Loops: The Seven Keys to Small Business Success [Hardcover]

Ph.D., Mike Chaet (Author), Stephen C. Lundin (Author), Vince Moravek (Author), Mary Chaet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 8, 2009

Why do some small businesses succeed while others fail?

That is the question one young entrepreneur faces in this illuminating business parable for our times. Loops reveals the soul-searching story of Tony, a business student who doesn’t understand why he can’t quit school and work in the family business.

Then his professor surprises him with an unusual final exam— a twelve-week, summer-long study of the small businesses in his local area. This simple real-world assignment opens Tony’s eyes to the most important lessons an entrepreneur can learn, such as how to:

• Manage “experience zones”
• Build strong customer relations through “vision moments”
• Standardize key processes for employees
• Innovate, improve, and maintain quality
• Accomplish real results by “closing the loops”

As you follow Tony’s journey, you’ll receive a week-by-week crash course on the seven essential loops for small business. You will learn how to distinguish yourself from the competition, improve your operations, and close the loops. Best of all, you’ll discover innovative ways to apply the loops concept to every challenge you face, with every endeavor, in any economy.

When you close the loops, you open the door—to limitless opportunities.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

“Every small business owner can significantly benefit from the LOOPS approach to small business.”
—Steve Dee, former president, Wyler’s Foods

WHAT ARE “LOOPS”? Loops are the essential keys to success in any small business. They are the relationships you build. The services you perform. The products you deliver. If you want to thrive in today’s economy, you need to close all the loops:

Loop One: Manage Your Experience Zones
Loop Two: Build a Winning Culture with Vision Moments
Loop Three: Help Execute Fundamentals with a Loops Group
Loop Four: Standardize Every Process
Loop Five: Innovate Constantly
Loop Six: Live in the Real World
Loop Seven: Lead by Example

Legendary small business consultant Mike Chaet and bestselling Fish! coauthor Stephen Lundin combine years of hands-on experience with a refreshingly simple concept that goes straight to the heart of successful entrepreneurship.

Relating the personal journey of a young man entering the world of small business, the authors explain how to close the seven essential loops that really matter— the commitments that build trust, the innovations that improve service, and the day-to-day routines that deliver real results.

About the Author

Mike Chaet, Ph.D., a.k.a. “The Club Doc,” is the founder and president of CMS International, the fitness industry’s largest consulting firm. A lecturer, author, and consultant, he has been involved in the development and management of over 2,500 clubs and small businesses worldwide.
Stephen C. Lundin, Ph.D., is a bestselling author, speaker, filmmaker, and graduate school professor. His book Fish! has appeared continuously on the Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek bestseller lists, and has been published in 34 languages.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (April 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071624872
• ISBN-13: 978-0071624879
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,355,936 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Small Business Success, Live in the Real World & Expect the Unexpected, December 3, 2009

By 

Joan Holman "Internet Marketing Guru & Book M... (Minneapolis, Minnesota USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loops: The Seven Keys to Small Business Success (Hardcover)

As a marketing and business consultant, I have worked with many small business owners. I have seen some business owners succeed and others fail. In fact, although small business is the engine of the U.S. economy and creates most of the new jobs, most small businesses (80%) will not survive beyond 5 years.

To create and sustain success, small business owners need to arm themselves with tools and information that increase their likelihood of surviving and thriving, especially now in tough economic times.

One of the tools I would recommend is the book "Loops", which is a short business fable illustrating what small businesses need to do to be successful. There is lots of great advice in this book, but in my opinion one of the most important insights presented by authors Mike Chaet, Ph.D. and Stephen Lundin, Ph.D. is found in their statement: "Successful businesses accept the real world for what it is, not for what they think it should be." This is a profound observation about how a specific mindset can make you or break you in business. Another important piece of advice is to "expect the unexpected." Every business owner I have worked with has had to adapt to the changing business environment in order to succeed.

As an Internet marketing pioneer, I have been educating and advising business owners about using the Internet for business success since 1995. (Recently I was featured in the book "Online Marketing Heroes" as one of America's top online marketing gurus).

During this time I have seen many businesses fail because the owners refused to see the importance of technology and use it effectively. They simply denied what was happening in the real world, and how the Internet was changing business. This is an example of not accepting the real world for what it is.

In addition to the book "Loops", Dr. Chaet has a Loops Success Program that can help you implement the "loops" program for your small business. I think this is important because we all need support and reinforcement to stay on course with processes that are essential to business success. Dr. Chaet is a legendary small business consultant who has worked with over 2,500 small businesses throughout the world, and the book "Loops" represents a lifetime of his experience working with small businesses.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Total Solution for Small Business Management, July 11, 2009

By 

Denton Smth - See all my reviews

This review is from: Loops: The Seven Keys to Small Business Success (Hardcover)

Over the years I have read many business development and management books. I have implemented many of the systems and concepts presented in these publication. Loops is the first that presents a total management solution. I highly recommend the book to any one looking for a comprehensive approach to managining a small business, a department of any business and even personal affairs.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Closing Loops - a simple paradigm with huge potential impact, May 4, 2009

By 

Daniel R. Deininger "Web Consultant" (Helena, Montana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Loops: The Seven Keys to Small Business Success (Hardcover)

Yes, we know we need to stop procrastinating, get the things done we said we would, and not put off what we can do today until tomorrow. We know we need to "close loops".. but often times we sabotage our success.

LOOPS uses the story of young man seeking to find the secrets to his father's success in life and business... secrets that could not be passed on due to the father's untimely death in a small plane accident.

When reading the story I quickly found myself vicariously walking in the young man's shoes. I found myself feeling that finding the keys to his father's success would also provide the keys for my success. The story and the points are well woven together and easy to ready. The surprise for me came when reading the final chapter. I was not prepared for the emotion the story unleashed in me.. and the desire it inspired in me to be more like his father and close the loops in my life, both small and large.

I will be recommending this book to many.. and found my way here to write this review when coming to order some copies to give to my own children. I want to share this secret with them while I am still alive.