In typical 37signals fashion, the wisdom in these pages is edgy yet

Less mass
Embrace the idea of having less mass. Right now, you're the smallest, the
leanest, and the fastest you'll ever be. From here on out, you'll start
accumulating mass. And the more massive an object, the more energy
required to change its direction. It's as true in the business world as it is in
the physical world. Mass is increased by ...
Long-term contracts
Excess staff
Permanent decisions
Meetings
Thick process
Inventory (physical or mental)
Hardware, software, and technology lock-ins
Long-term road maps
Office politics
Avoid these things whenever you can. That way, you'll be able to change
direction easily. The more expensive it is to make a change, the less likely
you are to make it.
Huge organizations can take years to pivot. They talk instead of act. They
meet instead of do. But if you keep your mass low, you can quickly change
anything: your entire business model, product, feature set, and/or marketing
message. You can make mistakes and fix them quickly. You can change
your priorities, product mix, or focus. And most important, you can change
your mind.
*
Jim Rutenberg, "Clinton Finds Way to Play Along with Drudge," New
York Times, Oct. 22, 2007.
*
"Fascinating Facts About James Dyson, Inventor of the Dyson Vacuum
Cleaner in 1978," 
www.ideafinder.com/history/inventors/dyson.htm
+
Russ Mitchell, "The Beat Goes On," CBS News, Sunday Morning,
Mar. 29, 2009, 
www.tinyurl.com/cd8gjq

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++
Eric Ransdell, "The Nike Story? Just Tell It!" Fast Company, Dec. 19,
2007, 
www.fastcompany.com/magazine/31/nike.html
*
"Mary Kay Ash: Mary Kay Cosmetics," Journal of Business
Leadership 1, no. 1 (Spring 1988); American National Business Hall of
Fame, 
www.anbhf.org/laureates/mkash.html
*
"Stanley 
Kubrick--Biography," 
IMDB,
www.imdb.com/name/nm00004o/bio
*
Mission, 
Enterprise 
Rent-a-Car,
http://aboutus.enterprise.com/who_we_are/mission.html

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