A Plethora of Business Hacks—abridged

 Roel de Graaf has compiled an impressive list of “hacks” in his new book 180 Business Hacks. Each is presented in groups and with short paragraph descriptions. Many come with a citation to the originator (author, book). As you read through them, you’ll need to discern which ones apply. Many overlap. The short descriptions whet your appetite but won’t allow you to execute the idea fully: for that, you’ll need to dive into the original source on those or look for other references. Some hacks overlap and seem redundant. Others are contradictory—but that’s okay at times. Business is full of contradictions, like there’s good friction (a slowing effect that keeps you from making a mistake) and bad friction (a slowing effect that hinders progress). Or adages like “never give up” but you want to also “fail fast and adapt.” The author doesn’t spend time to sort out the contradictions or the overlaps or describe what scenarios are appropriate for any particular hack. You’re on your own for that.

Still, this is a worthwhile collection if you need to learn from others’ experiences or thoughts or you need to drive your wheels out of a business rut.

I’m appreciative of the publisher for providing an advanced copy.

Great Requires Obsession?

At last week's Global Leadership Summit, Craig Groeschl--lead pastor at the hugely successful Live.Church enterprise and author of multiple books--mentioned that good requires motivation...but great requires obsession. His challenge was to "focus relentlessly" and grow through saying "no" to many opportunities. A large obstacle to focus and growth is busy-ness and overcommitment.

I've been coaching entrepreneurs and business leaders for decades and I see leaders get distracted by shiny, new opportunities. They forget to "major on the majors [issues] and minor on the minors [issues]." They look at all kinds of revenue opportunities as a win, even if it draws resources from core operations. 

One CEO kept wanting to expand the business by creating a subsidiary, even while the core business was struggling. Another entrepreneur trying to escape a career trajectory was drawn to an opportunity that would have dragged her back into that trajectory because the opportunity vibrated a nostalgic nerve. Another entrepreneur has a business and two non-profits, wants to focus on the business but mostly talks about the non-profits. Another wanted to hit a revenue goal. We logically thought through the (easy) potential of capturing a few large projects versus trying to achieve the goal through multiples of smaller projects. Until we did this, he was pursuing marketing channels that generated more smaller project leads.

Sometimes we make business more complicated than it needs to be. At its essences, business is pretty simple: focus on what you're good/great at, and that people will pay you for and you have fun with. (Collins' Hedgehog Principle, with apologies to all the grammarians out there)