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The Knack: How Street-Smart Entrepreneurs Learn to Handle Whatever Comes Up
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$ 35.98
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| Retail Value |
$ 39.98 |
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$ 4.00 (10%) |
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| Item Number |
781924 |
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Item Description...
Overview
A columnist for "Inc." outlines his theories about street-smart businesspeople who appear to possess unique intuitive gifts, in an anecdotal guide that shares real-life stories about how companies met various challenges by identifying potential problems,focusing on goals, and maintaining perspective.
Publishers Description
People starting out in business tend to seek step-by-step formulas or specific rules, but in reality there are no magic bullets. Rather, says veteran entrepreneur Norm Brodsky, there's a mentality that helps street-smart people solve problems and pursue opportunities as they arise. He calls it "the knack" and it has made all the difference to the eight successful start-ups of his career.
Brodsky explores this mind-set every month in Inc. magazine, in the hugely popular column he co-writes with journalist and author Bo Burlingham (best known for his acclaimed book Small Giants). In both their column and now their audio book, they tell stories about real companies facing real challenges, and tell listeners how to apply "the knack" to their own businesses.
Brodsky and Burlingham offer essential advice such as:
A Follow the numbers-that's the best way to spot problems before they become life threatening
A Keep focusing on your real goal-it's amazingly easy to get sidetracked by secondary concerns
A Don't get so close to the problem that you lose all perspective
Brodsky and Burlingham prove that street smarts and business acumen can be within any entrepreneur's reach. |
Item Specifications...
Dimensions: Length: 1.5" Width: 5.5" Height: 5.75"
Weight: 0.48 lbs.
Binding CD
Release Date Apr 1, 2009
ISBN 1596592737
EAN 9781596592735
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Availability 1 units.
Availability accurate as of May 23, 2012 01:34.
Usually ships within one to two business days from Momence, IL.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | Insightful War Stories Distilled into Thought-Provoking Perspectives Oct 8, 2009 |
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." -- Ezekiel 36:26
I've been teaching classes about how to start small businesses for many years and have many clients around the world who run small businesses. From these experiences, I've learned that those who want to learn about small business usually fall into one of the following categories:
1. They like the idea of being their own boss but have no idea of what's involved . . . but they would like to learn more.
2. Someone in the family had a successful small business, and they liked what they saw and want to do it for themselves.
3. They do something very well and work for an employer who doesn't treat them well enough. They feel they can strike out on their own, do well, and make more money.
4. The person has fallen in love with a dream of what a small business might be, but they aren't interested in changing anything about the dream . . . including things that doom the dream to fail.
5. They have been successful in a managerial role in a medium-to-large business, have some money, and want to take on a situation where they can improve effectiveness.
Why am I tell you all this? It's to help you understand who should read The Knack. This book will be highly valuable for those in the first category by filling in some of their knowledge gaps due to a lack of experience in running a small business. The book will also help them to realize they should find some experienced business people to learn from.
There's a drawback for this group: This book is a little too advanced for people who have few ideas about what a small business does. Mr. Brodsky has a quite sophisticated sense of the moving parts involved in a small-to-medium-sized business that won't be appreciated by those who don't even know what the tasks are. As a result, a lot of this book's wisdom will blow past its ideal readers. That's why I marked the book at four stars.
The book would have to be firmed up and made more detailed in its conceptual roots to be highly valuable to people in second and third categories. They will know most of the basic lessons. Not much can help those in the fourth category except painful experiences. The last group will fail to grasp how small businesses are different from what they've been doing if they read this book.
I plan to recommend it to my students who have pretty good instincts for small business, but lack the perspective of experience. I'm sure it will speed their learning.
I'm pleased to be able to make that recommendation.
As for content, the authors wisely focus on the key fundamentals: positive cash flow, developing profitable customers and keeping them, keeping track of how you are doing, leading your employees, developing and maintaining discipline, and avoiding mistakes that can be very costly (such as weakening what's working to start something that doesn't work). The book's strength is that it deals with the emotions and habits that underlie success and setbacks. Pay attention and be more deliberate in what you do, and the results will be better.
| | |  | The Knack - Is more than that. Sep 18, 2009 |
| I have been a business person for over 25 years and must applaud the writers. This book gives real world examples of situations that any business owner or prospective owner can relate too. There is no way to write a book that gives you all the answers; and there are so many types of different businesses with different business models and different types of owners/managers that you will never find a book that will give you all the answers you seek. The Knack, however will give you some clear cut insight into some issues that few other books cover. No matter how old you are or how experienced you are in business, there is definitely something in this book that you will come away with, a better business owner/manager/person, having read this book. I would highly recommend this to anyone either in business, or looking to start a business. PS: I particularly like the insight given about the relationship between business owner and customers. A customer centric orientation, in my experience, is well worth the effort! | | | | Great Beginner's Handbook Aug 16, 2009 |
| This book is great for someone like me, someone who aspires to run a successful business but has not yet done it. It provides a lot of useful information followed by Brodsky's own experiences. He contradicts old "myths" and methods that common entrepreneurs follow.It gives me a whole different perspective and makes me feel a lot more comfortable starting up my business. | | |  | Well written, basic knowledge Jul 9, 2009 |
Written concisely and with vivid imagery, good stories, The Knack lays a good framework for the complete business novice.
If you're familiar at all with what he explains, or have any latent instincts when it comes to business, you'll be bored to tears. | | | | Informative and Helpful to Get Your Started Jul 8, 2009 |
This is an excellent book for anyone thinking about starting their own business. It tells you how to think and what you need to understand in order to run a small business, from understanding cash flow to understanding and nurturing a healthy relationship with your bank to treating customers. The chapters are relatively short, and Brodsky talks alot about the companies he started, and what he learned from them. He breaks down gross margin, why the customers with the highest gross margins are the most important (and not sales), what makes a good business plan (and what makes a bad one), and what numbers are important to look at (EBITDA).
One of the best parts of the book is when he discussed whether or not to grow a company. Once people reach a certain level of success, they feel that the next natural step is to expand. Brodsky discusses what you really have to think about before you decide to expand: things such as how much money do you need to expand, why you want to grow, and how you should do it.
Another part I thought was noteworthy was the discussion on letting go of the day-to-day activities and hiring a manager. Not that I'm at that point, or will be in the future, but its an interesting take on how to view the transition.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone starting a business: it is informative and entertaining. Trust me, it doesn't drag.
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