Author: Fast Company
Publisher: Currency
Year Published: 2005
Rating: 
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Though they acknowledge that there are no hard-and-fast rules that will guarantee success for your business, Fast Company has put together a list of their top 55 rules of business that will point you in the right direction. The book combines the insights of several of the top consultants and academics with the wisdom and experience of top business executives. Some of the big names include Amazon.com’s Jeff Bezos, Intel’s Andy Grove, Tom Peters, Michael Porter and Bill Gates.
The book is broken into 22 sections that focus on a variety of business disciplines like strategy, decision making, execution, hiring, risk management, and marketing. Each section contains an essay that discusses the chapter theme, quotes and insights from business experts, Fast Company’s rules, and a takeaway checklist you can put into action. There are also 3 indexes: sources used (most come from Fast Company articles or business books), quote titles, and authors.
At its core, this is an inspirational book designed to get you thinking about each aspect of your business. It’s not going to teach you a step-by-step methodology to communicate more clearly or produce better marketing. Rather, it’s an idea starter. You could easily pick any quote or rule from the book and create a brainstorming session around the concept.
For instance, in the chapter about marketing, the book quotes 19th century copywriter John E Powers on how to succeed in advertising
The first thing one must do to succeed in advertising is to have the attention of the reader. That means to be interesting. The next thing is to stick to the truth, and that means rectifying whatever’s wrong in the merchant’s business. If the truth isn’t tellable, fix it so it is. That’s is about all there is to it.
Business rule #37 states
If the dogs won’t eat the dog food, it is bad dog food. Period. Similarly, if customers won’t buy your product or service, you are not giving them what they either want or need. It’s your fault, not theirs.
The book is a fun, back-to-basics read that will certainly spark discussion. That said, it is light on the concretes – it leaves how to apply these principles to your business up in the air, except for a few pithy takeaways. It’s also heavy on the quotes, so if you’re looking for a book of quotes from the business influencers on business topics, this is great. But if you’re looking for methodologies, deeper discussions of concepts, or tips for improvement, you’re going to walk away disappointed.
I thought the book could have used more discussion to tie together many of the quotes rather than skip from a quotes section to a business rule to another quotes section. The way it is structured makes many of the ideas seem superficial.
All in all, this book probably won’t reveal anything you didn’t already know or blow you away but it does serve as a handy reference guide to some of the top thinkers in business. If you come across an idea you want to earn more about, just look up that author’s book or pick up a back issue of Fast Company.
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