I was recently contacted by Sam Carpenter’s publicist on posting a blog review about Sam Carpenter’s new book, Working the System: The Simple Mechanics of Working Less and Making More. I was sent a FREE copy of his book and have read it. After reading it I was a bit shocked they contacted me to post a review, (I will explain below), but after contacting the publicist and rereading it again, I figured it was time to post my review of the book and opinion.
To get things started, as many of you know I am a Tim Ferris fan and have written a review of the 4 Hour Work Week for my book club. I am a big fan of automation and increasing your passive income, which is what is becoming more popular in today’s “daily grind” and is the main focus or “target market” for this book.
So to explain why I was shocked that I was contacted, let’s open the book to the second page of the preface under Long-term chaos.
“Readers who have experienced tough times will ‘get’ this book. Those in their early years, who have so far cruised along unscathed, may not. The tough times to which I refer include prolonged physical and/or mental crisis where one stands alone against the blackness: A nightmarish childhood, war, disabling injury or sickness, crime/incarceration, addiction, divorce with attending child custody battle, personal or public betrayal, financial calamity, mental breakdown, or endless work that drains and demoralizes.
Twenty year olds might not get it. Forty year olds probably will.”
Although I have experienced tough times in my own life, being a twenty-something I was a bit thrown back when this book outlines that ‘twenty year olds might not get it’.
I have always felt that my age has played a key role in what actions I can or can not take, such as when an individual (like myself) can have a bank account (must be 18 years old or have a guardian over 18 years old), rent a car (cost more if under 25, some require 25 years old), drinking in the US (21 years old, umm it was 18 when my Dad went to college), and even place hotel or limo reservations (Yea been turn downed when I was 19 for a hotel, yet was able to book a limo reservation at age 9 after calling various limo companies, go figure).
Anyway, I guess I have a gripe with books/people/etc who set “age” limits or requirements for people. I find that a bit insulting and feel that age is just a number in society. I would rather see this book focus on the point that most companies are run by older people (possibly 20somethings but more likely older) and the Work the System book should be read by these “older” people.
Although I am not a 20something millionaire and only started my company at 22 (4 years after I was legally allowed), their are people to who have, such as
Cameron Johnson who wrote the book You Call The Shots, another Book in my Book club. Cameron has started many businesses before 18, so for Sam to mention age and view points in his book, well I just want to raise my hand and say, why? I am 20 something and I “got” it, thanks!Okay, sorry about that rant or rave.
Continuing on with my book review of Sam’s Working the System, Sam touches on this idea of automation and building systems. So rather then one person putting out fires all day and everyday, you create systems or documentation to explain how to accomplish a specific task. This is a HUGE and important point in business. This works great in business because no matter how amazing your business is, you will most likely have turn over of employees. With a system and “process”, this allows your employees to become empowered and take charge and tackle a problem as well as let you sit back and “live your life”. Creating systems and documentation to “automate” the learning or taking action of a process will allow you to step away from the “system” and let it work itself out.
Sam focuses much of his book on his own personal life and how he has taken Centratel, a telephone service representative company Sam bought back in 1984 at the age of 35, from a barley surviving company to a very profitable company. He has since then turned Centratel from a 100+ hour work week job where the business owns you to a (dare I say) 4 hour work week where you own the business.
While reading this book, I was taken back by the idea of documentation to create automation. To better explain this I will try and paraphrase the chapter Turn Key Revolution in The E Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber.
Do you think you can create a better hamburger then McDonald’s? This summer I am sure you had a couple of BBQ’s where you cooked a burger or two. Well most people will answer YES, I can make a better burger then McDonald’s, although with the idea of fast-food, the concept of “better” can vary in scoop. The average McDonald’s restaurant produces more then $2 million in annual sales. So a “better” burger may be one that you can produce over and over and over again where no matter what McDonald’s you travel too, they all taste the same. So no matter how many burgers you make or where, do they all taste the same, I am guess your vary from each BBQ. This takes a concept of creating a hamburger and reproducing that hamburger millions of times. Their is a system and documentation in place to show an employee just how to make that hamburger. This is the same concept and idea Sam is discussing in his book.
Another take away I received from Sam’s book is for you to look at your business as a “franchise or system”, in order to automate you first must document. Take for example, sales, you may want your employees to act a specific way and/or be knowledge about various topics. As a business man, in order to train someone takes time and to pass on the knowledge from person to person, you may miss some steps, but offering a book with this knowledge and asking them to read it, is the same concept that the American public school system is founded on. Read, Learn, Explain.
I did not see a lot of value the book had to offer the first time reading it, but the second time brought a bit more hope and foresight into improving a business. Although some of the points I have seen in other books, I was blown away by Sam’s experience on how he figured out the system and brought back Centratel to a very profitable company. This ‘enlightenment’ in Chapter 5, where he hand an out of the body experience and where Sam stepped outside his life and looked down at his life and company. It was a bit weird, but if you can dream it you can make it happen!
I did not find this book as life changing as the 4 Hour Work Week, but after the second read, there are parts of the book that describe the idea of documenting a task and creating a “process” that can help entrepreneurs and business geeks. So to end this review of his book, I will state how Sam points out this book: If you are a parent or a 40+ year old who owns their own business and battling to keep it alive working 100+ hours, pickup a copy Work the System by Sam Carpenter and read it, it might expand your context.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Be The First To Comment
Related Post
Please Leave Your Comments Below