Our human instinct is to pay closer attention to lessons learned from the mistakes of others -- in part because of our car-wreck mentality and "People Magazine" fascination with the lives of others -- but in part because we know that mistakes are the first steps toward wisdom. Realizing that some "business demigods" can make the same mistakes and face the same setbacks as the rest of us helps us understand that our own entrepreneurial dreams are not out of reach.
Unlike many business advice books that showcase self-aggrandizing tales of unchallenged success, "Do As I Say, Not As I Did" allows the reader to glean insights applicable to almost any business model or industry. In the best storytelling tradition, there are tragedies, villains, close calls, victims and heroes. YouÂ’ll discover that what is most memorable are the moments of challenge, not the post-victory celebration. The principles illustrated are often overlooked or postponed in the crush of battle at the entrepreneurial edge. Anyone interested in business leadership will enjoy and value these real-life lessons.
A partial list of subjects include: Jeff Taylor of Monster.com; Joe Croce of CiCiÂ’s Pizza;, Kip Tindall of The Container Store, professional author and speaker Sam Horn and Gary Hoover of Bookstop/ Hoovers.com. The book contains a mixture of high-profile names along with lesser-known entrepreneurs, all sharing their amazing war stories and courageously showing their entrepreneurial scars.
Each person profiled has a chapter devoted to them that outlines their business background, their stories of adversity, the lessons learned, and the tools they used to overcome their setback and regain success.
The bookÂ’s individual chapters are divided into broad categories that are tied together by the personal experiences of the author. These categories include:
• Know the Business You're In
• Employees: A Necessary Evil?
• When Good Partners Go Bad
• The Corporate Culture: If It Ain't Broke...
• Entrepreneurship 101
• Tough Times
• Selling your "Baby"
Within these categories, you will discover:
• The deal is never done until the last dollar is in the bank.
• Don’t be afraid to have a devil’s advocate on your team.
• Success can be an entrepreneur’s biggest enemy.
• Intellectual property protection may be your only barrier between POVERTY and PROSPERITY
• Don’t Hire the Resume
• Do due diligence. Do it. Do it. Do it. Yes, you. Do it.
• Verbal Contracts are Not worth the Paper They Are Printed On
Combining humor, candid personal stories of struggles and strategies, and rock solid business sense, "Do As I Say, Not As I Did" is a roadmap to eventual triumph and a celebration of victory in the face of adversity. These are winning lessons for business people no matter how high they have climbed up the mountain. How? Because no matter how high they may climb or where they are along the mountain trail, a treacherous foothold or tragic misstep lay in wait just beyond each new precipice.
"Do As I Say, Not As I Did" is the entrepreneur's Sherpa guide along the mountain trail.
