Fire Someone Today: And Other Surprising Tactics for Making Your Business a Success [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Bob Pritchett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 11, 2006

Should you take the time to visit customers and suppliers in person? Absolutely.

Who makes the best accountant? A pessimist.

What do you do with a good employee who is a jerk? Fire him!

Whether you are a young company that's just starting out or a mature business looking to grow, Bob pritchett's hands-on advice and practical examples are a must-read for every manager, business owner, and entrepreneur.

Inside this book, you will not find Thirteen Incontrovertible Laws of Excellence. You won't find motivational clichés to frame and put on your desk. And there are no step-by-step instructions for writing a business plan.

Instead, in Fire Someone Today, you'll read what Pritchett has discovered through his years of experience as an entrepreneur and small business owner. It is a book about what to do, what not to do, and why. For your business, it could be that one piece of advice that makes all the difference . . . and even give you a few laughs along the way.

"A year's worth of lunches with someone who has been way down the road and taken a lot of lumps." ―Guy Kawasaki, Author, The Art of the Start

"Made you think! And that's more than you can hope for from the typical business book, that's for sure. Everyone who manages anyone needs to think about the stuff inside." ―Seth Godin, Author, All Marketers are Liars

"Bob Pritchett has written a classic for anyone running or starting up a small to mid-sized business. There's compelling information on every page." ―Pat Williams, Senior Vice President, Orlando Magic

"Fire Someone Today is a breakthrough for those of us who hate wading through theoretical business books." ―Kevin Cable, Cofounder, Cascadia Capital

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...full of down-to-earth, practical and tested advice for leaders seeking to better their company..." -- Leading Blog, May 5, 2006

"...solid reading for any small-business owner." -- New York Post, May 8, 2006

"...this no-nonsense collection of real-life business experiences may even find you laughing out loud." -- Kirkus Reports, January 1, 2006 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Author

The chapter titles for Fire Someone Today came from scribbled notes on napkins and receipts. The book contains the practical wisdom I learned from long lunches with other entrepreneurs and from making lots of mistakes of my own. It is about making the right decisions in good times and bad and it is full of practical examples from real businesses. If you took me to lunch to talk about a business issue, this is the advice you would get. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (April 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785212620
• ASIN: B000QRII5G
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,899,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Conversation, Down-to-Earth, & Practical. A Great Read! April 16, 2006

By Jacob Hantla TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Bob Pritchett, CEO of Logos Research Systems, writing in a conversational tone, has given an excellent book filled with advice for entrepreneurs, for small business owners and managers. His chapters, however, are filled with such down-to-earth practical advice, that I suspect anybody could benefit. Prtichett claims that his only qualification to writing this book is that he's an entrepreneur (like his target audience); he's not CEO of any fortune 500 companies (but then again neither are you or I); he isn't the one-in-a-million super success stories (neither are you or I); he doesn't claim to have THE secret to success (THE secret doesn't exist so don't buy the books that claim to have it). What he has is life experience as a modestly successful entrepreneur who has lots of mistakes behind him.

I found that the pages flew by. I never found myself awed by his intelligence or genius but I often found myself amazed by the simplicity of his advice that I may not have thought of had they not been put on paper in front of me. He makes you take a step back from the busy-ness and status quo of the small-business-owner's day and gives you advice that you need to hear but probably won't if you ask those closest to you. So basically, I found this to be a helpful, refreshing, and easy read.

Finally, and this is what makes this book truly a success in my mind, since the advice is so specialized so as to apply only to upper management in major corporations, the concepts that he discusses apply to anybody who will ever be in a position of leadership.... Most, but not all, of the application in the book is within a small-business context, but since he discusses strategies rather than specific application, much of the content is applicable to any leadership arena no matter how big or how small.

PS As an added benefit, if you're a user of Bob's product (I am, and in my opinion it is the best Bible software made), reading this book will help you understand why Logos is how it is. Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical, easy to read small CEO advice March 18, 2007

By John C. Dunbar

Format:Paperback

This book presents the author's advice for owner/managers of small companies. In 200 pages, he presents 22 chapters on diverse and important topics. Here's my reaction to each chapter (where 1 = Not so good, 10 = Great)....

1 Fire Someone Today (10, great review for those who hesitate firing slackers or misfits, mentions how to do it correctly)

2 You Are the Reason You Are in Business (10, you need to control the critical process/technology)

3 Nobody Loves Your Baby Like You Do (10, don't delegeate your vision for the company)

4 There Can Be Only One - Plan for Your Partner's Departure (10, be the benign dictator, how to evaluate business partners, how to always have a way out)

5 Don't Hire Anyone You Haven't Interviewed (7, basic information)

6 Cash Is King (7, basic information)

7 Quality, Price, Service -- Prioritize (9, interesting but simplistic model for niching)

8 Nobody Needs an Optimistic Accountant (6, probably true, but basic)

9 You Can Always Find 5 % (8, too oriented on nickling and diming vendors, too oriented away from growth, mentions important reports and methods)

10 Profit is Why You Are in Business (7, basic information, too oriented on profits alone, did not describe why profits are necessary for growth)

11 If You Are Not Growing, You Are Shrinking (10, interesting discussion of market dynamics)

12 Good Systems Protect You from the Perfect Employee (10, discussion on blogs, make it easy to build good systems)

13 The One Who Writes Wins (10, but basic information)

13 Read (10, great information on business intelligence, interesting remarks on business books, biographies vs business histories, novels)

15 Don't Fly Blind -- Build a Dashboard (10, important, basic information that most businesses don't prepare, doensn't and probably can't mention all the numbers any business needs)

16 Visit Everyone in Person (10, excellent reason for supporting the airlines)

17 Press Is Yours If You Ask -- And If You Want It (10, how to use publicity to your advantage without getting skinned by the media)

18 In Acquisitions, the Buyer is the Loser (10, this was really great information, how to use the process to your advantage)

19 Buy Lunch (10, excellent reason for supporting restaurants, like Chapter 16)

20 Winning Takes 51 % (10, how to categorize decisions, when to make them quickly, slowly)

21 Some People Are Your Greatest Assets (10, how to treat exceptional candidates, good is the baseline, follows "up or out" mentality of chapter 1)

22 Business Is a Serious Game (7, your decisions have consequences to your employees)

This book is easy and enjoyable to read for businesses with 5 to 200 employees.

John Dunbar

Sugar Land, TX Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars From Engineer to Entrepreneur May 1, 2006

By Erich C. Altvater

Format:Paperback

As an engineer with a desire to "live my dream" by starting my own business, I have read my share of business books. Many of these were either "twelve steps to a better business" or gave me flashbacks to case studies and business models that bounced off my skull in college 25 years ago.

Bob speaks from the heart and the book connects. The lessons learned from successes and blunders in a small business communicate dearly and are very effective. It is a good read, but one that sticks even after the first pass. I do not have to review some checklist to know several issues I can address immediately to make my business better.

I was greatly encouraged after reading the book. It has helped me better see the areas I need to work on to bring my business into focus.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical guidance for money, mentoring, and mangagement May 6, 2006

By Hershael W. York

Format:Paperback

In spite of the bombastic title, Pritchett's book is friendly to anyone who has success in mind. Insightful, practical, clear and comprehensive, FST is a personal walk with Pritchett on his journey through the obstacles and opportunities of growing something from the ground up. Most books talk only about success, but this book helps the reader also learn from failure. Not only is FST relevant, but Pritchett has fashioned his distilled wisdom into a great read. Though I am primarily a pastor and denominational leader, I found plenty in this work to help me with management as well as leadership. I can easily translate these principles into my context. This work takes an honored position on my desk reserved for those books to which I frequently appeal for advice.