Running a business is no cake walk. Of course we know that. But very few people actually come out and speak how hard things get while trying to start a business. Ben Horowitz is one such man. An investor, businessman and writer, Ben is the co-founder of Andreessen Horowtiz along with Marc Andreessen. He was the co-founder and CEO of Opsware, a software enterprise company. In 2014, he published his book The Hard Thing about Hard Thing: Building a Business When There are No Easy Answers. The book is an honest take on how much difficult it is for entrepreneurs and businessmen to actually build up a business. The book takes you through the high and low of the business building phases and gives it to you real.
People in the business world have their company to handle, along with their family and social life. And that is a hell of a job. They have to go through a lot of pressure everyday but still have to keep a straight face in front of investors, customers and staff. And it sure is never easy but they do it. The book gives us real life stories of Ben which makes us understand the depth of a businessman’s mentality and difficulties.
“Life is struggle.” I believe that within that quote lies the most important lesson in entrepreneurship: Embrace the struggle.”
And the book is not just about business, it is about real life and how everyone should deal with every situation. It’s about friends and families and support. It’s about making decisions, going wrong and amending. It’s about keeping your hope even when everything falls apart and you have no clue what to do. And most importantly, it’s about never stopping.
“Mediocre CEOs point to their brilliant strategic moves or their intuitive business sense or a variety of other self-congratulatory explanations. The great CEOs tend to be remarkably consistent in their answers. They all say, “I didn’t quit”.”
In his completely factual book, he recounts the times where he was very close to giving up on his goals and how he came out of his fears and finally managed to do it. He tells us about his journey, both professional and personal, throughout his engineering days to being the Co founder of Andreessen Horowtiz. In his examples, there are great lessons which everyone need to read, remember and put to use in his or her life. There is a great deal to learn from this book.
“No matter who you are, you need two kinds of friends in your life. The first kind is one you can call when something good happens, and you need someone who will be excited for you. Not a fake excitement veiling envy, but a real excitement. You need someone who will actually be more excited for you than he would be if it had happened to him. The second kind of friend is somebody you can call when things go horribly wrong—when your life is on the line and you only have one phone call.”
The book is not just for CEOs, aspiring CEOs, businessmen, entrepreneurs or startup founders. It’s for every individual who is looking for success and wants to know the real deal. And believe me, you will have fun reading this book; it’s filled with rap lyrics instead of inspirational quotes.
Hurry up, grab your copy now !
Image Source: vc.ru
