The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

That’s the hard thing about hard things-there is no formula for dealing with them.

There’s no recipe for building a high-tech company there’s no recipe for leading a group of people out of trouble there’s no recipe for making a series of hit songs there’s no recipe for playing NFL quarterback there’s no recipe for running for president and there’s no recipe for motivating teams when your business has turned to crap.

There’s no recipe for really complicated, dynamic situations. The problem with these books is that they attempt to provide a recipe for challenges that have no recipes. The hard thing is waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat when the dream turns into a nightmare. The hard thing is getting people to communicate within the organization that you just designed. The hard thing isn’t setting up an organizational chart. The hard thing is when those great people develop a sense of entitlement and start demanding unreasonable things. The hard thing isn’t hiring great people. The hard thing is laying people off when you miss the big goal. The hard thing isn’t setting a big, hairy, audacious goal. They done stole your dreams, you dunno who did it.'Įvery time I read a management or self-help book, I find myself saying, That’s fine, but that wasn’t really the hard thing about the situation. 'This the real world, homie, school finished A lifelong rap fanatic, he amplifies business lessons with lyrics from his favorite songs, telling it straight about everything from firing friends to poaching competitors, cultivating and sustaining a CEO mentality to knowing the right time to cash in.įilled with his trademark humor and straight talk, The Hard Thing About Hard Things is invaluable for veteran entrepreneurs as well as those aspiring to their own new ventures, drawing from Horowitz's personal and often humbling experiences. Ben Horowitz analyzes the problems that confront leaders every day, sharing the insights he’s gained developing, managing, selling, buying, investing in, and supervising technology companies. While many people talk about how great it is to start a business, very few are honest about how difficult it is to run one. Ben Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley's most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, offers essential advice on building and running a startup-practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems business school doesn’t cover, based on his popular ben’s blog.

The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz