In Disrupt Yourself, Jay Samit, a digital media expert who has launched, grown, and sold start-ups and Fortune 500 companies alike, describes the unique method he has used to invent new markets and expand established businesses. Samit has been at the helm of businesses in the ecommerce, digital video, social media, mobile communications, and software industries, helping to navigate them through turbulent economic times and guide them through necessary transformation so that they stay ahead of the curve.
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1. For whom is this book?
- Entrepreneurs and startups who are in a rut and want to get inspired how others pivoted to make their business become successful.
- Corporations who want to get the mindset of disruptors and avoid pitfalls of becoming comfortable/obsolete.
2. How would you describe this book to a friend?
This book helps you understand that to disrupt you need to think past technology itself and focus on disrupting one small part of the value chain that is close to you.
3. What blew your mind?
The story of Billy, friend of the writer, who saw the boom of the PC and had the vision not to compete in the hardware market but simply choose to deliver accessories. With no particular experience and no innovative technology, he was able to foresee the new market and become a billionaire.
4. What are the core concepts
- To disrupt you only need to be more efficient in one of the five links in the value chain and capture value. The five links being: R&D, design, production, marketing and sales, distribution
- Think of yourself as brand of one and through an introspective process try to analyses different aspects of your character as the value chain of a company so that you can pinpoint in which area you can disrupt yourself.
- Don’t get settled to fast on your idea, try first to kill it because the market will find its weaknesses sooner or later. When you have made your idea unkillable then you have created a zombie idea that is ready to take on the market.
- Think about ways to use OPM (Other People’s Money) to get your idea into the world. Find a problem of a company and make the solution your output.
5. What other books would you recommend on these core concepts?
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
6. What are the key take aways?
- Be careful not to feel comfortable with your business and always be ready to cannibalize your business if you find a way to better service the market and capture more value.
- Don’t be afraid to bring your ideas into the world and test them fast. Don’t be afraid anyone will steal your ideas and don’t stay in the lab but go into the world with your ideas so you can find out if you are truly creating value in the market. Data has no ego and is an excellent co-pilot.
- Most disruptors success stories involve the individuals pivoting their way from failures to success after many many attempts. Don’t give up!
7. Who should’t read this book?
- People who don’t dislike self-help books.
8. What left you unsatisfied about this book?
- The book is oriented towards disrupting yourself and your business. This makes it a combination of a self-development book and a business how-to book. For this reason, some parts lack depth.
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