http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008SGNLWM/?tag=dedasys-20
Relationship books? Me? I never would have thought so. It just goes to show the power of selling to a niche. As a genre, it's not something I've ever been much interested in, and in terms of my own life, I feel like I've done a pretty good job navigating my own path (with a lot of help from the example set by my parents): I'm happily married to a wonderful woman with two great kids. But when I saw this book, I figured it'd be worth the time and the money if I learned anything that would make our lives better.
The book was good; I got a few ideas from it, and would recommend it to others. But I think it could have been more. Or perhaps a book is not the best format: the authors, Brad and Amy interviewed a number of other entrepreneurial couples, and it's pretty clear that there is no One Formula for what works. For instance, the authors do not have children, which is a huge difference. They realize and acknowledge that, and dedicate a chapter to the subject via interviews with people who do have kids, but to be honest, I feel like you could write a whole book from the point of view of a couple with kids, and include a chapter for those who don't: "you may not realize it, but you have a crapload of time, and no one really depends on you for such basics as eating, sleeping, and hygiene - enjoy it!". Maybe some kind of internet group/forum/mailing list might be a useful addition. I felt like I wanted to compare some notes with the people with kids, rather than just read what they wrote and leave it there. How do you manage weekends? How much time do you work? Do you have any plans for 'the future' when the parent working less gets to "take their turn"? Did you have to curtail your startup because of your family?
Also, the book is a bit conditioned by "survivorship bias": Brad is an extremely successful entrepreneur and investor - in terms of money, he's set for life. That does not happen to everyone. What about the couples that tried... and failed, perhaps going back to regular jobs? How much did the failed attempt cost them in terms of their relationship? Maybe it made it stronger? At what point do you give up? Brad and Amy do interview people who are in different situations than their own, but since they're the authors, it's natural that their voice is the strongest throughout the book.
The book conveyed some important messages like communicating a lot, and communicating well, but those were, paradoxically, the more 'universal' bits of advice that matter in any relationship. As someone who is, by nature, not really an entrepreneur but who has taken some steps in that direction, I would have been more interested in advice that's specific to those going "off the beaten path" of life working a steady "9-5" style job.
One thing that's easy to overlook, but I liked was a thorough bibliography and suggestions for 'further reading'. If I were interested in reading more about certain subjects, I would not have the faintest idea how to select a book, so their suggestions are appreciated.
A further point that one might wish for: some statistics. That would not be easy, because to even get them, you'd have to define "entrepreneur" or some other set of people, and then find out if you could even obtain data on them. Still though, it'd be interesting to see.
If it sounds like I'm being harsh, it's mostly that the book got me to thinking and wishing I could talk to other like-minded individuals about these issues. The book is good, and I would recommend it. For a few dollars and a few hours of reading time, if it improves your relationship at all, I'd call that a huge win.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Sheriff Bo Tully Mysteries
This is actually something of a series, although you could easily read them independently of one another. Here's the first book:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FCKRME/?tag=dedasys-20
I got the stomach flu a few weekends ago, and needed something easy and relaxing to read while I was sick. A couple of these books were just what the doctor ordered.
If you're not familiar with Patrick McManus, he has written a series of humorous books with anecdotes and short stories about the outdoor life in the west - specifically the Idaho panhandle area, where he grew up. Some of them are pretty entertaining.
These books, rather than being an "embellished" account of his own experiences, are fictional stories set in "Blight County" Idaho. While they are murder mysteries, McManus' dry humor comes through loud and clear.
The cast of characters are entertaining, and the plots keep you curious about whodunnit.
With a thought to my Italian friends, I'm not sure how much of the books would be lost on someone not familiar with small towns in out of the way places in the US. On the other hand, they're also a fun glimpse into the sort of town not often visited by tourists from abroad.
I can recommend the first two books of the series, which I have read: they're good, unpretentious, fun and funny stories. A great distraction from a busy life in a not-so-out-of-doorsy place.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FCKRME/?tag=dedasys-20
I got the stomach flu a few weekends ago, and needed something easy and relaxing to read while I was sick. A couple of these books were just what the doctor ordered.
If you're not familiar with Patrick McManus, he has written a series of humorous books with anecdotes and short stories about the outdoor life in the west - specifically the Idaho panhandle area, where he grew up. Some of them are pretty entertaining.
These books, rather than being an "embellished" account of his own experiences, are fictional stories set in "Blight County" Idaho. While they are murder mysteries, McManus' dry humor comes through loud and clear.
The cast of characters are entertaining, and the plots keep you curious about whodunnit.
With a thought to my Italian friends, I'm not sure how much of the books would be lost on someone not familiar with small towns in out of the way places in the US. On the other hand, they're also a fun glimpse into the sort of town not often visited by tourists from abroad.
I can recommend the first two books of the series, which I have read: they're good, unpretentious, fun and funny stories. A great distraction from a busy life in a not-so-out-of-doorsy place.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service: Inspire Timeless Loyalty in the Demanding New World of Social Commerce
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0080GUJVQ/?tag=dedasys-20
I wanted to like this book, and the author seems like a nice, competent guy, but I don't feel like I got that much out of it.
There is a lot of talk about how to do great customer service, and there are some useful ideas there. However, I felt that the economics of customer service were given short shrift.
And by economics, we're talking the classical definition of "the allocation of scarce resources". Not everyone can be an Apple or a four star hotel: some businesses don't have those kinds of margins. Now, granted, they can still follow a lot of the advice, but where resources are scarce, tradeoffs are involved, and in some kinds of businesses, you can't cater to the customer's every whim and still stay in business. Yes, as he says, there are probably too many businesses where there is too much focus on "the bottom line", where in reality a bit of courtesy and going out of your way to help would be an investment that pays you back with time. In any event, though, I felt like the book did not dedicate enough space to dealing with conflicts, and where to draw the line. If everyone who walked into a McDonalds started ordering burgers as if it were a four star restaurant, just to make up an absurd example, something would have to give: prices or service. You could say "ok, fine, you want a quality burger done your way, we'll up the prices", so that you can serve each person the burger of their heart's desire. Or - and this is what would probably happen in a real McDonalds - you'd politely say "sorry sir, we don't do that". You could say it with a smile, or make a joke about it, or even recommend another business, to leave a good impression with the customer. But you'd still have to say "no". If you're a social person, and genuinely in business to help people, it's pretty easy to go out of your way to help a customer. The difficult part is defining a culture, and a few guidelines to go along with it, that has a sense of what's ok and when to say "sorry, no".
This kind of problem comes up more often in a service business. Rational people do not go into a McDonalds expecting the best burger of their lives. It's a product. Not a great one, but a very standardized one where people know what they're getting. With a lot of services, things are not so well defined. A customer wants "a web site", and maybe has some vague notions of what that means, but may not even know what they want until they start to see it. And then they want to tweak this, or that. And then change something else. If you're the guy building the web site, those changes and extra work cost you time and money, and, at some point, you're going to have to say "no, sorry, that's going to cost extra".
The other thing that I didn't get from the book was much practical advice. I'm not sure who his audience is, but I'm just starting to build up customer service for my own small business, LiberWriter.com and trying to do it on a fairly tight budget. Specific, concrete tips and tricks to make things work better that would save me painful learning experiences, and do so with my very limited resources, would have been very, very welcome and paid for the book many times over.
It did have some good bits, but with books like this, I'm more in the market for practical advice. I'm not looking for a "timeless classic" that I'll keep coming back to for wisdom and philosophy, but a book that will help me bootstrap a solid customer service system and culture within my own small business.
I wanted to like this book, and the author seems like a nice, competent guy, but I don't feel like I got that much out of it.
There is a lot of talk about how to do great customer service, and there are some useful ideas there. However, I felt that the economics of customer service were given short shrift.
And by economics, we're talking the classical definition of "the allocation of scarce resources". Not everyone can be an Apple or a four star hotel: some businesses don't have those kinds of margins. Now, granted, they can still follow a lot of the advice, but where resources are scarce, tradeoffs are involved, and in some kinds of businesses, you can't cater to the customer's every whim and still stay in business. Yes, as he says, there are probably too many businesses where there is too much focus on "the bottom line", where in reality a bit of courtesy and going out of your way to help would be an investment that pays you back with time. In any event, though, I felt like the book did not dedicate enough space to dealing with conflicts, and where to draw the line. If everyone who walked into a McDonalds started ordering burgers as if it were a four star restaurant, just to make up an absurd example, something would have to give: prices or service. You could say "ok, fine, you want a quality burger done your way, we'll up the prices", so that you can serve each person the burger of their heart's desire. Or - and this is what would probably happen in a real McDonalds - you'd politely say "sorry sir, we don't do that". You could say it with a smile, or make a joke about it, or even recommend another business, to leave a good impression with the customer. But you'd still have to say "no". If you're a social person, and genuinely in business to help people, it's pretty easy to go out of your way to help a customer. The difficult part is defining a culture, and a few guidelines to go along with it, that has a sense of what's ok and when to say "sorry, no".
This kind of problem comes up more often in a service business. Rational people do not go into a McDonalds expecting the best burger of their lives. It's a product. Not a great one, but a very standardized one where people know what they're getting. With a lot of services, things are not so well defined. A customer wants "a web site", and maybe has some vague notions of what that means, but may not even know what they want until they start to see it. And then they want to tweak this, or that. And then change something else. If you're the guy building the web site, those changes and extra work cost you time and money, and, at some point, you're going to have to say "no, sorry, that's going to cost extra".
The other thing that I didn't get from the book was much practical advice. I'm not sure who his audience is, but I'm just starting to build up customer service for my own small business, LiberWriter.com and trying to do it on a fairly tight budget. Specific, concrete tips and tricks to make things work better that would save me painful learning experiences, and do so with my very limited resources, would have been very, very welcome and paid for the book many times over.
It did have some good bits, but with books like this, I'm more in the market for practical advice. I'm not looking for a "timeless classic" that I'll keep coming back to for wisdom and philosophy, but a book that will help me bootstrap a solid customer service system and culture within my own small business.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC12BO/?tag=dedasys-20
Nearly 30 years old, this book still carries itself quite well. Lots of business books are faddish, attempting to capitalize on whatever is trendy. Others have one good central idea that could be described in 5 pages, and are fluffed out to make them book length. But I found a number of concepts that were relevant in this book, indeed, many that I've read in other, much later books, so it felt like a highly worthwhile read. The book's age also helps in another way: rather than focus on the hot startup du jour, the examples are a bit more abstract, in that many of them are not so relevant today. In other words, Apple makes an appearance, but so does Wang Laboratories. That's a good thing, because it lets you focus on the idea being conveyed without confusing the issue with all of the hype and excitement about what's popular right now.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship opens with a discussion of different kinds of innovation. Quoting from the book:
Indeed, this is a theme common throughout the book: highly visible high tech innovation of the sort typified by, and glorified in Silicon Valley is probably more of the exception rather than the rule.
Something I noticed throughout the book were ideas I've seen in other, later business books, like Steve Blank's "get out of the building", or this quote about attacking a niche:
In any event, there's a lot of good material, and it's impossible to summarize all of it, so I'll conclude that this is a good one that is still relevant 30 years after having been written.
Nearly 30 years old, this book still carries itself quite well. Lots of business books are faddish, attempting to capitalize on whatever is trendy. Others have one good central idea that could be described in 5 pages, and are fluffed out to make them book length. But I found a number of concepts that were relevant in this book, indeed, many that I've read in other, much later books, so it felt like a highly worthwhile read. The book's age also helps in another way: rather than focus on the hot startup du jour, the examples are a bit more abstract, in that many of them are not so relevant today. In other words, Apple makes an appearance, but so does Wang Laboratories. That's a good thing, because it lets you focus on the idea being conveyed without confusing the issue with all of the hype and excitement about what's popular right now.
But—and this defines entrepreneur and entrepreneurship—the entrepreneur always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity
Innovation and Entrepreneurship opens with a discussion of different kinds of innovation. Quoting from the book:
- The unexpected—the unexpected success, the unexpected failure, the unexpected outside event;
- The incongruity—between reality as it actually is and reality as it is assumed to be or as it “ought to be”
- Innovation based on process need;
- Changes in industry structure or market structure that catch everyone unawares. The second set of sources for innovative opportunity, a set of three, involves changes outside the enterprise or industry:
- Demographics (population changes);
- Changes in perception, mood, and meaning;
- New knowledge, both scientific and nonscientific
Indeed, this is a theme common throughout the book: highly visible high tech innovation of the sort typified by, and glorified in Silicon Valley is probably more of the exception rather than the rule.
Something I noticed throughout the book were ideas I've seen in other, later business books, like Steve Blank's "get out of the building", or this quote about attacking a niche:
Once that beachhead has been secured, that is, once the newcomers have an adequate market and an adequate revenue stream, they then move on to the rest of the “beach” and finally to the whole “island.”Which is pretty much exactly the strategy espoused in Crossing the Chasm .
In any event, there's a lot of good material, and it's impossible to summarize all of it, so I'll conclude that this is a good one that is still relevant 30 years after having been written.
Monday, January 14, 2013
The Millionaire Next Door
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004DNWPY4/?tag=dedasys-20
I liked the premise of this book a lot, but like a lot of "business" books, it could be summed up pretty easily. Indeed, since the book praises thrift so much, one could start by saving the money and reading the Wikipedia summary instead:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Millionaire_Next_Door
The basic idea is that you should spend less than you earn. Even if you have a high paying job - "a good offense", without saving your money - "a good defense" - you're never going to accumulate much. Especially avoid spending for "status" items like fancy clothes or cars - save and invest the money instead.
This is backed up with statistics, demonstrating that many people who are wealthy keep a tight rein on their spending habits.
The book also spends a lot of time dwelling on the adult children of the wealthy, which I found less interesting, given that my parents, while wonderful people, have not accumulated that kind of money, and neither am I likely to.
The other nagging doubt I'm left with is that it's easy to say "save save save", but, as they say, "you can't take it with you", either, so spending some on the finer things in life seems like it has some value too. Say, a nice vacation with your family that will always be happily remembered: that's something that is certainly not an "asset" in the accounting sense. I suppose the answer lies in the discussion of budgeting for things in your life, but could have been discussed and elaborated a bit more. I'd certainly like to be financially independent too, but if the cost is living like a monk... at a certain point maybe you have to say it's not worth it.
In any event, I liked the central message of the book about not "trying to keep up with the Joneses" and living frugally, but I'm not sure I'd say the book is worth your time or money when a good summary is readily available.
I liked the premise of this book a lot, but like a lot of "business" books, it could be summed up pretty easily. Indeed, since the book praises thrift so much, one could start by saving the money and reading the Wikipedia summary instead:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Millionaire_Next_Door
The basic idea is that you should spend less than you earn. Even if you have a high paying job - "a good offense", without saving your money - "a good defense" - you're never going to accumulate much. Especially avoid spending for "status" items like fancy clothes or cars - save and invest the money instead.
This is backed up with statistics, demonstrating that many people who are wealthy keep a tight rein on their spending habits.
The book also spends a lot of time dwelling on the adult children of the wealthy, which I found less interesting, given that my parents, while wonderful people, have not accumulated that kind of money, and neither am I likely to.
The other nagging doubt I'm left with is that it's easy to say "save save save", but, as they say, "you can't take it with you", either, so spending some on the finer things in life seems like it has some value too. Say, a nice vacation with your family that will always be happily remembered: that's something that is certainly not an "asset" in the accounting sense. I suppose the answer lies in the discussion of budgeting for things in your life, but could have been discussed and elaborated a bit more. I'd certainly like to be financially independent too, but if the cost is living like a monk... at a certain point maybe you have to say it's not worth it.
In any event, I liked the central message of the book about not "trying to keep up with the Joneses" and living frugally, but I'm not sure I'd say the book is worth your time or money when a good summary is readily available.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Warrior's Wings & Odyssey One
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005QOX3ZY/?tag=dedasys-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ML0EZS/?tag=dedasys-20
I read a lot of informative, interesting non-fiction, but sometimes I need to relax a bit, and depending on the mood I'm in, Science Fiction or Westerns are my preferred genres. Some of my favorite SciFi authors include Neal Stephenson, Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven; they write interesting stuff as well as good stories. Sometimes, though, it's fun to read a good old "space opera" with "good guys" vs evil aliens. These books fall firmly into that category. Tough, strong men and women go head to head against malevolent aliens with sometimes superior technology...and come out ahead.
The first set of books is about a contested world where a foot soldier is dropped into a fight she was never expecting, and forms (in the first book) a guerilla squad to fight the aliens.
The second set is about the voyages of the Odyssey One, which makes humanity's first contact, on its maiden voyage, with both friendly and very, very unfriendly aliens.
I'm not sure either book contains any particularly novel ideas, but if you like science fiction with a military bent, they're fun reading. They both include battles both in space and on the ground with futuristic weapons, although the former has more ground combat, and the latter more fighting in space.
In short, it's some good entertaining escapist reading.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ML0EZS/?tag=dedasys-20
I read a lot of informative, interesting non-fiction, but sometimes I need to relax a bit, and depending on the mood I'm in, Science Fiction or Westerns are my preferred genres. Some of my favorite SciFi authors include Neal Stephenson, Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven; they write interesting stuff as well as good stories. Sometimes, though, it's fun to read a good old "space opera" with "good guys" vs evil aliens. These books fall firmly into that category. Tough, strong men and women go head to head against malevolent aliens with sometimes superior technology...and come out ahead.
The first set of books is about a contested world where a foot soldier is dropped into a fight she was never expecting, and forms (in the first book) a guerilla squad to fight the aliens.
The second set is about the voyages of the Odyssey One, which makes humanity's first contact, on its maiden voyage, with both friendly and very, very unfriendly aliens.
I'm not sure either book contains any particularly novel ideas, but if you like science fiction with a military bent, they're fun reading. They both include battles both in space and on the ground with futuristic weapons, although the former has more ground combat, and the latter more fighting in space.
In short, it's some good entertaining escapist reading.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Thinking Statistically
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005YOL2Z4/?tag=dedasys-20
Odds are, if you have enjoyed the other books I've reviewed, you'll like this one too. Sorry, kidding! But I did enjoy this one, even though it's a bit on the brief side: the three chapters are about "selection bias", "endogenity" and "Bayes". All are well written in terms that someone like me, without a lot of math, can easily understand, without appearing to be too dumbed down. I particularly appreciated the chapter on Bayes, because while the other ideas are fairly sensible, Bayes doesn't seem 100% obvious at first glance, so a thorough explanation of the basic idea is very welcome. It's priced ok for the short lengthy, but I would have gladly paid more for a longer book with more topics centered around the idea of "how can this be applied in real life?".
Odds are, if you have enjoyed the other books I've reviewed, you'll like this one too. Sorry, kidding! But I did enjoy this one, even though it's a bit on the brief side: the three chapters are about "selection bias", "endogenity" and "Bayes". All are well written in terms that someone like me, without a lot of math, can easily understand, without appearing to be too dumbed down. I particularly appreciated the chapter on Bayes, because while the other ideas are fairly sensible, Bayes doesn't seem 100% obvious at first glance, so a thorough explanation of the basic idea is very welcome. It's priced ok for the short lengthy, but I would have gladly paid more for a longer book with more topics centered around the idea of "how can this be applied in real life?".
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