Growing a Business


Paul Hawken - 1987
    In fact, a million businesses start in the United States every year. Many of them fail, but enough succeed so that small businesses are now adding millions of jobs to the economy at the same time that the Fortune 500 companies are actually losing jobs. Paul Hawken—entrepreneur and bestselling author—wrote Growing a Business for those who set out to make their dream a reality. He knows what he's talking about; he is his own best example of success. In the early 1970s, while he was still in his twenties, he founded Erewhon, the largest distributor of natural foods. More recently, he founded and still runs Smith & Hawken, the premier mail-order garden tool company. And he wrote a critically acclaimed book called The Next Economy about the future of the economy. Using examples like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream, and University National Bank of Palo Alto, California, Hawken shows that the successful business is an expression of an individual person. The most successful business, your idea for a business, will grow from something that is deep within you, something that can't be stolen by anyone because it is so uniquely yours that anyone else who tried to execute your idea would fail. He dispels the myth of the risk-taking entrepreneur. The purpose of business, he points out, is not to take risks but rather to get something done.

Just F*ing Demo!: Tactics for Leading Kickass Product Demos


Rob Falcone - 2014
    Making matters worse, those leading the demos can rarely afford to spend months at a time figuring out how to improve their success rates. In Just F*Ing Demo!, Rob Falcone outlines the tactics that helped him overcome these challenges, lead clear, relevant demos, and exceed revenue generation goals quarter after quarter. The book will teach readers: - How to structure a demo; - How to ask questions that uncover what your audience truly cares about; - How to translate audience needs into a flow that is extremely easy to follow; - How to use simple but powerful interpersonal tactics within the demo itself. Just F*Ing Demo! distills Falcone’s highly successful training program into an intentionally concise yet impactful read. From the entrepreneur seeking investment to the sales professional chasing a deal, anyone can carve out a few hours, read this book, and immediately make their demos kick ass.

The Yogi Entrepreneur: A Guide to Earning a Mindful Living Through Yoga


Darren Main - 2011
    Finding a balance between sharing yoga with the world and running an ethical business can be challenging. The Yogi Entrepreneur is the definitive manual on starting and growing a yoga business. Whether you are an established teacher, looking to expand your student base, a new teacher fresh out of yoga teacher training, or you are simply considering signing up for your first yoga certification course—this book is for you.The Yogi Entrepreneur offers chapters on becoming a yoga teacher, marketing and branding, ethics, leading retreats and workshops, developing a Wordpress website, managing social media like Twitter and Facebook, and many other important skills for success as a teacher or yoga studio owner. With scores of resources, low-cost marketing tips, and time-saving tools, this book is a yoga teachers toolbox.The Yogi Entrepreneur has been used in hundreds of teacher training programs around the world and has helped thousands of yoga teachers to find their audience, define their brand, and share their unique approach to yoga more effectively. Whether your teaching is rooted in more traditional styles of yoga like Iyengar, Kripalu and Integral, or in more contemporary disciplines such as Forrest, Bikram, Baptiste and Anusara yoga, the simple and straightforward tools outlined in these pages will help you to reach your true potential as a yoga teacher.If you are ready to jumpstart your yoga and meditation business then look no further!__________Darren Main has written another exceptionally practical book for yogis, this one a gem that every yoga teacher should have at his or her fingertips in opening to make a livelihood. —Mark Stephens,
 Author of Teaching YogaWhen I read Yogi Entrepreneur, I was struck not only by Darren Main’s thoughtfulness about the topic and his experience in the field, but also by the personal and very real way he conveyed his information. It was more like having a very useful and interesting conversation with a wise and funny friend rather than reading a “how to” book. —Judith Hanson Lasater, Phd., PT,

 Author of Yoga Body, What We Say Matters and 30 Essential Yoga PosesFor the yoga teacher looking to make a career of doing what they love, Darren Main’s book, The Yogi Entrepreneur, is invaluable. We will highly recommend it to our teachers and those in our Teacher Training programs. 
—Trevor Tice

, Founder CorePower YogaFinally, a much needed book on the business art of yoga. Many of us have the skills and wisdom of yoga to proficiently reach out to people as teachers. Managing the business end of yoga is our downfall. Highly skilled and extraordinary yoga teachers whose careers are shining successes ultimately fail due lack of business skills. This book is a powerful guide to facilitate what teachers are qualified to offer and at the same time make a successful living for themselves. —Yogi Amrit Desai

, Founder of Kripalu Yoga and author of Amrit Yoga

Darren Main has done it again with the Yogi Entrepreneur. His in depth analysis and advice offers unique insight that you won't find in yoga manuals. This masterful book, like his second book Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic should be required reading in all teacher training courses. —Darren Littlejohn, 

Author of the 12-Step Buddhist
 
www.the12stepbuddhist.comDarren Main has created an incredibly clear road map on how to build your career as a professional yoga teacher! The Yogi Entrepreneur is an exceptional resource for new and seasoned teachers alike. We recommend this book to all of our Teacher Training graduates. —Rasha Pensanti Shakeri Director, YogaWorks Teacher Training

Effective Delegation of Authority: A (Really) Short Book for New Managers About How to Delegate Work Using a Simple Delegation Process


Hassan Osman - 2019
    This quick read is a must for new managers -- and also for senior managers who are seeking a framework to help newer managers avoid the common mistakes." - Dave Stachowiak, Host of the ‘Coaching for Leaders’ podcast Do you feel stressed and overwhelmed with tasks that you can’t keep up with? Are you struggling with the delegation of work to your employees?  Effective Delegation of Authority is a brief guide for new managers that will help you improve your delegation skills in simple steps.If you’re a manager or entrepreneur who leads three or more employees, then this book is for you.It’s a super-short book that’ll help you avoid the common mistakes that new managers make when delegating tasks.It includes a comprehensive step-by-step process that tells you exactly what to do before delegation, during delegation, and after delegation.You’ll also get immediately applicable tactics that you can implement straightway with your subordinates. Here’s a partial list of what’s covered:  How to determine what to delegate to your employees before starting the delegation process The method you should follow to decide who to delegate work to on your team The five traits that every task should have before you delegate it.  How to describe authority levels the right way before you delegate work How to avoid micromanaging your employees How to check in with your subordinates and give them meaningful feedback.  How to avoid being too prescriptive, while still giving your employees a good description of what they need to accomplish The most important thing you should do after you delegate a task to verify understanding Some examples of delegation to help you understand the concepts better A downloadable sample delegation template and one-page cheat sheet that you can use as quick reference guides The book is divided into three sections that will serve as your new manager checklist:   Section I: Before Delegation Step One: Determine What to Delegate Step Two: Determine Who to Delegate to Section II: During Delegation Step One: Explain the Task Clearly Step Two: Describe Goals, Not Actions Step Three: Give Clear Timelines

If Aristotle Ran General Motors: The New Soul of Business


Tom Morris - 1997
    Author Tom Morris has emerged as one of America's most popular motivational speakers, bringing his inspirational message of ancient wisdom in modern business to thousands of employees at major companies like AT&T and Merrill Lynch. In 1998 Morris will give more than 100 keynote speeches at corporate seminars to further establish If Aristotle Ran General Motors as a must-read for anyone doing business today.

The Magic of Tiny Business: You Don't Have to Go Big to Make a Great Living


Sharon Rowe - 2018
    Sharon Rowe's simple shift in thinking is a profound idea, precisely what we need to hear."--Seth Godin, author of LinchpinToo many of us feel trapped by work that keeps us from living our purpose. We fantasize about starting our own business, yet we're warned against falling into debt, working eighty hours a week, and coping with the pressure to grow. Eco-Bags Products founder Sharon Rowe says there's another way: go tiny.Like a tiny house, a tiny business is built on maintaining a laser focus on what is essential by living an intentional life. As an entrepreneur and mother, Rowe is most concerned with putting family first, maintaining financial security, and doing something that makes an impact in the world. Using the success story of Eco-Bags Products, Rowe distills the step-by-step process of building a profitable, right-scaled, sustainable venture that doesn't compromise your values. She shows you how to test your concept, manage your money and priorities, and more, while staying true to the "tiny" ethos.

Do the KIND Thing: Think Boundlessly, Work Purposefully, Live Passionately


Daniel Lubetzky - 2015
    A decade later, the transformative power of the company’s “AND” philosophy has resulted in an astonishing record of achievement. KIND has become the fastest-growing purveyor of healthy snacks in the country. Meanwhile, the KIND Movement—the company’s social mission to make the world a little kinder—has sparked more than a million good deeds worldwide.   In Do the KIND Thing, Lubetzky shares the revolutionary principles that have shaped KIND’s business model and led to its success, while offering an unfiltered and intensely personal look into the mind of a pioneering social entrepreneur. Inspired by his father, who survived the Holocaust thanks to the courageous kindness of strangers, Lubetzky began his career handselling a sun-dried tomato spread made collaboratively by Arabs and Jews in the war-torn Middle East. Despite early setbacks, he never lost his faith in his vision of a “not-only-for-profit” business—one that sold great products and helped to make the world a better place.   While other companies let circumstances force them into choosing between two seemingly incompatible options, people at KIND say “AND.” At its core, this idea is about challenging assumptions and false compromises. It is about not settling for less and being willing to take greater risks, often financial. It is about learning to think boundlessly and critically, and choosing what at first may be the tougher path for later, greater rewards. By using illuminating anecdotes from his own career, and celebrating some past failures through the lessons learned from them, Lubetzky outlines his core tenets for building a successful business and a thriving social enterprise. He explores the value of staying true to your brand, highlights the importance of transparency and communication in the workplace, and explains why good intentions alone won’t sell products.   Engaging and inspirational, Do the KIND Thing shows how the power of AND worked wonders for one company—and could empower the next generation of social entrepreneurs to improve their bottom line and change the world.Advance praise for Do the KIND Thing   “An enjoyable read . . . wise advice about matters from product development to people management.”—Financial Times“By sharing the ten tenets that helped KIND grow, Daniel Lubetzky has given entrepreneurs a road map to success that includes both passion and purpose.”—Arianna Huffington, president and editor in chief, Huffington Post Media Group   “Lubetzky uses the power of kindness to build purpose into his business and his community. He’s a role model for future leaders.”—Mehmet Oz, M.D., professor of surgery, Columbia University   “I’ve always been a fan of the KIND brand. This engaging and inspirational book shows how coupling a social mission with creativity can spark change and empower a generation.”—Bobbi Brown, founder and CCO, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics

How to Kill a Unicorn: How the World's Hottest Innovation Factory Builds Bold Ideas That Make It to Market


Mark Payne - 2014
      Today, innovation is seen by business leaders and the media alike as the key to growth, a burning issue in every company, from startups to the Fortune 500. And in that space, Fahrenheit 212 is viewed as a high-performance innovation SWAT team, able to solve the most complex, mission-critical challenges. Under Mark Payne, the firm's president and head of Idea Development, Fahrenheit 212, since its inception a decade ago, has worked with such giants of industry as Coca-Cola, Samsung, Hershey's, Campbell's Soup, LG, Starbucks, Mattel, Office Depot, Citibank, P&G, American Express, Nutrisystem, GE, and Goldman Sachs, to name but a few. It has been praised as a hotspot for innovation in publications like Fortune, Esquire, Businessweek, and FastCompany.  What Drives Fahrenheit 212's success is its unique methodology, combining what it calls Magic--the creative side of innovation--with Money, the business side. They explore every potential idea with the end goal in mind--bringing an innovative product to market in a way that will transform a company's business and growth. In How to Kill a Unicorn, Mark Payne pulls back the curtain on how the company is able to bring more innovative products and ideas successfully to market than any other firm and offers blow by blow inside accounts of how they grapple with and solved their biggest challenges.

Start Something That Matters


Blake Mycoskie - 2011
    That’s the breakthrough message of TOMS’ One for One movement. You don’t have to be rich to give back and you don’t have to retire to spend every day doing what you love. You can find profit, passion, and meaning all at once—right now.    In Start Something That Matters, Blake Mycoskie tells the story of TOMS, one of the fastest-growing shoe companies in the world, and combines it with lessons learned from such other innovative organizations such as Method Products, charity: water, FEED Projects, and TerraCycle. Blake presents the six simple keys for creating or transforming your own life and business, from discovering your core story to being resourceful without resources; from overcoming fear and doubt to incorporating giving into every aspect of your life. No matter what kind of change you’re considering, Start Something That Matters gives you the stories, ideas, and practical tips that can help you get started.   Why this book is for you:  • You’re ready to make a difference in the world—through your own start-up business, a nonprofit organization, or a new project that you create within your current job.• You want to love your work, work for what you love, and have a positive impact on the world—all at the same time.• You’re inspired by charity: water, method, and FEED Projects and want to learn how these organizations got their start. • You’re curious about how someone who never made a pair of shoes, attended fashion school, or worked in retail created one of the fastest-growing footwear companies in the world by giving shoes away.• You’re looking for a new model of success to share with your children, students, co-workers, and members of your community. You’re ready to start something that matters.

The Triple Bottom Line: How Today's Best-Run Companies Are Achieving Economic, Social and Environmental Success -- And How You Can Too


Andrew Savitz - 2006
    Andrew Savitz chronicles both the real problems that companies face and the innovative solutions that can come from sustainability. His is a hard-line approach to bottom-line fundamentals that is re-making companies around the globe.

Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World


Scott Harrison - 2018
    At 28 years old, Scott Harrison had it all. A top nightclub promoter in New York City, his life was an endless cycle of drugs, booze, models--repeat. But 10 years in, desperately unhappy and morally bankrupt, he asked himself, "What would the exact opposite of my life look like?" Walking away from everything, Harrison spent the next 16 months on a hospital ship in West Africa and discovered his true calling. In 2006, with no money and less than no experience, Harrison founded charity: water. Today, his organization has raised over $300 million to bring clean drinking water to more than 8.2 million people around the globe.In Thirst, Harrison recounts the twists and turns that built charity: water into one of the most trusted and admired nonprofits in the world. Renowned for its 100% donation model, bold storytelling, imaginative branding, and radical commitment to transparency, charity: water has disrupted how social entrepreneurs work while inspiring millions of people to join its mission of bringing clean water to everyone on the planet within our lifetime.In the tradition of such bestselling books as Shoe Dog and Mountains Beyond Mountains, Thirst is a riveting account of how to build a better charity, a better business, a better life--and a gritty tale that proves it's never too late to make a change.100% of the author's net proceeds from Thirst will go to fund charity: water projects around the world.

Not Everyone Gets A Trophy: How to Manage the Millennials


Bruce Tulgan - 2015
    

Staffing Organizations


Herbert G. Heneman III - 1994
    This work contains components of the model, which include staffing models and strategy, staffing support systems (legal compliance, planning, job analysis and rewards), core staffing systems (recruitment, selection, employment), and staffing system and retention management.

The Best Story Wins: How to Leverage Hollywood Storytelling in Business and Beyond


Matthew Luhn - 2018
    Former Pixar and The Simpsons Animator and Story Artist Matthew Luhn translates his two and half decades of storytelling techniques and concepts to the CEOs, advertisers, marketers, and creatives in the business world and beyond. A combination of Luhn’s personal stories and storytelling insights, The Best Story Wins retells the “Hero’s Journey” story building methods through the lens of the Pixar films to help business minds embrace the power of storytelling for themselves!

The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty Through Profits


C.K. Prahalad - 2004
    Prahalad describes how the world's low-income markets offer opportunity for the world's wealthiest companies to seek fortune and bring prosperity to the poor.