The Hard Thing About Hard Things

By Ben Horowitz

This book flection is written and narrated by Leigh Martinuzzi 

My father once said to me, “Leigh J, life wasn’t meant to be easy!”, or something along those lines. If life was easy, we’d all be living our dream life… the reality is that for many of us, we are not. This book isn’t a book to help us navigate the difficulties of life although I am sure some of the ideas shared are transferable, no, this book is about the complexities and challenges of running a start-up business.

Ben Horowitz is considered one of Silicon Valley’s most experienced entrepreneurs and respected by many. I for one have never heard of the guy, and that’s ok, why should I have. According to Wikipedia, Ben is the co-founder along with Marc Andreessen of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and previously co-founded a software company called Opsware. This guy has some experience running business and that becomes clear as daylight as you read some of his war stories and lessons he’s learnt along the way.

This book was written to help serious entrepreneurs navigate the unknown and uncertain terrain of running a business. Again, I envisioned a book about the hard things of life and how the obstacles and difficulties we face are opportunities of growth and progression however I was wrong. However, the message is clear, as for Horowitz himself, through the challenges he has faced, has grown considerably. If you’re a leader in business or a CEO starting out I am pretty confident you will find some answers about the potential issues you might confront daily within the pages of this book.

Coming from a retail background managing large teams of people and business operations for much of what Ben writes about I could relate – managing people, developing teams, hiring for the correct skill and shaping culture. And for a large part of it, I was lost, as much of what he has dealt with I am very unfamiliar with – buying, investing, developing and knowing when is the right time to cash in. Largely the bigger picture stuff of starting and running a business. Most of which, to be fair, is a little irrelevant to me in my place in life right now, however, whatever the case, it’s all there and I would think a particularly valuable set of stories, experiences, and tools for those currently working within this space.

The hard thing about hard things, when there are no easy answers…

If we wish to succeed in life, in whatever way, shape or form we picture that to be we must get comfortable with being uncomfortable. It is there within the unknown spaces that answers don’t magically appear, this is why most of us stick to what we know and maintain the status quo. If we truly desire success whether that be in business or life we must accept that things will be tough and that there may not be easy answers, and like Ben never give up! Fortunately, like Ben’s work here we can learn from others along the way as we confront such challenges in life and in business. It is likely that other people have experienced what we may face and books like this are a valuable resource in those times.

If this book sounds of interest you can purchase The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers here.

Please leave your thoughts, comments & questions below.

Peace, passion and purpose…

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