[LRUG] Switching from solo contractor to being a development company

[Sidu Ponnappa]

> I disagree with this.
I always make the mistake of suggesting implementation details rather
than focussing on the principle. The principle I was trying to express
was "Study macroeconomics." The Economist helps me do this exceedingly
well given that I'm an engineer with no prior exposure to the subject.
YMMV, but I still stand by the principle.

> But one day I realised I had read it week in, week out for ten years and it hadn't given me a single piece of actionable information for my business.
I'm actually *very* surprised to hear this. The Economist actually
gives us fairly accurate indicators about how we can expect our rates
in different regions to move in medium and long term based on the
economic situations there, as well as what we can expect in terms of
forex movements. I find both these pieces of information invaluable
and we make decisions based on them fairly often. Cover to cover reads
take me a couple of hours a week tops, and when I can't spare even
that, I depend on a colleague who listens to the Economist's podcast
while commuting to give me the gist. I mislike their subtle
conservative bias, but their economic reporting is impeccable.

> Reading The Economist might help if you are CEO of a multinational corporation but it's a waste of time for fledgling companies.
I hold this opinion about "The Harvard Business Review," which is why
I didn't suggest it.

Best,
Sidu.
http://c42.in
http://rubymonk.com



On 17 February 2012 21:14, Andrew Stewart <boss at airbladesoftware.com> wrote:
>
> On 17 Feb 2012, at 11:37, Sidu Ponnappa wrote:
>> You don't have to get an MBA, but you do
>> need to have a steady stream of books that you read and people that
>> you learn from. The bare minimum I would recommend is getting a
>> subscription to 'The Economist' and reading it religiously every week.
>
> I disagree with this.  Reading The Economist might help if you are CEO of a multinational corporation but it's a waste of time for fledgling companies.  And if you read it religiously every week it will soak up a lot of time which could be much more usefully spent talking to your actual/prospective customers.
>
> Don't get me wrong: I like The Economist and find it interesting; and it makes me feel clever.  But one day I realised I had read it week in, week out for ten years and it hadn't given me a single piece of actionable information for my business.
>
> I believe the same applies to most business books.  They make you feel like you're achieving something but usually you aren't.
>
> Cheers,
> Andy Stewart
> -------
> http://airbladesoftware.com
>
>
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