A lot of people talk about how great it is to start a business, but only Ben Horowitz is brutally honest about how hard it is to run one.

In The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz, cofounder of Andreessen Horowitz and one of Silicon Valley's most respected and experienced entrepreneurs, draws on his own story of founding, running, selling, buying, managing, and investing in technology companies to offer essential advice and practical wisdom for navigating the toughest problems business schools don't cover. His blog has garnered a devoted following of millions of readers who have come to rely on him to help them run their businesses. A lifelong rap fan, Horowitz amplifies business lessons with lyrics from his favorite songs and tells it straight about everything from firing friends to poaching competitors, from cultivating and sustaining a CEO mentality to knowing the right time to cash in.

His advice is grounded in anecdotes from his own hard-earned rise--from cofounding the early cloud service provider Loudcloud to building the phenomenally successful Andreessen Horowitz venture capital firm, both with fellow tech superstar Marc Andreessen (inventor of Mosaic, the Internet's first popular Web browser). This is no polished victory lap; he analyzes issues with no easy answers through his trials, includingdemoting (or firing) a loyal friend;whether you should incorporate titles and promotions, and how to handle them;if it's OK to hire people from your friend's company;how to manage your own psychology, while the whole company is relying on you;what to do when smart people are bad employees;why Andreessen Horowitz prefers founder CEOs, and how to become one;whether you should sell your company, and how to do it.

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

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From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Four complete books by Syd Hoff from HarperCollins' I Can Read series are included here. One of the dinosaurs in the museum comes to life and spends the day with a young boy and his friends in Danny and the Dinosaur (HarperCollins, 1986). In Happy Birthday, Danny and the Dinosaur! (HarperCollins, 1995), the dinosaur is back to celebrate Danny's sixth birthday. The dinosaur welcomes a vacation when Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp (HarperCollins, 1996), and he doesn't seem to mind when all the kids and the camp counselor ride on his back after a tiring hike. Sammy and the Seal (HarperCollins, 2000) tells the story of a seal on an adventure out of the zoo and into the town, including learning to read and write at school. Peter Lorangis and Charles Mintz alternate telling the stories using delightful voices and clear narration, perfect for young listeners. There are no page turn signals or sound effects, but whimsical musical accompaniment adds to the playfulness of the stories. The only thing missing is the charming and comical illustrations that make the stories so much fun to read. The wonderful narration and music make the audiocassette a joy to listen to, but if you don't want to miss out on the visual humor have the books handy for read-alongs.

April R. Mazza, Wayland Free Public Library, MA

Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. 

Review

"It is a great pleasure to see what miracles can be wrought with simple words, imagination, and understanding of children." -- Language Arts 

作者简介

Syd Hoff is the author and illustrator of many popular children's books, including the classic I Can Read Books Danny and the Dinosaur, Stanley, and The Horse in Harry's Room. He also illustrated the I Can Read Book Don't Be My Valentine by Joan Lexau.

Born and raised in New York City, Mr. Hoff studied at the National Academy of Design. His cartoons were a regular feature in such magazines as The New Yorker and Esquire for many years and were syndicated in newspapers across the country.

Mr. Hoff lives in Miami Beach, Florida

Syd Hoff（1912-2004）美国著名漫画家、作家，也是最受欢迎的儿童作家之一。Hoff16岁时就读于纽约市的国家设计学院，18岁时成功向杂志The New Yorker卖掉了自己的第一部漫画。随后，他的漫画多次刊登在《纽约客》、《时尚先生》等刊物上。1958年，Harper出版了他的第一本I Can Read系列图书Danny and Dinosaur，成为最早、最经典的I Can Read图书之一。畅销50余年，累计销量超过2000万册。Syd Hoff创作了超过50本儿童图书，其中包括Danny and the Dinosaur系列，Sammy the Seal，Oliver等十几本I Can Read系列绘本。

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