What are the rules that govern your small business?
For Alan Webber, author of a new book, “Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business Without Losing Yourself,” the answer to this question is important, especially in today’s rapidly changing world.
Webber is the cofounding editor of Fast Company magazine, one of our favorite small business magazines. Before he launched Fast Company in 1995, he was the managing editor of the Harvard Business Review.
As the subtitle indicates, Webber describes his 52 rules of thumb for success in business. He gathered these truths on 3×5 index cards over the past 40 years. They come from his experience working in city government in Portland, Ore., running Fast Company magazine, and insights from conversations with business leaders while at the Harvard Business Review.
We love the book for its stimulating and inspiring content. His common-sense rules are applicable to every type of small business. New and veteran entrepreneurs will glean value from lessons learned in these rules. Our favorite rule is “Rule 45: Failure isn’t failing. Failure is failing to try.”
For the busy entrepreneur who doesn’t have extra time to read many books from start to finish the format is perfect. You can start anywhere, Rule 12 or Rule 35. In fact, Webber suggests that you “read one rule a week and make reading the book a year of self-discovery.”
We found it helpful to read and then reread each rule, taking the time to reflect on its message before moving on to the next one.
Each rule begins with an engaging story of how he learned the rule, followed by a “So What?” section where he describes its practical everyday application.
For Webber, as he writes in the introduction, this book is about: “What works. It’s about a way of learning what works and applying to your own life. It’s about the value of experience and observation — of life lived and life reflected on. It’s about what all of us can learn from our own experience and from each other. It’s about change — and how to make sense of change. And it’s about what doesn’t change, the fundamentals of a life well lived and work well done.”
At the end of the book, Webber encourage readers to build on their own rules by developing a set of 3×5 cards that can “guide you through and past these turbulent times.” For this purpose, he also intentionally left one of last pages blank with just “Rule 53” printed at the top of the page.
He also has created a Web site www.rulesofthumbbook.com where individuals can post their own rules and share them.
The rest of our favorite rules from the book are:
Rule 2. Every company is running for office. To win, give the voters what they want.
Rule 13. Learn to take no as a question.
Rule 21. Great leaders answer Tom Peters’ great question: “How can I capture the world’s imagination?
Rule 23. Keep two lists: What gets you up in the morning? What keeps you up at night?
Rule 25. If you want to change the game, change the customer expectations.
Rule 36. Message to entrepreneurs: Managing your emotional flow is more critical than managing your cash flow.
We see this book as a call to spend the necessary time thinking strategically about your business. This book will help with that process. It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operation and lose sight of the big picture. Creating a set of rules for your industry and business is an effective tool to plan for the long-term viability and success of your business.
Pat Sisneros is the vice president of College Services at Everett Community College. Lynne Munoz is director for the School of Business Design. Send your comments to entrepreneurship@everettcc.edu.
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