Reading is one of my favorite pastimes and books are the core of many individuals not so secret sauce to growth, ideation, and success. From time to time, I will return deep dive into some of my favorite books. Many of them cover so much ground, I may return to them a few times! Although my to-read list is way too long already, I am always open to new suggestions. Today, I’d like to introduce you to The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz.

This book is frequently included on book lists for entrepreneurs and it was recommended to me quite often before I finally got around to reading it last year. It was great time as it was also around the same time that I decided I wanted to dive in and get to launching some business ideas. Its a book all about what can and will go wrong. This may seem like a discouraging book to read before and while you’re launching something but I think its better to consider such ideas at the outset rather than in the middle of things. Proactive problem solving is far more cost-effective than reactive problem solving!

Ben Horowitz is one of my favorite contemporary business luminaries and very much worth following. He has a pragmatic and logical approach to life and business that is quite approachable.  He co-founded and led Opsware to an acquisition by HP and then co-founded the preeminent Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen-Horowitz which, yes, carries his name.  The Hard Thing about Hard Things is written out of Horowitz’s experience working at Netscape (among other companies), founding Opsware, and seeing hundreds of entrepreneurs through his role at Andreessen-Horowitz.

When I read books like this – or really any non-fiction and some fiction too – is to take notes of some of my favorite passages and places I want to return on a piece of paper I use as a bookmark.  This bookmark is pretty full! I will be returning back here a few times.

He covers his personal story, with some great throwback anecdotes, through launching Andreessen-Horowitz, throughout the book. The focus of the book is on the actual nuts and bolts of running things. He covers layoffs, demoting friends, competing, communication, workplace politics, bad employees, and a whole lot more. He also spends a lot of time diving into the role of CEO (or whatever its called at a particular company) and why the job is so different. For one, you cannot learn how to be the final place the buck stops until you are there and even then, each role is different than another.

More than just bad news or virtually unattainable rules though its a book about managing, leading, and communicating. There may be no rules to entrepreneurship but manage yourself, treat others with respect and honesty, and be bold and there is hope. I have already found this book extremely valuable in launching our Burnor brands and companies as well as in my day to day job.

A few of my favorite take away’s that will be returned to:

“If this advice sounds too familiar, and you find yourself wondering why your honest employees are lying to you, the answer is they are not. They are lying to themselves. And if you believe them, you are lying to yourself.” (p. 87 of the copy linked to)

“Spend zero time on what you could have done, and devote all your time on what you might do. Because in the end, nobody cares; just run your company.” (p 92)

“It’s important to supplement a great product vision with a strong discipline around the metrics, but if you substitute metrics for product vision, you will not get what you want.” (p132)

“Focus on where you are going rather than on what you hope to avoid.” (p. 207)

I could go on and on but you get it. He tells his stories, backs up his thoughts with anecdotes, data, and experience and sometimes comes to some fairly provocative conclusions. However, a lot of them are much less provocative the more you think about them and you realize they are simply good pieces of advice. 

This book is great for CEO’s (so I’m told, I’ll let you know), executive leaders, management, and our day to day living. Life is not easy and sometimes we have to face The Hard Thing about Hard Things.