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The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career [Paperback]

Reid Hoffman (Author), Ben Casnocha (Author)

4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 16 Feb 2012

From the co-founder and chairman of LinkedIn and author Ben Casnocha comes a revolutionary new book on how to apply the strategies of successful entrepreneurship to your career: in other words, how to run the 'start-up of you'.

In a world where wages are virtually stagnant, creative disruption is rocking every industry, global competition for jobs is fierce, and job security is a thing of the past, we're all on our own when it comes to our careers. In the face of such uncertainty, the key to success is to think and act like an entrepreneur: to be nimble and self-reliant, to be innovative, and to know how to network and stand out from the crowd. And this is precisely what Hoffman and Casnocha show you how to do in a book that is both inspirational and supremely practical.

Just as LinkedIn is the one online community that no professional can afford not to belong to, this is the book that no professional can afford to be without.

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Just as LinkedIn is the one online community that no professional can afford not to belong to, this is the book that no professional can afford to be without.

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Product details

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Random House Business (16 Feb 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 184794079X
ISBN-13: 978-1847940797
Product Dimensions: 13.5 x 1.9 x 21.6 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 204,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

"The most compelling parts of this book are the ones that look at the importance of developing and exploiting professional networks. As well as explaining network intelligence, or why your contacts' contact may be the best source of leads about potential jobs, the book also gives numerous tips - including ones gleaned from the world of online dating - about how best to broker effective relationships" (Economist )

"[An] extremely interesting and informative read" (Bookbag.co.uk )

"Rather than containing the usual tranch of aphorisms and advice on how to create lists of things you want to achieve, The Start-up Of You suggests arranging your career like a business . We challenge you not to be inspired" (PA Life )

"It is the optimism of Silicon Valley that infuses this book: there is still hope for those striving to break into the charmed circle" (Richard Waters Financial Times )

"Being an entrepreneur isn't really about starting a business. It's a way of looking at the world: seeing opportunity where others see obstacles, taking risks when others take refuge. Whatever career you're in or want to be in The Start-Up of You holds lessons for success." (Michael Bloomberg, Founder Of Bloomberg, L.P. And Mayor, New York City ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Book Description

The co-founder of LinkedIn offers a revolutionary new blueprint for thriving in today's fractured world of work.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 80 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Very Insightful 20 Feb 2012

By Dr. Bojan Tunguz TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Audio CD

The basic premise of thesis book is the following: the entrepreneurial mindset and attitude are essential for anyone's career in today's economy. Thinking like an entrepreneur is not any more reserved just for the ultra-ambitious, well-funded Silicon Valley types; in order to succeed in today's job market everyone has to adopt many of the practices that successful entrepreneurs have been employing for decades. This, in and of itself, seems like a great piece of advice. Unfortunately, this book falls far short of delivering on how to implement such an approach in most ordinarily career paths.

I have for years in fact been adopting the kind of attitude that this book promotes: I've networked like crazy, created substantial online presence, tried to be in tune with the latest technological and professional trends, etc. However, in order to have a career, or even get a job, a lot more is required. It is these other much more crucial steps that I was hoping to learn more about from reading this book. Its authors, Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha, seemed to have exactly the kinds of credentials that would lend itself to revealing interesting and fact-based insights that are otherwise hard to find. My expectations were particularly high since Hoffman is one of the cofounders of LinkedIn. I was hoping that we'd find out some interesting data culled from millions of LinkedIn job searches and professional connections. Unfortunately, all my expectations have fallen way short, and "The Start-up of You" is just another indistinguishable, fluffy career "advice" book, of which there are already way too many on the market....

The book is filled with motivational-speak, with an incessant deluge of phrases that sound meaningful and profound (at least to some people), but are in fact quite vacuous ("Once you catch curiosity, it is (luckily) hard to shake." "Everyone is looking for an opportunity, even if they don't know it."). It is hard to figure out how these pieces of "advice" can in fact contribute to advancing anyone's career. Granted, the book is written with the greatest possible audience in mind, but even so it could have used a lot more concrete actionable advice.

The only examples that are used in this book are those of people who have been very successful entrepreneurs. These kinds of examples are good motivational stories, but are almost useless to the millions of job seekers out there hoping to get their own career off the ground. In the entire book there are virtually no attempts to show how the insights from the career paths of top-dog entrepreneurs translate into the concrete, actionable advice for the rest of us.

Furthermore, almost all of the examples and insights in this book are in one way or another linked with Silicon Valley. That is indeed a wonderful and exciting place, and I have been fortunate enough that I had spent many years working and studying over there. However, Silicon Valley is exceptional in many ways, and the insights gained there do not translate well to the rest of the country, and you are even worse off if you live overseas. Silicon Valley's entrepreneurial spirit has tricked down to the lower professional and social circles. This, however, has not been the case with the rest of the world, and it's unlikely that it will happen any time soon. I still think that the entrepreneurial attitude is worthwhile having; just don't expect any dramatic impact on your career any time soon.

If you are in a tight situation right now when it comes to your career, then reading this book will be a near total waste of time. As already mentioned, it contains almost no concrete, actionable information. If you are relatively secure in your job and just want to gain a better perspective on managing your career, then this book might hold some overall value. Even under such circumstances, though, the information you get will almost certainly be very abstract and not readily applicable to your career path. Read more ›

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars LinkedIn advice 7 Jun 2012

By Ashley Cooke - Retired now a Mentor, Lecturer& catalyst

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

For those starting out on their business career this would get 5star rating. For those a little older and wiser it gets 3 as it helps you get into exploiting the system in a very quick manner but not much else in enlightenment.

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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A timely book with a solid message but with few practical suggestions 19 Feb 2012

By Andrew Lloyd Gordon

Format:Paperback

Short Review:

Recommended if you're the sort of person who thinks that you, and you alone, are responsible for your personal success. A strong and inspiring message of self-reliance throughout but with weak practical suggestions.

Longer Review:

Written by the co-founder of LinkedIn (Reid Hoffman) and Ben Casnocha - a young American entrepreneur - 'The Startup of You' is one of those 'kick in the pants' type of books that American authors seem to write so well (and so frequently).

As I understand it, the message of the book is that your success is down to you and you alone. Plain and simple. Always has been and always will be. A message that's even more important in the current economic climate when many have been turfed out of their jobs and are practically, if not literally, on their own.

Yet your version of career success, or the end Goal (the Vision as it's often called) should be something you're constantly evaluating, reflecting upon and, if needs be, changing. This flexible, adaptive mental state is what the authors label as 'permanent Beta'. It's a recognition that life is complex and it's not until you put your idea(s) out there, into the real world, that you'll discover whether it works and whether people are interested or not.

Your idea, or product or service, can literally be something you create, promote and sell as a business. Or, indeed, it can be 'Brand You' - your personal, Unique Selling Proposition (USP) or Value that you bring as an employee.

Once you've adopted this attitude that you're always experimenting, looking for the next opportunity and remaining flexible, the authors stress the importance of building and maintaining your network.... Read more ›

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars The Start-up of You 13 Feb 2013

By Jackie

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I just couldn't get into this book, the way it was written seemed very hard going and definitely rather idealistic. Not necessarily living in the real world

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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How and why start-up mind-sets and skill-sets are essential to achieving and then sustaining success...however defined 7 Mar 2012

By Robert Morris TOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

The basic premise in Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha's book is that the same mind-sets and skill-sets that can help to ensure the success of a start-up company's performance can also (with appropriate modification) help to ensure the success of an individual's career. In fact, all companies should always be viewed - and managed - as a start-up. This what Jack Welch had in mind years ago when, during a GE annual meeting, he explained why he admired entrepreneurial companies:

"For one, they communicate better. Without the din and prattle of bureaucracy, people listen as well as talk; and since there are fewer of them they generally know and understand each other. Second, small companies move faster. They know the penalties for hesitation in the marketplace. Third, in small companies, with fewer layers and less camouflage, the leaders show up very clearly on the screen. Their performance and its impact are clear to everyone. And, finally, smaller companies waste less. They spend less time in endless reviews and approvals and politics and paper drills. They have fewer people; therefore they can only do the important things. Their people are free to direct their energy and attention toward the marketplace rather than fighting bureaucracy."

Hoffman and Casnocha assert, "To succeed professionally in today's world, you need to adopt entrepreneurial strategies...In the same way, you need to stay young and agile; you need to forever be a [begin italics] start-up [end italics]." Speaking for both of them (as he does throughout the book), Hoffman adds, "The business strategies employed by highly successful [begin italics] start-ups [end italics] and the career strategies employed by highly successful [begin italics] individuals [end italics] are strikingly similar.... Read more ›

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