The Office that Grows Your Business


Book Description




Growing a Business


Book Description

The companion volume to the public television series explains what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.




Design for Operational Excellence: A Breakthrough Strategy for Business Growth


Book Description

Beyond Six Sigma and Lean! Design your processes to facilitate real business growth, in both healthy and unhealthy economies Design for Operational Excellence defines why companies embark upon continuous improvement—and the true answer is not to improve efficiency, quality, or eliminate waste! The reason is to achieve Operational Excellence. Duggan, an established authority on OpEx, provides the design criteria and guidelines that enable you to grow your business organically by refocusing management’s attention from running the business to growing the business. Founded on eight key principles, this groundbreaking system facilitates the continuous flow of value into any operation—from customer service to sales to manufacturing. Kevin J. Duggan is a renowned speaker, executive mentor, and educator in applying advanced lean techniques to achieve Operational Excellence and the author of two books on the subject: Creating Mixed Model Value Streams and The Office That Grows Your Business—Achieving Operational Excellence in Your Business Processes. As the Founder of the Institute for Operational Excellence, the leading educational center on Operational Excellence, and Duggan Associates, an international training and advisory firm, Kevin has assisted many major corporations worldwide, including United Technologies Corporation, Caterpillar, Pratt & Whitney, Singapore Airlines, IDEX Corporation, GKN and Parker Hannifin. A recognized expert on Operational Excellence, Kevin is a frequent keynote speaker, master of ceremonies, and panelist at international conferences, and has appeared on CNN and the Fox Business Network.




Shark Tank Jump Start Your Business


Book Description

From the ABC hit show "Shark Tank," this book-filled with practical advice and introductions from the Sharks themselves-will be the ultimate resource for anyone thinking about starting a business or growing the one they have. Full of tips for navigating the confusing world of entrepreneurship, the book will intersperse words of wisdom with inspirational stories from the show. Throughout the book, readers will learn how to: Determine whether they're compatible with the life of a small business owner, shape a marketable idea and craft a business model around it, plan for a launch, run a business without breaking the bank (or burning themselves out), create a growth plan that will help them handle and harness success, and pitch an idea or business plan like a pro. Responding to the fans' curiosity about past show contestants, readers will also find approximately 10 "Where Are They Now" boxes in which they learn what happened to some of the most asked-about and/or most popular guests ever to try their luck in front of the Sharks-and what they learned in the process.




Open Services Innovation


Book Description

The father of "open innovation" is back with his most significant book yet. Henry Chesbrough’s acclaimed book Open Innovation described a new paradigm for management in the 21st century. Open Services Innovation offers a new approach that demonstrates how open innovation combined with a services approach to business is an effective and powerful way to grow and compete in our increasingly services-driven economy. Chesbrough shows how companies in any industry can make the critical shift from product- to service-centric thinking, from closed to open innovation where co-creating with customers enables sustainable business models that drive continuous value creation for customers. He maps out a strategic approach and proven framework that any individual, business unit, company, or industry can put to work for renewed growth and profits. The book includes guidance and compelling examples for small and large companies, services businesses, and emerging economies, as well as a path forward for the innovation industry. "Whether you are managing a product or a service, your business needs to become more open and more inclusive in order to be more innovative. Open Services Innovation will be an invaluable guide to intrepid managers who commit to making that journey." —GARY HAMEL, visiting professor, London Business School; director, Management Lab; and author, The Future of Management "I tore out page after page to share with my leaders. Chesbrough has pioneered an entire rethink of business innovation that’s rich in concept, deeply explained, with tools ready to use in every industry." —SCOTT COOK, founder and chairman of the executive committee, Intuit "Focusing on core competence often tempts managers to keep continuing what succeeded in the past. A far more important question is what capabilities are critical in the future, and Chesbrough shows how to ask and answer these issues." —CLAYTON CHRISTENSEN, Robert & Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, and author, The Innovator's Dilemma "To thrive, businesses will need to master the lessons of open service innovation. Here is their one-stop guidebook with important lessons clearly and compellingly presented." —JAMES C. SPOHRER, director, IBM University Programs World-Wide "Open Innovation pioneer Henry Chesbrough breaks new ground with Open Services Innovation, a persuasive argument for the power of co-creation in the world of services." —TOM KELLEY, general manager, IDEO, and author, The Ten Faces of Innovation, The Art of Innovation "With his trademark style of beautifully explained examples, Henry Chesbrough shows how open service innovation and new business models can help you escape this product commodity trap and bring you to the next level of competition." —ALEX OSTERWALDER, author, Business Model Generation "Open Services Innovation shows how a business can redefine itself as a service organisation and tap into faster growth through shared innovation." —SIR TERRY LEAHY, chief executive, Tesco "Chesbrough shows how innovating openly with a services mindset can make you a market leader." —CHARLENE LI, author, Open Leadership, and founder, Altimeter Group




Build a Better Life by Stealing Office Supplies


Book Description

Here's everything you need to know about how business really operates courtesy of Dogbert.




Real-Time Marketing and PR


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Launch effective real-time communications to win in today's always-on world Gone are the days when you could plan out your marketing and public relations programs well in advance and release them on your timetable. "Real time" means news breaks over minutes, not days. It means companies develop (or refine) products or services instantly, based on feedback from customers or events in the marketplace. And it's when businesses see an opportunity and are the first to act on it. In this eye-opening follow-up to The New Rules of Marketing and PR, a BusinessWeek bestseller, David Meerman Scott reveals the proven, practical steps to take your business into the real-time era. Find out how to act and react flexibly as events occur, position your brand in the always-on world of the Web, and avoid embarrassing mistakes and missteps. Real-Time Marketing and PR will also enable you to: Develop a business culture that encourages speed over sloth Read buying signals as people interact with your online information Crowdsource product development, naming, and even marketing materials such as online videos Engage reporters to shape stories as they are being written Command premium prices by delivering products at speed Deploy technology to listen in on millions of online discussions and instantly engage with customers and buyers Scale and media buying power are no longer a decisive advantage. What counts today is speed and agility. While your competitors scramble to adjust, you can seize the initiative, open new channels, and grow your brand. Master Real-Time Marketing and PR today and become the first to act, the first to respond, and the first to win!




The Farmer's Office


Book Description

A practical, how-to guide for farmers who want to achieve and maintain financial sustainability in their businesses When you decided to become a farmer, you also became an entrepreneur and business person. In order to be ecologically and financially sustainable, you must understand the basics of accounting and bookkeeping, and learn how to manage a growing business. Author Julia Shanks distills years of teaching and business consulting with farmers into this comprehensive, accessible guide. She covers all aspects of launching, running and growing a successful farm business through effective bookkeeping and business management, providing tools to make managerial decisions, apply for a loan or other financing, and offering general business and strategy advice for growing a business. Whether you've been farming for many years or just getting started, The Farmer's Office gives you the tools needed to think like an entrepreneur and thoughtfully manage your business for success.




Go Slow to Grow Fast


Book Description

How To Maintain Positive Performance Through Your Company's Ups And Downs In this book, author Brent R. Tilson brings to life the classic challenge that all business leaders face as they push their businesses through the conflict of growth and business capability, often referred to as the S-curve life cycle. Through a fable drawn from his work with hundreds of businesses over twenty-five years of experience, he creates a case study that will take you, along with the characters Frank and Susan, on a journey of self-discovery. The practical tools, methodologies, and advice are thought provoking yet simple. Brent's innovative use of a business's "Lifeline," combined with his "Quad 4" methodology, helps leaders gain an understanding of how their business is performing today, and creates a road map for the future. Financial statements give leaders only a rearview-mirror look at a company's performance. The key is to have the information to look forward--through the "dashboard" showing where the company is going. In this book, Brent presents tools for leaders to zero in on the critical numbers and measurements they need to monitor. Some of the key issues he addresses are: -Is the company in the Driving Zone or Drama Zone? -Is revenue per employee growing? -What is the return on investment the company is getting from its employees? - What will put the company out of business? -Is the company outperforming the competition? The key is to Go Slow and truly understand the business's current capability; then you can make the necessary changes, adjustments, and improvements to prepare for the future--and get ready to Grow Fast.




How to Grow Your Business Like a Weed


Book Description

A playbook for growing your business no matter the circumstances. “Weeds scale faster than any business. It’s in their DNA.”—Kathy Ireland, CEO, Kathy Ireland Worldwide Hall-of-Fame-nominated marketer, bestselling author, and Wall Street Journal cartoonist Stu Heinecke shares his fascination with weeds and how anyone can grow their business into something resilient and unstoppable. How to Grow Your Business Like a Weed applies a model to business growth, examining the successful strategies that ordinary weeds use to spread, and prosper in almost any situation. This book will enable readers to apply strategies, mapping their own path to rapid and sustainable growth, while providing focus on weed-based attributes to get the job done quickly and effectively. It also provides a pathway to transform their entire team into a collective of weeds operating on behalf of the company, acting as an incubator for innovation and productivity, while enriching their own opportunities for growth and security. An accessible and practical guide that leaders and companies across industries can help increase their market share, prominence, and customer base, this book enables them to grow, expand, dominate, and defend their turf. Stu has explored the Weeds model for several years, collecting insights from thought leaders from the worlds of business, government, and entertainment including: T. Boone Pickens, Kathy Ireland, General Barry McAffrey, Henrik Fisker, Gareb Shamus, Giovanni Marsico, Esther Dyson, Christopher Lochhead, Nathan Myhrvold, Carmen Medina, Jon Ferrara and Jonna Mendez.