Many of you are asking about my book. Who will benefit? Why should I read it? How many cases of books should I order (ok, maybe they are not asking that...YET!).
Information Strategies' Small Business Digest recently interviewed me to learn more about "EnergizeGrowth NOW: The Marketing Guide to a Wealthy Company. "These excerpts will give you some ideas on what motivated me to write the book and who will benefit the most from it.
1) How did you come up with the concept for the book? I realized that growth companies with 5-200 employees were struggling to incorporate their marketing strategy with their strategic plan. This process can be complicated, time consuming and difficult to implement. I wanted to create a “how to” guide that was fresh, insightful, and practical.
2) How did you select the companies you profiled? I have been interviewing companies for 7 years. I look for CEOs who are lifelong learners, engaged in making the world better, committed to building a business worthy of selling or eventually exiting, and have a compelling story to share. That eliminated lots of companies.
3) How long did it take you to write it? 26 years of research and experience and 7 months of VERY focused writing time.
4) What is a growth company? An organization that has overcome the trials and tribulations of startup mode. The founders are probably earning a very good living. They have chosen to invest in growth (office space, employees, systems, legal support, technology, etc.) and have reaped rewards from those investments. However, they may also be facing a lot of stress due to the demands a growth company poses. While they have a steady stream of clients, a functioning infrastructure to deliver their products and services, and a desire to keep growing, they also have growing pains. These may show up in the form of burnt out employees or founders, declining customer service, poor cash flow, a lack of a succession plan, unexpected new competitors, and limited distribution channels.
5) Why would I want to have this book in my personal library? You will benefit from adding this book to your collection if:
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You own a startup company and aspire to be a growth company
- You are dissatisfied with the old definitions of wealth building—in your mind, something is “missing”
- You are in sales or marketing, and need a refresher on planning
- Your mindset around growth and planning is sabotaging your true potential
- You seek inspiration in a world hurting from the Enron, Adelphia, and Merrill Lynch level debacles. You see your business as a vehicle to make the world a better place. Getting rich is NOT your primary driver.
- You are a teacher or professor who wants to show others how to build a successful and wealthy business
- You’re allergic to planning, yet your seat of the pants style of growing your business is no longer working.
- You are a proactive leader and like to stay abreast of the freshest new perspectives on strategy and wealth-building
- You’re curious why Guy Kawasaki, Dr. Stephen Covey, and Marshall Goldsmith would choose to endorse my book.
- You are looking for proven planning tools that you can implement immediately.
7) How do you determine when a company has finally overcome its "start-up hurdles?" there are several clues. For example, I look for:
* a sustainable business model that can eventually be sold at a hefty multiple
* The founders have conquered their initial excitement phase of starting their business. In fact, they will have also overcome the frantic modes of operating (which happens after the initial startup phase).
* The owners feel more confident about themselves and the company’s direction.
* Decisions are no longer solely based on emotions, cash flow and urgency. The owners are now balancing all options and become more deliberate in their actions.
* The business is generating a regular income
* The owners spend time with clients and their teams
* Owners start to feel that their hard work has paid off.
* Owners dedicate some of their time to strategic and growth issues.
This set of questions should help you assess what phase of growth your company is currently facing.
I will send you a link to the complete Information Strategies article when it's published.
