Big Vision, Small Business : The Four Keys to Finding Success & Satisfaction as a Lifestyle Entrepreneur [Hardcover]

Jamie S. Walters (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2001

Big Vision, Small Business is a celebration of and a primer for creating big-vision small businesses that are independently owned and locally accountable. The book speaks directly to those entrepreneurs who desire a positive, non-workaholic lifestyle and want to create a business of integrity, meaning and contribution. Big Vision, Small Business is based on more than 70 interviews -- and countless informal conversations -- with small-business owners and advocates from throughout the United States, and includes real-people anecdotes and tips for creating a big-vision organization in the real world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...A refreshing inside look at the who, what, how --- and most importantly, why --- of smaller firms..." -- Terri Lonier, author, Working Solo, and founder, SOHO Summit

"...should be the first book you read before becoming an entrepreneur. The book provides a rich, inside look..." -- Judith Kautz, Ph.D., Guide to Entrepreneurs, About.com

"This is the book for those who want to dream big, but still pay the bills... Thought-provoking and informative..." -- Claude Whitmyer, Author of Running a One-Person Business and Mindfulness and Meaningful Work, and co-founder of The University of the Future

Walters is a prophet of an emerging economy of caring entrepreneurs who seek to make a living, not a killing. -- David C. Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World and board chair, Positive Futures Network, publishers of YES! A Journal of Positive Futures

From the Author

I’m honored to be one voice celebrating, raising awareness about and being a conduit for some of the ways we might envision, create and maintain big-vision, independently owned small enterprises. Big Vision, Small Business is truly a celebration of the art – and power – of small enterprises whose measures for success are qualitative rather than just quantitative in nature, whose focus is on how they can make a contribution to their community, versus simply how much money they can make. In researching Big Vision, Small Business, I interviewed 70 small-business owners and advocates, and had informal conversations with many more. They shared their vision, sources of inspiration, challenges, failures, rewards and successes from their own journeys as big-vision small-organization owners. The result, based on early feedback, offers inspiration, food for thought, some tough questions and more than a few great ideas that small-business owners and small organization leaders can use to energize and guide their own endeavors. Big Vision, Small Business covers the contributions made by small businesses in our society, ways of approaching visioning and planning, the variety of ways one can define growth, options for building right relationships with employees and customers, and approaches for maintaining balance and integrating one’s business and spiritual lives more fully.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 198 pages
• Publisher: Ivy Sea Inc (August 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589750004
• ISBN-13: 978-1589750005
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,529,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jamie Walters is the founder of Ivy Sea, the author of Big Vision, Small Business, and a guide and inspiration source for the visionary entrepreneurs and leaders who are rising up to redefine, realign, and create the new era for the way we live, interact, lead, and approach our work.

Since 1993, Jamie and her Ivy Sea allies have helped others navigate the terrain of conscious communication, change, vision, and transformational initiatives, whether with individual, solopreneur, small-business, or organizational clients. Over the years, the Ivy Sea ally-circle have consulted to Fortune 500 corporations, health systems, nonprofit organizations, fast-growth companies, small enterprises, and emerging world-changers.

More recently, the allies of Ivy Sea are passionate about and dedicated to sharing their experience, expertise, and wisdom with those shifting into the new consciousness and new ways of being, expressing, working, and leading -- the Great Work and Great Turning that's underway.

Jamie's first book, Big Vision, Small Business: 4 Keys to Success Without Growing Big (Berrett-Koehler Publishers), was released to excellent reviews and several "best of the year" nods, is translated in five languages, and has inspired thousands of solo- and SOHO entrepreneurs around the world. Jamie also contributed to Positively MAD: Making a Difference in Your Organizations, Communities, and the World, also from Berrett-Koehler. She has published many articles, has been featured in USA Today, The Boston Globe, The Washington Times, and other publications, as well as on radio shows such as Brain Brew Radio, Voice of America, and Business Talk Radio.

She is a past-president of the Board of Directors for the San Francisco Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (SF/IABC), was on the first advisory council of BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) and the faculty of the Cultural Creatives Business Network, and is an informal muse and advisor for other gathering forces.

Jamie is graduate of St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York, where she studied political science, english and religion; and she enjoyed Graduate-level coursework with University of Richmond and Wisdom University. Jamie wanders between San Francisco, California, and Northern New Jersey, not far from New York City.

Learn more about Jamie and Ivy Sea at the firm's highly acclaimed web site, Ivy Sea Online - http://www.ivysea.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A breakthrough in mindfulness and business!, July 18, 2001

By 

[e-mail] (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Vision, Small Business : The Four Keys to Finding Success & Satisfaction as a Lifestyle Entrepreneur (Hardcover)

Big Vision, Small Business: The Four Keys to Finding Success and Satisfaction as a Lifestyle Entrepreneur, by Jamie S. Walters, is a thought provoking new book that celebrates the art - and power - of small. It is an inspiration and ''must read' for every entrepreneur and small business owner. It is also "very large!" It provides invaluable insight for every CEO and corporate executive on the issues of personal success, satisfaction, balance, authenticity, integrity, values, business growth and what is truly meaningful and important.

We tend to get so preoccupied with big business news and the day to day fluctuations in the $ billion cap enterprises that we forget that the 'drivers' of the economy in terms of employment, innovation and growth are smaller to mid-sized organizations. As business owners and entrepreneurs our 'role models' tend to be the likes of a Jack Welch leading and inspiring a major enterprise to greatness and creating mega billions in shareholder value in the process. Our business 'heroes' are 'very large' and in 'big business' and we all tend to aspire that vision of 'greatness.'

Big Vision, Small Business celebrates small business and offers us a refreshing new vision of satisfaction and success as a lifestyle entrepreneur. The vision is 'very large' and provides practical insights and inspiration for smaller business owners and entrepreneurs, and the opportunity to redefine your personal vision of 'greatness.'

Unlike most books written for smaller businesses that read like 'self help' manuals on how to get 'bigger' faster - Big Vision, Small Business challenges you to reflect on what is important to you, and your enterprise in terms of quality of service, quality of relationships, and quality of life. Within a context of mindfulness and authenticity you create your definitions of business growth, business success, personal satisfaction and balance.

The book is presented in five sections, Appreciating The Big-Vision Small Business and the four keys to success and satisfaction, which are: To Live Large, You Have To Vision Big; There's More Than One Way To Define Growth; While Who You Know Is Important, It's How You Treat Them That Counts; To Live From The Source, You Can't Let The Well Run Dry.

It is a book filled with real 'stories' of successes, challenges, decisions, failures, and lessons learned that bring the insights to life - with very sincere and thoughtful commentary from the author's personal experiences with Innovision Communications and Ivy Sea. The pages are filled with very thoughtful and practical techniques to engage and align your employees in your business, develop deep relationships with your clients and apply seasoned business acumen while remaining true to your ideals and values. The book is also filled with very inspiring quotations that perhaps by design, provide very timely moments for reflection, as you digest the insights.

Big Vision, Small Business also has a very clear focus on bottom line results and profitability, and that authenticity will ring true to all entrepreneurs and executives. There is a business acumen that underscores the insights - and the book is firmly grounded in the reality facing entrepreneurs today. This is a must read for small business owners and entrepreneurs, or those contemplating the adventure. Although directed to small business - Big Vision, Small Business is 'very 'large' and provides many insights for any CEO and corporate executive who struggles with personal success, satisfaction, balance, authenticity, integrity, values, business growth and what is truly meaningful and important.

Big Vision, Small Business is indeed a breakthrough in mindfulness and business! This is one of the best books of the year!...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN INSPIRATIONAL BOOK FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, April 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Big Vision, Small Business : The Four Keys to Finding Success & Satisfaction as a Lifestyle Entrepreneur (Hardcover)

"Big Vision Small Business" is a wonderfully written book. The personal
experience of the author and the numerous interviews with small-business
owners gives hope to those wish to "Have It All". Her insights and tips will show you that by using the "Four keys to success and satisfaction" you can achieve balance between your life and your business.
This is not only great, inspirational reading, it's a wonderful reference
book for anyone running or thinking about starting a small business. I
give this 5 stars !

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read for Little People With Big Ideas, January 31, 2002

By 

Francine V. Notte (Vestal, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Vision, Small Business : The Four Keys to Finding Success & Satisfaction as a Lifestyle Entrepreneur (Hardcover)

I was self employed for many years as a real estate agent under a principle broker. I wish I had had Walters' book before I left. It would have changed many of the decisions I made and I think today I would be in a very different, much more successful place in my life. She really nails the small business process from the inside out. I can't recommend this book enough.
Top drawer.
Excellent.
A must read for any one running a small business or thinking about getting into one.