The Power of Positive Destruction. How to Turn a Business Idea Into a Revolution

The real story of what it takes to risk it all and go for broke. Conventional wisdom says most startups need to be in Silicon Valley, started by young engineers around a sexy new idea, and backed by VC funding. But as Mikkel Svane reveals in Startupland, the story of founding Zendesk was anything but conventional. Founded in a Copenhagen loft by three thirty-something friends looking to break free from corporate doldrums, Zendesk Inc. is now one of the hottest enterprise software companies, still rapidly growing with customers in 150 countries. But its success was anything but predestined. With revealing stories both funny and frank, Mikkel shares how he and his friends bravely left secure jobs to start something on their own, how he almost went broke several times, how they picked up themselves and their families to travel across the world to California and the unknown, and how the three friends were miraculously still together for Zendesk's IPO and (still growing) success. Much like Zendesk's mission itself—to remove friction, barriers, and mystery in order to make customer service easier and more approachable—Startupland removes some of the myths about startups and startup founders. Mikkel's advice, hard-won through experience, often bucks conventional wisdom and entrepreneurial tropes. He shares why failure (whether fast or slow) is awful, why a seemingly boring product or idea can be the most exciting, why giving back to the community is as important as the bottom line. From how to hire right (look for people who are not offended by swearing) to which personas generate the highest response rates, Mikkel answers the most pressing questions from the perspective of someone still in the trenches and willing to share the hard truth, warts and all. While there are books by consultants who tell you how to build businesses, or by entrepreneurs now running billion-dollar businesses, there are few books from people still in the trenches who acutely remember the difficult daily decisions, the thrill (and fears) of the early days, the problems that scale with growing a business, and the reason why they all went on the adventure in the first place. Startupland is indispensable reading for all entrepreneurs who want to make their ideas the next big thing. The book will inspire and empower you to follow your own dream and create your own story.

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.

Turn your handmade hobby into a thriving business Most Etsy sellers are confident in their crafting and artistic capabilities. However, many need guidance on the business-related intricacies of starting and maintaining a successful Etsy business. Etsy-preneurship helps existing and potential Etsy sellers understand the business fundamentals needed to become a small business owner on Etsy, including taxes, bookkeeping, marketing, finances, administrative tasks, daily operations, legal requirements, business plans, and improving your business skills. This book will help you make the jump from enjoying your handmade/craft/art hobby to running a profitable business. Etsy-preneurship offers step-by-step advice on what it takes to bring in extra income or even one day run a full-time business on Etsy Outlines the basic business skills and knowledge you need to run a business on Etsy Explains how Etsy makes entrepreneurship attainable for everyone Each chapter even includes a downloadable business spreadsheet tool to help you put the steps into action. This book empowers Etsy sellers to turn their handmade hobby into a thriving business by employing foundational business concepts.

How to reach the 98 percent of people who leave your website without converting sales The Retargeting Playbook is a complete guide for digital marketers about how to reach the 95 to 98 percent of people who leave a brand's website without converting. Retargeting gives advertisers the ability to stay in front of those people to bring them back and close the deal. For that reason, retargeting has emerged as a must have marketing channel, yet there is a lack of content that explains how the technology actually works and best practices for using it. Even marketing managers at large, sophisticated brands and agencies don’t have a strong grasp of this evolving channel, and there are few good neutral sources on the topic. Meanwhile, retargeting is the cornerstone of any holistic digital advertising strategy since it improves the results of every other channel if implemented correctly. Unfortunately, most marketers are only utilizing the most rudimentary retargeting tactics and barely scratch the surface of its potential. Explains how to stay in front of potential customers and convince them to come back and close the deal This book will be required reading for media buyers at digital agencies, in-house marketing managers at companies in any vertical, performance marketers, and ecommerce managers.

Discover the benefits of being positive. We all have two dogs inside of us. One dog is positive, happy, optimistic, and hopeful. The other dog is negative, mad, sad, pessimistic, and fearful. These two dogs often fight inside us, but guess who wins the fight? The one you feed the most. So begins the story about a negative mutt named Matt and a big dog named Bubba who teaches him how to feed himself with positivity each day and in the process Matt transforms his own life and the shelter they call home. The Positive Dog is an inspiring, heartwarming story that not only reveals the strategies and benefits of being positive but also an essential truth for humans: Being positive doesn't just make you better. It makes everyone around you better.

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.

A revised Second Edition of the book that shows you how to use Bible-based leadership principles to improve business performance In How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK, famed leadership guru Dave Anderson reveals biblical lessons to help transform the people, culture, and results of your business. Not only will you master timeless business principles based on the world's bestselling book, you'll build a foundation for your business that leads to long-term success. It's a refreshing return to commonsense business basics, based on leadership lessons peppered throughout the Good Book. You'll read what the bible has to say about hiring and training people, managing money, creating a leadership vision, achieving ambitious goals, and much more. This new Second Edition features a new introduction that includes letters from readers about their success using these principles, a new chapter on leading through crisis, and bonus sections at the end of each chapter that offer new and expanded insights on these powerful leadership principles. Includes practical, proven business guidance gleaned from the Bible Features smart business guidance like the High-Five Principles for elevating your people skills, Four Mandates to Maximize Your Time, and How to Overcome the Number One Cause of Management Failure Fully updated with a new Introduction, new section chapter conclusions that help you follow through on each chapter's principle, and an entirely new chapter on crisis leadership Dave Anderson is also the author of Up Your Business!, If You Don't Make Waves, You'll Drown, How to Deal with Difficult Customers, and How to Lead by THE BOOK Best of all, you don't need to be familiar with the Bible to profit from these wise and timeless principles. All you need is a heart open to biblical wisdom and a willingness to lead with courage.

How to use Bible-based leadership principles to improve business performance In How to Run Your Business by THE BOOK, famed leadership guru Dave Anderson reveals biblical lessons to help transform the people, culture, and results of your business. Not only will you master timeless business principles based on the world's bestselling book, you'll build a foundation for your business that leads to long-term success. This is a refreshing return to commonsense business basics, based on leadership lessons peppered throughout the Good Book. In these turbulent times, quality leadership is the key to surviving and thriving in the business world. You'll learn what the Bible has to say about hiring and training people, managing money, creating a leadership vision, balancing work and life, and achieving your most ambitious business goals. Includes practical, proven business guidance gleaned from the Bible Features smart business guidance like the Ten Commandments for elevating your people skills Shows you four vital steps for creating a tough-love culture of accountability Dave Anderson is also the author of Up Your Business!, If You Don't Make Waves, You'll Drown and How to Deal with Difficult Customers Best of all, you don't need to be familiar with the Bible to profit from these wise and timeless principles. All you need is a heart open to biblical wisdom and a willingness to lead with courage.

True to Our Roots sets forth the simple but powerful management principles that enabled Fetzer Vineyards under Paul Dolan to become one of America’s biggest and best-known wineries even as it was turning into a model for sustainable businesses everywhere. Today, Dolan and Fetzer are leading the California wine industry toward profound change in how wineries and grape growers preserve their environment, strengthen their communities, and enrich the lives of their employees, without sacrificing the bottom line. This is truly a management revolution in one of the most globalized, competitive industries on Earth. The principles Dolan discovered and developed at Fetzer can be applied to any business and by leaders at every level: A business is part of a much larger system A company’s culture is determined by the context created for it The soul of a company is found in the hearts of its people The future can’t be predicted, but it can be created There is a way to make an idea’s time come Filled with personal anecdotes and practical wisdom, this book offers inspiration and guidance to business managers who see the compelling need to build and grow healthy, sustainable organizations. For all readers, True to Our Roots provides both a fascinating glimpse into the California wine industry and heartening proof that business can do well by doing good.

Praise For The Power of Mobility: How Your Business Can Compete and Win in the Next Technology Revolution «Mobility is the next technology force that is redefining how businesses operate. Going forward, the winners will be 'anywhere enterprises' that learn how to combine the Power of Mobility with broadband connectivity to create competitive advantage. Russell's book lays out a straightforward road map for how to do just that.» —Berge Ayvazian, Chief Strategy Officer, Yankee Group «Our experience has proved that integrating the mobility of our services into the lives of students creates tremendous opportunities and new value. The ideas presented in this book will serve organizations and businesses of all types well as they explore the innovative growth that can come with the Power of Mobility.» —Dr. Karen Pennington, Vice President, Student Development and Campus Life, Montclair State University «For many professionals, the workplace is no longer a 'place,' and the work day is no longer a 'day.' The Power of Mobility shows us that companies that recognize this fundamental shift are in the best position to take advantage of mobility to increase business agility, transform the way they serve customers, and enable exciting new business models.» —Don Proctor, Senior Vice President, Collaboration Software Group, Cisco «What businesses need is a plain English explanation of the new values and disciplines of the Mobility Age. In The Power of Mobility, Russell McGuire provides that clear guidance without the 'technospeak.'» —Clint Parr, Chief Executive Officer and President, Anyware Mobile Solutions «Companies that figure out how to keep employees connected and leverage context have the opportunity to outperform their peers in the marketplace. The Power of Mobility explains what this all means in simple terms, describes how companies can build mobility into their businesses, and provides helpful examples for those wanting to gain competitive advantage.» —H.P. Jin, PhD, Chief Executive Officer & President, TeleNav Inc. «The Power of Mobility prepares you, in a step-by-step fashion, to interpret the opportunity presented by mobility into your firm's environment.» —Danny Briere, Chief Executive Officer, Telechoice