Yesterday I read Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson – the guys behind 37signals and products such as BaseCamp and Highrise.

While controversial is probably too strong a word to describe the book it certainly is not your standard business guide. When you boil it down the book could almost be described as common sense though I expect there are many who would disagree!

Some of the section headings that show this non-conventional approach to starting a business include:

Ignore the real world

Learning from mistakes is overrated

Planning is guessing

Build half a product, not a half-assed product

Throw less at the problem

Good enough is fine

Underdo your competition

I could go on and on but you can see the theme. As book it was certainly an easy read and I was surprised how quick I got through it.

That said I think I will read it again soon as there was an enormous amount to take in – though as with all my reading I take all the ideas and concepts with a grain of salt and adopt aspects that I feel will benefit my business and me most.

It is a common myth that success is built on great ideas. While it is important to have an idea to begin a business, true success comes from execution and actually making the idea a reality.

I have recently read Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky that is all about the execution side of ideas. You’ll notice the book is from a website called the 99 percent – highlighting that the ideas is only the first 1%.

The book gives a number of good pointers as to how to turn ideas into reality while at the same time highlighting why in many cases ideas never see the light of day. It talked about the challenges in team building and leadership that also hinder many ideas.

The recent issue of Idealog had an article on the Casualties of coincidence which looks at plagiarism and how many ideas emerge at the same time from different places. At the end of the article there was a link to a Malcolm Gladwell article that talks about the fact that many of histories great inventions were actually invented by more people than receive credit.

The article is a great read and it talks about a firm that has been set up simply to invent ideas which reinforces the theory that the idea is only the start.

If you enjoy Gladwell’s article then I also recommend his latest book What the Dog Saw – a collection of articles he has written for the New Yorker.

Its been a few months since I last reported on my MBA studies. In that time Quarter 2 came and went and then I withdrew from the course.

While I can see value in what the course offered for many of the participants for me it was really a case of not adding value. When I looked at both the actual cost and the time involved it really wasn’t adding up, and as a result was also limiting the time I could invest in my business.

I enjoyed the classes but at the same time felt limited in what else I could fit in – since quarter 2 finished I have read 6 books and have another 6 in my pile still to read.

On the upside it provided me a discipline of working on my business one day a week – a habit I plan to continue.

Quarter 3 is now under way and I wish my team mates well as they continue their studies.

Idealog recently published a review of a fantastic eBook by Michael Carney or marketingrebooted.co.nz

The comic-book style eBook is a great read for anyone involved or wants to get started in marketing via social media.