How to Castrate a Bull. Unexpected Lessons on Risk, Growth, and Success in Business

As you might expect from a company responsible for renting so many thrillers, there’s rarely a dull moment at LOVEFiLM. From start-up, through mergers and fast paced growth, culminating in a takeover by an internet giant, few corporate adventures encapsulate the archetypal modern business story as neatly as that of LOVEFiLM. In the 6 years from inception to the defining deal with Amazon, the company underwent a near constant process of change and evolution. They simply didn’t sit still for a minute. As the chief executive who guided LOVEFiLM through these fast-paced times, Simon Calver tells the story of how they grew the company from a series of small start-ups into a multi-million pound enterprise and well-love household name. Calver offers his personal insights and key lessons on everything from how to manage spectacular growth, to the importance of taking big risks and how small entrepreneurial companies can benefit from big companies thinking. Success the LOVEFiLM Way is an essential read for anybody who wants to start and grow a successful business, and learn how to stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing and growing industry. “The LOVEFiLM story offers interesting insights into the way modern businesses, and particularly those backed by venture capital, succeed. There are useful lessons for anyone looking to start or grow a business using this route. Simon Calver explains both the challenges and opportunities that VC funding raises. Calver is right to describe this as the classic modern business story.” Alex Mitchell, Head of Influencer Relations, IoD “The LOVEFiLM story was a great read. It’s honest, insightful and very entertaining. It shows most importantly the power of leadership to create an exceptional company. Frankly, everyone in the UK needs to read this book right now.” Julie Meyer, Managing Partner, ACE Fund “I met Simon at the annual Real Business awards in 2009, and was delighted when he asked King of Shaves to become a founding member of The Consumer Forum – an association of SME’s that put the customer first. The success of LOVEFiLM, and his leadership of this disrupting business, was entirely down to his ‘putting customers first’ – by giving them what they wanted, when they wanted it, always embracing the latest in cutting edge technology. Firstly by sending the latest film releases through the post, and now by it streaming on demand. I’ve been lucky enough to spend personal quality time with him, and now you can learn how he helped LOVEFiLM grow so astonishingly, in a constantly changing digital environment. If you Lovefilm, and LoveCustomers, then you’ll Love this book!” Will King, Founder, King of Shaves “The LOVEFiLM story shows the importance of organizational agility, trust and the relentless focus of taking customers, stakeholders and employees with you on your journey. Above all it demonstrates the importance of understanding what you do and why you do it, and why it’s important to have a business model that delivers for the customer and the business.” Jo Causon, CEO, Institute of Customer Service “It took Simon’s dedicated hard work bringing together a series of smaller businesses to make LOVEFiLM one of the true internet success stories. In Simon Calver’s book, he shares his business philosophies that led LOVEFiLM to the successful takeover by Amazon. The book is not just a compelling narrative, but lessons that all businesses and entrepreneurs can benefit from.” Mar

A practical introduction to the necessity of competitive intelligence for smarter business decisions-from a leading CI expert and speaker In Competitive Intelligence Advantage, Seena Sharp, founder of one of the first Competitive Intelligence firms in the US, provides her expert analysis on the issues and benefits of CI for today's businesses. CI is critical for making smarter business decisions and reducing risks when formulating strategies, leading to more profits and fewer mistakes. This is a practical guide that explains what CI is, why data is not intelligence, why competitor intelligence is a weak sibling to competitive intelligence, when to use it, how to find the most useful information and turn it into actual intelligence, and how to present findings in the most convincing manner. Importantly, Sharp argues that businesses would benefit from shifting their perspective on CI from viewing it as a cost to viewing it as an investment that saves money and provides immediate value. Author Seena Sharp is a noted CI expert who established Sharp Market Intelligence in 1979 Addresses all the most common myths and misconceptions about CI Includes more than sixty examples of when to use CI Completely explains the ins and outs of CI, and why your company will act faster and more aggressively with CI Competitive intelligence is a management tool that is misunderstood and underestimated, yet results in numerous benefits. If you are a senior level executive or operate a business-and you aren't tapping the power of CI to improve your decision making-you are missing a potent advantage.

In Simply Success, the former chairman and founder of Quill Corporation presents key lessons of entrepreneurship, including how to get started, set a vision, finance the business, and build a successful corporate culture. Based on his own experience, Miller shares his most hard-earned lessons, so you can avoid learning the same lessons the painful way. For entrepreneurs young and old, or even if only dream of starting a business one day, this book is a guiding light to a successful enterprise.

If you're a working woman who wants to get ahead, S.K.I.R.T.S. in the Boardroom will equip you with the strategies you need to combine confidence and compassion, style and substance, and beauty and brains for professional success. It will help you navigate the male-dominated corporate world and keep you inspired when you're unmotivated and unsatisfied with your career. A must for any woman who wants to maximize her professional potential, this book offers sensible, straightforward, and long-overdue advice.

Reinvent your company to deliver sustained profitable growth. As performance lags in the midst of economic cycles, many companies turn to magic bullets such as EVA, Kaizen, or Six Sigma. Unfortunately, these initiatives-along with how they're implemented-often deliver only short-term positive impact or cause more pain than the preexisting condition. Returning to competitive health and profitability in the face of economic downturns requires a dynamic realignment of business strategies, organizational design, and talent management. Based on timely research conducted by Axiom Consulting Partners, Shockproof empowers and enables business leaders, owners and managers to make and maintain the necessary connection between strategies and organization to achieve sustainable performance. Create an agile business that can rapidly reinvent itself as business conditions change Foster leadership that knows how to mobilize people to execute and deliver results Build a workforce that is adaptive, inherently innovative, and energized by the rewards of success As priorities change and challenges arise throughout the ebbs and flows of the economic cycle, let Shockproof guide you to reinvent your company and deliver sustained profitable growth in good times and bad.

Increase your business fitness and break world sales records You can do it! You can increase your sales power. You can become more persuasive and effective in your business and your personal life. Most of all, you can learn the secrets of transforming fear, failure, and adversity into victory. Many people today recognize a powerful correlation between physical health and business success. Tony Little is living proof of this connection. Having worked his way up from poverty and sickness to become, as Jay Leno called him, «America's personal trainer,» he is also the most successful and recognizable salesman on the planet today, selling a record-breaking 3 billion dollars worth of retail product on TV. Now, in There's Always a Way, Tony reveals how he's used the hard knocks in his own life to develop unique selling strategies that make him a living brand. Tony explains how to use fears and insecurities to sharpen one's selling game and build self-confidence Tony demonstrates dynamite secrets for self-motivation, overcoming negativity, and thinking out of the box Tony explains how to build a positive mind set, create a buzz, exploit humor, find a niche, set goals, ask the right questions, close the sale, make the customer into a star, achieve peak selling performance, and turn oneself into a lean, mean selling machine Having grown his business in a tough market, Tony explains how to stand out in these down times There's Always a Way is a perfect read for goal setters, for movers and groovers moving up, for businesspersons who want to learn to win. Read it and be motivated to make every sales opportunity into a formula for success.

At last, a more inspired approach to business. Business Genius describes how to grow your business more effectively through intelligent strategy and imaginative leadership, radical innovation and sustained change. Combining the entrepreneurial passion of a start-up with the commercial rigour of large enterprises… this is for everyone who seeks the inspiration to think and act differently. Business Genius helps you drive more profitable, sustainable growth in today’s fast changing and connected markets. It explores the challenges of strategy and innovation, leadership and change as you grow your business, and yourself, in order to achieve high performance. From the craze for Crocs to the cool of Diesel, the secrets of Kikkoman and energy of Red Bull, the vision of Google and disruption of Current TV, the revolution of P&G and the phenomenon of Umpqua – the book captures the best insights from around the world, and a new agenda for today’s business. Seeing things differently is the foundation of genius. Connecting your left and right brain to think more holistically, exploring opportunities from the future back as well as now forward – then doing business from the outside in rather than the inside out, in order to turn radical ideas into practical action.

A new 25th anniversary update of the entrepreneur's bible For twenty-five years, entrepreneurs have relied on this friendly, comprehensive guide to the basics of successfully operating a small business. Now, this new Fourth Edition of How to Start, Run & Stay in Business completely updates the bestselling classic for today's entrepreneur. It features all the reliable, straightforward advice readers expect and also includes entirely new information on online business and marketing as well as new Internet resources. Material on legal and financial issues, international business, customer service, and state and federal tax regulations has been fully revised. Plus, new charts, illustrations, questionnaires, and checklists make the book more practical and useful than ever. Inside, you'll find world-class guidance on every vital aspect of small business success, including: * Preparing a business plan * Finding the right location * Deciding on an ownership structure * Record keeping and taxes * Financing and capital * Inventory and distribution * Hiring and staffing * Managing and motivating people * Marketing and promotions * Risk management * And much more In addition, a wealth of helpful resources covers all your outside needs, from attorneys and accountants to trade associations and Web site designers. Whether your business is brick-and-mortar, mom-and-pop, home-based, or online, How to Start, Run & Stay in Business, Fourth Edition provides all the information you need to make your entrepreneurial dream a reality.

WINNING IS THE GOAL, THE CORPORATE SEASON IS ENDLESS, AND THE PRESSURE TO PERFORM IS 24/7 Winning isn't easy. The world is becoming more and more competitive, with a greater need than ever for people to work together effectively in teams to make organizations successful. There is no better model for success in business than the world of sport, with its bottom-line performance culture and its relentless focus on creating winning teams. In Why Teams Win, renowned sports psychologist Dr. Saul L. Miller-the man who teaches elite athletes and top sports teams how to be successful-uses sport as a powerful metaphor for the world of business. Why Teams Win distills Dr. Miller's work with hundreds of high-performance teams-in the worlds of sport, business, healthcare, and the arts-into lessons to help business teams perform. Why Teams Win: Identified the 9 key characteristics of successful teams. Describes how to improve personal, organizational, and team performance in each of these 9 areas. Explains how and why to apply different strategies to different types of teams. Outlines how to balance the needs of the individual with the needs of the team. Helps people work together and perform to the best of their abilities. Shows how to get the maximum potential out of a group of individuals. Features advice, quotes, and interviews from high-profile athletes and coaches, as well as from business leaders. Includes self-evaluation and team-building exercises. Why Teams Win offers anyone wanting to improve their personal and team performance a proven and accessible formula for success.

How to successfully navigate and prevent conflict From the publishers of the popular Strength Deployment Inventory, Have a Nice Conflict follows one man's fight to rescue his sinking career. Sales manager John Doyle would consider his career a success—he's his company's top revenue driver, and his take-charge attitude gets the job done. However, when he is passed over for promotion—again—after losing two direct reports, who cite his abrasive style as their reason for leaving, John is forced to reassess how he approaches his relationships. With the help of Mac, an expert in the art of Relationship Awareness Theory, John learns the three stages of conflict, and how he reacts in each. Once John recognizes his own values and trigger points, as well those of other people, he becomes able to better navigate terse situations, express his points in a way that resonates for other people, and even avoid conflict altogether. Equipped with this new understanding of how other people interpret and react to conflict, John soon finds all the relationships in his life—both at work and at home—improving. Reveals a practical understanding of how conflict really works Shows how to recognize its initial stages of conflict, how to navigate it better to diffuse a situation, and how to understand the values of the other person to better frame your point for them Provides guidance for moving beyond conflict to enhance relationships Includes a five-step framework (anticipate, prevent, identify, manage, and resolve) and tools for locating conflict triggers in ourselves and others Anyone can profit from the tools in this book to understand and take control over conflict.