Work the System

The premise of Sam Carpenter's method is that life and business are orderly collections of linear systems, and that each one can be improved separately. His system improvement method asks owners to drop the picture of barely controlled chaos and instead analyze and refine the separate subsystems that together make up a business, aiming for higher profits, loyal clients and autonomous employees. Carpenter developed this systems mindset in a business he bought in 1984, where he cut his 80 to 100 hour weeks down to one hour a week and multiplied his income many times over. He calls the approach a workingman's philosophy, mechanical rather than mystical or theoretical.

Marvin Liao of 500 Startups called it one of the best books on scaling oneself and a business and wished he had read it earlier, and Sa El, co-founder of Simply Insurance, said its systems can let owners spend less time at work. Andrew Youderian of eCommerceFuel included it in his picks for young people following his career path.