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Simon Mainwaring says We First – Do You?

Filed Under Business Book, Great Finds, Marketing, Successful Blog | 4 Comments

We First: An Invitation to Build a Better World
By Simon Mainwaring
Founder, We first

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Let me start out by saying this is a big picture blog. I am seeking your support for a movement to build a better world. That’s a sizeable request, I know, but let me explain because this will be important to you both personally and professionally.Several years ago, I read a speech Bill Gates gave at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He asked corporate leaders to come up with new models to justify doing business in the poorest regions of the world. He exhorted that corporations have an obligation to raise the standards of living throughout the world, even if they cannot capture their usual profit margins. Gates called it “creative capitalism” and he challenged the business world to get involved.

Does this message resonate with you? Do you think the world could be in better shape were capitalism to function better?

I did. Gates inspired me and I began thinking. Since then, I have devoted myself to formulating ideas that could fundamentally alter how we practice business. I call it We First capitalism in opposition to Me First capitalism. It is based on the premise that we are now living in a complex, interconnected, globalized world of 7 billion people in which our economic decisions and business practices ripple everywhere to impact millions of other people. We can no longer accept that capitalism functions as an engine of selfish short-term wealth creation, winner-take-all, profit-for-profit’s sake system of commerce. Capitalism cannot remain an elite economic activity whose results provide happiness and prosperity for a limited group of stakeholders, leaving billions of others living without opportunity or hope, and our planet in shambles.

My purpose in formulating We First capitalism is to persuade corporations and businesses of all sizes that we all must accept greater social responsibility. Building a better world must become what our businesses do every day as part and parcel of our operations, not something we do after we make our profits. The scale of crises in the world needs more than charitable contributions reluctantly squeezed out of pre-tax net profits. Business itself must become a smarter engine of constructive contribution to solving the world’s problems, not just a mindless motor churning out profits from our consumer culture.

In recent years, we have seen many of the leading companies in the world start to tackle their social responsibility. Brands like Nike, Starbucks, Pepsi, Patagonia, and even the largest brands like P&G and Unilever are responding with programs to implement sustainable manufacturing, develop Fair Trade suppliers who support indigent farmers, and assist NGOs on the ground not just with their money but with their expertise, distribution resources, and leadership. We First is not wishful thinking for two reasons. First, research shows that consumers are increasingly attracted to companies that practice social responsibility. They prefer to do business with socially-oriented companies and they are even willing to switch brands to a product that supports a cause if the price is about equal, especially Moms and Millennials who are the major markets for many consumer products.

Secondly, social media is connecting up consumers and empowering them as never before to have a voice and communication outlets to talk back to irresponsible businesses. Through their fan pages on Facebook and twitterstreams, consumers have new opportunities to protest against the bad actors of the business world, to organize boycotts and buycotts, to reward the good and punish the offenders. New smart phone apps are giving consumers the tools to scan barcodes and get information right in the shopping aisle about a product’s ecological and social footprint so they can make smarter choices about which companies they want to support.



So whether you are a corporate executive, manager, entrepreneur, or small business owner, the movement to temper capitalism and bring social responsibility to the forefront is going to impact you and your business. If you are looking for guidance as to how to respond, I hope you will order We First and join other individuals and companies in building a better world.

——

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Simon Mainwaring is the founder of We First, a social branding consultancy that helps companies, non-profits and consumer groups build a better world through changes to the practice of capitalism, branding, and consumerism using social technology. You can find more about We First capitalism and its principles in his book, We First: How Brands and Consumers Use Social Media to Build a Better World (Palgrave/Macmillan, June 2011) at www.wefirstbook.com

Simon writes at SimonMainwaring.com and you find him on Twitter as @simonmainwaring

Thanks, Simon! It was easy to feature what you’re doing. I know your head is connected to your heart.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

The Book List: #Corporate Culture Tweet & Knowing Your Value

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The Book List: a weekly series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow and I work with authors & writers to help them with their online book promotion and marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

The books in The Book List series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, leadership, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘#CorporateCultureTweet’ by S. Chris Edmonds

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“Whether you want to think about, learn about, or go about improving your organizational culture, you need this amazing little book!”
Kevin Eikenberry (@kevineikenberry) is a leadership expert, speaker, consultant, and author of several books including From Bud to Boss

“Chris Edmonds is first a learner and then a teacher. His learner’s spirit makes him a great teacher. It’s great learning from him again.”
Dan Rockwell (@leadershipfreak) is a community leader and consistent #leadership Top Tweet’er.

About the Book

Now that you’re stepping up to a new leadership role, you’re far less likely to receive useful guidance than earlier in your career. This holds true whether you are in your first manager role or an experienced leader joining top executive ranks. I find this problem is especially acute for new Directors and VPs. You’ve been hired at these levels for your track record, so people assume you know what to do.

However, just because you were successful in your last role doing or managing marketing, accounting, engineering, or whatever you did, doesn’t mean you know how to make a strong start at your next job.

One-quarter of senior executives promoted from within fail in the first 18 months; one-third of outside hires fail. Many flame-outs can be traced to missteps during their first quarter. More importantly, for the 60–75 percent of leaders who survive into the second year, their effectiveness and trajectory are powerfully affected by choices made as they start.

If you’re like the technology leaders, marketing executives, and top teams I coach, you might notice how easy it is to become so caught up in fighting fires that you forget to shut off the gas. Or, you suspect you’re lousy at certain aspects of leadership, so you ignore them and hope they won’t bite you. Or, maybe you never learned the rules in the first place! Leadership is an apprenticeship craft. With the trend toward more “flat” organizations, your boss may be stretched so thin that he/she can barely advocate for your team, let alone mentor you. Welcome to your new leadership role—you have a bigger job, in a tough climate, with very little support!

About S. Chris Edmonds*:

S. Chris Edmonds is a speaker, author, and senior consultant with the Ken Blanchard Companies. He has co-authored Blanchard’s bestselling book, Leading at A Higher Level, and award-winning culture change process. As Blanchard’s culture expert, he has helped numerous clients create a high performing, values-aligned culture using their proven process. Chris’ blog at DrivingResultsThroughCulture.com and his tweets (@scedmonds) have resulted in thousands of followers on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn who look forward to his culture tweets each day.

You can order a copy of ‘#CorporateCultureTweet’ online at Amazon. *this information came from Amazon.

Next, I would like to introduce you to a book on the business book list on Amazon: ‘Knowing Your Value’ by Mika Brzezinski.

‘Knowing Your Value’ by Mika Brzezinski

This book came out recently on the new releases (business) list on Amazon.

“I have to admit, I did not have much of an expectation regarding this book. I picked it up at the bookstore to leaf through out of curiosity since I regularly watch the morning show she’s on , and at times not really understanding the role she plays. What a surprise this book turned out to be!I could not put it down and ended up buying it and now buying many copies for my friends, mentorees and daughter in laws. I have spent the past 35 years , some would say very successfully, working myself up the corporate ladder, ending up as president of business units and companies. I experienced what she and her contributors have described in this book and I wish I had a book like this to read to 1) understand why I was behaving and feeling like I did, 2) why I let bosses and companies take advantage of me 3)understand better how to get for myself what I deserved….and overall to know I was not alone in this situation.I think this book is a great resource for every woman, and especially relevant for young women starting out on the corporate ladder, especially when there is so much “fluff” is written on career advice. I admire Mika B’s honesty, and her access to prominent women is really helpful in that, their stories may provide the motivation for some women to act on the advice given in this book. Utka – Amazon Review

About the Book
It’s no secret that women have long been overlooked and under-compensated, and while great strides have made in recent decades, the value placed on women versus their male counterparts is still consistently unbalanced. In Knowing Your Value, bestselling author Mika Brzezinski takes an in-depth look at how women today achieve their deserved recognition and financial worth.

Prompted by her own experience as co-host of Morning Joe, Mika interviews a number of prominent women across a wide range of industries on their experience moving up in their fields. Mika reveals how these women, including such impresarios as White House star Valerie Jarrett, comedian Susie Essman, writer and director Nora Ephron, Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, and broadcaster Joy Behar, navigated the inevitable roadblocks that are unique to women.

Mika also uncovers what men think about the approach women take in the workplace, getting honest answers from Donnie Deutsch, Jack Welch, Donald Trump, and others about why women are paid less, and what pitfalls women face–and play into–as they try to get their worth at work. Knowing Your Value blends these personal stories and opinions with the latest research and polling on issues such as equal pay, women in the boardroom, and access to start-up capital.

Written in Mika’s brutally honest, funny, and self-deprecating style, Knowing Your Value is a vital book for professional women of all ages.

About Mika*:
Mika Brzezinski is a co-host of Morning Joe, an MSNBC anchor and author of the New York Times bestseller All Things at Once. She is the mother of two daughters, Emilie and Carlie, and is married to an investigative journalist at ABC.
*courtesy of book website and/or Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘Knowing Your Value’ at Amazon.

The Book List: 42 Rules for your New Leadership Role and The Little Book of Leadership

Filed Under Business Book, Business Life, Successful Blog | 1 Comment

The Book List: a weekly series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors & writers to help them with their online book promotion and marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

The books in The Book List series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, leadership, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

’42 Rules for your New Leadership Role’ by Pam Fox Rollin

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“Pam gives us that rare gem of a book—the perfect blend of proven tactics solidly grounded in the latest research. 42 Rules for Your New Leadership Role offers smart, busy leaders the proven mindsets and
practical to-do’s to make their strongest start as they rise in the leadership ranks. She also provides great tips on leading change across your organization. Refer back to the book often, and take every
chance to hear Pam speak about leadership.”
Sharon L. Richmond, Director, Change Leadership Center of Excellence, Cisco Systems

“Pam and I met 10 years ago when we started our coaching company. Since inception Pam has been one of our most effective and loved coaches. Her clients love her because of how she helps them reach
the heights they were capable of. 42 Rules for Your New Leadership Role represents the best of what she has learned over the years. Buy this book, and expect it to change your life!”
Scott Blanchard, Executive Vice President, The Ken Blanchard Companies

Book Excerpt

Now that you’re stepping up to a new leadership role, you’re far less likely to receive useful guidance than earlier in your career. This holds true whether you are in your first manager role or an experienced leader joining top executive ranks. I find this problem is especially acute for new Directors and VPs. You’ve been hired at these levels for your track record, so people assume you know what to do.

However, just because you were successful in your last role doing or managing marketing, accounting, engineering, or whatever you did, doesn’t mean you know how to make a strong start at your next job.

One-quarter of senior executives promoted from within fail in the first 18 months; one-third of outside hires fail. Many flame-outs can be traced to missteps during their first quarter. More importantly, for the 60–75 percent of leaders who survive into the second year, their effectiveness and trajectory are powerfully affected by choices made as they start.

If you’re like the technology leaders, marketing executives, and top teams I coach, you might notice how easy it is to become so caught up in fighting fires that you forget to shut off the gas. Or, you suspect you’re lousy at certain aspects of leadership, so you ignore them and hope they won’t bite you. Or, maybe you never learned the rules in the first place! Leadership is an apprenticeship craft. With the trend toward more “flat” organizations, your boss may be stretched so thin that he/she can barely advocate for your team, let alone mentor you. Welcome to your new leadership role—you have a bigger job, in a tough climate, with very little support!

I wrote 42 Rules for Your New Leadership Role to fill that gap.

Based on two decades of coaching senior leaders, helping executive teams craft strategy, and guiding Stanford MBAs, I describe a proven set of approaches to teach you what you’ve yet to learn, remind you of what you already know, and inspire you to become the best leader you can be in this job…and your next…and your next.

As you read this book, take what I say as a starting point for your own good thinking. Adjust what you find here to serve your team’s needs, the market conditions, the cultural context, your goals, and your personal leadership approach.

The intense learning curve and unfamiliar environments of a new job make it difficult for your brain to consider options and make decisions as well as you usually do. When brains are overloaded, people tend to rely on what they’ve done before, even when that didn’t work very well or is out of place in the new context. Ironically, this tunnel vision and rigidity is especially true of leaders who have experienced success—people like you who have been promoted or recruited for a new role.

So use this book to prompt what you want to do at each phase of your start. Ask yourself what from this material will be useful to you in the week ahead. See what results you’re getting, and come back to this process at the end of the week. Consider the rules, make up your own mind, act, observe, and reflect. Repeat. Succeed.

About Pam*:

Pam Fox Rollin coaches executives to succeed at the next level. She specializes in helping functional leaders who are taking on broader roles with greater strategic opportunity and management responsibility. Pam is also known for expert work with assessments (personality, leadership, 360s) and for designing and facilitating unusually productive leadership offsites. Her company, IdeaShape Coaching & Consulting, advances leaders and teams at top and emerging Silicon Valley and Bay Area companies in biotech, technology, and consumer products. Before founding IdeaShape in 1999, Pam consulted with Bain & Company and Accenture; her MBA is from Stanford, where she often serves as a Guest Fellow, helping top MBA candidates develop their leadership skills.

You can order a copy of ’42 Rules for your Next Leadership Role’ online at Amazon. *this information came from Amazon.

Next, I would like to introduce you to a book on the business book list on Amazon: ‘ The Little Book of Leadership: The 12.5 Strengths of Responsible, Reliable, Remarkable Leaders That Create Results, Rewards, and Resilience’ by Jeffrey Gitomer.

‘The Little Book of Leadership by Jeffrey Gitomer

This book came out recently on the new releases (business) list on Amazon. You can also check out my recent blog post on this blog about his book, Social Boom.

The Little Book of Leadership: The 12.5 Strengths of Responsible, Reliable, Remarkable Leaders That Create Results, Rewards, and Resilience (Hardcover)
“As with Gitomer’s other books, this one is packed with bite-size gems that are worth living by, and learning from… this time on leadership. One of the core tenets he starts with is discussing how leadership must be earned (and how to get there), by one’s actions and not just conferred respect via position. He makes you look inside yourself to see where you’re providing authentic, likable leadership in a way that hits home.

Like his other books, all of which I’ve read at least a few times (thanks for the ribbon in these, too, a nice touch to keep ‘em from getting dog-eared), this one makes you think about how others perceive you. And how to build a personal leadership philosophy, backed by actions, attitudes, belief and effective communications with others, that really makes sense.

Above all else, I like this book because it models how to develop personal responsibility for providing leadership (which in a way we all need to study, to be leaders of our families, in communities, as entrepreneurs, as well as formal managers and execs), and the checklist of activities and “things to keep in mind when leading others” that can make a big difference.

On a last note, I will say I’m very glad Gitomer’s gone beyond just sales training to correctly teach and show us all about how to develop a winning attitude, how to communicate and brand/position ourselves effectively, how to lead successfully and live a life worth living. He’s always been a great role model — thanks Jeffrey for all you’ve done for us. It’s sincerely appreciated. And much-needed in these dark times… you’re a beacon. Thanks.”
Kenneth Calhoun – Amazon Reviewer

About the Book
A new and impactful book on leadership from the perspective of leaders

What makes a leader relevant? It’s not their place of employment, job title, experience, or status in life?it’s their resilience. The true measure of any leader is his or her ability to react based on past experience and gut feelings, respond in real time to current circumstances, and then to recover quickly and move on with new lessons learned. The Little Book of Leadership combines classic style with the latest innovations to challenges the reader to self-evaluate every facet of their leadership, coaching, and communication abilities in order to better formulate what actions can be taken to improve their natural skills. Ideas and answers are provided for every challenge.

* Chapters include information about the 12.5 leadership strengths: From insights to legacy and every element in between. Morale, Attitude, Resilience, Opportunity, Guts, Measurement, Coach, Celebration, Next-level, and Lost Secret of Leadership
* Foreword by Dr. Paul “Doc” Hersey, creator of Situational Leadership
* Other books by Gitomer: The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource, Revised Edition, also by Wiley, The Little Red Book of Selling (Bard Press) The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude (Pearson)

Whereas other books rely on theory or philosophy, The Little Book of Leadership takes leadership into the real world of business, providing proven methods for becoming a successful leader.

About Jeffrey*:
AUTHOR. Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The New York Times best sellers The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Black Book of Connections, and The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude. All of his books have been number one best sellers on Amazon.com, including Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Patterson Principles of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching!, and The Little Teal Book of Trust. Jeffrey’s books have appeared on best-seller lists more than 750 times and have sold millions of copies worldwide.
*courtesy of book website and/or Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘The Little Book of Leadership’ at Amazon.

The Book List: Relationships Made Easy for the Business Professional and The Corner Office

Filed Under Business Book, Business Life, Successful Blog | 2 Comments

The Book List: a weekly series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors & writers to help them with their online book promotion and marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

The books in The Book List series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘Relationships Made Easy for the Business Professional’ by Dr. David Fraser

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David Fraser gets it! The struggle out there is the projection of the struggle in here. We can’t begin to heal the world until we heal in here.
Stuart Hepburn, NLP Trainer

In addition to being a good ‘read through’ this book is great to dip into when searching for some insight into what may be holding you back – there is a wealth of great content to help increase personal effectiveness.
Ian Laird, Managing Director NiTech Solutions Ltd.

About the Book*:
The ability to relate to other people is the most critical skill a person can ever have – at work, at home or anywhere else – and strong people skills simply make everything else easier. With the right approach, developing relationship expertise is an easy route to success and one of the few reliable and enduring ways we can improve our lives. But we need to take the task seriously.

Drawing on practical psychology, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and other wisdom from various philosophies, as well as first-hand experience of organizational life, David Fraser, Ph.D. offers a systematic, practical and intelligent approach to achieving success with other people. Packed with real-life examples and tried-and-tested steps to take, this book is for business professionals who want to develop their interpersonal relationship skills as a key strength.

In his “very positive, helpful and enlightening” and ultimately “uplifting” book, the author sets out the 12 essential areas of interpersonal insight and growth: (1) Attention to others; (2) Attitude; (3) Self-control; (4) Tuning in to people; (5) Personality; (6) Connection; (7) Values – working with what matters; (8) Language; (9) Self-awareness; (10) Attention to yourself – clarifying what you really want; (11) Balance; and (12) Love – the power of care.

The author includes with honesty a flavor of his own learning journey, and in the words of his readers, the result is “accessible and relevant,” “simply fascinating stuff,” and “very easy and interesting to read.”

Here are a few summary points I would like to share with you from each step in the book:

~ Persuasion, assertiveness, and logic aren’t in themselves the answer.
~ We can have a systematic approach to relationship skills using NLP as the basis.
~ The meaning of any communication is indicated by the response it gets.
~ Listen mindfully for maximum attentiveness.
~ Our habitual choice of visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and auditory-digital thinking affects our lives and our relationships much more than we probably realize.
~ We unconsciously filter the information we receive and have different preferences about what we filter for.
~ Remember: about seven percent of the meaning of what we say is conveyed in the words themselves. The rest of the message is in our voice and other non-verbal communication.
~ We delete, distort, and generalize information going from our own internal thoughts to what we actually say.
~ We project onto other people things about ourselves, good and bad, as they do on us

About David*:
Dr David Fraser has a track record of pioneering new approaches to old problems. He has delivered major projects for government and private sector clients in complex and challenging situations and set up a number of entrepreneurial ventures. He is a company director and Chartered Engineer with a First Class Honours degree and a PhD from Glasgow University and an MBA from Strathclyde University.

He is a qualified commercial mediator and a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner and has trained with leading proponents of these disciplines. David has taken a particular interest in the skills we use to relate to other people, continuing this study over a number of years and through the highs and lows of professional and personal life.

David applies his unusual blend of expertise as a project manager and facilitator to support disparate groups working together in complex circumstances, including major collaborative projects and matters of national importance. He has also found the approach set out in Relationships Made Easy for the Business Professional to be extremely helpful in his home and family environment. David runs workshop and coaching programs for both organizations and individuals.

With his breadth of knowledge, an engineer’s talent for organizing systematic and reliable solutions, and an ability to write in an interesting, direct, and readable way, David is well positioned to address the age-old problem of how to build effective relationships with other people.
David lives with his wife and three children in Glasgow, Scotland.

You can order a copy of ‘Relationships Made Easy for the Business Professional’ online at Amazon. *this information came from Amazon.

Next, I would like to introduce you to a book on the business book list on Amazon: ‘The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed’ by Adam Bryant.

‘The Corner Office: Indispensable and Unexpected Lessons from CEOs on How to Lead and Succeed’ by Adam Bryant

This book came out recently on the new releases (business) list on Amazon.

“The Corner Office is a modern management masterpiece. Adam Bryant distills and weaves together hundreds of gems from some of the most successful and intriguing executives on the planet. The result is one of the most delightful, readable, and useful business books I have read in years.”–Robert Sutton, Professor of Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University, and bestselling author of Good Boss, Bad Boss

“Compelling advice for the aspiring executive.… The conversational format makes these valuable lessons easy to comprehend and digest, and readers are left with a new understanding of leadership–why it’s important, how these experts have worked to attain it, and how they can do the same.”—Publishers Weekly

About the Book
Bryant, deputy national editor of the New York Times and writer of the “Corner Office” feature in the paper’s Sunday Business section, offers compelling advice for the aspiring executive. With interviews with more than 75 CEOs and other top executives at companies of all sizes, he compiles insights on such questions as what does it take to lead an organization? what are the keys to achieving the highest levels of success? Business luminaries like the CEO of Disney, the COO of Qwest Communications, the CEO of Continental Airlines, a vice chairman at Wal-Mart, and the founder of Zappos speak thoughtfully about team creation, keeping the mission on target, management, employee relationships, the importance of feedback, and the creation of an efficient corporate culture. The conversational format makes these valuable lessons easy to comprehend and digest, and readers are left with a new understanding of leadership—why it’s important, how these experts have worked to attain it, and how they can do the same. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

About Adam*:
Adam Bryant, the deputy national editor of The New York Times, has been a journalist for more than two decades. He was a business reporter for The New York Times during the 1990s, covering a variety of industries and topics, including airlines, aviation safety, executive compensation and corporate governance. He joined Newsweek in 1999 as a senior writer, and was promoted to business editor. After six years at Newsweek, he returned to the Times as an editor in the business section, where he oversaw coverage of the collapse of the Detroit auto industry, among other stories.

Adam was the lead editor for two prize-winning series: “Driven to Distraction,” about the dangers of cellphone use behind the wheel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2010, and “Toxic Waters,” about water pollution, which won a number of awards.

In March 2009, Adam started the weekly “Corner Office” feature in the Times’ Sunday Business section, and it quickly attracted a large and loyal audience for its insights about leadership and management from prominent leaders. For his book, The Corner Office, Adam studied the transcripts from more than 70 interviews, and looked for patterns, broader themes and lessons. He wove together their candid and wise insights into a book that offers timeless advice on how to succeed, manage and lead.

Adam lives in Westchester County, New York, with his wife and two daughters.

*courtesy of book website and/or Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘The Corner Office’ at Amazon.

The Book List: Built to Sell and The Millionaire Messenger

Filed Under Business Book, Business Life | Leave a Comment

The Book List: a weekly series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, Founder of Key Business Partners, LLC and I work with authors & writers to help them with their online book promotion and marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!).

The books in The Book List series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘Built to Sell’ by John Warrillow

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“John does a masterful job in Built to Sell of illuminating the qualities that business buyers look for in a company, and he does it in a thoroughly enjoyable and engaging manner.”
—Bo Burlingham, author of Small Giants from the foreword

Covering every important aspect of the process, from attracting multiple bidders to getting the most for your business, this book easily explains what you must know and do if you want to create a business you can sell. “
—Steve Strauss, USA Today

Here are a few of the tips I enjoyed while reading this book and my take on the tip:

One of my favorite tips in the book is #5 – Avoid the Cash Suck. Once you’ve standardized your service, charge up front or use progress billing to create a positive cash flow cycle.
—>(Teresa’s Take) I think this is really good advice because as Warrillow illustrates in the parable with Alex’s business, many businesses have services offered and then choose to wait 30-60 days to get paid. Smart idea to create a way to build in a up front payable product or at least evaluate the payment options for clients and possible develop a billable option where there is money coming in up front and then billed on a monthly basis to produce the positive cash flow.

#6 also caught my eye- Don’t be afraid to say no to projects. Prove that you’re serious about specialization by turning down work that falls outside your area of expertise.
—>(Teresa’s Take) This reminds me of the message—Turn on your strengths and turn over your weaknesses. It will probably take you twice as long to do a project and the quality of the project may suffer, however, if you choose to focus on projects where you highlight your strengths, you shine and so does the project (and this will most likely lead to more referral business!).

About the Book*:

If you’re like most business owners, you started a company because you thought it would give you freedom—to do what you want, work on your own schedule, make the kind of money you deserve and eventually retire on the fruits of your labor.

Unfortunately, according to John Warrillow, most owners find that stepping out of the picture is extremely difficult because they’ve built a business that relies too heavily on their personal involvement. Without them, their company—no matter how big or profitable—is essentially worthless.

Luckily, there are steps you can take—no matter what stage your business is in—to create a valuable, sellable company that can grow and thrive without you.

To illustrate this, Warrillow introduces us to a fictional business owner named Alex, who is struggling to sell his company. No one bites because the business can’t run without him. For guidance, Alex turns to Ted, an entrepreneur and old family friend, who lays out an easy-to-follow plan that enables Alex to transform his business. The key is making sure that every product or service meets three criteria:

* Teachable: A built-to-sell business offers products and services that you can teach employees to do, or program technology to deliver, while you sleep
* Valuable: A built-to-sell business avoids price wars by specializing in doing one thing better than anyone else
* Repeatable: A built-to-sell business creates a stream of recurring revenue where customers have to re-purchase often

Like Alex, readers can apply these powerful strategies to realize their entrepreneurial dreams.

About John*:

Professionally, I’m a writer, speaker, entrepreneur and angel investor.

My goal with my writing is to help business owners build valuable—sellable—companies. Part of the reason I write is ego gratification—I like getting your emails and tweets; the other part is needing to feel that I’m making a contribution in some small way.

I’ve started four companies, the most recent of which was a research business I tried to sell in 2004 only to be told by an expert that it was too dependent on me personally. Learning that my business was unsellable was frustrating. First I denied it. Then I got angry. Finally, I set about remodeling the business into one that could thrive without me. After lots of trial and error, it started to take off, and we were acquired in 2008 by a publicly traded company. I learned a lot in those four years, and those lessons became the inspiration to start this blog.

I think the world needs more entrepreneurs. If I had to rely on anyone to get me off the side of a mountain, I’d want a creative, tenacious and tough-minded entrepreneur beside me. When I vote, I prefer candidates who have started a business. I believe entrepreneurs will be the ones to solve our biggest problems and bring the developing world the quality of life that Westerners enjoy, which is why I’ve created a team of Built to Sell readers who lend money to entrepreneurs in the developing world through an organization called Kiva.

Most of the year, I live with my wife and kids in a town called Aix-en-Provence in southern France, where the climate enables year-round cycling and running, which is important to me because one day I’d like to qualify for the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Until then, I will have to settle with being a middle-of-the-pack age-grouper in the few races I do each year.

You can pre order a copy of ‘Built to Sell’ online at Built to Sell Website. *this information came from Amazon.

Next, I would like to introduce you to a book on the business book list on Amazon and on my reading list: ‘The Millionaire Messenger’.

‘The Millionaire Messenger by Brendon Burchard

This book came out recently on the new releases (business) list on Amazon.

“The expert industry has been shrouded in myth and mystery for far too long. Now Brendon Burchard, one of our most innovative and powerful leaders, reveals exactly how we—authors, speakers, coaches, consultants, seminar leaders and online information marketers–make a difference and earn an income with our advice and expertise. This is an industry defined by how much value we add to others’ lives, and this book delivers and shows exactly why Brendon is one of the best.” –Jack Canfield, New York Times best-selling author of The Success Principles and originator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul(R) series

“If you’ve ever dreamed of building a career and business around your advice, expertise and knowledge, then you’ll love this book.” –David Bach, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Automatic Millionaire

About the Book
In The Millionaire Messenger, Brendon Burchard pulls back the curtains on the once-secretive “expert industry” and shows how to become an influential and highly paid advice expert through websites, books, speeches, seminars, coaching, consulting, and online programs. Blessed to receive life’s golden ticket – a second chance – after surviving a dramatic car accident, Burchard has dedicated his life to helping others find their voice, live more fully, and follow their dreams. By following his 10-step program, average, ordinary people can learn to package their struggles, successes, research, or life’s story into advice for others and become experts on any given topic. In the industry of people who share their advice and knowledge with the world and get paid for it, Burchard is the “guru’s guru.”
If you’ve ever wondered how the gurus spread their message, serve others, and build a real business, then this is a must-read.

About Brendon*:
Brendon Burchard is the founder of Experts Academy and the #1 New York Times and #1 USA Today bestselling author of The Millionaire Messenger. He is also author of Life’s Golden Ticket and one of the top business and motivational trainers in the world. His famous training events and videos, listed at the bottom of this page, inspire millions of people to start anew, find their voice, live more fully, and make a greater difference in the world.

Brendon was blessed to receive life’s golden ticket –a second chance– after surviving a car accident in a developing country. Since then, he has dedicated his life to helping individuals, teams, and organizations create and master change. His clients have included Accenture, Alcoa, JC Penney, eBay, Best Buy, Nordstrom, Levi’s, Gateway, and Walgreens, as well as thousands of executives and entrepreneurs from around the globe who attend his speeches and seminars.

Brendon’s new public television special “Experts Academy with Brendon Burchard” is currently airing and inspiring millions of people to share their voice and wisdom with the world. You’ve also seen Brendon in SUCCESS magazine and via media appearances on ABC World News, NPR stations, Oprah and Friends, and other popular programs.

Brendon’s life-changing speeches and fundraising events have been sponsored or promoted by Wachovia (now Wells Fargo), Wal-Mart, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Morgan Stanley, Sony Pictures, Washington Trust Bank and other major companies.

Brendon’s books, newsletters, products, and appearances now inspire nearly 2 million people a month.

Brendon donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of his works to Junior Achievement, Kiwanis International, and other youth and service-based nonprofits. He lives in Portland, Oregon, with his incredible wife, Denise.

*courtesy of book website and/or Amazon

You can purchase a copy of ‘The Millionaire Messenger!’ at Amazon.

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