The 80/20 Principle, Richard Koch

Published by Nicholas Brealey

Buy it now from Blackwell Books

A classic returns!

Just in case you have been in a coma since the first edition in 1997 let me explain that The 80/20 Principle asserts that approximately 80 percent of positive results come from 20 percent of the effort input. First posited in the nineteenth century by a mathematician named Vilfredo Pareto, the principle seems to hold good in all areas and led to Richard Koch writing his original best-selling and highly influential treatise on the topic. Now he has produced an updated edition for the twenty-first century.

Littered with examples showing that this counter-intuitive theory does indeed produce results, The 80/20 Principle confirms Richard Koch’s status as one of the great theorists of the last century.

In the ten years since it was first published many thousands of people have confirmed the premise that most of what we do is a waste of time and effort.

A successful business consultant and author of a dozen other books, Mr Koch expounds his theories in a down-to earth manner and leads the reader (student?) through why their current strategy is wrong, how they can always get what they want and ways to become a ‘lazy entrepreneur’.

The book is divided into four sections; introductory, explaining the principle in broad terms; business; personal; and finally an examination of some of the responses received during the ten years since the first edition – including some serious criticisms of the principle which Mr Koch in no way tries to avoid or minimise.

If you have not read the original I recommend you invest now – it could save you time and effort and increase both your wealth and leisure time.

And if the book inspires you to start a new business, you might want to take a look at

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