Customer Reviews

Managing Explosive Corporate Growth

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This is an exceptional book! It covers the impact of fast growth on every single corporate function (even internal auditing, of all things), as well as budgeting, control systems, management, and (of course) cash flow. Am using it now as a guideline for running a small business.

I read business reports and books all the time for my work, and I am familiar with the mom-and-apple-pie genre of business writing. This is not it.

Bragg does mention bringing in experienced managers to help cope with fast growth (p. 54), but that is just one among a plethora of recommendations, most of which, if common-sensical, are not necessarily obvious. Indeed, I would say Bragg actually eschews "management-speak," as in the following discussion of beginning to delegate authority in a growing company. The parenthesis is his:

" . . . managers should consult with their subordinates before completing their budgets. This is not because management has any need to "empower" employees (one of the more overused and suspect words in the business vocabulary), but because employees are the ones who are now routinely using budget information . . ." (p. 62).

The book covers over a dozen distinct topics (as you can see in the Table of Contents, above), from cash management to outsourcing to distribution and manufacturing to human resources. At the very least it gives you a good framework for thinking about growth issues ("what am I neglecting?"), which, if you think about it, is really all even the best book can do. With all the terrible management/business books that do get written, it would be a shame to write off one like this, which can actually be of some use. Recommended.

Here is what you need to know from this book: to grow quickly you have to have a great team that has experience growing quickly! Honestly, that is the main and only point. Don't waste your time or money on this one.