Double Your Freelancing Rate


Brennan Dunn - 2012
    

The Ultimate Guide to OKRs: How Objectives and Key-Results can help your company build a culture of excellence and achievement.


Francisco S. Homem De Mello - 2016
    OKRs translate a company's vision and strategy into a coherent set of performance measures. The three layers of organization: Dreams, OKRs, and To dos, offer a balance between long-term goals and short-term planning, between outcomes that are desired by the organization and actual performance KPIs that drive these outcomes, between harder and softer performance measures. Francisco Mello, founder of Qulture.Rocks, the leading performance management software company, takes you through the history of using goals for management, from MBOs to OKRs, and presents OKRs with a constant focus on its key differences from older frameworks such as MBOs.

Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool's Guide to Surviving with Grace


Gordon MacKenzie - 1996
    But too often, even the most innovative organization quickly becomes a "giant hairball"--a tangled, impenetrable mass of rules, traditions, and systems, all based on what worked in the past--that exercises an inexorable pull into mediocrity. Gordon McKenzie worked at Hallmark Cards for thirty years, many of which he spent inspiring his colleagues to slip the bonds of Corporate Normalcy and rise to orbit--to a mode of dreaming, daring and doing above and beyond the rubber-stamp confines of the administrative mind-set. In his deeply funny book, exuberantly illustrated in full color, he shares the story of his own professional evolution, together with lessons on awakening and fostering creative genius.Originally self-published and already a business "cult classic", this personally empowering and entertaining look at the intersection between human creativity and the bottom line is now widely available to bookstores. It will be a must-read for any manager looking for new ways to invigorate employees, and any professional who wants to achieve his or her best, most self-expressive, most creative and fulfilling work.

The Amazon Way on IoT: 10 Principles for Every Leader from the World's Leading Internet of Things Strategies


John Rossman - 2016
    We can all learn from these strategies. In this detailed analysis of IoT and Amazon's and other leading companies approach to it, John Rossman guides readers with practical insights and recommendations into the strategies and mindset transforming business and society. "John has laid out a blueprint not only for an enterprise wanting to understand how sensors embedded in their business can innovate old ways of working while also providing an excellent path for individuals wanting to start their own IoT business. The book is not only a reference tool but also paints a story around innovation and customer centricity to challenge the reader to think differently in solving problems." Eric Martinez -- Founder of Modjoul, former EVP AIG and Safeco Insurance The Amazon Way on IoT explains how the combination of sensors, cloud computing and machine learning can be used to improve customer experiences, drive operational improvements and build new business models. Rossman offers: - Guidance through the maze of emerging technologies, customer experiences, and business models, to arrive at a recipe just right for your organization - Key methods to success from Amazon’s master playbook such as creating seamless customer experiences, process improvement and new business models and utilizing tools such as sensors, machine learning and cloud computing - Approaches to help you tackle the technology, business and internal challenges in innovating with the internet of things. Renowned Harvard business professor Michael Porter describes the IoT as the backbone for a third-wave of technology-led innovation and digital disruption. The Amazon Way on IoT is for business people who want to learn cases, key concepts, technologies and tools to help develop, explain and execute their own IoT approach. As a leader at Amazon who held a front-row seat during its formative years, Rossman understands the iconic company better than most. From the launch of Amazon’s third-party seller program to its foray into enterprise services, he witnessed it all – the amazing successes, the little-known failures, and the experiments with outcomes still to be determined. Rossman once again examines the heart of Amazon.com’s secret to success, along with other leading companies. He incorporates an extensive focus on sophisticated IoT technologies and strategies related to Amazon’s rise: tens of millions of items in stock, the company’s technological prowess, and the many customer service innovations such as “one-click.” “This is an excellent book. And a very important book. It evokes both business thought and technical thought, which is rare.” -- Larry Hughes, former head of Amazon cyber security

Strategic Management: Text and Cases


Gregory G. Dess - 1995
    The text is rounded off by rich, relevant, and teachable cases. This text's accessible writing style and wealth of new and updated illustrations, which clarify the most difficult topics, make this text the best resource for your students. The new case selections emphasize variety, currency, and familiar company names. The cases are up-to-date in terms of both financial data and strategic issues. This group of cases gives both instructors and students unparalleled quality and variety. Based on consistent reviewer feedback, these selections combine comprehensive and shorter length cases about well known companies.

Brand Strategy 101: Your Logo Is Irrelevant - The 3 Step Process to Build a Kick-Ass Brand


Michael R. Drew - 2013
    No really, it is. Let me explain.It turns out that drooling dogs and ringing bells are far more important than a logo (thank you Pavlov).Sure, successful businesses have logos--easily recognizable logos. Playboy, McDonald's, Coke. But there's far more to their success than bunny ears, golden arches or a certain shade of red. Stripped of all the marketing lingo, branding is pretty simple: Your brand is all the associations that come to mind when your potential customers see or hear your name.Whether your focus is on personal branding or on branding your company culture--you've got to have more than a fancy logo and edgy color scheme to create brand stickability (you know, a brand your customers can't get out of their heads).Well, there’s a process to capturing attention and getting your foot in the door of your customers’ minds. Here's a taste of some of the personal branding advice you'll find in this book:You must become the first solution your customer thinks of when they have a problem you can solve. How?The first step is to figure out what your audience cares about. What keeps them up at night? What problems can you help them solve? From there, you need to apply these three steps:1) Frequency2) Repetition3) AnchoringIn this e-book, we’ll show you how to figure out what your customers really want. Then we will show you how to apply these three steps to help you become the trusted resource that comes to mind first when your customer’s itch needs to be scratched.Is real and authentic branding going to happen overnight? Probably not. But ask yourself this: Do you want short-term results that lose effectiveness? Or are you willing to invest a bit more time and effort to create long-term results that get better and better?If you're looking for a branding book that promises a quick fix, this isn't the book for you. But if you want to create a brand that sticks like superglue--read this book!Go ahead and let the wimps and whiners have the get-rich quick schemes that fizzle and fall flat like a wet firework. You want to ignite a branding bonfire.

Strategic Marketing


David W. Cravens - 1982
    The new edition of "Strategic Marketing" uses a decision-making process to examine the key concepts and issues involved in analyzing and selecting strategies. Marketing strategy is considered from a total business perspective, examining marketing strategy beyond the traditional emphasis on marketing functions. The length and design of the book offer flexibility in the use of the text material and cases. New features and updated cases have made this text the most relevant text in the market today.

The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses


Eric Ries - 2011
    But many of those failures are preventable. The Lean Startup is a new approach being adopted across the globe, changing the way companies are built and new products are launched. Eric Ries defines a startup as an organization dedicated to creating something new under conditions of extreme uncertainty. This is just as true for one person in a garage or a group of seasoned professionals in a Fortune 500 boardroom. What they have in common is a mission to penetrate that fog of uncertainty to discover a successful path to a sustainable business.The Lean Startup approach fosters companies that are both more capital efficient and that leverage human creativity more effectively. Inspired by lessons from lean manufacturing, it relies on "validated learning," rapid scientific experimentation, as well as a number of counter-intuitive practices that shorten product development cycles, measure actual progress without resorting to vanity metrics, and learn what customers really want. It enables a company to shift directions with agility, altering plans inch by inch, minute by minute.Rather than wasting time creating elaborate business plans, The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs - in companies of all sizes - a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust before it's too late. Ries provides a scientific approach to creating and managing successful startups in a age when companies need to innovate more than ever.

Google AdWords for Beginners: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to PPC Advertising


Corey Rabazinski - 2015
    Google's AdWords platform enables you to create pay-per-click advertisements that appear as 'sponsored links' when someone searches for content related to your product or service. You bid for the position to place your ad, and you only pay when someone clicks. It's that simple. If used correctly, AdWords can garner higher targeted traffic, which in turn will increase your conversion rates and profits. So, AdWords will definitely help your business, but you have no idea how to utilize them. What should you do? Take a couple of hours to read this book. Google AdWords for Beginners is designed to teach you the fundamentals of AdWords, how it works, why it works, and the proven techniques that you can use to make it work for you and your business. Additionally, this book details an eight-step blueprint that has consistently delivered positive results for companies. Upon completion, you'll be armed with the knowledge to launch profitable campaigns or drastically improve an existing one.

Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It


April Dunford - 2019
    Successfully connecting your product with consumers isn’t a matter of following trends, comparing yourself to the competition or trying to attract the widest customer base.So what is it? April Dunford, positioning guru and tech exec, will enlighten you.Her new book, Obviously Awesome, shows you how to find your product’s “secret sauce”—and then sell that sauce to those who crave it. Having spent years as a startup executive (with 16 product launches under her belt) and a consultant (who’s worked on dozens more), Dunford speaks with authority about breaking through the noise of a crowded market.Punctuated with witty anecdotes and compelling case studies, Dunford’s book is at once entertaining and illuminating. Among the invaluable lessons you’ll learn are:- The Five Components of Effective Positioning- How to instantly connect an audience to your offering’s value- How to choose the best market for your products- How to use three distinct styles of positioning to your advantage- How to leverage market trends to help buyers understand why making a purchase is important right nowWhether you’re an entrepreneur, marketer or salesperson struggling to bring inventive products to market, Dunford’s insights will help you find your awesome, so that your customers can too.

Escaping the Build Trap: How Effective Product Management Creates Real Value


Melissa Perri - 2018
    Companies that live and die by outputs often fall into the "build trap," cranking out features to meet their schedule rather than the customer’s needs. In this book, Melissa Perri explains how laying the foundation for great product management can help companies solve real customer problems while achieving business goals. By understanding how to communicate and collaborate within a company structure, you can create a product culture that benefits both the business and the customer. You’ll learn product management principles that can be applied to any organization, big or small. In five parts, this book explores: Why organizations ship features rather than cultivate the value those features represent How to set up a product organization that scales How product strategy connects a company’s vision and economic outcomes back to the product activities How to identify and pursue the right opportunities for producing value through an iterative product framework How to build a culture focused on successful outcomes over outputs

Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing


Harry Beckwith - 1997
    A comprehensive guide to service marketing furnishes tips and advice on how one can apply one's business knowledge to any area of sales and marketing, from a home-based consultancy to a multinational brokerage firm.

Fascinate: Unlocking the Secret Triggers of Influence, Persuasion, and Captivation


Sally Hogshead - 2010
    It's more persuasive than marketing, advertising, or any other form of communication. And it all starts with seven universal triggers: lust, mystique, alarm, prestige, power, vice, and trust.Fascination plays a role in every type of decision making, from the brands you choose to the songs you remember, from the person you marry to the employees you hire. And by activating the right triggers, you can make anything become fascinating.To explore and explain fascination's irresistible influence, Sally Hogshead looks beyond marketing, delving into behavioral and social studies, historical precedents, neurobiology and evolutionary anthropology, as well as conducting in-depth interviews and a national study of a thousand consumers, to emerge with deeply rooted patterns for why, and how, we become captivated.Hogshead reveals why the Salem witch trials began with the same fixations as those in "Sex and the City." How Olympic athletes are subject to obsessions similar to those of fetishists. How a 1636 frenzy over Dutch tulip bulbs perfectly mirrors the 2006 real estate bubble. And why a billion-dollar "Just Say No" program actually increased drug use among teens, by activating the same "forbidden fruit" syndrome as a Victoria's Secret catalog.Whether you realize it or not, you're already using the seven triggers. The question is, are you using the right triggers, in the right way, to get your desired result? This book will show you.

Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust


Chris Brogan - 2009
    Today's online influencers are web natives who trade in trust, reputation, and relationships, using social media to accrue the influence that builds up or brings down businesses online.The book shows how people use online social tools to build networks of influence and how you can use those networks to positively impact your business. Because trust is key to building online reputations, those who traffic in it are "trust agents," the key people your business needs on its side.Delivers actionable steps and case studies that show how social media can positively impact your business Written by authors with over ten years of online media experience Shows you how to build and wield influence online to benefit your brand Combines high-level theory with practical step-by-step guidance If you want your business to succeed, don't sit on the sidelines. Instead, use the Web to build trust with your consumers using Trust Agents.

The Nuclear Effect: The 6 Pillars of Building a 7+ Figure Online Business


Scott Oldford - 2020
    Its energy feeds other reactions, creating endless possibilities for self-sustaining growth. Imagine harnessing this kind of energy in business—what if you could create your own nuclear effect?It's easy to feel trapped when you start an online business, stuck in a tug-of-war between success and the requirements for continued growth. The more you progress, the more money you need. Your company's bank account mirrors your own emotions in a rollercoaster of inconsistency and instability—you've left the rat race, only to find yourself on a 6- or 7-figure hamster wheel.In The Nuclear Effect, Scott Oldford shows you how to free yourself from this cycle, scale a profitable, multimillion-dollar business, and keep the money you make. By following Scott's 6 pillars of sustainable growth, you will create the momentum your business needs to become an unstoppable force.