While most of the business world glorifies growth, Big Vision, Small Business celebrates the art -- and power -- of thinking small. Based on more than 70 interviews with small-business owners and on the author's own experience as a small-business entrepreneur, this book demonstrates that a company doesn't have to be big to make a significant impact. According to the author, a new kind of business owner is emerging. Defining business success qualitatively as well as quantitatively, these individuals ensure that their bottom line balances personal priorities and social responsibilities.
The book discusses four areas integral to big-vision, small-business ownership: engaging in inspired planning, knowing which model of growth to follow, maintaining successful employee and customer relationships, and seeking balance and integrity.
Author and entrepreneur Walters, founder of Ivy Sea, Inc., an organizational consulting firm, shares her expertise here on the power of the small enterprise. The book is based on her extensive research, including interviews with over 70 small-business owners. Walters states that her book is "intended to validate, challenge, and expand readers' current knowledge, and experience base," and she has "included chapters that are more conceptual and data-oriented and provide a bird's-eye view of small enterprise and its contributions and strengths." Not merely a how-to on running a small business, this provides a thoughtful, thorough analysis of the advantages of the strong, small enterprise and strategies for the successful business. The author covers such issues as the contributions of small business to society; work vs. personal life; approaches to visioning, planning, and establishing a mission and core values in the company; and strategies for good employee and customer relationships. Walters provides case studies as well as an extensive bibliography and reading guide. This important work is essential reading for entrepreneurs and students of business. Strongly recommended to both public and academic libraries with business collections. Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Jamaica, NY Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Walters is a prophet of an emerging new economy of intelligent, caring, cutting edge entrepreneurs who seek to make a living - not a killing. Big Vision, Small Business is a mustread for all who believe that business can and should be fun, life serving, and human-scale." - David C. Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World and Board Chair, Positive Futures Network; "If you're a small business owner - or even just thinking about being one - let Jamie Walters be your guide to finding both money and meaning in your business. Big Vision, Small Business offers practical insights and thoughtful observations on how to craft a company that reflects your entrepreneurial vision. I found it to be one of the most thoughtful and enjoyable books I've read in a long time." - Terri Lonier, author of Working Solo and founder, Working Solo, Inc. and SOHO Summit
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.
This review is from: Big Vision, Small Business: 4 Keys to Success Without Growing Big (Paperback)
This book has singularly changed the entire direction of my business. It has deeply and positively influenced my vision, mission and interactions with everyone connected to my business. Anyone with a desire to create a business with social consciousness, and integrity at its core, needs to read this book! This should be required reading for every business school as well. If "business-as-usual" is suffocating you, if you wish to make your passion your livelihood, this will show you the way. Thanks to Jamie Walters visionary intelligence I am no longer a business, but instead a "socially conscious enterprise. -Carmina McGee, President & Founder, CaraMina,Inc.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Big Vision, Small Business: 4 Keys to Success Without Growing Big (Paperback)
I really enjoyed reading this book. I have been thinking about creating a new small business for some time now, and Ms. Walters' insight and advice seem to dovetail in nicely with a lot of other things I have read recently. What made this one stand out however was her emphasis that there was many different ways to determine success, (not just the way Wall Street seems to think is the ONLY way!) Her thoughts on keeping small to grow big really struck a cord with me that I think others might enjoy and take to heart. The book was well layed out, each chapter building on the previous one. I got this out of the library a little while ago, and have renewed it twice...I think I will actually go out and lay some money down for a copy of my own, as I am certain that I will refer back to it for inspiration and advice in the times to come as I launch my own Big Vision, Small Business.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Big Vision, Small Business: 4 Keys to Success Without Growing Big (Paperback)
I really enjoyed reading this book. I have been thinking about creating a new small business for some time now, and Ms. Walters' insight and advice seem to dovetail in nicely with a lot of other things I have read recently. What made this one stand out however was her emphasis that there was many different ways to determine success, (not just the way Wall Street seems to think is the ONLY way!) Her thoughts on keeping small to grow big really struck a cord with me that I think others might enjoy and take to heart. The book was well layed out, each chapter building on the previous one. I got this out of the library a little while ago, and have renewed it twice...I think I will actually go out and lay some money down for a copy of my own, as I am certain that I will refer back to it for inspiration and advice in the times to come as I launch my own Big Vision, Small Business.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
