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Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big (Paperback)
by Bo Burlingham
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Business |
| Market price: ¥ 168.00
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¥ 158.00
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| MSL Pointer Review:
Bo Burlingham reminds us of a vital truth: Great does not equal to big. This book inspires thousands of entrepreneurs a passionate dedication to becoming the absolute best instead of simple growth. |
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Author: Bo Burlingham
Publisher: Portfolio Trade
Pub. in: March, 2007
ISBN: 1591841496
Pages: 268
Measurements: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00774
Other information: Updated edition
ISBN-13: 978-1591841494
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- Awards & Credential -
Finalist for the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award. |
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- MSL Picks -
The book is arranged by various topics. The author draws in examples from a few of the businesses in each chapter as appropriate to illustrate the point he is making.
The first chapter, "Free to Choose", discusses the realization that each of these businesspeople had that they did not have to follow the public corporation path of going public, or giving up what they loved doing in order to pursue the maximum bottom line profit. It is interesting to see what conclusions each of them came to and the direction they chose.
The second chapter discusses the various approaches various businesses take to "bosses". Some of these guys run the business themselves from a strong center. Others are very egalitarian and try to delegate a great deal. There is a fascinating range of approaches to this issue.
The third chapter discusses the idea of uniqueness. That some of these businesses cannot translate all that well into another company. The analogy is that if you moved the Mona Lisa to another museum and put it in a different frame, it would become a different experience even though it was the same painting. Another interesting point and in fact it can become a competitive advantage for certain businesses when this is understood.
The fourth chapter discusses how various of these small giants build ties to their local communities and to their customers. Again, it becomes a competitive advantage, but for many of these businesspeople it is much more about their quality of life and how that grows out of why they run the businesses they do and why they run them the way they do. The results seem to be much more of a piece of a single vision than a calculated tactic derived from studying Porter's Five Forces chart.
The fifth chapter turns inward and discusses the culture of intimacy many of these businesses have with the employees and their customers. It isn't just about knowing them and being friendly; it is more about making sure they have a great experience and feel good about coming to work and coming back for another meal, or making another purchase or giving another order. It is about being flexible enough to meet the needs of the person as much as possible.
The sixth chapter is about the same kind of thing, but from the owner's point of view. What is it about the business that delights them, that makes them want to get up everyday? What is it about their business that they want to preserve so much that they give up the standard growth and profit models to have?
The seventh chapter deals with succession. Who owns the business, which means the people who own the stock or the people who carry on the spirit of the company? It is not necessarily straightforward for someone who cares about the values of the organization they built. On the other hand, business is constantly changing and nothing can be preserved forever. Also, as one of the "stakeholders" pointed out about their employee ownership program, "If someone were to come along and offer $200 per share, we would have to look at it." So, the founder's dream is for sale even by those sworn to carry on his or her dream.
The last chapter is called "The Art of Business", but should really be called "The Art of Living a Great Life Through Building The Right Business. The basic idea is that these small giants contribute a lot to the culture and well being of everyone associated with them. It is a nice way to finish.
- From quoting Craig Matteson
Target readers:
Entrepreneurs, managers or business owners
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Bo Burlingham is editor at large at Inc Magazine. He has also written for Esquire, Harper's, Mother Jones, and The Boston Globe, among other publications. He is the coauthor, with Jack Stack, of The Great Game of Business and A Stake in the Outcome.
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From the publisher
It's an axiom of business that great companies grow their revenues and profits year after year. Yet quietly, under the radar, a small number of companies have rejected the pressure of endless growth to focus on more satisfying business goals. Goals like being great at what they do; creating a great place to work; providing great customer service; making great contributions to their communities; and finding great ways to lead their lives.
In Small Giants, veteran journalist Bo Burlingham takes us deep inside fourteen remarkable companies that have chosen to march to their own drummer. They include Anchor Brewing, the original microbrewer; CitiStorage Inc., the premier independent records-storage business; Clif Bar & Co., maker of organic energy bars and other nutrition foods; Righteous Babe Records, the record company founded by singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco; Union Square Hospitality Group, the company of restaurateur Danny Meyer; and Zingerman's Community of Businesses, including the world-famous Zingerman's Deli of Ann Arbor.
Burlingham shows how the leaders of these small giants recognized the full range of choices they had about the type of company they could create. And he shows how we can all benefit by questioning the usual definitions of business success. In his new afterward, Burlingham reflects on the similarities and learning lessons from the small giants he covers in the book.
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| View all 8 comments |
Robert Levin (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-23 00:00>
Many people start/buy a small business because they want the freedom to do things their way. But once a small business becomes successful, you get pressure from many different sources to get even bigger. Those sources include friends & family, investment bankers, suppliers, prospective partners, etc. Most often that growth means either taking a lot more risk, ceding control, or working even harder - some of the very things that entrepreneurs want to avoid. So often a small business owner gets torn between the conventional wisdom of "grow or die" and their gut.
In Small Giants, Bo Burlingham brilliantly writes about 14 companies whose owners decided to do things "their way". These owners walked away from millions of dollars to stay true to themselves - and in return became even more spectacular. Mandatory reading for any entrepreneur who gets confused as to what success really means. |
John P. Stack (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-23 00:00>
I read a lot of business books. I find it interesting to hear the different lessons that people get out of a business book. My take-away on this book is the importance of the relationship these businesses have with their communities. When I finished reading Small Giants, I thought of my own company and what it would be like if we got really big and left the town we grew up in. We have been a part of our community for over twenty-five years. Our associates appreciate where we live and actively participate in charities, social programs, civic boards, and public services that allow us to give something back to a community that has been very good to us. I wondered whether we would still be as active and committed if our company became too big to remain in one city and had to spread out around the country. I don't think so. There have been a lot of really big companies that started small in a hometown, made great contributions, and left great legacies, but then moved on and lost that connection to their communities. It made me sad to think of what they'd left behind, and what we might leave behind if our company, SRC Holdings, eventually took the same path. |
Roderic Duncan (MSL quote), USA
<2007-05-23 00:00>
This book presents an inspirational look at the corporate world that is seldom found on the business pages of major publications. The author makes it clear that following this path not only works for the company and its employees, but also for its customers and the greater public. |
Marko (MSL quote) , USA
<2007-05-24 00:00>
I recommend this book strongly for anyone running a small company, or a medium sized company, or even a big company. Quality comes first, the rest is up to you! |
View all 8 comments |
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