Startup Life. Surviving and Thriving in a Relationship with an Entrepreneur

A new book to help senior executives and boards get smart about risk management The ability of businesses to survive and thrive often requires unconventional thinking and calculated risk taking. The key is to make the right decisions—even under the most risky, uncertain, and turbulent conditions. In the new book, Surviving and Thriving in Uncertainty: Creating the Risk Intelligent Enterprise, authors Rick Funston and Steve Wagner suggest that effective risk taking is needed in order to innovate, stay competitive, and drive value creation. Based on their combined decades of experience as practitioners, consultants, and advisors to numerous business professionals throughout the world, Funston and Wagner discuss the adoption of 10 essential and practical skills, which will improve agility, resilience, and realize benefits: Challenging basic business assumptions can help identify «Black Swans» and provide first-mover advantage Defining the corporate risk appetite and risk tolerances can help reduce the risk of ruin. Anticipating potential causes of failure can improve chances of survival and success through improved preparedness. Factoring in velocity and momentum can improve speed of response and recovery. Verifying sources and the reliability of information can improve insights for decision making and thus decision quality. Taking a longer-term perspective can aid in identifying the potential unintended consequences of short-term decisions.

A comprehensive guide to excelling in a complex matrix organization Debra was not in a good mood as she entered Johann’s office for their third meeting. One of her colleagues had just been promoted and, although the guy who got it was good, she didn’t think he was any better than her. Well, except at one thing, he was always playing politics – sucking up to the more senior guys and volunteering to be on any committee going. Debra knew the type – went to the same school, belonged to the same club – she didn’t have a hope against the kind of connections he had so she might as well give up. It seemed doing a good job just wasn’t enough around here. Debra and Johann work in an environment with multiple and complex reporting lines – in other words, a matrix. There’s room to “slip between the cracks” – if a person wants to take advantage of confusion over who is managing performance; or if they can’t make the necessary transition to self-management. Communication can be difficult even when there is an apparently shared language. Read how Johann and Debra work together to identify the skills needed to succeed in a matrix, and how using Emotional Intelligence (EI) can develop specific behaviours you can incorporate in your daily job. The result will help reduce stress and increase your chances of success. Dawn Metcalfe, Managing Director of PDS, based in Dubai, uses her experience as a coach and trainer to give us a behind the curtain look at how mentoring can help an individual develop the skills they need to survive and thrive in today’s complex work environments.

The extraordinary story of a child prodigy and his remarkable entrepreneurial accomplishments If anyone has «been there, done that» in starting and managing businesses, it's William Saito. Saito is a truly unique personality, and his remarkable story, An Unprogrammed Life, is the compelling tale of a young entrepreneur. More than just a high-tech autobiography or how-to guide, the book is the extraordinary story of a self-taught genius who became a savvy, serial business success story. Founder of multiple profitable companies, Saito now devotes himself to helping others to do the same. This book chronicles the journey of Saito from a young computer nerd programming stock market trading algorithms for a major broker at the age of ten, to selling three separate companies to Microsoft and becoming one of the world's foremost experts on data security. Saito's story focuses on his two key passions—entrepreneurship and data security. An authority in encryption, authentication, and biometric technology, he is determined to fight the never-ending battle to secure personal and corporate information from criminals, terrorists, and rogue nations. The book provides a peek into the author's work with anti-terrorism and anti-crime units and the threats to personal and corporate security posed by ordinary cell phones, office copiers, and laptop PCs. The incredible story of a child prodigy who was recognized in 1998 as Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Addresses Saito's extensive work consulting for clients worldwide, including the U.S. Department of Defense's Counter-terrorism unit, and the U.K., Russian, and Japanese governments Includes a foreword from Carl J. Schramm, President & CEO of the Kauffman Foundation The extraordinary story of a child genius and his remarkable entrepreneurial skills, the book is both a fascinating insight and a true inspiration for readers everywhere.

Become a millionaire by learning from millionaires An Eventual Millionaire is someone who knows they will be a millionaire, eventually. But they want to do it on their own terms—with an enjoyable life and an enjoyable business. Eventual Millionaires are everywhere, from the airplane pilot looking to start his own business for more freedom and money to a student looking to start her life on the right foot to a successful business owner needing inspiration and wondering how to take her business to the next level. There are many ways to become a millionaire, but research has often shown that creating your own business is one of the best ways to build wealth. The Eventual Millionaire will lay the foundation for those looking to start their own business and work their way toward financial independence and a fulfilled life. Contains the insights of more than 100 millionaires and their various experiences Written by Jaime Tardy, founder of eventualmillionaire.com and a business coach for entrepreneurs A companion website includes an «Eventual Millionaire Starter Kit» with worksheets, business plan documents, and much more We all want to be successful and enjoy financial security, but we might not know how or don’t think we can do it. The Eventual Millionaire will show you what it takes.

The keys to having an outstanding career as a school leader. The American educational system is in crisis; trends of recent years have been extraordinarily hard on educators. An entire generation of school leaders is retiring, many of them early, and the number of candidates applying to replace them is plummeting. In many districts, applications have shrunk by nearly two-thirds. Seven Secrets of The Savvy School Leader hopes to counteract these glum statistics by giving both aspiring and experienced school leaders important survival tools, and encouraging long-term leaders to renew their faith in their own abilities. Describes the innate tensions inherent in leadership Explores the difference between dilemmas and problems Encourages leaders to make change by making meaning Offers guidance for being your best and bold self Written an expert on school leadership who has worked closely with thousands of schools over the years, the book will help anyone serving as or considering becoming a school administrator.

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

Practical tips and easy exercises for relieving the stress of everyday life Get a Grip! offers powerful, prescriptive advice for living and thriving in our high-stress times. Integrating techniques that relax the mind, the body, and the spirit, it presents quick and easy ways to make the day less stressful-and get the most out of each and every day. For business owners, office workers, and even those who work at home raising a family, Get a Grip! helps them understand the sources of their stress and deal with it effectively with advice on such topics as: stress-busting exercises, breathing techniques, meditation, visualization, diet, attitude, humor and work/life balance. Though it's impossible to lead a completely stress-free life, Get a Grip! will help everyone-from CEOs to homemakers-deal with the difficulties of daily life. Bob Losyk (Fort Lauderdale, FL) is a business consultant, trainer, and international speaker whose clients include American Express, Honda, Marriott, Taco Bell, IBM, and Inc. magazine, among others. His articles on management have appeared in such magazines as Futurist, Travel Weekly and Training & Development Journal.

"If you're as interested in Japan as I am, I think you'll find that The Power to Compete is a smart and thought-provoking look at the future of a fascinating country." – Bill Gates, «5 Books to Read This Summer» Father and son – entrepreneur and economist – search for Japan's economic cure The Power to Compete tackles the issues central to the prosperity of Japan – and the world – in search of a cure for the «Japan Disease.» As founder and CEO of Rakuten, one of the world's largest Internet companies, author Hiroshi Mikitani brings an entrepreneur's perspective to bear on the country's economic stagnation. Through a freewheeling and candid conversation with his economist father, Ryoichi Mikitani, the two examine the issues facing Japan, and explore possible roadmaps to revitalization. How can Japan overhaul its economy, education system, immigration, public infrastructure, and hold its own with China? Their ideas include applying business techniques like Key Performance Indicators to fix the economy, using information technology to cut government bureaucracy, and increasing the number of foreign firms with a head office in Japan. Readers gain rare insight into Japan's future, from both academic and practical perspectives on the inside. Mikitani argues that Japan's tendency to shun international frameworks and hide from global realities is the root of the problem, while Mikitani Sr.'s background as an international economist puts the issue in perspective for a well-rounded look at today's Japan. Examine the causes of Japan's endless economic stagnation Discover the current efforts underway to enhance Japan's competitiveness Learn how free market «Abenomics» affected Japan's economy long-term See Japan's issues from the perspective of an entrepreneur and an economist Japan's malaise is seated in a number of economic, business, political, and cultural issues, and this book doesn't shy away from hot topics. More than a discussion of economics, this book is a conversation between father and son as they work through opposing perspectives to help their country find The Power to Compete.