Originals Book

I only listened to the first two chapters of this unrivaled book, Originals. The points below are the lessons I learned so far.

- Does employee performance correlate to browser preferences? Most people would say no, because taste or preference should not impact one's work performance. However, economist Michael Housman led a study that found these components do surprisingly correlate. Most computers or laptops have Internet Explorer or Safari as the default option. Employees who use Firefox or Chrome to browse the internet have better customer satisfaction levels than those who use Explorer or Safari. This is because employees who use Firefox or Chrome do not use the default option; they look for better options. This means these people took the initiative to do that and people who take initiatives are better employees than people who do not take initiatives.

- Do you know why you should first tell investors not to invest in your idea/startup rather than invest? This because people naturally build a mental wall when they are being sold a product or an idea. If you surprise the investors by telling them the exact opposite, they will see you as an honest person, who can be trusted, and, thus, their mental wall will vanish. Once this happens, you should start selling your idea.

- How do successful entrepreneurs succeed? There are many answers or reasons to this question, but what this book mentions is a great approach. Entrepreneurs are not risk maximizers. I always hear that you should not have a startup/baby on the side. However, It is very difficult to be talented/successful in one area while other areas in your life are unstable. ebay founder did not leave his job until the income he was getting from ebay was higher than his job income. This happened after nine months of starting ebay. Bill Gates waited an entire year before dropping out of Harvard when he sold his first software program. He also did not drop out right away; he applied for a leave of absence that was approved by the school. Risk needs to be balanced in order to succeed.