Shortform Books

How to Lower Labor Costs: Keep, Improve, or Remove

Do you monitor your labor costs? How can you reduce your labor costs without compromising the business? According to Mike Michalowicz, the author of Profit First, you should manage your labor costs like you manage your other expenses. He provides three guidelines for increasing labor efficiency and explains how to determine the number of employees you should have based on your company’s revenue. Here’s how to lower labor costs using Michalowicz’s “keep, improve, or remove” framework.

The Real Cost of a PS5: How Scalpers Own the Market

Why are PlayStation 5s so hard to get right now? How are online scalpers contributing to the PS5 problem? The PS5 was released in November 2020. However, a large portion of the gaming community has yet to get their hands on one. This is due to a number of factors: COVID, the microchip shortage, and most frustratingly, scalpers. Here’s how PS5 scalpers are contributing to the console shortage.

Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance: Book Overview

What is Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance about? What aspects of Musk’s life does Vance cover? Elon Musk went from a bullied schoolboy in South Africa, to an entrepreneur during the dot com bubble, to the richest man on Earth. In Musk’s biography, author Ashlee Vance discusses the personal life, business ventures, and management styles of the billionaire. Continue reading to learn more about Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance.

How to Assess Your Product Viability

Do you have a product idea in mind? What are some things you should consider before committing your idea to development? Successful businesses engage in research and rigorously test the product viability before they commit to developing it. This process helps them test their assumptions about how profitable the venture will be and prevents them from investing time and resources in projects that won’t pay off. Here are five questions to ask yourself before developing potential products and services.

The National Cancer Act: What Did It Do?

When was the National Cancer Act signed into law? How far have we since come in our understanding of cancer pathology? In 1971, President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act, committing a total of $1.5 billion to cancer research over three years. However, the Act hardly helped us get any closer to curing cancer because it prioritized drug trials rather than developing our understanding of the biology underlying the disease. Keep reading to learn about the National Cancer Act.

Learning Through Practice: Does It Drive Innovation?

Does learning through practice drive innovation? Which institutions learn through trial and error and which are too afraid of failure? Learning through practice is one of the main concepts in the book Black Box Thinking. By recognizing which institutions are learning-oriented and which are failure averse, you can explore why some industries improve by building on mistakes. Keep reading to find out why learning through practice drives progress, although only some organizations do it.

How to Manage Your Finances: The Profit First Method

Do you want to learn how to manage your finances? How can you apply the Profit First method to your personal finances? The Profit First method was created by entrepreneur Mike Michalowicz to help businesses succeed in the long term. However, the three principles of the Profit First method can be applied to your personal finances to help you get out of debt and save money. Keep reading to learn how to manage your finances and increase your financial stability by following Mike Michalowicz’s Profit First method.

What Is Zip2? Elon Musk’s First Business Venture

What is Zip2? How did Zip2 make Elon Musk a millionaire? Zip2 was Elon and Kimbal Musk’s business that they created at the start of the dot com era. The Musk brothers saw a business opportunity that would allow companies to advertise online. After expanding the company with help of venture capital firms, the Musk brothers sold Zip2 for a huge profit. Keep reading to find out what Zip2 is.

The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman: Book Overview

What is Josh Kaufman’s The Personal MBA about? What is the key message to take away from the book? In The Personal MBA, bestselling author and entrepreneur Josh Kaufman offers a comprehensive overview of how businesses work. He argues that there are five key processes underpinning every business and suggests ways to optimize them for successful results. You’ll come away knowing how to identify profitable opportunities and make informed decisions to ensure business success. Here’s a brief overview of the key themes.

The Emperor of All Maladies: Quotes by S. Mukherjee

Are you looking for The Emperor of All Maladies quotes by Siddhartha Mukherjee? What are some of the most noteworthy passages worth revisiting? Mukherjee, a doctor and biologist who specializes in immunology and oncology, has spent much of his career on the front line of that fight. Though The Emperor of All Maladies was first published in 2010, cancer remains one of the most frightening diseases of our time, and doctors are still working to fully understand and treat it, despite advances in research and practices. Below is a selection of quotes highlighting some of the key ideas.