The Power-Up is the best way stay up to date on the gaming industry news. Click here to find out why!

We hope you love the books people recommend! Just so you know, The CEO Library may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page.

This book has 20 recommendations

Mark Cuban (Co-founder/HDNet & Broadcast.com)

If given a choice between investing in someone who has read Rework or has an MBA, I'm investing in Rework every time. This is a must read for every entrepreneur.

Chris Anderson (New York Times Bestselling Author)

Jason Fried and David Hansson follow their own advice in Rework, laying bare the surprising philosophies at the core of 37signals' success and inspiring us to put them into practice. There's no jargon or filler here just hundreds of brilliantly simple rules for success. Part entrepreneurial handbook for the twenty-first century, part manifesto for anyone wondering how work really works in the modern age, REWORK is required reading for anyone tired of business platitudes.

Scott Rosenberg (Co-Founder/Salon.com)

Inspirational... Rework is a minimalist manifesto that's profoundly practical. In a world where we all keep getting asked to do more with less, the authors show us how to do less and create more.

William C. Taylor (Founding Editor/Fast Company)

The brilliance of Rework is that it inspires you to rethink everything you thought you knew about strategy, customers, and getting things done. Read this provocative and instructive book—and then get busy reimagining what it means to lead, compete, and succeed.

Seth Godin (Author, Entrepreneur)

This book will make you uncomfortable. Depending on what you do all day, it might make you extremely uncomfortable. That's a very good thing, because you deserve it. We all do. Jason and David have broken all the rules and won. Again and again they've demonstrated that the regular way isn't necessarily the right way. They just don't say it, they do it. And they do it better than just about anyone has any right to expect. This book is short, fast, sharp and ready to make a difference. It takes no prisoners, spares no quarter, and gives you no place to hide, all at the same time. There, my review is almost as long as the first chapter of the book. I can't imagine what possible excuse you can dream up for not buying this book for every single person you work with, right now. Stop reading the review. Buy the book.

Mircea Scarlatescu (Co-Founder/123flori.ro)

Many, but here’s a short list, for both entrepreneurs and team leaders:
  • The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber
  • Zero to One by Peter Thiel
  • The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
  • Scrum and XP from the Trenches by Henrik Kniberg
  • ReWork – Jason Fried

Andra Zaharia (Freelance Content Marketer/The Content Habit)

While I was thinking of the best books to add to this short list, I realized that not even half of them are directly related to digital marketing. This is because I believe that the best marketers are people who understand human nature deeply and aim to bring out the best in it. Call me naive, but that’s how I see it. If I were to want to pursue a career in marketing, I’d read [...] ReWork.

Louis Nyffenegger (Founder/PentesterLab)

I think "Rework" really helped me change the way I think about product and services. I use to think that to compete you need a better product/services with more options/features/... It seems pretty obvious when you look at some products (like Apple). Having it written in a book and taking the time to read and think about it really helped me.

Joan Boixados (Founder/everydayCheck)

No bullshit.

Irina Botnari (Managing Partner & Co-Founder/Bucur's Shelter Hostel)

As for the business related one I’ll go with Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson. It made me reconsider almost everything I knew about strategy, sales & clients and many more. The book simply moves you out from your comfort zone and teaches probably the most important lesson: there isn’t such a thing like the right plan, you map out a plan and you make it perfect for you.

Andrew Elliott (Founder/GoDesignerGo)

My favorite business book has got to be Rework by the guys at Basecamp (formerly 37Signals). The book is authored by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried, who modified many of their essays from their popular blog, Signal v. Noise into a thought-provoking look into a new way to conduct business. I was originally introduced to the book after interviewing David for an article I was conducting on his motor racing aspirations (I used to be an automotive journalist in a past life). Since then, it has become one of my favorite books due to the approach that was taken in demonstrating their ideas as well as their interesting take on the modern business/office environment.

AnneMarie Schindler (Founder/Small Wins Consulting)

I suggest these [books] because they really open up 'how' you think about life and in turn work, success/challenges/setbacks, and in general, yourself. I believe that the more you can understand yourself and broaden your approach to work, the easier it will be to find work that energizes you. Finally, I'm a team player at heart, and love working with others to achieve a huge goal so a portion of these deal with team composition and performance too.

Aaron Watson (CEO/PiperCreative)

Question: What books would you recommend to young people interested in your career path?

Answer:

  • Purple Cow by Seth Godin
  • End of Jobs by Taylor Pearson
  • Rework by Jason Fried & DHH
  • Trust Me I’m Lying by Ryan Holiday
  • The Complacent Class by Tyler Cowen
  • The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout
  • Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson

Marius Ciuchete Paun (Web designer)

The book strips the concepts of entrepreneurship, management, and leadership down to the basics, leaving you with just the refreshing essentials for how to do everything right.

Adam Lawrence (Co-Founder/ClearHat Marketing)

It is a bible for entrepreneurs in the digital age. [...] I realized that I wasn't going to be Peter Thiel or Elon Musk and that I needed to change the way I think about business.

Vincenzo Ruggiero (CEO/Prospect.io)

Probably the best business book that has been written. It’s so concise and so smart while being so easy to read. You can read it over and over again and the advices that are exposed will always blow your mind :)

Marin Gerov (Co-Founder/DULO)

Rework - it is a great case study of a company called Basecamp that works in a calm manner with a long-term perspective in mind.

Katie Keith (Operations Director/Barn2 Media)

An insider's view of building and running a software company. This book touches on lots of important points such as how to design your product in a way that meets users' needs while staying small and manageable, and running a modern distributed team.

Mikhail Dubov (Founder & CEO/Chattermill)

A few books had a dramatic impact on how I work day to day [...] Rework.

Dmitry Dragilev (Founder/JustReachOut & PR That Converts)

Rework got me thinking a lot about working, and I only work 25 hours a week now, and I’ve been on this crusade to work less and less and less and be much more productive. I earn the most I’ve ever earned in my entire career, and it’s all due to books like [this], I think.

Amazon description

Most business books give you the same old advice: Write a business plan, study the competition, seek investors, yadda yadda. If you're looking for a book like that, put this one back on the shelf. Read it and you'll know why plans are actually harmful, why you don't need outside investors, and why you're better off ignoring the competition.

The truth is, you need less than you think. You don't need to be a workaholic. You don't need to staff up. You don't need to waste time on paperwork or meetings. You don't even need an office. Those are all just excuses. What you really need to do is stop talking and start working. This book shows you the way.

You'll learn how to be more productive, how to get exposure without breaking the bank, and tons more counterintuitive ideas that will inspire and provoke you. With its straightforward language and easy-is-better approach, Rework is the perfect playbook for anyone who’s ever dreamed of doing it on their own. Hardcore entrepreneurs, small-business owners, people stuck in day jobs they hate, victims of "downsizing," and artists who don’t want to starve anymore will all find valuable guidance in these pages.

Get this book on Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | iBooks

See more books recommended by

Mark Cuban, Chris Anderson, Scott Rosenberg, William C. Taylor, Seth Godin, Mircea Scarlatescu, Andra Zaharia, Louis Nyffenegger, Joan Boixados, Irina Botnari, Andrew Elliott, AnneMarie Schindler, Aaron Watson, Marius Ciuchete Paun, Adam Lawrence, Vincenzo Ruggiero, Marin Gerov, Katie Keith, Mikhail Dubov, Dmitry Dragilev

See more books written by

Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson

Sources

We'd love to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment:

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.