I really enjoy this publication. It puts marketing and growth strategies within reach of those of us who fall asleep reading other business Mags. I've learned a ton and have been able to bring some of what I've learned to my job. It also helps consumers understand the marketing forces being put into play to capture their loyalty and their dollar.

I subscribed to this magazine two years ago (back when it still had some worthwhile content). I am sure I did NOT subscribe under an automatic renewal plan.

Last year I received a postcard from Fast Company. The postcard said that if I did NOT return it within two weeks then they would charge my charge card for another two year subscription- and after that, they would just continue to renew me forever.

I declined the "offer" by returning the postcard. I also phoned their customer service where, after a 15 minute wait, I cancelled my subscription.

Or so I thought- because, they just renewed (and charged) me anyway.

In my opinion, there is a word for taking from someone's charge card without explicit permission: "theft." And there is a phrase for companies (hello, AOL) that demand automatic renewal yet provide no effective way to cancel-- and that is, "deceptive business practice."

And so, the bottom line is: do you really expect to receive useful business information from a publisher who does this??

When "Business 2.0" stopped being published last year, I was very disappointed since I didn't know of another magazine like it. I think "Fast Company" fits the bill and am excited to find that it's loaded with articles about "the new" in the business world and in the tech sector. The latest issue has a story about the top 50 up-and-coming companies, with Google being number one. What an interesting piece about their corporate culture and some of the people who work there! I hope they keep up the good work and that they don't fall into a black hole as "Business 2.0" did. I like having something I can hold in my hands when I'm reading. I know I can find out a lot of this stuff one way or another on the Web, but when I curl up in bed at night, I like to have a magazine or book in my hands, not a laptop... I am looking forward to the arrival of the next issue!

I have gotten every other magazine that I subscribed to except Fast Company
What's up?

"Fast Company" provides the reader with anecdotal stories of entrepreneurs in high tech industries. I found the stories to be of some interest, but not directly helpful to someone outside of industries involving cutting edge electronic technologies. I think that it would be attractive to a limited audience, but not to the general reader.

I started reading Fast Company at a friends house and I was sold. The magazine focuses on the new trends that are going on and promise to shape the next two to five years. Here's a sample:

There's a mechanic in Kansas (?) who tweaks Hummers to get over 75 mpg AND ramps up their horse power. The crazy part? Most of the parts he uses is off the shelf and Detroit could be doing it today.

There is a video game control that should be out by the end of 2008 that you will wear on your head and it will read your brain patterns to determine if you go left or right.

IBM has taken their top mathematicians out of the think tank and added them to their consulting services. The mathematicians get real world applications from the source, the consultants get more ideas.

I could go on. If nothing else, it's fun to read about where things are headed. It also provides great discussion starters for parties.

Fast Company is one of the best business magazines. Now that Business 2.0 is out-of-the-market, since a corporate decission by Time-Warner, Fast Company is probably the best source for creative, up-to-date business trends and insight, specially if you own or work for a micro-small business. Read it, you won't regret it.

I love reading Fast Company. Their perspectives are always refreshing. The insights are cutting edge. It has given me a much wider perspective on things. Whenever I read Fast Company, I always have a notepad next to me- to write down all the ideas that just pop up!

Reading this magazine is like riding a roller coaster -- fast and furious. You're anxious opening a new issue, engaged throughout, and breathless when it's over. It's packed with ideas and inspiration, especially for entrepreneurs and anyone running a growing company. Not for the faint-of-heart.

Steven K. Gold
Author, Entrepreneur's Notebook: Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture

The business magazine for readers with Attention problems! This is right up my alley because it talks about the most important changes in technology, what's going on under the radar in business today, and who's making it happen. I walk away from every single issue with an idea that I can incorporate into our company.

I really have been enjoying this magazine. It explores new companies and why they are being successful. I also really like the emphasis of the Green companies and their importance. I also like that the companies they feature are usually pretty different. Learning is a good thing.

I like the mag, but like Jon Stewart, I just wish it could be less liberal.

It took too long to start the subscription, at least several months

Fast Company is a good magazine for the inquisitive entrepeneur, don't get me wrong.

But it poses a little too much for my tastes. The semi-gloss paper, the unconventional size sheets, the avant-garde graphics, the just slightly off-the-wall article selection ... it's all a convincing fashion statement.

For pragmatic reasons, I recommend you choose INC. It gets down to business a bit faster without the self-conscious flair of FAST COMPANY. If you're running scared to keep your business hungry and afloat, you need solid advice more than cutting-edge reflection.

But if you don't have to choose, get'em both. FAST COMPANY will hit you a little harder on the idea nerve and leave you a bit dissatisfied on the practicals. It's a close call.

My call goes to INC.

A good start to create your own business

I ordered the magazine a month ago. Have not received my first issue yet, so I cannot give a very accurate rating.

Man this is it, great mag for cool business people. What you do not know, you will after reading all this great info. Read on !!

A friend of mine told me about "Fast Company" a year ago, and I have been a subscriber and avid reader since then. The magazine is enigmatic, combining a news magazine, cultural commentary, business reporting, and entrepreneurial insights into one publication. Many issues deserve a five star rating, but occasionally cohesion and editorial focus is a bit uneven.

The thing I most like about "Fast Company" is the 21st century approach to news and analysis: it is thought provoking, explores all sides of complex issues, but never tries to tell the reader what to think. A perfect example of this is in the April, 2006 issue in the article "Al Jazeera's (Global) Mission," in which a former US Marine now working for the English-language version of Al Jazeera is profiled in an extremely multi-faceted story.

The entrepreneurial bent of the magazine is great for younger managers and small business professionals, and the reporting on market trends is second to none. Although there are times I don't agree with the articles or editorials in "Fast Company," I always find them intellectually stimulating and thought provoking. I recommend this magazine to independent thinkers everywhere.

Fast Company is an excellent magazine that covers many different subjects in the business field. Not just financial information but how human relations and innovative ideas have and will change the face of business. An excellent product at any price.

Ordered 11/27 - Never received a single copy. Not very fast is it? SLOW COMPANY may be a better description. Can I have my money back?

There was a time when I read a lot of magazines. I found there being too much fluff and not enough stuff.

I was introduced to Fast Company in 1997, and have been a subsriber for most if not all of the last 8 years. Every issue has relevant topics on the current state of business. It has stayed with a formula that has worked; that business in constantly changing, and to reflect back on the past when something has changed that they once wrote on.

I heartily recommend this must read to anyone who wants to make a difference in the business world.

all you manager types.
you know who you are
you read 'who moved the cheese' and jesus ceo,
this is the mag for you
lame, trite
and oh so self importent

I only read two magazines cover to cover: Fast Company and The New Yorker. Why? I never read Fast Company in the '90s during the day. But I am constantly surprised by stuff I find in its pages. The stories are entertaining and surprising. Most of the stuff the magazine runs you won't get or see anywhere else. I just read the story on George Stalk in the newest issue. Wow! Couldn't imagine seeing this in any other magazine--except The New Yorker. Keep up the great work.

I just picked up a recent issue, the one with New Yorker writer Malcolm Gladwell on the cover. Wow! This is a remarkably surprising and entertaining magazine--and one of the few to deliver useful advice and lessons that immediately help you at work. If you're in business, reading Fast Company doesn't feel like homework which is the sense I get from other business magazines. It's one of the few magazines I can read from cover to cover and greatly enjoy. I find myself re-reading some of these stories (the writing quality often approaches what you'd expect to find in an Esquire or New Yorker). It's my new favorite magazine!

Truly one of the best print and neumedia that I've perchanced to read, and be part of online.

I would recommend FastCompany to every business entity or entrepreneur. FastCompany's articles have facets of a diamond that most businesses tend to overlook! Its a brilliant magazine and would make a great gift subscription for the budding Technopreneur.

I discovered FC during my MBA program (back when there were 6 issues a year), and quickly latched on to this fantastic magazine. What I loved about FC was the variety of articles: most focused on whatever the hot topics of the "new economy" seemed to be that month, while others delved into the areas not typical for most business mags, such as non-profits, work/life balance, and the odd investigative analysis of non-traditional companies.

In the 6+ years that I've been reading FC, however, it has become less relevant for me. I'm not sure if they've lost their direction, or I've just become numb to their template for most articles. Once in a while I find something worth reading, but most of the time it feels more like work to get through some of it. I recently let my subscription lapse, and now just monitor the website for relevant articles, or occasionally pick up a copy when I'm at the airport.

For those of you who want to make a difference in the world, in business, and create paradigm shifts, this is the magazine of your peers. We love this magazine and love the Company of Friends group that we're in here in Chicago. Good people that all believe in the innovation of the faster company. Keep up the good work!

I like this item B00005N7Q4 very much You should read more reviews to find out more about it

Fast Company is back! If you're already a leader or entrepreneur, or if you're aspiring to be one, this is a remarkably intelligent business magazine filled with great ideas and great people. The edge is back!
I subscribed in the early days and gave up on it after the bust. I've recently picked it up again and am happy to report that the magazine is more vital than ever. A recent issue had a wonderfully inspirational story on an entrepreneur who leads a medical device company called Cyberonics that helps people live with epilepsy. And then there's the recent cover on offshoring. Almost every magazine and newspaper has written on this topic, but no one has captured the pain of the white collar people who are losing their jobs--no one, until Fast Company. The magazine put the faces of 32 people who recently lost their jobs on the cover. That gets the point across. Thanks for bringing back a magazine I love!

I too was worried about Fast Company, which had followed the internet bubble a little too closely. Thank God somebody had the good sense to hire John Byrne away from Business Week. The new cover story on Wal-Mart is one of the best examples of investigative journalism I've seen this year. And if you love business books, you might want to check out their new feature on books that are being published. This is a magazine to watch, not dismiss.

Fast Company started out strong in 1995 as the first magazine that struck at the heart and soul of the frustrated cubicle dweller. Founding editors (and Harvard Business School professors) Allan Webber and William Taylor hit upon a unique niche at that time. Fortune, Forbes and BusinessWeek were solely dedicated (so it seemed at the time) to senior management; Inc. had the pure entrepreneurship angle covered. Fast Company appeared to speak for the rest of us.

Great stuff.

Unfortunately, Fast Company was also the leader in the pack of magazines that lost its way during the whole internet craze. The Industry Standard, of course, was chartered to follow the bubble and famously imploded. But Fast Company essentially chased the same carrot. Each issue arrived extra-chunky with ads and breathless covers that screamed "Dot Com Yourself!"...even well after the bubble had obviously irretrievably broken.

What happened in the interim is that Time-Life got a hold of Business 2.0 and whipped it into fighting trim - it now seriously outclasses Fast Company. Forbes started adding great sections dedicated to entrepreneurship and small businesses. Fortune has done the same. Meanwhile, a punch drunk Fast Company was reduced earlier this year to simply slapping Po Bronson on the cover and re-printing 10 pages from his latest book, "What Should I Do With My Life?" You call that journalism?

Thank goodness someone at owner Gruner+Jahr realized that this wasn't a survivable model. When supermodel-thin 100-page issues start showing up in your mailbox, something's gotta change.

The great news is that G+J hired John Byrne to come on board as Editor in Chief. For more than 15 years, he'd been one of BusinessWeek's finest journalists, with a couple of great books under his belt as well. The impact can be felt already. Now, we're seeing some real journalism. Take the cover story of this month's (Oct. 2003) issue: "CEOs Who Should Lose Their Job," "Can Microsoft Kill All the Bugs?" and "The Brains Behind Howard Dean."

Yes. Now we're talking. Three hot button issues. Let's hear what Fast Company has to say. How can I make these ideas work for me? That's what FC started out like. Looks like Byrne has got the train headed back in the right direction. I added an extra star for that potential.

While Fortune is still my all-time favorite, Fast Company is a close number two. It's transcended the .com era that gave it birth and has succeeded by focusing on passion and people. The magazine is well-written and has managed to capture the excitement that many people feel about business and striving to be the best.

FastCompany doesn't offer a smorgasbord of the latest business trends; it doesn't worship the CEO du jour. In fact, it doesn't jump on any of journalism's bandwagons. Instead it reports on the new ideas and inovations that are driving business, society and the Global Village forward. It's content is first-rate, which is only half of any magazine's battle. The other is imaginative writing, and it delivers on this front as well.

The very first time I picked this up, it was in the height of the dot-com era and I was a travelling IT consultant at the time flying in a sea of other consultants around the country. I really liked what I did, I brought change to new environments. One day, at an airport, I happened to see this with the headline "Your job is change!"...it looked interesting and I've been hooked on it since.

This magazine has a beautiful perspective on life. Not your job, not the new economy, it's about life. It's about how to take your life and filter out what's good about it and build on that quality. Every month, they talk to several individuals in vary varied roles and truly emphasize their subjects personalities as the cause of why they are good at whatever job they do. This is missing from virtually any other business magazine out there. Wired certainly comes close sometimes, but they do their own thing and are very good at it. Fast Company focuses on people's lives in the working world and tries to make you apply the lessons learned to your own life.

This may not make much sense and probably isn't consistent with the other reviews about this magazine but look, go to their website and read some articles (they have every one ever written for free online) and decide for yourself. This magazine can make a NY to LA flight "fly" by. It's layout and design may be progressive for some but try to look past that and focus on what this magazine really is about.

Your life and how to get more out of it.

Okay, I admit it. I bought this magazine to get the free bag and free pen. I'm a sucker for freebies. But what I got in the bargain was much more. I absolutely fell in love with the content of this magazine. I like to hear about company owners and the strategies they used to get their companies on the fast track. From brand repositioning to innovative ways to improve service and cut costs, the people Fast Company interviews have tried it all! And their ideas are worth repeating. Fast Company is a never ending source of ideas for me. I'd recommend it to any budding business person as well as established professionals. And for the average reader, for the ideas it presents. I highly recommend a subscription!