April, 2010

Often a good idea hits a road block and that's the end of it. Challenges thwart our progress. We don't know how to overcome them, and frequently, that's enough to make us find an easier solution or abandon an idea altogether. We move on and forget. No big deal. I've had vendors (printers, sign-makers, fabricators, etc) respond to my requests saying "that will be really challenging" or "we don't want to go down that road because of the difficulties in [whatever]." Lame. Quit using "that would be hard" as a reason to NOT do something. If you ask me it's a better reason to go for it.

You think it was easy to land on the moon? Was there a nice path leading to the top of Mt. Everest? Is everything that's worth doing easy? No way. Buck up! I'd venture that if it's not easy, then it's probably more worth doing. My most rewarding projects have been those that didn't have a ready-made solution waiting for me, no how-to book available and no one saying "sure, you can do that". It's more interesting when people say "you're crazy." Now we're talking. Now that's is a challenge worth looking into.

Check out this BBC video. It's a behind-the-scenes look at shooting one scene from their "Nature Collection." Was it was easy to shoot this scene? Was there a reay-made how-to explaining the process? Hardly. They had to figure it out for themselves. They had to invent new tools and equipment, customize, build and modify. I don't think you can go down to the camera store and buy a bicycle-wheel-on-a-tripod dolly advancement rig. You have to come up with that on your own.

My point is this: There is always a way, it might not be easy. You might not be able to go buy the equipment you need. You might have to invent it yourself. You might not be able to find a step-by-step process on the Web. You might have to be the one to write it. Do it! You wanted to be an explorer when you were a kid, but the whole world has been mapped for 200 years. Well this is your chance. Quit looking for off-the-shelf solutions and break something trying to make it do something that it wasn't intended to do. Explore. Experiment. Make mistakes and try again.

Break your idea down into one problem at a time and start solving them, however long it takes. "That will take too long" is another weak excuse. Boo. A year from now you'll be looking back thinking that you could have had a year's worth of experience under your belt but instead you gave up. Don't make that mistake again this year. Start now, and a year from now you'll be amazing yourself. The years roll by quickly. This is one case where you can use this to your advantage. It's not too late. It's not too hard.

Thanks to Shelby White for posting this inspiring video on his blog.

Earlier this week, a few of us decided to throw a waffle breakfast surprise for our hardworking PBDH teammates. Boy, were they surprised. Just the smiles on their faces alone made it all worth it.

We had 3 different waffle makers and all the delicious toppings you would ever want on your waffles from strawberries, blueberries, coconut sprinkles, pecans, powdered sugar, butter, maple syrup and our favorite NUTELLA!

You can check out more photos of us stuffing our faces on our Facebook page.

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeir Hansson
Founders of 37signals

Jason and David reveal to us their views on business—how to start one, build one, and grow — or not grow — one. This book is unlike most business books, both in its simplicity and message. They briefly discuss several ideas that are mostly common sense, but very useful insights none-the-less. These guys lay it out there in black and white fashion. Here's just a few topics they cover:

- Don't take outside investment
- You're better off with a kick-ass half, than a half-assed whole
- No time is no excuse
- Don't try to grow indefinitely
- Don't always listen to your customers
- Scratch your own itch
- Decisions are temporary

Also, so you get a sense of their writing style... here's an excerpt from the chapter on Culture.

Send people home at 5
The dream employee for a lot of companies is a twenty something with as little a life as possible outside of work—someone who'll be fine working fourteen-hour days and sleeping under his desk.

But packing a room full of these burn-the-midnight oil types isn't as great as it seems. It lets you get away with lousy execution. It perpetuates myths like "This is the only way we can compete against the big guys." You don't need more hours; you need better hours.

When people have something to do at home, they get down to business. They get their work done at the office because they have somewhere else to be. They find ways to be more efficient because they have to. They need to pick up the kids or get to choir practice. So they use their time wisely.

As the saying goes, "If you want something done, ask the busiest person you know." You want busy people. People who have a life out side of work. People who care more about more than one thing. You shouldn't expect the job to be someone's entire life—at least not if you want to keep them around for a long time.

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I selected this chapter as an example... as it resonates with my ideas of success and creating balance in life—family, work, health, interests, and hobbies. This book strives for honesty and does not just feed you hype. Business books, schools and people themselves like to over-complicate business. This book is a quick read with many intriguing ideas... some of which are quickly becoming the new norm. I'm planning to keep Rework on my desk as a reality check for myself.