Customer Reviews

Alpha Dogs: How Your Small Business Can Become a Leader of the Pack

5 star:		(29)
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3 star:		(2)
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I picked up "Alpha Dogs" as part of my typical random-reading program, and was amazed. Intensely interesting and packed with great ideas, "Alpha Dogs" is a must both for small-business owners and corporate bigwigs alike. Compiled by Donna Fenn of Inc. Magazine, the book examines eight extraordinary small companies.

In an increasingly confusing business landscape, the companies profiled in this book have all found a way to break away from the pack, not by outsourcing jobs abroad or slashing paychecks, but by such unheard of techniques as stellar customer service, wonderful products, and kindness to employees. The innovations boil down to this: treat employees like gold and they'll work harder (and stay longer), make a great quality product from superior components instead of cheapening your goods, and project a fun and spirited image by being, well, fun and spirited. There's Chris Zane of Zane's Bicycles; thriving in an industry that has been steamrolled by Walmart, Jim Throneburg of THOR-LO socks, beating China at the margins game, and Trish Karter of Dancing Deer Bakery, just plain selling cookies, to the tune of nine million dollars a year. The stories of their success are fascinating; rises, falls, more rises and a whole lot of common sense.

Common sense is really the theme of this book; even though so many of these business owners are doing things unique in their particular industry, their strategies are logical and even obvious-seeming. It's the rest of the business world that's insane. Better yet, we learn from their mistakes, everything thing from the importance of security cameras even in the most bohemian of settings to the dangers of over-elaborate restaurant menus. In these chaotic and depressing economic times "Alpha Dogs" profiles people who made their dreams come true, and did so with integrity and compassion. And some of them even had fun. Now who can't learn from that?

GRADE: B+

I really like the concept behind ALPHA DOGS: HOW YOUR SMALL BUSINESS CAN BECOME A LEADER OF THE PACK by Donna Fenn. So how is the concept different than any other book? Fenn combines the strategies she is promoting with small business profiles of companies that exemplify those very strategies.

For example, chapter three "Convert Your Employees Into True Believers" profiles the Dorothy Lane Grocery Company of Ohio. Penn outlines a brief history of the company and how they came about adopting the employee training process that has made them so successful. Penn outlines the entire process from hiring to orientation to continuous training and learning to what they call intrapreneurship. The profile concludes with the companies community involvement and how they keep their employees involved as well.

Each chapter ends with two to four pages of tips from the profile company on how to implement the discussed strategies and processes. In other words, this book doesn't just talk the talk, it walks the walks with actual working examples to follow or emulate. The mix of companies also enhances interest. There's literally something here every company can relate to.

There's also a great deal of really good back matter here. Each chapter's sources are listed for further study. Fenn is a contributing editor of Inc magazine. Those familiar with her articles have come to expect from her, exactly the kind of information this book delivers.

It seems like all we hear in the news lately is about outsourcing, the stripping away of defined benefit and retirement plans, and that there are no further opportunities to be found in business unless you are one of the lucky few at the top of a multinational corporation. In the face of such constant bad news, this book is a breath of fresh air.
Alpha Dogs is a result of a quest to find small businesses who have survived at least 10 years and have developed a strong reputation in their communities. This book is a series of case studies on some small businesses whose special qualities helped differentiate them from their competitors, whether it was a new Wal-Mart or a similar small business across town.
For example, you'll read about Dorothy Lane, a Dayton, Ohio grocer that became an upscale grocer modeled after Whole Foods that fought off an assault by Walmart when that chain began to operate grocery stores there in the early 1990's. The owner has succeeded by being committed to service - he once personally went to bone a leg of lamb at 11:30 at night for a panicked customer who thought she had bought a boneless leg and needed to put it in the oven that night - and also committing to his employees by having 90% of the managers home-grown and having full-time jobs filled by part-timers.
You'll also read about Auction Systems, which uses databases to ferret out relevant customer information. For example, if customers participated in a coin auction, then the staff will call those customers to remind them of upcoming events involving coins. The owner added an audio feed to her website and found that the average time on the site doubled and that site registration grew 416%. For many customers the audio feed made the auction entertainment, so that the business grew into an online community which is what the founder had always envisioned.
Zane's Cycles is an example of "seducing the customer". Also in competition with Walmart, they offer 90 day price protection, and a 30 day return policy regardless of bike's condition. In 2004 ten returned their bikes and upgraded to more expensive models. Some used bikes were sold at discount, but the owner figures they pay for themselves in good will. Once, a customer wanted to rent a couple of mountain bikes for the weekend. Instead, Zane's let them borrow them for free. The customer, an organizational consultant, was so impressed with Zane's generosity that he donated a team training session for Zane's employees. Chasing the quick buck would have gotten the owner $200. Instead he got $1500 to $2000 in free training.
Amy's Ice Creams is an example of staking a hometown claim, deciding to concentrate in Austin and resist expansion into other cities despite the inroads of national chains into their "turf". Amy's distinguishes itself by its sense of fun and theatre and also by being a good local citizen. For example, one store locks in lingering patrons at closing time and makes them all dance "The Time Warp" from the Rocky Horror Picture Show before letting them out. As a result, people will come in at closing just to be part of this. The owner also sponsors one community event a week - whether it be a blood drive, donating ice-cream to an elementary school fundraiser, or sponsoring a charity race. This generates positive buzz and good-will toward the company.
I really found this book very inspirational by showing that the creativity and innovation in America's businesses still start small even now in the 21st century, and that if you are creative, smart, and persistent, with an eye out for customer service you can succeed. Highly recommended.

Having come from a 28+ year career in corporate America as a senior exec, I found this book to be SPOT on in theory and in practice. The book is full of thought provoking concepts with practical, concise, clearly laid out action steps that every small business can use. It's findings cut across most any industry and can be adapted to most functions within larger businesses. A quick and easy read full of BIG ideas.

As a small business consultant, I liked this book so much that I bought it for several of my clients last year. Donna's book contains stories about 8 small businesses that are successful because of the way they do business not the type of business they run.

Donna provides concrete strategies and tips for motivating your employees, forging close customer relationships, leveraging technology, innovating a mundane product, reinventing your business and marketing your brand through her in-depth profiles of her featured businesses. All of these strategies apply to any small business, particularly, in a world of relentless and global competition.

This is a useful, thought provoking book for any small business owner. I'm looking forward to Donna's next book.

After reading this book, I have a better idea of where I want to take my small business. The companies profiled are very inspiring. Donna highlighted not only what these business owners did right, but what some of their stumbling blocks were, and how they overcame them. I'll be buying this book for all my key staff members to read.

Although a sole proprietor, I found Alpha Dogs to have great relevance to my own business. I stayed up late at night, taking notes on all the advice I thought would be indispensible. Ms. Fenn's writing style is wonderfully concise and lively. I found the case study format to be much more engaging than anything didactic and the summaries at the end of each chapter make it easy to return again and again. A great book for any entrepreneur, big or small, who aspires to be an alpha dog!

Then buy this book. It's engaging, easy to read and provides clear examples of how daring small business owners beat big competitors time after time. Alpha Dogs is short on theory, long on real world success stories. If you buy it, you won't need to hire a coach like me -- you can do it on your own!

Jim "Da Coach" Rohrbach
www.SuccessSkills.com

This book was an enjoyable read, but I don't think that it does much in the way of illustrating what it takes to build, sustain and grow a company. (And maybe that wasn't the intent.) The stories themselves about each company studied are a bit too lengthy/detailed, and the industries that they cover too specific to have interested me personally.

This is a good read on what a few businesspeople have done to become successful in their field. As one other reviewer put it, it's a "motivational" book...shows you how some others have overcome diversity and competition to flourish. But the examples are so narrow that they are difficult to really put to use for outside industries.

Donna's book highlights the fact that owning a business is not a perfect science. She confirms that combination of talent, discipline, knows-how, gut instincts, and risk are foundations for success. The entrepreneur's stories are fascinating, yet Donna summarizes each story with business axioms worth pondering and applying. Donna's approach to the "lessons learned" made this a book worth reading twice. The first read provides some "ah-ha's". The second read inspires note-taking. I've already given or recommended this book to clients struggling to differentiate their businesses.