Fit for Growth. A Guide to Strategic Cost Cutting, Restructuring, and Renewal

20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION The Courage to Teach Guide for Reflection & Renewal is a helpful companion to Parker J. Palmer's classic work on restoring identity and integrity to professional life. A superb resource for those who wish to extend their exploration of the ideas in The Courage to Teach, as individuals or part of a study group, the Guide provides practical ways to create «safe space» for honest reflection and probing conversations and offers chapter-by-chapter questions and exercises to further explore the many insights in The Courage to Teach. The bonus online content includes a 70-minute interview with Parker Palmer, in which Palmer reflects on a wide range of subjects including the heart of the teacher, the crisis in education, diverse ways of knowing, relationships in teaching and learning, approaches to institutional transformation, and teachers as «culture heroes.» Discussion questions related to the topics explored in the interview have been integrated into the Guide, giving individuals and study groups a chance to have «a conversation with the author» as well as an engagement with the text.

A strategy and marketing guide for growth companies Growth at any price can be exhausting for B-2-B companies and professional service providers who want to win more clients. Many entrepreneurs watch their bank accounts grow, but sacrifice too much in the process. Since 2001, wealth has taken on a whole new meaning. In this tell-all marketing guidebook, Lisa Nirell reveals a contemporary, contrarian, and field-tested view of marketing and planning. Successful growth and exit planning aren't about maximizing revenues or launching Internet marketing campaigns. Instead, they're about creating a compelling vision of the future, winning clients' hearts and minds, and defining the «wealth quotient» in a holistic way. This practical, real-world guide shows readers how to develop a strategic marketing plan that really works–and avoid the attitudes that sabotage great ideas.

Innovate your way toward growth using practical, research-backed frameworks The Art of Opportunity offers a path toward new growth, providing the perspective and methods you need to make innovation happen. Written by a team of experts with both academic and industry experience—and a client roster composed of some of the world’s leading companies—this book provides you with the necessary tools to help you capture growth instead of chasing it. The visual frameworks and research-based methodology presented in The Art of Opportunity merge business design thinking and strategic innovation to help you change your growth paradigm. You’ll learn creative and practical methods for exploring growth opportunities and employ a new approach for identifying what “opportunity” looks like in the first place. Put aside the old school way of focusing on new products and new markets, to instead applying value creation to find your new opportunity, craft your offering, design your strategy and build new growth ventures. The changing business ecosystem is increasingly pushing traditional thinking out to pasture. New consumers and the new marketplace are demanding a profound adjustment to the way companies plan and execute growth strategies. This book gives you the tools to create your roadmap toward the new state of growth, and gain invaluable insight into a new way of thinking. The Art of Opportunity will help you to: Start looking at business growth from a new perspective Create value for the customers, company and ecosystem Innovate strategically and design new business models Develop a new active business design thinking approach to innovation Your company’s goal is to grow, and to turn non-customers into customers. The old ways are becoming less tenable and less cost-effective. The Art of Opportunity outlines the new growth paradigm and gives you a solid framework for putting new ideas into practice.

Business growth expert Steven S. Little gives you the real-world strategies you need to navigate your business through economic uncertainty If you're a business owner or leader, you're no doubt feeling inundated on all sides by the gathering forces of this financial downturn—shrinking revenues, tightening resources, anxious workers, plunging profits. When economic storms hit, it's the clear-minded and action-oriented leader that ultimately guides their business to success. In order to position your business for the growth opportunities ahead, it is imperative for you to address your most critical issues now. Duck and (re)Cover is the ultimate business owner's guide to prevailing and prospering through tough economic times. It questions much of the «conventional wisdom» we all hear about recessions and instead offers an irreverently common-sense approach to survival and growth in the midst of economic uncertainty. This book focuses on the most significant challenges and opportunities facing embattled businesses today. Recommends specific, and effective strategies for keeping your business up and running, even if the economy continues to stall Includes a wealth of been-there-done-that advice that will help you clear your own path to sustainable, profitable growth Written by Steven S. Little, former president of three fast-growth companies and author of The Seven Irrefutable Rules of Small Business Growth Now is not the time for timidity. Instead, make the bold moves recommend here to not only weather the storm but to chart a course for your ultimate destination.

The Fintech Entrepreneur’s Guide to Regulation and Regulatory Strategy Fintech has been growing dramatically over the last few years, and it is now an important sector in its own right. This means that Fintech companies, who could so far often rely on a comparatively lenient regulatory regime, will now have to give serious thoughts on compliance with applicable regulatory rules. Operating in a highly regulated environment is tedious, but not all bad—companies that can play the regulatory game well have a strategic advantage, especially with regard to time-to-market and scaling. Nothing spells missed opportunity like a competitor building market share with a copycat product whilst you are still waiting for your license! Written for professionals, this book helps anyone whose job has to do with formulating or executing a Fintech startup strategy or whose job touches financial services regulation, or anyone who simply wants an easy- to-read introduction to financial services and their regulation. Describes the purpose of and principle behind modern financial services regulation Explains how to include regulation into a startup’s strategic planning to optimize time-to-market and scaling Gives an overview of the entire financial services space, and which regulations apply where Gives detailed references to 20 key regulations in the EU regulatory system, including PSD, GDPR, CRD, AMLD, MiFID, UCITSD, AIFMD The first part introduces financial services regulation, its purpose, how it is created (especially in the EU and in the US), and it develops a framework for including regulations into the strategic planning of a company. It also gives a rundown of the current financial services space—players and products—and its key regulations. The second part describes a regulatory system in more detail. The system chosen is the EU because it is more consistent and unified than the US system where a lot of the regulation still is created at the state-level. However, as most financial regulation nowadays is determined at the global level, the principles found in EU regulation will be by and large also be found the US and other systems.

A Nonprofit Survival Kit for Hard Times «This is a must-read for all of us in fundraising. Mal Warwick includes practical approaches for difficult economic times, from zero-based thinking about our programs to strategies for relating to our donors and making certain our fundraising programs are prepared to succeed not only now but when the economy recovers.» —Eugene R. Tempel, president, Indiana University Foundation «Brilliant! No nonprofit organization can afford to ignore the insightful advice Mal Warwick offers in this concise and eminently readable book. It's practical, down-to-earth, and addresses the complex, real-world challenges of raising money in tough times.» —Ben Jealous, president, NAACP «Fundraising When Money Is Tight is an important book in a difficult time for all. This is the right book for anyone who is committed to advancing the public good.» —Jane Wales, founder, Global Philanthropy Forum, and vice president, Aspen Institute «This is a must-read book by any fundraising manager. It's timely, it's a good read, and the moment I put it down I made sure my managers got focused, got real, and got with the project today.» —Mark Astarita, director of fundraising, British Red Cross «Mal Warwick will leave you with a focusing framework and dozens of practical, immediately actionable how-tos. It is hard to imagine anyone in the citizen sector who will not breathe easier after reading this book.» —Bill Drayton, CEO, Ashoka, and chair, Youth Venture

Take photos like a pro without breaking the bank by using FREE and nearly FREE software and hardware explained in this book. Get professional looking shots from a low-cost camera Save money by building your own lighting rigs, tripods, monopods and stabilisers for next to nothing Learn how to use older lenses on modern digital cameras, and make your own macro lens, lens hoods, flash diffusers, flash concentrators, decorative Bokeh effect lenses and more Use dozens of FREE and low cost photo applications for processing, viewing, cataloguing, editing, creating HDR, and photo stitching Build powerful photography processing and editing suites with free software and plugins that go head to head with expensive tools like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom

If you’re starting a new business or planning your business’s future, there are plenty of things you should take into account. Strategic Planning For Dummies covers everything you need to know to develop a plan for building and maintaining a competitive advantage – no matter what business you’re in. Written by Erica Olsen, founder and President of a business development firm that helps entrepreneurial-minded businesses plan for a successful future, this handy guide covers all the basics, including: How a strategic plan is different than a business plan Establishing a step-based planning process Planning for and encouraging growth Taking a long-view of your organization Evaluating past performance Defining and refining your mission, values, and vision Sizing up your current situation Examining your industry landscape Setting your strategic priorities Planning for unknown contingencies If you’re in business, you have to plan for everything – especially if you intend your business to grow. Whether you’re planning for a small business, large conglomerate, nonprofit, or even a government agency, this book has the planning specifics you need for your organization. Step-by-step, you’ll learn how to lay the foundations for a plan, understand how your plan will affect your business, form planning teams, discover what your strengths are, see where you are, and, finally, plan where you’re going. And there’s much more: Learn to analyze business trends that will determine your business’s future Set measurable, realistic goals that you can plan for and achieve Make strategic planning a habitual part of the organization Prioritize multiple strategies that you can implement simultaneously Set a defining vision for the organization that guides all your planning and strategy This friendly, simple guide puts the power of strategic planning in the palm of your hand. For small businesses that can’t afford to hire strategic planning consultants, it’s even more imperative. Careful, constant planning is the only way to handle an uncertain business future. With this book, you’ll have all the step-by-step guidance you need to ensure you’re ready for anything that comes.

Written from a real-world perspective by an award-winning copywriter/producer/director, this comprehensive guide is what every writer needs to create powerful, strategic ad copy. Focusing on strategy, technique, and the skills needed to write for different media, The Copywriter’s Toolkit book will sharpen your copywriting skills whatever your level. Introduces essential conceptual strategies and key writing techniques for result-driven copy Provides practical advice on writing for specific media including: print, radio, TV, websites, blogs, social media, ambient, digital, direct mail, product packaging, and viral marketing Covers all areas of copy development: on-strategy and on-target messaging; headline and slogan creation; brand personality and tone of voice; broadcast production conceptualization and print / digital typesetting consideration Presents innovative visual examples from exciting multimedia campaigns, comments from copywriters at world-renowned agencies, inspiring radio scripts, TV scripts and storyboards, effective blog posts, imaginative package copy, and more Shares invaluable writing tips and insights from award-winning copywriters currently at global agencies Includes supplementary website an instructor’s manual, sample syllabus, PowerPoint presentations, and creative assignments, as well as student study aids, flashcards, podcasts and/or webinars by the author, and links to sample and featured campaigns, agencies, and related videos

Find out what happens when companies stop competing and start collaborating. Off-Centered Leadership considers an innovative approach to business by exploring what happens when companies stop competing and start collaborating – both externally in the marketplace and internally in building a culture of communication, trust and alignment. Brimming with lessons on entrepreneurship and culture from the founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, one of the fastest growing independent brewery in the country,members of his leadership team and external mentors from the worlds of business and art, this game-changing text turns competition on its head by showcasing how competing organizations can work together—and with other local businesses—to reach a common goal. The text dives into how Dogfish Head has blazed a new trail through the development of a revolutionary business model that has called upon musicians, community organizations, and even other breweries to keep product development fresh and create engaging customer experiences. This book documents and addresses the growing pains a company experiences as it evolves from the awkward early start up years into a mid-sized sustainable company with hundreds of co-workers. Calagione is candid in sharing his personal leadership challenges and success and calls on other seasoned vets inside and outside the company who inform and influence the journey of growth and creative expression Dogfish Head is on. This book is rich with practical information entrepreneurs and business people can apply to their own professional journeys. Competition has long been the name of the game in the business world, but what if there was a different way to approach business? The collaboration over competition approach to business has been proven to foster positivity, productivity, and, ultimately, success. By partnering with your competition instead of trying to outsell them, you could actually create a memorable customer experience that will have people coming back for more! Internally as well the dogfish approach has evolved and is not traditional org chart driven top down leadership. Calagione shared the challenges of evolving from a founder-driven entrepreneurial company where he was the sole creative and strategic director into a more collaborative collective where he is now one of many creative and strategic voices in the company. Discover the methods and approaches dogfish head has used to grow a rich diverse leadership team and evolve from a company basing decisions on the gut and whims of a founder to one with a more robust wholistic strategic approach in a way that allows them to stay creative and maintain their irreverent off-centered culture. Discover how ditching your competitive nature and embracing collaboration can allow you to better serve your customers Explore innovative solutions to the challenges that today's businesses face Consider how your company can grow through the collaboration over competition business model Leverage the experiences of other companies to truly understand how collaboration can contribute to your businesss success Off-Centered Leadership is a groundbreaking book that explores the power of collaboration within the business world.