Customer Reviews

No Man's Land: What to Do When Your Company Is Too Big to Be Small but TooSmall to Be Big

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Curious to know the origin of the word adolescent, I checked the Online Etymology Dictionary and this is what I found: "1482, from M.Fr. adolescent, from L. adolescentem (nom. adolescens), pp. of adolescere "grow up," from ad- "to" + alescere "be nourished," hence, "increase, grow up," inchoative of alere "to nourish" (see old). The adj. is first attested in 1785." According to Doug Tatum, most (if not all) organizations resemble human beings in that they also proceed from birth through infancy to childhood; then into adolescence, an especially critical stage of their development. They require different kinds of nourishment in order to "increase, " "grow up," etc. Not all become mature. In fact, only a small percentage of them do. Consider these statistics that Michael Gerber shares in E-Myth Mastery: "Of the 1 million U.S. small businesses started this year [2005], more than 80% of them will be out of business within 5 years and 96% will have closed their doors before their 10th birthday." These are indeed chilling statistics, as are those that Tatum cites in his book.

As he explains, thousands of public and private firms each year reach a point in their development, "an inflection point at which they are transformed from small to large, from upstarts to new business categories, from intriguing ideas to America's [if not the world's] de facto research and development department." In this book, Tatum focuses this pivotal stage in a business's life cycle, "the adolescent stage in which a rapidly growing firm is too big to be small, but too small to be big." This is the "no man's land" to which the title refers, a transitional stage in the life of a business that is "treacherous geographical terrain."

In this book, Tatum achieves a number of separate but related objectives:

1. He provides a "map" that will enable C-level executives (especially entrepreneurs) to determine their business' current location, either before entering or after having entered No Man's Land.

2. He helps those whose business has yet to reach No Man's Land to prepare for the perils that await them there.

3. He helps those whose business is now in No Man's Land to make appropriate decisions that will enable their business to reach the next stage of the life cycle.

Note: In this context, I am reminded of Oliver Wendell Holmes' observation, "I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity." The No Man's Land to which Tatum refers is analogous to the complexity to which Holmes refers.

4. Meanwhile, Tatum achieves another objective that I consider the most important of all: he enables decision-makers to complete a series of reality checks to measure the effectiveness of their business' market alignment, management competence, business model, and allocation of resources. He correctly stresses the importance of sustaining sufficient momentum (the "fifth M") to push their business through No Man's Land.

Presumably he agrees with Thomas Edison that "vision without execution is hallucination" and with a corollary I now presume to suggest, that execution without vision is expediency. Tatum is to be commended for providing a brilliant analysis of the most difficult transition any organization encounters, whatever its size and nature may be: preparing for and then navigating its way through No Man's Land.

In the final chapter, Tatum shifts his attention to "a national treasure": innovative firms that experience explosive growth. David Birch characterizes them as "gazelles" among three species, the other two being "mice" (i.e. small companies) and "elephants" (i.e. large, established companies). Of course, not all gazelles complete a transition through No Man's Land, reach escape velocity, and growth to the success that lies beyond. I share Tatum's high regard for those that complete that immensely difficult process and commend him to explaining how many other gazelles could also do so if (huge "if") they nail the fundamentals (i.e. the five Ms).

Tatum's rock-solid advice can also be of substantial benefit to decision-makers in large, established companies. Years ago, while CEO of GE, Jack Welch explained why he admired "small, sleek companies" and what GE could learn from them. "For one, they communicate better. Without the din and prattle of bureaucracy, people listen as well as talk; and since there are fewer of them they generally know and understand each other. Second, small companies move faster. They know the penalties for hesitation in the marketplace. Third, in small companies, with fewer layers and less camouflage, the leaders show up very clearly on the screen. Their performance and its impact are clear to everyone. And, finally, smaller companies waste less. They spend less time in endless reviews and approvals and politics and paper drills. They have fewer people; therefore they can only do the important things. Their people are free to direct their energy and attention toward the marketplace rather than fighting bureaucracy."

As Doug Tatum so convincingly explains, the most challenging No Man's Land is between the ears

In this book "no man's land" is that volatile time a small business experiences during rapid growth. Basically, there are three things that can happen. The small business retreats from the kind of growth that would transform the business and remains a successful small business. This is the kind of choice made by the businesses described by Bo Burlingham as "Small Giants". The business might lose its way and end up failing because of the pressures, changes, and decisions demanded by rapid growth. The third possibility is to make the kinds of transformations necessary to become a large company. Nearly every big company went through this phase one time in their career (the exceptions being big companies that were created by combining already larger companies).

Doug Tatum has put together a terrific book to help the entrepreneur who wants to navigate through rapid growth without being torn apart in the rapids or smashed against the rocks. The book has eight chapters that are each interesting reading to any entrepreneur who wants to learn about this phase of their corporate career. The first chapter describes the problem of being "to big to be small, to small to be big".

The second chapter talks about the way pressures of growth can cause the company to become misaligned from its market. These have a variety of sources and each is dangerous to fatal. These can have a physical basis, a forgetting of what the core value is while racing to grow and grab market share, and forgetting who your customers are.

Chapters 3, 4, and 5 talk about the dangers of outgrowing your management, your model, and your money. These three topics are central to successfully making the transition. If your management cannot get out of the entrepreneurial mindset, you are doomed to stay small or fail. I worked for a growing company one time where the owner loved the detail work of the company and could not focus on what it would take to actually handle the growth he was experiencing. And he picked his managers based on how much they thought like he did and would indulge his expediting. Of course the business failed!

Another problem occurs when you outgrow your business model because it won't scale. If you hang onto the model that worked when you were small get horrible to fatal problems. If you adopt a new model that doesn't work, you get problems that are also horrible to fatal. This is one reason you need to get the right management. The third problem is outgrowing your money. More small businesses on the make die from the lack of oxygen money can provide. It seems like a growing small business should be able to get funding. But they find that banks aren't interested because of the risk and lack of collateral. Venture capitalists aren't interested because the deal is too small and the 10x payoff they are looking for isn't obvious, plus the entrepreneur is often unwilling to cede control of his baby. And you have likely used up all your friends and family angel money, your credit cards, and your retirement accounts. This is a serious problem.

Tatum then talks about the fifth "M", momentum. You need to have enough momentum or inertia to help you power through the friction of the rapid growth no man's land. If you stall and let stagnation set in, you will be lucky to be able to make it back to being a viable small company.
The author goes back to the idea of the wonderful things available to those willing to be a successful small business. Being big is not the answer for everybody. Tatum is very good in explaining this and points you to Burlingham's "Small Giants". Take this chapter seriously and consider it before you risk entering no man's land.

The last chapter sings the praises of small business and entrepreneurs. He decries the way governments shower benefits and breaks on big companies when small business drives so much employment and growth. These breaks put growing businesses in a worse competitive condition. Tatum also believes that if you are going to give help to anyone, you will get more bang for your buck helping the small business trying to navigate rapid growth.

This is a very good book.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

I liked this book. Apparently it is written for small business owners that are able to start their businesses without the benefit of a sound 25-35 page written business plan. As a result of their luck or hard work those owners are able to manage their businesses by the seat of their pants. But when those businesses eventually take off on a growth spurt the owners are unable to continue to manage their company by the seat of their pants. This phase in the company history the author calls No Man's Land.

The book has the following 8 chapters:

1. Too big to be small, too small to be big
2. Market misalignment
3. Outgrowing your management
4. Outgrowing your model
5. Outgrowing your money
6. The 5th M (momentum)
7. Beyond growth
8. A national treasure

The second through fifth chapters cover what the author calls the "4 Ms." To me they were the heart of the book. Basically they are common sense issues with regard to managing a business. A company to be profitable must be aligned with the market it serves. A company to stay profitable must be lead by competent management. And as times change, a company's business model typically has to change. And finally at some point the issue of money becomes relevant; it takes money to make money.

I thought the discussions for each "M" were well done. The book flowed for me. However, I would have liked it better if the book had has a chapter on the importance of business plans. I would have liked the book better if the book had had a chapter on how to use business plans and keep them current so a company never needs to experience No Man's Land. And I would have liked the book better if it had included a chapter on strategic planning.

The author says he travels the country speaking to groups of entrepreneurs and business leaders about No Man's Land. He has a consulting practice to help business owners get through no man's land. As I read the instant book I got the feeling that it was another marketing tool to complement the author's talks to help him promote his consulting practice. Although I liked the book, I think it could have been better. 4 stars!

Length:: 1:10 Mins

No Man's Land is a must read for Entrepreneurs, CEOs and Executives of growing companies.

A quick read without jargon, with the valuable premise that having more capital (money)is not the solution many business owners think it to be, the first time I've seen this discussed. The author understands the many challenges facing entrepreneurs.

This is a great book that addresses a serious issue for businesses. There is an old axiom that you either need to be big or be small, to stay in the middle is to be crushed. Read this book to find out some of the reasons why businesses choose to stay small or grow. Find out how these choices will impact your overall business structure in the long term. Important book- read it or get trapped in No Man's Land!

Just the advice I was needing. If your company is too small or too big, don't buy it. If you are in between, then I highly recommend it.

I read the book like it was my company's biography. I was jotting down notes on every page. I am lucky to have read it at a time when my company is in the, now defined "No Man's Land." The book gave me courage, and more importantly clarity on what is happening.

There would be times that I would blame myself for the non-stellar performance the company is in. But as the books says - it's nobody's fault, it's the stage of adolescence for the company. In essence, what brought the company to this stage won't bring it to the next level.

The book is life changing in that I am convinced that changes must be made in how I operate the company or else not make it. With plenty of examples and sound advice, this book is one of the best books on entrepreneurship ever.

Also, by reading this book you know that Doug Tatum went through the process. That he really was in that situation it's not all theory. Thou the book is excellent in presenting theory AFTER a thorough understanding of the subject.

I suspect this book would save people a lot of money, not to mention sanity.

Read, Skim or Pass: READ!

This is undoubtedly one of the very best resources I have seen for small, but rapidly growing businesses. It may be the most practical tool out there for the real world day to day challenges you face if you wish your business to succeed. Especially if the "tyranny of the urgent" is crowding out the vitally important things in your day.

The book is outstanding on several levels. First it is a brief yet informative distillation of the critical success factors you must plan for and successfully work through if you are growing rapidly. Second, there are some very useful resources for some of the critical structural, legal and financial decision making you must do to grow. And finally, the book prompts you to think and decide about the critical issue of what outcome for your business you wish to see. My experience is that many businesses are conflicted on this vital issue, and the decisions and actions that flow from this conflict ultimately defeat the goal of getting the business aligned and efficient.

In short, this book is like having a very experienced and knowledgeable management consultant in your back pocket. It is a short read and possibly the best couple of bucks and several hours you'll spend in a long time.

I recently passed it along to the CEO of a rapidly growing consulting business, and she felt like it was the story of her life. She has since bought the book for her top line of managers, and is now in the process of readjusting her business plans to account for the issues the author identifies in the book.

The book is a great service to many small business people out there and our economy and country would benefit greatly if this was widely disseminated.

Doug Tatum has created a small masterpiece here (what his colleague Bo Burlingham might call a Small Giant). As a serial entrepreneur and tech investor, I've seen this phenomenon all too often (and been through it myself). Many executives and investors think the primary risk to a company is at the beginning and later in life only competitive pressures hold sway. This book makes clear that there is a lesser known but equally vital intermediate period that everyone thinks is unique to their own businesses but is just as general as formation issues.

I read this book right in the middle of No Man's Land with my current business - it could not have been better timed. Right now I'm anticipating a 1,000,000x return on the purchase price.