- Source: Review Copy
- Pages: 524
- Publisher: Black Raptor Books
- Publication Date: November 3rd, 2021
- My Rating: 4/5
About the Book
The simplest, proven way to innovate faster while reducing risks
There are lots of books, courses, and videos on innovation. They are fun and usually motivating, but seldom deliver long-term results.
CYCLES is a fun book, but more importantly, it explains how to innovate at every stage. Consistent winners are idea builders that make good or even mediocre ideas great over time. With CYCLES, you’ll learn by doing how to grow ideas up to 6x faster while cutting risks by over 50%.
This book brings together 4 years of research and the work of 22 innovation experts into a simple system with easy-to-use canvases and tools. The foundation of this system is thinking of idea building as an ongoing process of cycles. Some cycles are short, and some are long. The best cycles include the ABCS of innovation.
A = Align
B = Build ideas
C =Communicate and Check
S =Systematically Improve
This system ties the theories and research from hundreds of books into something easy to understand and something you can do right now.
My Review
A dream and passion are not a viable alternative to having a balanced mission.
Right off the bat, CYCLES answers the burning question—Nowadays, there are millions of courses, books, podcasts, etc. that talk about success and entrepreneurship, so why should someone choose this book to read? The answer is that the key component that is required in the field of entrepreneurship is innovation, and that is the topic this book explores in detail.
CYCLES aims to provide a detailed guide on innovation – what exactly it is and what methods will lead to innovation in our businesses. It tells us how to grow our ideas to reach new heights in our businesses and career. The chapters in this book are supported by mural canvases and tools in order to practically use the ideas given in the book.
A key message of this book is having patience. There is no overnight success. Success can take years of evolving. I personally found this really helpful as well as a good reminder since many people like me who are in their early twenties are hungry to become successful quickly. This book keeps the reader grounded throughout and focuses on only practical ideas.
The book busts a lot of myths that we generally believe about success and entrepreneurship. Only those who have the relevant experience can shatter our beliefs and tell us the truths that actually work. Through this book, the authors who are all innovation experts, do that very well.
Some concepts and advice that I read in this book were really new to me, such as the importance of developing and learning from theories, developing a culture in your business and not just having a team, and getting feedback as early as possible in your journey. These are the kind of specific things I don’t come across often.
The book also encourages you to dig deep behind the purpose of products. What do you like about a certain product? Why did it become useless to you? Such a line of thinking makes you design your product more carefully and also make you feel accountable for the product you are putting out into the world.
The most useful thing about this book is its focus on making strategic actions. This doesn’t mean everything you do has to be planned out. It just means to start doing things systematically and with goals in mind.
I loved that this book dived into the topics in a very detailed manner, but the writing style is simple and nowhere did I find something confusing to understand.
This book can be relevant for many people who have an online business or are selling a product or service online. It is an overall great book on cultivating a mindset that is geared towards being innovative and taking real actions towards your goals. The canvases, tools, charts, and diagrams that come with this book can be useful in planning and implementing your ideas and learnings from this book as you read it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is running a business or has an entrepreneurial inclination.
Links to check out: the book’s website, sample chapters, and a 2-minute video summary
