The prescription Richard Koch delivers in his latest treatise, one of the “73 Best Books Entrepreneurs Should Read in 2016,” according to ZenFive Newsletter, boils down to two tactics.
The first, “price simplifying,” means ease of manufacture, minimal product variety and the widest sales distribution possible. For example, at the beginning, McDonald’s shrank the traditional diner menu to nine items, eliminated waitstaff and coopted customers into clearing their own tables. Henry Ford and IKEA are among the price simplifiers, too.
Koch’s second principle, “proposition simplifying,” has three components: A product should be intuitive, useful and beautiful. The master was Steve Jobs, who famously simplified Apple products by removing controls, leaving out software features and discarding interface options. Other companies that have used this principle include Uber and Google. Simplify is a practical book that can help entrepreneurs improve their business.
Related: 3 Pieces of Advice for First-Time Entrepreneurs
Simplify
By Richard Koch and Greg Lockwood
October; Entrepreneur Press; $25
This article originally appeared in the October 2016 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
