I came across this book in this article ‘Culture of Prestige‘. ‘Smart People Should Build Things’ made me stop and think that money wasn’t all that it was propped up to be. Money is great and all, but it should be the result of your work, not the reason to get out of bed in the morning (Provided we have the luxury to make that choice).
As a teenager, I always wanted to grow up to build and invent things that would benefit society. Doing something for a higher cause was something I found noble and I respected very much. I believed scientists, physicists, astronauts, inventors were the real heroes, even now I look up to figures like Elon Musk. But something I can’t fully describe changed on my journey from high schooler to a 25-year old. I’ve found myself further away from my heroes.
The first point Andrew conveys in ‘Smart People Should Build Things’ is to help us acknowledge we’re losing talented graduates to the financial and professional services industry. He details the lengths these companies go to just to acquire this talent; it honestly infuriated me. These people would have most likely been the ones to go and start businesses one day and bring to light new innovations that would benefit us all – creating new jobs along the way.
The book doesn’t limit itself to just bashing big corporates, it also tells us how we’ve lost a part of our entrepreneur spirit and how we reignite that spark. Yang’s Venture for America program is one of the ways he’s funnelling hardworking and talented graduates towards startups.
I guess why I liked this book so much was because it provided external validation for me that the real superheroes in the world are the entrepreneurs, inventors, scientists and researchers that are shaping the future.
This book did make me question if I was spending the limited time I have in the right way; I don’t think I am. I should be out there doing the things with my career I’ll thank myself for 20 years down the line.
Whether or not myself or any of you go on to start your own business, there was plenty of pieces of wisdom that I took out of this around organisational leadership and values that you might find useful.
“An organization should have some values beyond optimizing a set of numbers. The choices you make inform what those values are. You’ve got to stand for something.”
Part Two: Building Things – Running a Company
“There is a common and persistent belief out there that entrepreneurship is about creativity, that it’s about having a great idea. But it’s not, really. Entrepreneurship isn’t about creativity. It’s about organization building – which, in turn, is about people.”
Part Three: Solving the Problem – Building the Machine to Fix the Machine
What you’re really here for:
- This book is great for anyone who wants to challenge themselves and rethink their place in our economy, finishing uni or high school, bored with their job, wants to create a start-up
- It’s a book I’d read again or refer to every few months when I’m feeling lost
- It’s an easy book to read
- It opened my eyes to the value of being an entrepreneur to society, and if everything goes to shit you can always get a normal job and start again
Would I recommend it to my past self?
Yes. Many of past selves.
Rating
4.5/5
Do yourself a favour and get your copy on hardcover, paperback or Kindle:
Smart People Should Build Things