The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers

By: Ben Horowitz

Narrated by: Kevin Kenerly

Ben Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley’s most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, offers essential advice on building and running a startup - practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems business school doesn’t cover, based on his popular ben’s blog.

While many people talk about how great it is to start a business, very few are honest about how difficult it is to run one. Ben Horowitz analyzes the problems that confront leaders every day, sharing the insights he’s gained developing, managing, selling, buying, investing in, and supervising technology companies. A lifelong rap fanatic, he amplifies business lessons with lyrics from his favorite songs, telling it straight about everything from firing friends to poaching competitors, cultivating and sustaining a CEO mentality to knowing the right time to cash in.

Filled with his trademark humor and straight talk, The Hard Thing About Hard Things is invaluable for veteran entrepreneurs as well as those aspiring to their own new ventures, drawing from Horowitz’s personal and often humbling experiences.

©2014 Ben Horowitz (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

Sound advice, amateur writing and narration

The narrator enunciates so aggressively and with such over-animation it made me flinch. And the excessive use of rap lyrics and other extensive references to pop culture gave the book and story a very amateurish feel. The excessive use of the pronoun "she" when referring to hypothetical CEOs also presented an odd juxtaposition with the fact that every single reference to living CEOs was to male ones (Jobs, Bezos, Schmidt, Campbell, Gates...)

However, when the actual advice of the book came out (not until the last half or maybe even quarter) it was clear, concise and to the point. Definitely got me thinking. Wish the whole book had been as such.

Entrepreneurship is Hard, period.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Sure. Anyone who is delusional about all the positive things about entrepreneurship should read, or better, listen to this book.

What did you like best about this story?

No bulls***. Facts and worries of a founder trying to grow a massive internet business.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Kenerly’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not really. But it read it while walking to work; it made me ponder on many aspects of my own company

Good story and insights.

wish there were more insights about his deals so I could use the advice you k ow

CEO Management 2.0

Great book if you are looking for the stories a very successful ceo has gone through and how he made it out in the end. Goodluck knowledge seekers!

Great Book if you can get through the intro

What made the experience of listening to The Hard Thing About Hard Things the most enjoyable?

I recommend this book often as it looks at what happens in companies and how to over come those difficult situations. I enjoy the books that discuss ideal situations, but this is a refreshing listen and in some ways more relatable and practical to some companies I have worked at and with.

Any additional comments?

If you are having trouble getting started with this book, skip to chapter 4 and take it from there. You won't miss much as the first 3 are a summary of what transpired.

A view from the C deck

If you could sum up The Hard Thing About Hard Things in three words, what would they be?

Vision, Guts, Compassion

What did you like best about this story?

Ben Horowitz spells out clearly difference between how CEOs need to think and be committed to a company past their personal involvement, and the difference between a peace time CEO and a War CEO. Great stuff!

What about Kevin Kenerly’s performance did you like?

I would listed to anything read by Kevin Kenerly. He's easy to listen to and clear in his delivery with a sense of energy in his step.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

I'm not sure.

well written, funny and serious

To grow as a leader and an entrepreneur, one should consume this book. It was well written and narrated, funny and serious at the same time. If its not, add it to your reading list.

Must-read for any CEO

Great content. Great performance. Must-read for any entrepreneur, especially founder CEOs of modern tech start-ups.

Loved every minute of it

I have read several business books and I love the unique perspective in this book. It did solve my work problems but showed me how to think through them so I can solve them myself.

Very good advice for startups.

first hand knowledge of real life experiences is always good advice to follow. the book had detailed issues and solutions.