Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm


Verne Harnish - 2002
    Included is an instructive chapter co-authored by Rich Russakoff, revealing winning tactics to get banks to finance your business. Lastly, there are case studies demonstrating the validity of Harnish's practical approaches.If you are looking for an expanded and updated version of this 2002 best-seller, look for Verne Harnish’s latest title Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It...and Why the Rest Don’t (Rockefeller Habits 2.0).  In Scaling Up, Harnish and his team share practical tools and techniques for building an industry-dominating business. These approaches have been honed from over three decades of advising tens of thousands of CEOs and executives and helping them navigate the increasing complexities (and weight) that come with scaling up a venture. This book is written so everyone - from frontline employees to senior executives - can get aligned in contributing to the growth of a firm. There’s no reason to do it alone, yet many top leaders feel like they are the ones dragging the rest of the organization up the S-curve of growth. This book can help you turn what feels like an anchor into wind at your back — creating a company where the team is engaged; the customers are doing your marketing; and everyone is making money.  To accomplish this, Scaling Up focuses on the four major decision areas every company must get right: People, Strategy, Execution, and Cash. The book includes a series of new one-page tools including the updated One-Page Strategic Plan and the Rockefeller Habits Checklist™, which more than 40,000 firms around the globe have used to scale their companies successfully — many to $1 billion and beyond. Running a business is ultimately about freedom. Scaling Up shows business leaders how to get their organizations moving in sync to create something significant and enjoy the ride.

Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters


Jon Acuff - 2013
    But three things have changed the path to success:Boomers are realizing that a lot of the things they were promised aren't going to materialize, and they have started second and third careers.Technology has given access to an unprecedented number of people who are building online empires and changing their lives in ways that would have been impossible years ago.The days of "success first, significance later," have ended.While none of the stages can be skipped, they can be shortened and accelerated. There are only two paths in life: average and awesome. The average path is easy because all you have to do is nothing. The awesome path is more challenging, because things like fear only bother you when you do work that matters. The good news is "Start" gives readers practical, actionable insights to be more awesome, more often.

Work Smarter: 500+ Online Resources Today's Top Entrepreneurs Use To Increase Productivity and Achieve Their Goals: Updated and Expanded for 2015


Nick Loper - 2014
    How do they do it? This book uncovers their secret weapons. The truth is there are hundreds of tools and online resources that enable us to get more done than ever before. This isn't about the latest gadgetry or shifting your mindset; it's about how to increase productivity so you can achieve your goals. It's about working smarter, not harder. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. The resources in this book will help you make the most of your time. More Than 800 Entrepreneurs Contributed Their Best Resources To create this guide, more than 800 of today's smartest and highest performing entrepreneurs contributed their favorite resources. We're talking about people like Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss, Chris Brogan, John Lee Dumas, Guy Kawasaki, Dan Pink, Pat Flynn, Chris Ducker, Peter Shankman, Sean Malarkey, Bob Burg, and many, many more. If you want to learn the real tools these superstar entrepreneurs use on a daily basis to grow their businesses, this is the book for you. In total, more than 500 unique resources were shared. Some will be obvious to you, but with a list this size, I guarantee there will some you've never heard of – or your money back. Powerful Tools in More Than 20 Categories Work Smarter covers a broad range of resources, including Productivity, Communication, Team and Project Management, File Sharing, Networking, Outsourcing, and more. In addition, you'll get personal insights on how to use some of the most popular tools along with pricing information. The good news is that many of the resources are free, and most of the premium tools at least have a free trial so you can see which ones might be a good fit for your business. Small Business Growth, Productivity, and Profits If you feel stuck using the same old tools in your small business, maybe it's time to take a look and see what else is out there. After all, a productive entrepreneur is a happier, healthier, and more profitable entrepreneur. Protect your time, save money, and give your arsenal an upgrade with the hundreds of resources for small business owners and sole proprietors. Even if you implement just a few of these suggestions, it will be well worth your investment. What are you waiting for? Click the Buy Now button to get started today!

Etsy Empire: Proven Tactics for Your Etsy Business Success, Including Etsy SEO, Etsy Shop Building, Social Media for Etsy and Etsy Pricing Tips


Eric Michael - 2014
    Etsy Empire is the first book to provide instruction on all aspects of building a successful Etsy business selling crafts and vintage collectibles.Complete primers on internet selling often cost in excess of $50. After all, why would a successful Etsy shop owner give other competitors instructions on exactly how to build the most profitable shop in their own niches? They wouldn't, right?Well, I was a successful Etsy seller for years, but I moved on to providing help for aspiring online business owners, so I have no reservations about telling you exactly how to sell more items on Etsy and build an Etsy shop that will provide you consistent paychecks and grow over time. Etsy Empire offers a unique combination of the most important Etsy tips for building your business:1. Build your brand. This is the most important task for Etsy sellers.2. Determine demand for your potential business for free.3. Learn how to double or triple traffic to your shop and sales items with Etsy SEO and Google SEO4. Use Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter to sell more items and engage your shop's fans - Social Media for Etsy5. Learn how to sell crafts and vintage collectibles on Etsy6. Etsy tips for packaging and shipping7. Learn valuable tips for improving Etsy photography and how to make your item descriptions convert into sales8. Etsy 101 - learn how to start your business from scratch and build into a successful online business9. Learn how to network with other successful Etsy shop owners10. How to design a great Etsy shop - create a professional shop banner, shop name and avatar

Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal


Oren Klaff - 2011
    Over the past 13 years, he has used his one-of-a- kind method to raise more than $400 million--and now, for the first time, he describes his formula to help you deliver a winning pitch in any business situation.Whether you're selling ideas to investors, pitching a client for new business, or even negotiating for a higher salary, "Pitch Anything "will transform the way you position your ideas.According to Klaff, creating and presenting a great pitch isn't an art--it's a simple science. Applying the latest findings in the field of neuroeconomics, while sharing eye-opening stories of his method in action, Klaff describes how the brain makes decisions and responds to pitches. With this information, you'll remain in complete control of every stage of the pitch process."Pitch Anything" introduces the exclusive STRONG method of pitching, which can be put to use immediately: Setting the Frame Telling the Story Revealing the Intrigue Offering the Prize Nailing the Hookpoint Getting a DecisionOne truly great pitch can improve your career, make you a lot of money--and even change your life. Success is dependent on the method you use, not how hard you try. "Better method, more money," Klaff says. "Much better method, much more money." Klaff is the best in the business because his method is much better than anyone else's. And now it's yours.Apply the tactics and strategies outlined in "Pitch Anything" to engage and persuade your audience--and you'll have more funding and support than you ever thought possible.

You're Hired: How to Succeed in Business and Life


Bill Rancic - 2004
    The winner of the hit TV show, The Apprentice, shows how anyone can become their own personal success in both business and life, using his or her  own experiences as a self-made entrepreneur, his or her work ethic, top business strategies, and lessons learned competing on the show, working for Donald Trump and winning the most talked about reality shows in years.Foreword by Donald Trump.

A Technique for Producing Ideas


James Webb Young - 1940
    Professionals from poets and painters to scientists and engineers have also used the techniques in this concise, powerful book to generate exciting ideas on demand, at any time, on any subject. Now let James Webb Young's unique insights help you look inside yourself to find that big, elusive idea--and once and for all lift the veil of mystery from the creative process."James Webb Young is in the tradition of some of our greatest thinkers when he describes the workings of the creative process. The results of many years in advertising have proved to him that the key element in communications success is the production of relevant and dramatic ideas. He not only makes this point vividly for us but shows us the road to that goal."--William Bernbach, Former Chairman and CEO, Doyle Dane Bernbach Inc.

Business the Richard Branson Way: 10 Secrets of the World's Greatest Brand Builder


Des Dearlove - 1998
    In an era dominated by strategists, Branson is an opportunist with an uncanny knack of sniffing out great deals where others hesitate or fear to tread. Never before has a single brand been so successfully deployed across such a diverse range of goods and services. Branson is the ultimate brand builder. So how does he do it? Now bought completely up to date for this new edition, Business the Richard Branson Way, not only reveals the secrets of Branson's remarkable success but also draws out the universal lessons and identifies strategies that can be applied to any business or career. From picking on someone bigger than you to moving faster than a speeding bullet, and from making work fun to keeping the common touch, you have in your hands the secrets of phenomenal success.ContentsRichard Branson Revisited The Life and Times of Richard Branson One Pick on Someone Bigger Than You Two Do the Hippy, Hippy Shake Three Haggle - Everything's Negotiable Four Make Work Fun Five Do Right By Your Brand Six Smile for the Cameras Seven Don't Lead Sheep, Herd Cats Eight Faster than a Speeding Bullet Nine Size Does Matter Ten Never Lose the Common Touch How to Build a Brand the Branson Way Last Word

Street Smarts: An All-Purpose Tool Kit for Entrepreneurs


Norm Brodsky - 2010
    Rather, says veteran company-builder Norm Brodsky, there's a mentality that helps street- smart entrepreneurs solve problems and pursue opportunities as they arise. Brodsky shares his hard-earned wisdom every month in Inc. magazine, in the hugely popular "Street Smarts" column he cowrites with Bo Burlingham. Now they've adapted their best advice into a comprehensive guide for anyone running a small business.

29 Leadership Secrets from Jack Welch


Robert Slater - 2002
    29 Leadership Secrets from Jack Welch follows in Welch's footsteps, boiling the legendary CEO's leadership successes down to 29 strategies that made GE the world's most competitive company­­and Welch the world's most successful and admired CEO.This all-in-one Welch reference updates material from Robert Slater's bestselling Get Better or Get Beaten, and is today's ultimate fast-paced, no-nonsense handbook on the ways of Jack Welch. It taps into the heart of Welch's courage, innovation, and leadership success by examining simple leadership secrets that include:Managing less is managing betterMake quality the job of every employeeHave global brains and vision

The Creative Curve: How to Develop the Right Idea at the Right Time


Allen Gannett - 2018
      We have been spoon-fed the notion that creativity is the province of genius -- of those favored, brilliant few whose moments of insight arrive in unpredictable flashes of divine inspiration.  And if we are not a genius, we might as well pack it in and give up. Either we have that gift, or we don’t.  But Allen shows that simply isn’t true.  Recent research has shown that there is a predictable science behind achieving commercial success in any creative endeavor, from writing a popular novel to starting up a successful company to creating an effective marketing campaign.    As the world’s most creative people have discovered, we are enticed by the novel and the familiar. By understanding the mechanics of what Gannett calls “the creative curve” – the point of optimal tension between the novel and the familiar – everyone can better engineer mainstream success.    In a thoroughly entertaining book that describes the stories and insights of everyone from the Broadway team behind Dear Evan Hansen, to the founder of Reddit, from the Chief Content Officer of Netflix to Michelin star chefs, Gannett reveals the four laws of creative success and identifies the common patterns behind their achievement.

A View From The Top


Zig Ziglar - 2002
    However, he has discovered that "being successful" is only part of life's challenge. Success is very often a short-lived high. People arrive at the goal line in life, look into the end zone and discover that it contains many of the things that money will buy, but it contains very little of what money won't buy. Zig believes that yes, success is worth it, but it is not enough. The next step is to move from success into significance. In A View from the Top Zig will teach you: to bring in spiritual dimention in all areas of your life the power of giving others a hand up, not just a hand out to make radical changes with minute steps to develop a wall of gratitude to combine your mission and your vision A View from the Top will help you achieve success and significance, so when you reach the top you'll find the view simply magnificent.

Micro-Isv: From Vision to Reality


Bob Walsh - 2006
    As for the latter, are you a programmer and curious about being your own boss? Where do you turn for information? Until now, online and traditional literature havent caught up with the reality of the post-dot com bust.Micro-ISV: From Vision to Reality explains what works and why in today's emerging micro-ISV sector. Currently, thousands of programmers build and deliver great solutions ISV-style, earning success and revenues much larger than you might guess. Written by and for micro-ISVs, with help from some of the leaders of the field, this book takes you beyond just daydreaming to running your own business. It thoroughly explores how it is indeed possible to launch and maintain a small and successful ISV business, and is an ideal read if you're interested in getting started.

The Dream Architects: Adventures in the Video Game Industry


David Polfeldt - 2020
    He shares what it's like to manage a creative process that has ballooned from a low-six-figure expense with a team of a half dozen people to a transatlantic production of five hundred employees on a single project with a production budget of over a hundred million dollars.A rare firsthand account of the golden age of game development told in vivid detail, The Dream Architects is a seminal work about the biggest entertainment medium of today.

Getting Real: The Smarter, Faster, Easier Way to Build a Web Application


37 Signals - 2006
    At under 200 pages it's quick reading too. Makes a great airplane book.