It’s Only Common Sense: Invest in Yourself—You’re Your Most Important Resource
Dan's Biz Bookshelf: 'Revenge of the Tipping Point'
Marcy's Musings: Engineering Economics
Book Review: Becoming Facebook—The 10 Challenges that Defined the Company That’s Disrupting the World
June 18, 2018 | Dan BeaulieuEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Becoming Facebook: The 10 Challenges that Defined the Company That’s Disrupting the World
Author: Mike Hoefflinger
Amacon, 2018
Price $ 24.95
This book has everything you wanted to know about Facebook and were afraid to ask…well almost afraid to ask! Okay we’ll let’s start with those 10 challenges as described in the title of the book:
- Knowing whether your next thing is your last thing.
- Add by subtracting.
- Know your North Star Metric, Magic moment and core value.
- Everybody wins if you democratize something for customers of all sizes.
- Speed is a feature.
- Crossing the chasm is the best defense.
- Disrupt yourself before someone else does.
- Some long games are worth playing if you take care of business in the meantime.
- Employee engagement is everything. Fit to people’s strengths and ignore weaknesses.
- Care more.
As you can tell these are more guidelines than they are challenges, by which I mean they are the answers to challenges that Facebook has had to face over the years.
Besides being an excellent history book into one of the most fascinating companies in the world, it is also a great business book. Full disclosure, I wanted to read this book because I wanted to know the Facebook story. I did not expect any of the lessons in this book to apply to me and my own small business or the small businesses that I work with, but I was wrong. The book is filled with valuable lessons that can be applied to any company, no matter the size.
Here are a few:
- The value of self-disruption: If things are going okay with your company, it takes a great deal of courage to decide when you have to change things, especially if you are taking a risk that the change might not work or be for the better. It still must happen sometimes.
- People: It’s all about the people, no matter how technology-driven a company is you still have to remember that any business, as in life, is people dealing with people. And when managing people, it is always better to figure out what they do best and work with that.
- Not all investments in your company are good. Although the money might be tempting, especially when you really need it. But if the people offering to partner with you are out of alignment with you…only bad things will happen. Therefore, it is often better to move on.
If you want to know about Facebook, this is an excellent place to start. If you want to know about how a company grows to mega-size, this is a great story. If you just want to learn more about how to successfully run our business, surprisingly, this book will work for you as well.
Share on:
Suggested Items
HANZA Wins New Customer in Germany
11/25/2024 | HANZAHANZA AB, listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, continues to secure new business, and has entered a manufacturing partnership with a leading German company specializing in advanced measurement equipment for mechanical components.
Heilind Asia Pacific Awarded 2024 'Best Strategic Account Development' by TE Connectivity
11/25/2024 | GlobeNewswireHeilind Asia Pacific is excited to share that it has received the 2024 Best Strategic Account Development Award from TE Connectivity, in recognition of the company's outstanding performance in driving business growth and strengthening strategic customer relationships.
It’s Only Common Sense: Invest in Yourself—You’re Your Most Important Resource
11/25/2024 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseMost Saturdays, I take the time to invest in myself. I usually have a couple of books I’ve saved for the day. Sometimes, I watch videos germane to the topics I am studying. I take a lot of notes then go for a long walk to think about the information I picked up earlier that day. It works. By the end of the day, I have two or three great ideas for my business, my customers, and how I can help them.
ESCATEC Appoints Steven Waterston to Lead Mechatronics Sales
11/20/2024 | ESCATECGrowth-focused, electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider, ESCATEC, has appointed industry veteran Steven Waterston as a Director of Business Development, effective immediately. He will lead ESCATEC’s initiatives to secure new mechatronics projects globally, by leveraging on the Group’s expertise and technical capabilities in meeting the needs of OEMs in this market segment.
It’s Only Common Sense: You Need to Learn to Say ‘No’
11/18/2024 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common SenseWhy is it so hard to say “no?” I am a people pleaser, so this is a problem I deal with all the time. Most of us like to say “yes,” and we like to help people, especially when they are offering a business deal that looks like a genuine opportunity. Business opportunities come from all directions, and it’s tempting to say “yes” to them all. However, saying “yes” to everything can dilute your focus, spread your resources too thin, and pull you away from your core goals. Learning to say “no” is not just a skill; it’s necessary for success. It’s only common sense.