one that has the potential to scale.
≥I believe you’re not just responsible for scaling your world-changing idea. You’re also responsible for stewarding its development and wider use.
≥• Recognize that business conditions are constantly shifting.
• Start quickly, but don't overwork yourself.
• Rapid decision-making is essential for rapid growth.
• Allow the flames to burn. When running a fast-growing business, you must keep pushing forward.
• Ensure there is enough money left over to cover a Plan B and try new things.
• Consider an investor to be a later-stage co-founder — someone who knows you and your company's mission.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2022
Toen ik dit boek op social media, als nieuw boek langs zag komen was ik gelijk enthousiast. Een boek over het ontwikkelen van een groeimindset klinkt veelbelovend. Ik kreeg van Lev. Uitgevers de kans het boek te recenseren, dank je wel! Ik ben dol op non-fictie boeken en voornamelijk op het gebied van persoonlijke ontwikkeling, mindset en psychologie. Ik denk en verwacht dat dit boek me veel mooie inzichten en eye-openers zal brengen.
Wat is leidend voor het succes van je bedrijf? Niet je talent, netwerk of strategie, maar je entrepreneurs mindset.
Deze groeimindset is de weg naar succes.
Reid Hoffman gaat in gesprek met verschillende visionaire leiders in gesprek over de verrassende strategieën die de groei van hun bedrijf stimuleren. In dit boek bundelt hij de collectieve inzichten en maakt hij scherpe analyses. Hiermee toont hij een reeks van contra-intuïtieve principes die iedereen kan toepassen. Hoe vind je een geschikt idee? Hoe pak je een schaalbare onderneming aan? Wanneer moet je luisteren of juist stoppen met luisteren naar je klanten? Wat moet je direct aanpakken? Kan je echt geld verdienen als je de wereld wilt verbeteren?
Wat een inspirerend, verhelderend en motiverend boek is dit!
Vanaf de eerste bladzijde was ik gefascineerd door de analytische en detailgerichte kijk Reid Hoffman op verschillende bedrijfssituaties en reacties van de omgeving waarneemt.
Zijn verhaal vertelt hij op een hele heldere en toegankelijke manier. Hierdoor kan je gemakkelijk in het verhaal mee gaan. Tijdens zijn verhaal beschrijft hij verschillende situaties van bedrijven van iconische leiders. Hij weet deze situaties en gebeurtenissen enorm goed en helder te analyseren en te verwoorden. Hierdoor kan je veel leren en mooie inzichten opdoen.
Zijn boek heeft hij heel helder opgebouwd en tijdens zijn verhaal wisselt hij tussen verhalen uit de praktijk, zijn analytische kijk en aan het einde van ieder hoofdstuk volgt ook nog een beknopte en heldere samenvatting van de aandachtspunten die besproken zijn voor een groeimindset.
Deze manier van herhaling en de combinatie van praktijkvoorbeelden met een heldere opsomming zorgt ervoor dat de besproken punten echt binnen komen.
Ook visueel is het boek erg prettig opgemaakt. Het boek heeft een prettige lettergrootte en regelafstand en de stukken van de "theorieën van Reid" en zijn "samenvattingen" zijn onderscheidend vormgegeven.
Wat ik ook enorm aan het boek kan waarderen, is dat Reid in het boek hele verschillende en uiteenlopende bedrijfstakken aanhaalt, waardoor je ziet dat deze mindset in elke bedrijfstak nodig is. Door deze veelzijdigheid en de verscheidene entrepreneurs die aan bod komen, is het een heerlijk afwisselend verhaal.
Ik heb echt genoten van dit heldere en super inspirerende verhaal van Reid. Zijn sterke analytische kijk en het feit dat hij enorm goed kan beoordelen waar de knelpunten en de kansen liggen, is het boek echt een feest om te lezen. Na het lezen van dit boek, wat ik zeker door de fijne samenvattingen aan het einde van ieder hoofdstuk nog vaker uit de kast zal halen, ben ik ook enorm nieuwsgierig naar zijn andere boeken en ook een aantal andere boeken die hij benoemd in dit boek. Dit boek heeft me geïnspireerd om mijn groeimindset te laten groeien.
Wat is leidend voor het succes van je bedrijf? Niet je talent, netwerk of strategie, maar je entrepreneurs mindset.
Deze groeimindset is de weg naar succes.
Reid Hoffman gaat in gesprek met verschillende visionaire leiders in gesprek over de verrassende strategieën die de groei van hun bedrijf stimuleren. In dit boek bundelt hij de collectieve inzichten en maakt hij scherpe analyses. Hiermee toont hij een reeks van contra-intuïtieve principes die iedereen kan toepassen. Hoe vind je een geschikt idee? Hoe pak je een schaalbare onderneming aan? Wanneer moet je luisteren of juist stoppen met luisteren naar je klanten? Wat moet je direct aanpakken? Kan je echt geld verdienen als je de wereld wilt verbeteren?
Wat een inspirerend, verhelderend en motiverend boek is dit!
Vanaf de eerste bladzijde was ik gefascineerd door de analytische en detailgerichte kijk Reid Hoffman op verschillende bedrijfssituaties en reacties van de omgeving waarneemt.
Zijn verhaal vertelt hij op een hele heldere en toegankelijke manier. Hierdoor kan je gemakkelijk in het verhaal mee gaan. Tijdens zijn verhaal beschrijft hij verschillende situaties van bedrijven van iconische leiders. Hij weet deze situaties en gebeurtenissen enorm goed en helder te analyseren en te verwoorden. Hierdoor kan je veel leren en mooie inzichten opdoen.
Zijn boek heeft hij heel helder opgebouwd en tijdens zijn verhaal wisselt hij tussen verhalen uit de praktijk, zijn analytische kijk en aan het einde van ieder hoofdstuk volgt ook nog een beknopte en heldere samenvatting van de aandachtspunten die besproken zijn voor een groeimindset.
Deze manier van herhaling en de combinatie van praktijkvoorbeelden met een heldere opsomming zorgt ervoor dat de besproken punten echt binnen komen.
Ook visueel is het boek erg prettig opgemaakt. Het boek heeft een prettige lettergrootte en regelafstand en de stukken van de "theorieën van Reid" en zijn "samenvattingen" zijn onderscheidend vormgegeven.
Wat ik ook enorm aan het boek kan waarderen, is dat Reid in het boek hele verschillende en uiteenlopende bedrijfstakken aanhaalt, waardoor je ziet dat deze mindset in elke bedrijfstak nodig is. Door deze veelzijdigheid en de verscheidene entrepreneurs die aan bod komen, is het een heerlijk afwisselend verhaal.
Ik heb echt genoten van dit heldere en super inspirerende verhaal van Reid. Zijn sterke analytische kijk en het feit dat hij enorm goed kan beoordelen waar de knelpunten en de kansen liggen, is het boek echt een feest om te lezen. Na het lezen van dit boek, wat ik zeker door de fijne samenvattingen aan het einde van ieder hoofdstuk nog vaker uit de kast zal halen, ben ik ook enorm nieuwsgierig naar zijn andere boeken en ook een aantal andere boeken die hij benoemd in dit boek. Dit boek heeft me geïnspireerd om mijn groeimindset te laten groeien.
December 6, 2021
A well-written inspirational and tactical book for both entrepreneurs and intra-preneurs alike! It reminded me of the style and value in the book The Third Door.
Some standouts:
- Types of no: lazy, squirmy, affirmative, honest and unhelpful
- success can come when you have nothing to lose: you’re broke or lost everything - and take risks
- company cultures built on process vs. scaling (ex: Netflix prefers independent thinkers to do what’s best for co.)
- cultural fit vs. cultural growth: hire for the latter
- Trust what users do vs. what they say they want (ex: yahoo search results 30 vs. the 10 they actually looked at)
- it’s not about the latte (customer service advice from Eventbrite ceo who was a barista w angry customer)
Some standouts:
- Types of no: lazy, squirmy, affirmative, honest and unhelpful
- success can come when you have nothing to lose: you’re broke or lost everything - and take risks
- company cultures built on process vs. scaling (ex: Netflix prefers independent thinkers to do what’s best for co.)
- cultural fit vs. cultural growth: hire for the latter
- Trust what users do vs. what they say they want (ex: yahoo search results 30 vs. the 10 they actually looked at)
- it’s not about the latte (customer service advice from Eventbrite ceo who was a barista w angry customer)
January 1, 2022
A surprisingly refreshing book on the different approaches to entrepreneurship and how ideas can culminate from the most unexpected places. As the age-old saying goes, "Necessity is the mother of all invention" and indeed a lot of businesses mentioned in the book came from re-invention and disruption.
January 5, 2022
Absolutely brilliant! Chapters were laid out well and contained so many interesting stories and lessons from entrepreneurs. Great read not just for entrepreneurs but also for individuals trying to improve their strategic thinking in general.
May even want to read it again! 😅
May even want to read it again! 😅
November 6, 2025
So many quotes….
“Culture is your company’s immune system; build it strong before you need it.”
“You have to continually question (and often cast off) the assumptions from your last product, your last job, your last year.”
“What got you here won’t get you there.”
”Sometimes, not knowing the odds is what lets you do the impossible.”
“Hard work isn’t enough. And more work is never the real answer. The sort of grit you need to scale a business is less reliant on brute force. It’s actually one part determination, one part ingenuity, and one part laziness.”
“If you foolproof your culture, you’ll have a culture of fools.”
”Adapt fast or die slow.”
“Culture is your company’s immune system; build it strong before you need it.”
“You have to continually question (and often cast off) the assumptions from your last product, your last job, your last year.”
“What got you here won’t get you there.”
”Sometimes, not knowing the odds is what lets you do the impossible.”
“Hard work isn’t enough. And more work is never the real answer. The sort of grit you need to scale a business is less reliant on brute force. It’s actually one part determination, one part ingenuity, and one part laziness.”
“If you foolproof your culture, you’ll have a culture of fools.”
”Adapt fast or die slow.”
July 1, 2022
As I started a business of my own while reading this book, I found myself vindicated and inspired by its anecdotes and theories. It has been an invaluable driving force in helping me press on with vigor in my new endeavor.
February 25, 2023
(read for a class) A book of stories collected from loads of successful entrepreneurs from a variety of startups, conveying key parts of entrepreneurship through engaging real-life experiences.
August 16, 2024
Мені вона була не цікаво, користі буквально пару абзаців.
Нажаль :(
Нажаль :(
December 23, 2021
Bland stories of survivorship bias.
January 6, 2022
Scaling up can be an exciting and adventurous time in a young company’s life, but it can be challenging too. By intentionally creating a positive culture under stellar leadership, a startup can go from promising to a household name.
And here’s some more actionable advice:
Imagine the eleven-star experience.
To brainstorm the absolute best iteration of your product or service, think about what an eleven-star version of it might be – that is, something beyond the best. For example, a hotelier might imagine picking up guests in antique cars or meeting them with a string quartet. Now work backward from that until you find the sweet spot between impossible and better than ever previously imagined.
---
Scaling up too quickly can be risky – but moving too slowly can starve your company.
Designer Tory Burch wanted to launch her retail store in New York City during Fashion Week. She had customers, friends and family, media, and a brand-new collection of exciting clothes. There was just one problem. She had no doors to open. The bright orange door that she had custom-designed hadn’t arrived.
She had to make a choice. Should she hold off on the opening until everything was perfect, or should she let the hoards in through the empty doorway?
Burch picked the second option. The day was an astounding success, indicative of the accolades her brand would go on to garner.
The key message here is: Scaling up too quickly can be risky – but moving too slowly can starve your company.
Choosing when to launch might be one of the trickiest decisions an entrepreneur has to make. Jump too early, and you may lose potential customers by rolling out an unfinished, unimpressive product that didn’t have time to mature into its potential. But wait too long, and momentum stalls – causing potential customers to wander elsewhere and competitors to get ahead of you.
Business does not take place in a static environment. Things change every minute. An effective leader monitors these changes to gauge when to be patient and when to strike. The true masters of this game are able to strike so fast that they achieve “escape velocity,” leaving competitors in the dust.
PayPal founder Peter Thiel’s rapid growth technique was to pay his initial customers $10 for referring others. Thiel’s tactic worked, but that kind of rapid growth can come at a steep price and with an often messy aftermath.
In the flush of first success, you rarely think about the morning after. You may wake up to some fairly big fires – but let them burn. When you’re a young and lean company, you can also be nimble. Stalling will only choke your momentum.
That being said, not all fires are equal. You’ll need to prioritize which ones get your attention: any problem with the core product or company culture should come before, say, that fancy office upgrade.
If you scale up and find yourself facing a big problem right away, ask yourself whether the issue could kill your business. If there’s a significant possibility that it could, stop and attend to it.
---
When scaling up, respond to what your customers do rather than say.
You know how your English teacher always said to show, not tell? Well, following that well-worn piece of advice can help give you a leg up in the world of scaling a startup.
Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook exclusively for Harvard students. When he announced that he would extend it to Yale, Princeton, and other schools, the initial users expressed their dismay – but it didn’t stop them from using, and growing, the service.
Though they said they wanted exclusivity, Facebook users were actually more inclined to stay on when the network expanded.
The key message here is: When scaling up, respond to what your customers do rather than say.
Fashionistas claimed they loved designer Jason Wu after Michelle Obama wore his clothes. However, Jennifer Hyman noticed that her customers weren’t gravitating toward Wu’s ensembles when choosing designer outfits from her site, Rent the Runway. Turns out, Wu’s designs didn’t match their daily needs. Hyman took this revelation to Wu, and the two of them ended up collaborating on a very profitable – and more wearable – line for Rent the Runway called “Jason Wu Grey.”
Hyman didn’t stop there. She noticed that her customers would rent an outfit for a cocktail party on Saturday night but hold on to it until Monday morning; they’d wear it again with a blazer to work. This was costing Hyman quite a bit in repair and cleaning costs – but it was also an opportunity. Hyman switched to a subscription service that allowed her customers to rent several outfits at a time and rotate them – and voilà, business grew even more.
How can you find out what your customers are doing? Many founders conduct their own focus groups, which lead them to interesting and profitable observations. When Mariam Naficy of bespoke stationery company Minted learned that men today are more involved in the wedding-planning process, she began to incorporate less overtly feminine designs into her offerings.
Watching how your customers behave, and reacting to their behaviors, can yield exciting results. But what if you come across a hurdle that seems insurmountable? We’ll get into that now.
---
You need good leadership to successfully scale a company.
When Angela Ahrendts went to work for Apple after a stratospheric career as CEO of Burberry, it was a tough transition. Everything was different. She had gone from fashion to technology, England to America – and, suddenly, she was the boss of 70,000 people.
Ahrendts knew she needed to communicate her vision to all her new employees. But, as a parent of three teens, she knew that young Apple employees were unlikely to read long emails. So she made a three-minute iPhone video that was natural and real; she didn’t even edit out a phone call from her daughter.
It was an excellent start. The video was such a hit that she made one every week for four years, regardless of where in the world she happened to be.
The key message here is: You need good leadership to successfully scale a company.
When your company suddenly scales up, it’s almost like you’re now at a new, larger company – much like Ahrendts’s shift to Apple. Everything changes. To keep employees inspired, it’s important to sustain a steady drumbeat of purpose and motivation.
To do this well, you need compassion, wisdom, and clarity of vision. This means being willing to listen, learn, and take advice – even from those in positions below you. It also means being able to accept constructive criticism. Sometimes, this can mean encouraging opposing viewpoints. Mailchimp founder Ben Chestnut notes that startups are like pirate ships – but when they scale big, the culture makes a necessary adjustment. It goes from piracy to the Navy, with an influx of rules, accountability, and good behavior.
When hiring new staff, Marissa Mayer – Google employee number 20 – didn’t hire MBAs with lots of experience. Instead, she’d hire a smart 23-year-old and give them a huge portfolio – like all of Gmail. Just as they were getting comfortable with their division, she’d have them switch into another division and challenge them to learn something new. This bold leadership move didn’t just give Mayer a nimble, cross-trained managerial team; it also resulted in a tsunami of new ideas that emerged from the synergy of a bunch of smart people being exposed to multiple ways of doing things.
Mayer’s leadership yielded tremendous good for Google – and for the world, as many of these employees went forth and started their own companies. In the best of situations, great leadership naturally flows into the final aspect of scaling big: doing good.
And here’s some more actionable advice:
Imagine the eleven-star experience.
To brainstorm the absolute best iteration of your product or service, think about what an eleven-star version of it might be – that is, something beyond the best. For example, a hotelier might imagine picking up guests in antique cars or meeting them with a string quartet. Now work backward from that until you find the sweet spot between impossible and better than ever previously imagined.
---
Scaling up too quickly can be risky – but moving too slowly can starve your company.
Designer Tory Burch wanted to launch her retail store in New York City during Fashion Week. She had customers, friends and family, media, and a brand-new collection of exciting clothes. There was just one problem. She had no doors to open. The bright orange door that she had custom-designed hadn’t arrived.
She had to make a choice. Should she hold off on the opening until everything was perfect, or should she let the hoards in through the empty doorway?
Burch picked the second option. The day was an astounding success, indicative of the accolades her brand would go on to garner.
The key message here is: Scaling up too quickly can be risky – but moving too slowly can starve your company.
Choosing when to launch might be one of the trickiest decisions an entrepreneur has to make. Jump too early, and you may lose potential customers by rolling out an unfinished, unimpressive product that didn’t have time to mature into its potential. But wait too long, and momentum stalls – causing potential customers to wander elsewhere and competitors to get ahead of you.
Business does not take place in a static environment. Things change every minute. An effective leader monitors these changes to gauge when to be patient and when to strike. The true masters of this game are able to strike so fast that they achieve “escape velocity,” leaving competitors in the dust.
PayPal founder Peter Thiel’s rapid growth technique was to pay his initial customers $10 for referring others. Thiel’s tactic worked, but that kind of rapid growth can come at a steep price and with an often messy aftermath.
In the flush of first success, you rarely think about the morning after. You may wake up to some fairly big fires – but let them burn. When you’re a young and lean company, you can also be nimble. Stalling will only choke your momentum.
That being said, not all fires are equal. You’ll need to prioritize which ones get your attention: any problem with the core product or company culture should come before, say, that fancy office upgrade.
If you scale up and find yourself facing a big problem right away, ask yourself whether the issue could kill your business. If there’s a significant possibility that it could, stop and attend to it.
---
When scaling up, respond to what your customers do rather than say.
You know how your English teacher always said to show, not tell? Well, following that well-worn piece of advice can help give you a leg up in the world of scaling a startup.
Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook exclusively for Harvard students. When he announced that he would extend it to Yale, Princeton, and other schools, the initial users expressed their dismay – but it didn’t stop them from using, and growing, the service.
Though they said they wanted exclusivity, Facebook users were actually more inclined to stay on when the network expanded.
The key message here is: When scaling up, respond to what your customers do rather than say.
Fashionistas claimed they loved designer Jason Wu after Michelle Obama wore his clothes. However, Jennifer Hyman noticed that her customers weren’t gravitating toward Wu’s ensembles when choosing designer outfits from her site, Rent the Runway. Turns out, Wu’s designs didn’t match their daily needs. Hyman took this revelation to Wu, and the two of them ended up collaborating on a very profitable – and more wearable – line for Rent the Runway called “Jason Wu Grey.”
Hyman didn’t stop there. She noticed that her customers would rent an outfit for a cocktail party on Saturday night but hold on to it until Monday morning; they’d wear it again with a blazer to work. This was costing Hyman quite a bit in repair and cleaning costs – but it was also an opportunity. Hyman switched to a subscription service that allowed her customers to rent several outfits at a time and rotate them – and voilà, business grew even more.
How can you find out what your customers are doing? Many founders conduct their own focus groups, which lead them to interesting and profitable observations. When Mariam Naficy of bespoke stationery company Minted learned that men today are more involved in the wedding-planning process, she began to incorporate less overtly feminine designs into her offerings.
Watching how your customers behave, and reacting to their behaviors, can yield exciting results. But what if you come across a hurdle that seems insurmountable? We’ll get into that now.
---
You need good leadership to successfully scale a company.
When Angela Ahrendts went to work for Apple after a stratospheric career as CEO of Burberry, it was a tough transition. Everything was different. She had gone from fashion to technology, England to America – and, suddenly, she was the boss of 70,000 people.
Ahrendts knew she needed to communicate her vision to all her new employees. But, as a parent of three teens, she knew that young Apple employees were unlikely to read long emails. So she made a three-minute iPhone video that was natural and real; she didn’t even edit out a phone call from her daughter.
It was an excellent start. The video was such a hit that she made one every week for four years, regardless of where in the world she happened to be.
The key message here is: You need good leadership to successfully scale a company.
When your company suddenly scales up, it’s almost like you’re now at a new, larger company – much like Ahrendts’s shift to Apple. Everything changes. To keep employees inspired, it’s important to sustain a steady drumbeat of purpose and motivation.
To do this well, you need compassion, wisdom, and clarity of vision. This means being willing to listen, learn, and take advice – even from those in positions below you. It also means being able to accept constructive criticism. Sometimes, this can mean encouraging opposing viewpoints. Mailchimp founder Ben Chestnut notes that startups are like pirate ships – but when they scale big, the culture makes a necessary adjustment. It goes from piracy to the Navy, with an influx of rules, accountability, and good behavior.
When hiring new staff, Marissa Mayer – Google employee number 20 – didn’t hire MBAs with lots of experience. Instead, she’d hire a smart 23-year-old and give them a huge portfolio – like all of Gmail. Just as they were getting comfortable with their division, she’d have them switch into another division and challenge them to learn something new. This bold leadership move didn’t just give Mayer a nimble, cross-trained managerial team; it also resulted in a tsunami of new ideas that emerged from the synergy of a bunch of smart people being exposed to multiple ways of doing things.
Mayer’s leadership yielded tremendous good for Google – and for the world, as many of these employees went forth and started their own companies. In the best of situations, great leadership naturally flows into the final aspect of scaling big: doing good.
March 4, 2024
A decent read on how scaling up doesn't only mean disruption or an excuse to keep your morals aside. Done beautifully by intertwining podcast audio with an audio book.
January 30, 2022
Books of investing, finance and entrepreneurship alike, are split into two camps. There are those that empower you with technical knowledge. And there are those that inspire you to reflect on your actions and thinking. 'Masters of Scale' belongs to the latter. Borrowing experiences from dozens of founders, Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, put together ten wisdoms of entrepreneurship.
Being an active venture investor and a podcast host, Hoffman was able to interview some of the famous entrepreneurs. Reid seems to have handpicked well-known B2C companies which is much more appealing and tangible than discussing Salesforce or Twilio. Many of the case studies cited involved those I know from work (e.g. Burberry, Shopify), prior readings (e.g. Walker & Co., Nike), or from having been an avid customer (AirBnB, both as a guest and a host). The challenges they have gone through were detailed and palpable. The vividness and recency of this book, which was published in September 2021, helped me not only keep engaged in the story but develop my own thoughts about the specific cases cited in the book
My #1 standout was the last chapter 'Trojan Horse': how to make an impact. In order to scale and sustain, a company needs to have a greater goal that extends beyond money or legacy creation. Hoffman rightly points out that most of us have a desire to do good for the society, and you can do it either explicitly (e.g. Starbucks) or inexplicitly and silently in a Trojan Horse (The Black List). From the Starbucks example, I could clearly see that doing good can go beyond simply coexisting with making money. Starbucks started as a hip Milan-style espresso bar in Seattle, but it changed our perception around coffee (from a cheap dose of caffeine to a daily essential and a treat for yourself) and coffee shop (third space). In order to revolutionize a culture, you need buy-in from the entire stakeholders (employees, customers, community, etc.). Without Howard Schultz putting employees first and foremost (e.g. giving health insurance for all part-timers, holding annual parent meetings in China), I doubt if Starbucks could get to where it is today
What awes me the most is that Schultz did all this in a publicly traded company. I cannot imagine the pain and stress he went through as he tried to resist and appease the outcries from Wall Street. Fortunately, perhaps thanks to Starbucks' success, the shareholder capitalism is no longer taken for granted in Americas, with many of the large corporations on board with doing greater good (e.g. Business Roundtable discussions on the purpose of Corporation, Salesforce's 1-1-1 model)
Coming back to the ten wisdom of entrepreneurship, how we put them into practice depends on our courage, perseverance, and conviction. Even some of the more self-explanatory wisdoms, such as the importance of culture and flexibility to 'unlearn' yourself amid changing trends, are extremely tough in practice. Reed Hastings of Netflix and Phil Knight of Nike are extraordinary people with so much to show up for themselves. For Hastings to shift his perception on Netflix culture or Knight to start a mass advertising which he had despised, they must have invoked a great deal of self-reflection and humility to themselves. Hoffman's ten wisdoms offers an opportunity for all of us to self-reflect and self-improve our business practices and career goals
Initially, I gave 4 stars because it did not 'wow' me. With my exposure to "How I built this" podcast, some of the founders and their founding stories were not new to me (e.g. Jenn Hyman's Rent the Runway, Tobi Lutke's Shopify). As I was writing my review, I could better appreciate the power of Hoffman's ten wisdoms. The Starbucks story, while familiar to some readers, was quite impactful for me. Hence, I gave 5
1. Getting to No
- If you got a 'squirmy no' from VC, you might actually be onto a best idea (e.g. Tristan Walker)
- The unhelpful no (Sarah Blakely detached herself from talking to friends about Spanx)
2. Do things that don't scale
- AirBnB - the first step to scale is to renounce your desire to scale. Design an 11-star experience
- DonorsChoose (elementary school teacher hustling to fund school projects)
3. What's the big idea?
- Rent the runway: Jenn Hyman asked Neiman how often women bought dress and return to the store. The answer was, wow, 70% of the time!
- Bad ideas might have gold hidden - Airbnb? UBER? Who'd have thought people would let strangers in?
4. Culture
- Netflix culture deck (first-principle thinkers)
- USHG ('enlightened hospitality')
- Peoplesoft -> Workday (Wow, the CEO is taking me out for beer!)
5. Growing fast vs. Growing Slow
- Tory Burch (Remained patient about entering China, but once she entered, she would go aggressive; "you are protecting your brand to the point where it must be annoying to your investors")
- Peter Thiel doesn't believe in beating the competition, he believes in escaping it altogether. Escape velocity is not a fixed speed. It's always relative to competition
6. Learn to Unlearn
- Nike switched to mass (embraced advertising)
- Lockheed plane development: waived all the rules and told engineers were free to fabricate the parts on the spot (during WWII)
7. Watch what they do, not what they say
- Google: How many search results do you want to see per page? A: 30. In truth, it was 10. IT was speed of loading, not the breadth of information, that mattered the most, and consumers were not yet aware of its significance
- Eventbrite: at first, organizers asked them to help sell their tickets, but what their real needs were building an 'enablement' platform with market dynamics on top
8. The art of the pivot
- Stewart Butterfield - Slack
- Ev Williams - Twitter <- Odeo (podcasting)
- Tobi Lutke - Shopify
9. Lead, lead again:
Managers tell people what to do. But leaders inspire them to do it (Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, Angela Ahrendts of Burberry).
"Dara [Expedia CEO], you keep telling us what to do, instead of telling us where to go."
Reid's theories on leadership
- Compassionate leader (Angela Ahrendts)
- The Truth Teller/ Seeker (Sheryl Sandberg)
10. The Trojan Horse (doing good)
- Starbucks (explicitly doing good), - The Black List (Trojan Horse)
Being an active venture investor and a podcast host, Hoffman was able to interview some of the famous entrepreneurs. Reid seems to have handpicked well-known B2C companies which is much more appealing and tangible than discussing Salesforce or Twilio. Many of the case studies cited involved those I know from work (e.g. Burberry, Shopify), prior readings (e.g. Walker & Co., Nike), or from having been an avid customer (AirBnB, both as a guest and a host). The challenges they have gone through were detailed and palpable. The vividness and recency of this book, which was published in September 2021, helped me not only keep engaged in the story but develop my own thoughts about the specific cases cited in the book
My #1 standout was the last chapter 'Trojan Horse': how to make an impact. In order to scale and sustain, a company needs to have a greater goal that extends beyond money or legacy creation. Hoffman rightly points out that most of us have a desire to do good for the society, and you can do it either explicitly (e.g. Starbucks) or inexplicitly and silently in a Trojan Horse (The Black List). From the Starbucks example, I could clearly see that doing good can go beyond simply coexisting with making money. Starbucks started as a hip Milan-style espresso bar in Seattle, but it changed our perception around coffee (from a cheap dose of caffeine to a daily essential and a treat for yourself) and coffee shop (third space). In order to revolutionize a culture, you need buy-in from the entire stakeholders (employees, customers, community, etc.). Without Howard Schultz putting employees first and foremost (e.g. giving health insurance for all part-timers, holding annual parent meetings in China), I doubt if Starbucks could get to where it is today
What awes me the most is that Schultz did all this in a publicly traded company. I cannot imagine the pain and stress he went through as he tried to resist and appease the outcries from Wall Street. Fortunately, perhaps thanks to Starbucks' success, the shareholder capitalism is no longer taken for granted in Americas, with many of the large corporations on board with doing greater good (e.g. Business Roundtable discussions on the purpose of Corporation, Salesforce's 1-1-1 model)
Coming back to the ten wisdom of entrepreneurship, how we put them into practice depends on our courage, perseverance, and conviction. Even some of the more self-explanatory wisdoms, such as the importance of culture and flexibility to 'unlearn' yourself amid changing trends, are extremely tough in practice. Reed Hastings of Netflix and Phil Knight of Nike are extraordinary people with so much to show up for themselves. For Hastings to shift his perception on Netflix culture or Knight to start a mass advertising which he had despised, they must have invoked a great deal of self-reflection and humility to themselves. Hoffman's ten wisdoms offers an opportunity for all of us to self-reflect and self-improve our business practices and career goals
Initially, I gave 4 stars because it did not 'wow' me. With my exposure to "How I built this" podcast, some of the founders and their founding stories were not new to me (e.g. Jenn Hyman's Rent the Runway, Tobi Lutke's Shopify). As I was writing my review, I could better appreciate the power of Hoffman's ten wisdoms. The Starbucks story, while familiar to some readers, was quite impactful for me. Hence, I gave 5
1. Getting to No
- If you got a 'squirmy no' from VC, you might actually be onto a best idea (e.g. Tristan Walker)
- The unhelpful no (Sarah Blakely detached herself from talking to friends about Spanx)
2. Do things that don't scale
- AirBnB - the first step to scale is to renounce your desire to scale. Design an 11-star experience
- DonorsChoose (elementary school teacher hustling to fund school projects)
3. What's the big idea?
- Rent the runway: Jenn Hyman asked Neiman how often women bought dress and return to the store. The answer was, wow, 70% of the time!
- Bad ideas might have gold hidden - Airbnb? UBER? Who'd have thought people would let strangers in?
4. Culture
- Netflix culture deck (first-principle thinkers)
- USHG ('enlightened hospitality')
- Peoplesoft -> Workday (Wow, the CEO is taking me out for beer!)
5. Growing fast vs. Growing Slow
- Tory Burch (Remained patient about entering China, but once she entered, she would go aggressive; "you are protecting your brand to the point where it must be annoying to your investors")
- Peter Thiel doesn't believe in beating the competition, he believes in escaping it altogether. Escape velocity is not a fixed speed. It's always relative to competition
6. Learn to Unlearn
- Nike switched to mass (embraced advertising)
- Lockheed plane development: waived all the rules and told engineers were free to fabricate the parts on the spot (during WWII)
7. Watch what they do, not what they say
- Google: How many search results do you want to see per page? A: 30. In truth, it was 10. IT was speed of loading, not the breadth of information, that mattered the most, and consumers were not yet aware of its significance
- Eventbrite: at first, organizers asked them to help sell their tickets, but what their real needs were building an 'enablement' platform with market dynamics on top
8. The art of the pivot
- Stewart Butterfield - Slack
- Ev Williams - Twitter <- Odeo (podcasting)
- Tobi Lutke - Shopify
9. Lead, lead again:
Managers tell people what to do. But leaders inspire them to do it (Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn, Angela Ahrendts of Burberry).
"Dara [Expedia CEO], you keep telling us what to do, instead of telling us where to go."
Reid's theories on leadership
- Compassionate leader (Angela Ahrendts)
- The Truth Teller/ Seeker (Sheryl Sandberg)
10. The Trojan Horse (doing good)
- Starbucks (explicitly doing good), - The Black List (Trojan Horse)
April 1, 2023
The most insightful book about the startup world I have read in the last couple of years (actually I listened to this one on Audible - great narration!).
Here are my main takeaways (the 11 stars experience blew my mind!):
It can be challenging to convey the urgency of an idea serving a different demographic to a room full of mostly white, male, straight-haired investors (on razors for black men with curly hair).
Some investors respond with an ignorant "no" without considering the opportunity in front of them.
Unfamiliarity with a new market should not be a reason to dismiss an idea.
Some noes count more than others.
Thoughtful “No”s can provide constructive feedback for revising an idea.
Skeptical “No”s can force entrepreneurs to rethink the size of the opportunity.
Lazy noes should be dismissed and moved on from.
How to get to quick trust:
Get someone people already trust to endorse you. If this person agrees to it, it’s trustworthy.
Get a substantial commitment, like Spotify did when it put the industry interests ahead of their own. You want your commitment to show you are really putting something on the line. You not only put skin in the game but stand to lose big if you fail them.
Be radically transparent. Post all of your code, or share your progress with the whole world.
When you need to build trust fast, those 3 bridges, can be key.
General tips for Entrepreneurship:
Book recommendations mentioned:
Competing against luck
The effective executive
The hard drive
Founders at work
Higher upper management
Blitsacling book
Here are my main takeaways (the 11 stars experience blew my mind!):
Overcoming the Hurdles of Pitching to an Unfamiliar Market
It can be challenging to convey the urgency of an idea serving a different demographic to a room full of mostly white, male, straight-haired investors (on razors for black men with curly hair).
Some investors respond with an ignorant "no" without considering the opportunity in front of them.
Unfamiliarity with a new market should not be a reason to dismiss an idea.
The Value of Thoughtful Noes
Some noes count more than others.
Thoughtful “No”s can provide constructive feedback for revising an idea.
Skeptical “No”s can force entrepreneurs to rethink the size of the opportunity.
Lazy noes should be dismissed and moved on from.
Unanimous Consent as a Warning Sign
A group of sophisticated investors who all agree too easily can be a warning sign. Unanimous consent can indicate that an idea is too easy and competitors will soon follow.
Building Something Users Will Love
To build something that users will truly love, entrepreneurs need to talk to them, listen to them, watch and understand them. Meeting with every new user, even if it doesn't scale, can help entrepreneurs build something directly for them. AirBnB founders went to NY, to meet the customers inside their homes, and get first-person feedback. This is the only time when entrepreneurs can be small enough to meet all their customers and get to know them.
A clever method for feedback is to ask: what can we do to surprise you - what can we do, to make you tell EVERYONE about it? And that’s different, then ‘what can we do better’. You can get crazy ideas that might actually turn around your business.
The 11 Stars Experience Thought Experiment:
It starts by making you imagine things you could never do. Why? Because that’s how you win. You need to build something people love so much, they tell each other. You must build something worth talking about.
AirBNB founders thought about how different experiences would look like:
Take one part of the product, see what a 5 stars experience would look like, and then go crazy. What will inspire a 5 star review for the check-in process.
1,2,3 stars - you couldn’t open the apartment, nobody’s there. 3 stars - maybe you needed to wait 20 minutes. They never show up - that’s a 1 star, you will never use the service again.
5 stars - you knock on the door, they let you in, and everything is nice and clean. That’s great - but you are not going to tell your friends about it.
6 stars - you knock, the host opens, shows you around, on the table would be a welcome gift (a wine), the fridge will have nice things, and the whole thing is great. You say WOW.
7 stars - you open the door, and the host opens. Here is my full kitchen, I know you like surfing, the surfboard is waiting for you, I’ve booked lessons for you, here is my car, you can use it, I wanted to surprise you, the best restaurant in San Fransisco, I got you a table there. You are like ‘Wow’, this is way beyond.
8 stars - I land at the airport, and there will be a limousine waiting for me at the airport and take me to the house.
9 stars - I would show up at the airport, and there will be a parade in my honor. An elephant will be waiting for me, and a parade will take me straight to the house.
10 stars - I would get off the plane, and there will be 5000 people cheering my name, like a beetles concert.
11 stars - I would show up in the airport, and the host will be there with Elon Musk, and you’ll say ‘we are going to space’.
Obviously, the higher stars are imaginary and whimsical, but they serve a purpose. If you go with the crazy exercise and keep going, there is some sweet spot between ‘they opened the door’ and ‘I went to space’. You have to almost design the extreme, to come backward.
How to get to quick trust:
Get someone people already trust to endorse you. If this person agrees to it, it’s trustworthy.
Get a substantial commitment, like Spotify did when it put the industry interests ahead of their own. You want your commitment to show you are really putting something on the line. You not only put skin in the game but stand to lose big if you fail them.
Be radically transparent. Post all of your code, or share your progress with the whole world.
When you need to build trust fast, those 3 bridges, can be key.
General tips for Entrepreneurship:
‘This should exist’. To find such an idea, go home, look at 15 things in your life, and write down how can they be better. You are probably going to have a big idea right there.
You must let some fires burn. Making the right choices can be crucial. Customer service wise - provide what service you can, as long as it doesn’t slow you down. And sometimes, it may mean - no customer service at all!
The key to observing your customers is not to do it with something you want to confirm, be open.
Having a customer board, headed by the CEO, can have an amazing effect on having your customers on board.
Letting people use the system, watching live. Poor man’s usability test.
Look for instances where your customers hack or abuse your product - and go along for the ride.
APM - associate product manager program Google. If you hire people at senior positions, you are a failure as a leader.
Book recommendations mentioned:
Competing against luck
The effective executive
The hard drive
Founders at work
Higher upper management
Blitsacling book
October 3, 2021
minimal data refried into "counterintuitive principles" to help you start a VC-backed startup in 2005-2012. most of the companies mentioned inevitably eroded in product quality or did slimy things to meet their growth needs. they're all spoken of in glowing terms - it's all about the entrepreneur and the returns, not about whether anything was materially improved for the better. I am not inspired
helpful VC entrepreneurship cheatsheet you won't find in the book:
- LinkedIn: use dark patterns to trick users into spamming everyone in their inbox
- AirBnB: screw over renters and delete their reviews when something bad happens. it's all about the landlord
- Bumble: use a gimmick ("women message first") to convince investors. :wave:
- Instagram: create a social network for vanity and don't mind the increase of teen suicide in girls
helpful VC entrepreneurship cheatsheet you won't find in the book:
- LinkedIn: use dark patterns to trick users into spamming everyone in their inbox
- AirBnB: screw over renters and delete their reviews when something bad happens. it's all about the landlord
- Bumble: use a gimmick ("women message first") to convince investors. :wave:
- Instagram: create a social network for vanity and don't mind the increase of teen suicide in girls
November 1, 2021
Most of what's said in the book can be found on the internet. There's almost nothing new in this book.
Read
May 31, 2022He can pinpoint, down to the PowerPoint slide number, the moment his audience stops paying attention to his pitch.
John eventually learned he could have saved himself a lot of time—and a good deal of rejection—by focusing his pitch effort on more eccentric, contrarian VCs. Instead of wasting his time on the usual suspects, he could have intentionally sought out investors like Lee who actively seek out unconventional ideas that create new categories.
LinkedIn created a viral loop that kept people coming back and bringing their friends, over and over.
you can’t let rejection rule you. Instead, let it fuel you. In the case of “the telling no,” the naysayers are teaching you more about their own assumptions than about the truth of how the world actually works. To your keen ears, their “Nos” should sound like, “Yes, conventional wisdom is overlooking this opportunity.”
The ability to both recognize a winning instinct and kill or refine a losing idea is an essential part of succeeding as an entrepreneur. Time is your most precious resource; don’t waste it on a bad idea
Y Combinator has incubated more than fifty companies that have reached $100 million in value or more—so they have a fairly good sense of what does and doesn’t scale.
The host disappears into a back room, then returns. “He comes back with a binder and he’s got dozens of pages of notes.” The binder was filled with pages and pages of written suggestions, for all the changes that the host wanted to see on Airbnb. “It was like he created a roadmap for us,” Brian recalls. “The roadmap often exists in the minds of the users you’re designing things for.”
How would you like to see peer reviews work? And What do you need most from customer support, and when?
“If I ask, ‘What can I do to make this better?’ they’ll say something small,” Brian explains. So instead, he’d ask bigger, bolder questions, like “What can we do to surprise you?” or “What would it take for me to design something that you would literally tell every single person you’ve ever encountered?”
“What’s a 7-star experience? You knock on the door. Reid Hoffman opens it. ‘Welcome. I know you like surfing. There’s a surfboard; I’ve booked lessons for you. By the way, you can use my car. And I also want to surprise you. I got you a table at the best restaurant in the city of San Francisco.’ And you’re like, ‘Whoa. This is way beyond.’
This advice may seem paradoxical to readers of my book Blitzscaling, in which I articulate the counterintuitive rule, “Ignore Your Customers.” The common thread between “engage one-on-one with passionate customers” and “ignore your customers” is this: Find and focus on the customers who represent your scale opportunity, and ignore the others. Spending precious time and resources on responding to requests from the loudest of your current customers can distract you from the work that will win you millions of loyal, passionate future customers.
Brian no longer knocks on hosts’ doors or sleeps on their couches. Airbnb today is a public company that hardly resembles the scrappy little startup in the stories above. But handcrafting still matters to Brian. He relies on close contact with longtime hosts and customers for input on design and strategy.
What creates transformative travel? Connection—and leaving your comfort zone. “When you first go to a city, you need a welcome event within the first twenty-four or forty-eight hours where you’re around people,” Brian begins. “By day two or three, you need to have a challenge out of your comfort zone. If you do not leave your comfort zone, you do not remember the trip.
The team booked Ricardo a stay with a top-notch Airbnb host; took him to dinner parties; booked seats at a couple of the city’s best restaurants; even brought him on a midnight mystery bike tour.
John eventually learned he could have saved himself a lot of time—and a good deal of rejection—by focusing his pitch effort on more eccentric, contrarian VCs. Instead of wasting his time on the usual suspects, he could have intentionally sought out investors like Lee who actively seek out unconventional ideas that create new categories.
LinkedIn created a viral loop that kept people coming back and bringing their friends, over and over.
you can’t let rejection rule you. Instead, let it fuel you. In the case of “the telling no,” the naysayers are teaching you more about their own assumptions than about the truth of how the world actually works. To your keen ears, their “Nos” should sound like, “Yes, conventional wisdom is overlooking this opportunity.”
The ability to both recognize a winning instinct and kill or refine a losing idea is an essential part of succeeding as an entrepreneur. Time is your most precious resource; don’t waste it on a bad idea
Y Combinator has incubated more than fifty companies that have reached $100 million in value or more—so they have a fairly good sense of what does and doesn’t scale.
The host disappears into a back room, then returns. “He comes back with a binder and he’s got dozens of pages of notes.” The binder was filled with pages and pages of written suggestions, for all the changes that the host wanted to see on Airbnb. “It was like he created a roadmap for us,” Brian recalls. “The roadmap often exists in the minds of the users you’re designing things for.”
How would you like to see peer reviews work? And What do you need most from customer support, and when?
“If I ask, ‘What can I do to make this better?’ they’ll say something small,” Brian explains. So instead, he’d ask bigger, bolder questions, like “What can we do to surprise you?” or “What would it take for me to design something that you would literally tell every single person you’ve ever encountered?”
“What’s a 7-star experience? You knock on the door. Reid Hoffman opens it. ‘Welcome. I know you like surfing. There’s a surfboard; I’ve booked lessons for you. By the way, you can use my car. And I also want to surprise you. I got you a table at the best restaurant in the city of San Francisco.’ And you’re like, ‘Whoa. This is way beyond.’
This advice may seem paradoxical to readers of my book Blitzscaling, in which I articulate the counterintuitive rule, “Ignore Your Customers.” The common thread between “engage one-on-one with passionate customers” and “ignore your customers” is this: Find and focus on the customers who represent your scale opportunity, and ignore the others. Spending precious time and resources on responding to requests from the loudest of your current customers can distract you from the work that will win you millions of loyal, passionate future customers.
Brian no longer knocks on hosts’ doors or sleeps on their couches. Airbnb today is a public company that hardly resembles the scrappy little startup in the stories above. But handcrafting still matters to Brian. He relies on close contact with longtime hosts and customers for input on design and strategy.
What creates transformative travel? Connection—and leaving your comfort zone. “When you first go to a city, you need a welcome event within the first twenty-four or forty-eight hours where you’re around people,” Brian begins. “By day two or three, you need to have a challenge out of your comfort zone. If you do not leave your comfort zone, you do not remember the trip.
The team booked Ricardo a stay with a top-notch Airbnb host; took him to dinner parties; booked seats at a couple of the city’s best restaurants; even brought him on a midnight mystery bike tour.
August 17, 2024
Masters of Scale: Surprising Truths from the World's Most Successful Entrepreneurs by Reid Hoffman
"Masters of Scale" by Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, is an insightful exploration of the principles and strategies that drive successful entrepreneurship. Based on Hoffman's popular podcast, the book features interviews with some of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, offering valuable lessons and surprising truths about scaling businesses.
Key Themes
Scaling Strategies: Hoffman delves into the various strategies that entrepreneurs use to scale their businesses, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and innovation. He provides real-world examples from industry leaders, illustrating how they navigated challenges and seized opportunities.
The Role of Networks: The book highlights the significance of building and leveraging networks in entrepreneurship. Hoffman discusses how successful entrepreneurs tap into their connections to accelerate growth and gain valuable insights.
Embracing Uncertainty: Hoffman encourages entrepreneurs to embrace uncertainty and take calculated risks. He argues that the ability to pivot and adapt in the face of changing circumstances is crucial for long-term success.
Writing Style
Hoffman's writing is engaging and accessible, blending storytelling with practical advice. The conversational tone makes the book enjoyable to read, while the insights from prominent entrepreneurs add depth and credibility to the narrative.
Conclusion
"Masters of Scale" is a must-read for aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders looking to understand the dynamics of scaling a successful enterprise. Hoffman's insights and the stories of industry titans provide valuable lessons that can inspire and inform anyone on their entrepreneurial journey.
"Masters of Scale" by Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, is an insightful exploration of the principles and strategies that drive successful entrepreneurship. Based on Hoffman's popular podcast, the book features interviews with some of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, offering valuable lessons and surprising truths about scaling businesses.
Key Themes
Scaling Strategies: Hoffman delves into the various strategies that entrepreneurs use to scale their businesses, emphasizing the importance of adaptability and innovation. He provides real-world examples from industry leaders, illustrating how they navigated challenges and seized opportunities.
The Role of Networks: The book highlights the significance of building and leveraging networks in entrepreneurship. Hoffman discusses how successful entrepreneurs tap into their connections to accelerate growth and gain valuable insights.
Embracing Uncertainty: Hoffman encourages entrepreneurs to embrace uncertainty and take calculated risks. He argues that the ability to pivot and adapt in the face of changing circumstances is crucial for long-term success.
Writing Style
Hoffman's writing is engaging and accessible, blending storytelling with practical advice. The conversational tone makes the book enjoyable to read, while the insights from prominent entrepreneurs add depth and credibility to the narrative.
Conclusion
"Masters of Scale" is a must-read for aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders looking to understand the dynamics of scaling a successful enterprise. Hoffman's insights and the stories of industry titans provide valuable lessons that can inspire and inform anyone on their entrepreneurial journey.
January 16, 2022
Masters of Scale by Reid Hoffman Summary. This week's book, Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, shares how the world's successful entrepreneurs were able to start and grow their companies into a global brand.
Hey Guys! this is book # 2 of my 52-week book challenge wherein I aim to read 1 book a week or 52 books in a year! Here's a summary of my top 5 key takeaways from the book, "Masters of Scale" by Reid Hoffman Summary
https://youtu.be/FwbZzYATOBY
0:00 - start
0:33 - First Principles Thinking - Learn how the likes of Elon Musk is able to successfully enter and disrupt various industries by using this method of thinking
2:43 - the biggest ideas as contrarian - Learn how to look for the squirmy "NO" in spotting ideas that have potential
4:45 - Design the extreme and build backwards - Learn how airbnb was able to succeed by using this 11-star framework
6:37 - This should exist list - Learn how entrepreneurs are able to think of disruptive ideas
7:43 - Being in permanent BETA - Learn why this mindset can help you leapfrog your peers in the longrun
Thanks and to view more of my previous summaries, like and subscribe my Youtube Channel, Paolo Balinas
Now off to the next book! :)
P.S. Comment below on what was your key takeaway
#BookSummary #BookReview #MastersOfScale #ReidHoffman
Hey Guys! this is book # 2 of my 52-week book challenge wherein I aim to read 1 book a week or 52 books in a year! Here's a summary of my top 5 key takeaways from the book, "Masters of Scale" by Reid Hoffman Summary
https://youtu.be/FwbZzYATOBY
0:00 - start
0:33 - First Principles Thinking - Learn how the likes of Elon Musk is able to successfully enter and disrupt various industries by using this method of thinking
2:43 - the biggest ideas as contrarian - Learn how to look for the squirmy "NO" in spotting ideas that have potential
4:45 - Design the extreme and build backwards - Learn how airbnb was able to succeed by using this 11-star framework
6:37 - This should exist list - Learn how entrepreneurs are able to think of disruptive ideas
7:43 - Being in permanent BETA - Learn why this mindset can help you leapfrog your peers in the longrun
Thanks and to view more of my previous summaries, like and subscribe my Youtube Channel, Paolo Balinas
Now off to the next book! :)
P.S. Comment below on what was your key takeaway
#BookSummary #BookReview #MastersOfScale #ReidHoffman
December 23, 2023
I have a very bad opinion about books that are written this way, so this review might be extremely biased.
A book has to be coherent i.e. it has to talk about a topic and then move organically into another topic, it should not jump from one topic to the next in a random path.
You cannot pick up rags that you find on the road and make a beautiful coat with it, it would be a rag tag coat with patches.
This book unfortunately is bits and pieces that were collected across the podcast, this book unfortunately fails to create any impact, it falls flat, not sure what the author was trying to say, but this book is absolutely random. It flew away.
The book has no particular direction, it has no frameworks, it is just plain anecdotes from one founder to the next.
Needless to say i was extremely disappointed with this book. I wish i had read the reviews before reading the book anyway.
I am a big fan of blitzscaling and I wish to encounter something similar or better from the same author, but i was mistaken.
The Startup of You (Author)
Liars Poker
Blitzscaling (Author)
The Alliance (Author)
The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)
Andy Grove’s High Output Management.
Competing Against Luck by Clay Christensen and Karen Dillon;
The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
Principles by Ray Dhalio
A book has to be coherent i.e. it has to talk about a topic and then move organically into another topic, it should not jump from one topic to the next in a random path.
You cannot pick up rags that you find on the road and make a beautiful coat with it, it would be a rag tag coat with patches.
This book unfortunately is bits and pieces that were collected across the podcast, this book unfortunately fails to create any impact, it falls flat, not sure what the author was trying to say, but this book is absolutely random. It flew away.
The book has no particular direction, it has no frameworks, it is just plain anecdotes from one founder to the next.
Needless to say i was extremely disappointed with this book. I wish i had read the reviews before reading the book anyway.
I am a big fan of blitzscaling and I wish to encounter something similar or better from the same author, but i was mistaken.
The Startup of You (Author)
Liars Poker
Blitzscaling (Author)
The Alliance (Author)
The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)
Andy Grove’s High Output Management.
Competing Against Luck by Clay Christensen and Karen Dillon;
The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
Principles by Ray Dhalio
January 5, 2022
เหมือนรวมบทความจาก Podcast: Masters of Scale หากใครติดตามฟัง ผมคิดว่าไม่ได้มีของใหม่ออกมา
ให้ content 3 ดาว
ให้ Production 4 ดาว
แต่ถูกเรียบเรียงได้ดีขึ้น โดยส่วนตัวประทับใจ Production ของ Podcast มาก ในการเสพเล่มนี้ก็ตั้งใจเลือกฟังผ่าน Audible แล้วก็พบว่าคุณภาพเขาดีจริง
ตัว Reid เองเป็นเหมือนตัวพ่อของ Silicon Valley ที่แก่นแนวคิดคิอ Blitz scaling การเติบโตอย่างฟ้าผ่า
ซึ่งหากหลายคนนำไปใช้ ก็พบกับความผิดหวังมากกว่าความสำเร็จ เพราะเราต้องเข้าใจว่าการเติบโตอย่างรวดเร็วไม่ได้เหมาะกับทุกธรุกิจ
ใน Master of Scale ไม่ได้เน้นเรื่อง Scale ขนาดนั้น
แต่เน้นให้เห็นถึงมุมมอง จาก Founder ใน network ของ Reid เอง
แน่นอนคงไม่พ้น
1. Brian Chesky กับผู้ทำให้วลี Do thing that not scale ของ Paul Gram โด่งดัง
และ 10 Stars service level ผมชอบอันนี้นะ มันเป็นโจทย์ให้คิดว่า ถ้าบริการระดับห้าดาวเป็นอย่างไร แล้วหกดาวละ เจ็ดดาวละ แปดดาวละ
2. Classpass การ Recruite คนอย่างรวดเร็ว โดยใช้ระบบ referal จากเพื่อนพนักงานที่ทำงาน BCG, Mckinsy มาแล้ว เพราะคิดว่าบริษัทพวกนี้มีระบบ Recruit ที่ดี
3 . Culture จากเคส Uber เป็นสิ่งสำคัญ Pirate ไปไม่ดี Navy ไปก็น่าเบื่อ เขาเลยใช้คำว่า Ethical Pirate
4. Pivot การเปลี่ยนผ่านของ Slack อันนี้ฟังบ่อยคิดว่า ทำให้เกิด Myth จากเคสนี้
5. What they do, not what they say อย่าฟัง user ให้ดูพฤติกรรมที่เขาทำ (จริงๆ การดูคนก็เช่นกัน)
ให้ content 3 ดาว
ให้ Production 4 ดาว
แต่ถูกเรียบเรียงได้ดีขึ้น โดยส่วนตัวประทับใจ Production ของ Podcast มาก ในการเสพเล่มนี้ก็ตั้งใจเลือกฟังผ่าน Audible แล้วก็พบว่าคุณภาพเขาดีจริง
ตัว Reid เองเป็นเหมือนตัวพ่อของ Silicon Valley ที่แก่นแนวคิดคิอ Blitz scaling การเติบโตอย่างฟ้าผ่า
ซึ่งหากหลายคนนำไปใช้ ก็พบกับความผิดหวังมากกว่าความสำเร็จ เพราะเราต้องเข้าใจว่าการเติบโตอย่างรวดเร็วไม่ได้เหมาะกับทุกธรุกิจ
ใน Master of Scale ไม่ได้เน้นเรื่อง Scale ขนาดนั้น
แต่เน้นให้เห็นถึงมุมมอง จาก Founder ใน network ของ Reid เอง
แน่นอนคงไม่พ้น
1. Brian Chesky กับผู้ทำให้วลี Do thing that not scale ของ Paul Gram โด่งดัง
และ 10 Stars service level ผมชอบอันนี้นะ มันเป็นโจทย์ให้คิดว่า ถ้าบริการระดับห้าดาวเป็นอย่างไร แล้วหกดาวละ เจ็ดดาวละ แปดดาวละ
2. Classpass การ Recruite คนอย่างรวดเร็ว โดยใช้ระบบ referal จากเพื่อนพนักงานที่ทำงาน BCG, Mckinsy มาแล้ว เพราะคิดว่าบริษัทพวกนี้มีระบบ Recruit ที่ดี
3 . Culture จากเคส Uber เป็นสิ่งสำคัญ Pirate ไปไม่ดี Navy ไปก็น่าเบื่อ เขาเลยใช้คำว่า Ethical Pirate
4. Pivot การเปลี่ยนผ่านของ Slack อันนี้ฟังบ่อยคิดว่า ทำให้เกิด Myth จากเคสนี้
5. What they do, not what they say อย่าฟัง user ให้ดูพฤติกรรมที่เขาทำ (จริงๆ การดูคนก็เช่นกัน)
November 18, 2023
Попередня книга засновника Linkedin "Бліцмасштабування" мені дуже сподобалася. Тому пропустити нову книгу, та ще й в українському перекладі (треба читати англійською, але і підтримувати українського видавця) я просто не міг.
Перша істина підприємництва й інвестування - найкращі нові ідеї суперечливі.
Про що книга? Почати варто з того, що передумовою до книги був однойменний надзвичайно популярний подкаст. Але книга - це не текстова версія подкасту. Книга - це поструктурований гайд як вирішувати великі проблеми та масштабувати компанії.
Автор робить акцент на тому, що варто не чекати ідеального часу чи можливостей - в пошуках перфекціонізму можна прогавити ринок.
Класична підприємницька історія: продукти запускаються з словами надії та молитви, що не всі хиби усунуто;
бізнес відкривається, коли нікому відповідати на телефонні дзвінки; вебсайти запускаються на єдиному сервері який гуде від перевантаження.
Багато цікавий історій, про які я почув вперше, до прикладу як ніхто не вірив в Сімпсони. Багато вже заїжджених історій, типу про Nike.
Ми мріємо досягти масштабу
Масштабування - це не тільки наука, а й спосіб мислення, подорож, яка потребує однаково і віри в успіх, і готовності зазнати невдачі. Загалом цікаво, але очікував більшого. Моя оцінка 4 з 5.
Перша істина підприємництва й інвестування - найкращі нові ідеї суперечливі.
Про що книга? Почати варто з того, що передумовою до книги був однойменний надзвичайно популярний подкаст. Але книга - це не текстова версія подкасту. Книга - це поструктурований гайд як вирішувати великі проблеми та масштабувати компанії.
Автор робить акцент на тому, що варто не чекати ідеального часу чи можливостей - в пошуках перфекціонізму можна прогавити ринок.
Класична підприємницька історія: продукти запускаються з словами надії та молитви, що не всі хиби усунуто;
бізнес відкривається, коли нікому відповідати на телефонні дзвінки; вебсайти запускаються на єдиному сервері який гуде від перевантаження.
Багато цікавий історій, про які я почув вперше, до прикладу як ніхто не вірив в Сімпсони. Багато вже заїжджених історій, типу про Nike.
Ми мріємо досягти масштабу
Масштабування - це не тільки наука, а й спосіб мислення, подорож, яка потребує однаково і віри в успіх, і готовності зазнати невдачі. Загалом цікаво, але очікував більшого. Моя оцінка 4 з 5.
June 26, 2022
This is an easy read business book by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman describing how to grow an already established business. It is based on a famous podcast of the same name.
The book is divided into 10 chapters each describing a specific theme and different principles. In one of the chapters, the author explained how company culture is more important than strategy and culture will be the deciding factor of a company’s growth. The author has also shared the concept of designing a 11 star experience for your customer. 1 star is very bad and 11 star is out of the world and unrealistic. During the process of designing these experiences, you will find the sweet spot in between 1 star and 11 star that works for you and your customers. Just like these, there are various other principles explained in the book. The author has shared a lot of real world examples in each chapter from companies like Google, Facebook to Starbucks and Airbnb which will easily help in understanding the principles in detail.
For more such principles, please go through the book. Its a must read for those who have an established business and want to grow it to new heights.
The book is divided into 10 chapters each describing a specific theme and different principles. In one of the chapters, the author explained how company culture is more important than strategy and culture will be the deciding factor of a company’s growth. The author has also shared the concept of designing a 11 star experience for your customer. 1 star is very bad and 11 star is out of the world and unrealistic. During the process of designing these experiences, you will find the sweet spot in between 1 star and 11 star that works for you and your customers. Just like these, there are various other principles explained in the book. The author has shared a lot of real world examples in each chapter from companies like Google, Facebook to Starbucks and Airbnb which will easily help in understanding the principles in detail.
For more such principles, please go through the book. Its a must read for those who have an established business and want to grow it to new heights.
October 31, 2021
It's a blend of stories altogether - and kudos to the team for pulling the stories of the biggest companies that have scaled up in the recent years. Some are interesting (e.g. AirBnb, yahoo.), while most anecdotes I am already familiar with (e.g. Spanx, Canva, Nike, 23andme) and it feels a little generic (e.g. don't say no). Also, too much plug of his own Blitzscaling term. He does advocate that you should have an MVP you are embarrassed of, otherwise you have launched too late.
I learnt new things about how AirBnB scaled by giving their solid few customers the super VIP treatment and taking their feedback seriously; and how Yahoo's Marissa Meyer also grew well by focusing on the team within first because they know key areas to improve in.
Overall, I felt the flow was quite disjoint and sometimes I don't see the clear theme across the examples. Nonetheless, still a good reflection of successful companies in recent times. Good to pick up and read several snippets, but too many may not be most effective.
I learnt new things about how AirBnB scaled by giving their solid few customers the super VIP treatment and taking their feedback seriously; and how Yahoo's Marissa Meyer also grew well by focusing on the team within first because they know key areas to improve in.
Overall, I felt the flow was quite disjoint and sometimes I don't see the clear theme across the examples. Nonetheless, still a good reflection of successful companies in recent times. Good to pick up and read several snippets, but too many may not be most effective.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews