Customer Reviews

Think Big, Act Small: How America's Best Performing Companies Keep the Start-up Spirit Alive

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Jennings' highly innovative, at times refreshingly unorthodox thinking was evident in his previously published books, It's Not the Big That Eat the Small...It's the Fast That Eat the Slow (co-authored with Laurence Haughton) and then Less Is More: How Great Companies Use Productivity As a Competitive Tool in Business.

As I read this volume, I was reminded of at least some of the material in Sun Tzu's The Art of War and, especially, the strategies recommended in a section called "Estimates" in Samuel B. Griffith's superb translation. For example: "All warfare is based on deception. Therefore, when capable, feign incapacity; when active, inactivity. When near, make it appear that you are far away; when far away, that you are near. Offer the enemy a bait to lure him; feign disorder and strike him. When he concentrates, prepare against him; where he is strong, avoid him. Pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance. When he is united, divide him. Attack when he is unprepared; sally out when he does not expect you." You get the idea.

Jennings is a staunch and eloquent advocate of this principle: Do much more and do it much better, faster, and do it with less. OK, but how? The answer to that question was revealed by rigorous and extensive research which he and his two associates (Brian Solon and Greg Powell) conducted. They began with 70,000 companies as candidates for designation as the best performing companies in the U.S. Among all of them, which have increased their revenue and profits by at least 10% for ten years or longer? Only nine qualified: Cabela's, Dot Foods, Koch Industries, Medline Industries, O'Reilly Automotive, PETCO Animal Supplies, SAS Institute, Sonic Drive-in, and Strayer Education.

Back to "How?" Jennings identifies ten "Building Blocks" which, in combination, explain why each of those in an obviously mixed bag of companies has been and continues to be a best performer (i.e. among the top one-hundredth of 1% of all U.S. companies). It would be a disservice to both Jennings and to those who read this brief commentary to list them and then comment on each out of the context within which Jennings so skillfully presents them. Suffice to say that all organizations (regardless of their size or nature) need to have all ten Building Blocks as a core foundation on which to increase their revenue and profits by at least 10% and then continue to do so year after year after year.

How revealing that the CEOs whom Jennings and his research associates interviewed indicate little (if any) interest in any of Sun Tzu's deception strategies...nor in what their competitors are up to, for that matter. They seem wholly preoccupied with sticking to their own "knitting," focusing on what their companies can do best, how to do it even better, and thereby deliver even greater value to their customers. Also, each seems determined to nourish and enhance the quality of life as well as standard of living of everyone involved in the enterprise. This is precisely what Jennings means when referring to building communities, Building Block #9. Employees, customers, and allies should be viewed as "partners" and treated as such.

Ultimately, one of the most formidable challenges for those in any organization is to achieve and then maintain an appropriate balance of "thinking BIG" while "acting small." Hence the importance of Section Three, "The Quad: A Self-Evaluation and Ranking," in which Jennings "breaks down the title of the book into four scenarios, each represented by a quadrant":

TSAS Think Small, Act Small
TSAB Think Small, Act Big
TBAB Think Big, Act Big
TBAS Think Big, Act Small

He applies this template to each of the ten Building Blocks. It remains for each reader to complete the self-evaluation, one which helps to measure her or his own organization's current situation. The details of this exercise are best revealed within the text, pages 189-201.

I highly recommend this book for reasons previously indicated but also because I cannot recall a prior time since the Great Depression when it was more difficult for companies to increase their revenue and profits by at least 10% for ten years or longer. Consider these statistics which Michael Gerber shares in his recently published 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." Chilling statistics indeed. Here in a single volume is a rigorous analysis of how nine quite different companies have achieved and then sustained their "full economic and human potential."

How important and potentially valuable is this book? Please re-read the statistics provided by Gerber.

If you read McCormack's "What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School", or Finkelstein's "Why Smart Executives Fail", prepare to feel slightly uncomfortable: Think Big Act Small shows they didn't go far enough!

I have read stacks of these books: some good, others downright daft. With or without a Degree or MBA, this latest offering from Jennings works. It cuts to the heart of the matter - no nonsense, no pretence. It is not preaching some new fandango concept that will be laughed out of existence in 2 or 3 years time. This book deals with reality and not wild academic end of the spectrum silliness. There is nothing in Think Big Act Small that I did not appreciate and cannot instil into my own company.

The first thing that strikes you is the books layout. In today's busy world, the last thing you need is some idiot dropping a 900-page masterpiece in your lap: NOT the case here. The book is well laid out and the writing style instantly invites you to dive in - but beware: it's LOADED! Everything has been distilled, concentrated...add water (read slowly and/or more than once).

Think Big Act Small has one of the most intriguing introductions I have ever read. The book is written in plain English and offers highly practical and realistic advice. Thankfully, it has not been written in the condescending "we are the best" preachy style of so many other authors floating around out there. Jennings himself sets out not knowing what the answers are. For him, and the reader, it is a journey rich with discovery and it is so easy to tag along with him as he goes (in fact, you'll find yourself trying to overtake him and get to the answers first).

The opening chapters might easily have been called "a collection of odd-balls". After taking time out to remember that this is what Jennings discovered and not what he set out to impart, the true amazement experienced by him becomes instantly contagious. The book deals with companies silently outperforming the Goliaths of their industries, even during tough years. So, if they can do it, why can't you or I? Think Big Act Small demonstrates we can and without throwing the baby out with the bathwater!

Jennings clearly has the golden touch: that amazing ability to point to what most of us miss but without indulging in jargon, technical language or condescending tones. He demonstrates quite clearly that common sense is not at all common.

Think Big Act Small is a keeper - not some coffee table book to be read and discarded. Time and time again I found myself staring off into the distance as the book revealed undiscovered truths about my own company. This is a book for continual reference. Any change of mood, perspective or circumstances led to me picking it up again and viewing various chapters in a new light. As we sometimes say here in Ireland: this book would be "cheap at twice the price!" Alarmingly, colleges are NOT teaching what Jennings has discovered. My views: BUY it, READ it, KEEP it and KEEP GOING BACK to it.

We recommend this book to all companies dealing with growth. If your business is content with staying small, skip it. Read this book if you are in a growing business or in one that lost its way while it expanded. The final quiz section, where author Jason Jennings walks you through a series of exercises to identify where your business falls in his rubric, is not so impressive. Skim it. Everything else in the book is stunningly useful. Jennings and his staff did a lot of research, including both statistical analysis and first-person interviews. They also reflected seriously on the sorts of businesses they should hold up as models for others to follow. These model businesses operate in fields ranging from fast food (SONIC) to sports outfitting (Cabela's). Some of these enterprises - such as Strayer University, the higher education representative - initially seem too specialized to provide generalizable lessons, but Jennings succeeds in making them relevant. The result is a book that is entertaining and convincing, if not always easy to follow. After all, Jennings wants you to become proficient at business fundamentals, an asset which is, as he notes, both rare and difficult.

Think Big, Act Small is one of the best business books I have read this year. Even though it has not been around for 20 years, I consider this book to be a "classic" on par with Think and Grow Rich and How to Win Friends and Influence people.

This is not a book you read and leave, this book provides great insights on success fundamentals and serves as a tool to you evaluate your business and improve it "real-time". It helps you reverse engineer your business to be successful. You can implement the 10 principles starting with the Assembly lines all the way to the Customer.

This book is simply a "must read" for anyone serious about achieving maximum results in their business life. I have really benefited and hope you will too!

Jason has done it again! If you want to know what the best companies in the world do to be exactly that, THE BEST, this book is a must read. Success leaves clues and Jason has done a masterful job of giving you an inside look at the companies setting the standards for the world of business. There are very few "good" business books and even fewer "great" ones. This one is destined to be of the latter. If you are interested in business, own a business or hope to someday, this book and its wisdom need to be part of your library.

This is the book to run business by. Doing the right thing, checking Ego's at the door, doing what is right for the client/customer. If you never read another business book, make this one your last. Jennings does it again! The truth is the truth and Jason is not afraid to sugar coat the reality of how to do business RIGHT in today's increasingly competitive environment. Every level of management from CEO on down has something to gain, and pass on by devouring every page. Don't think about owning this book, own it. Jason's given us the information, now it's up to the rest of us to pass on the word. Making fast decisions, cutting the red tape and getting things done, and now how we need to behave in order to win, ladies and gentlemen, this is the must read book of the year

Excellent read in the 'can't put it down category'. Insightful, behind the scenes commentary from the business people involved with careful thought into analysis. I already have ideas to implement in our banking business.

I can't remember the last time I've considered a business non-fiction book a "page turner", but Jason Jennings has accomplished what very few writers in this genre do. His wit, combined with articulate facts, make "Think Big, Act Small" a much better read than similar books. However, what really encapsulated me were candid, yet invigorating details about what differentiates so-so businesses from the shockingly sparse few companies who actually maintain steady, consecutive growth along with increased profits year after year. Free from scandal, quiet, humble, down-to-earth CEO leadership appears to be one pervasive factor for a success formula. Incredibly, Jennings and his staff conduct face-to-face interviews with these precious leaders of the featured corporations more as if it were a coffee clutch than a business profile. Casual, laid-back and approachable, the words they speak aren't about themselves at all. Rather, their sage advice regarding the prosperity of their respective companies proves "big" dreams are still attainable while "acting small" as they genuinely focus on what's best for all.
As the owner of a successful computer company, one other surprise were the parallels seen within our own business. Namely, of the successful companies featured in the book, more than half are some of our BEST customers. This may be a perfect fit for any proactive sales organization. You'll be hooked from the start so this is just bonus material well worth the price of admission itself.
This book is a must read for anybody even slightly interested in learning about what makes today's best businesses tick.

This is a great business practice/philosophy book. It doesn't throw numbers at you or tell you how to hit your quarterly target. Instead, the stories of nine culturally healthy and monetarily profitable companies are told. The format is interviews with the company leaders and other key players. Jennings expounds on the interviews and builds similarities among the companies. For instance, these companies don't acquire customers or clientèle, they build communities and fans.

The stories are inspiring because they truly start from the beginning. For example, Dick Cabela purchased fishing flies in Chicago for only pennies apiece. When he returned home to the Midwest, he put an ad in a sportsmen magazine and the orders started to roll in. He and his wife filled orders on the kitchen table and their first warehouse was the shed in the backyard. Today, Cabela's is one of the largest outdoors specialty merchandisers/retailers in the US, grosses more than $1.5B, and their stores are considered tourist attractions.

One more story: Charles O'Reilly and his son Chub worked at an automotive parts store for years. Charles was let go at the age of 72 and Chub was transferred out of state by some higher-ups, as I like to call them. So Charles decided to open a competing store. Chub was a cofounder and they also hired 10 employees from their competitors under one condition, "anyone joining the new company had to make an investment and become and owner."

These companies don't make big 5-10 year plans, instead they focus on today through next year and sometimes two years ahead. They claim making big plans never work because trends, business, technology, etc. change too often and you lose site of the fundamentals and current goals and neglect suppliers (partners) and customers (the community). Additionally, resources are wasted trying to achieve something that might never be. However, they do focus on being extremely adaptable; ready to refocus the entire company or invent new businesses in short notice.

Bottom line, all the stories and lessons are inspiring and invaluable. Considerable focus is placed on the cultures of these companies. Basically, they don't worry about making money and acquiring customers. They concentrate on building a healthy culture, make sure employees are happy, and provide solutions to problems; gaining wealth and customers is only an axiomatic consequence.

The nine companies interviewed are PETCO, Koch Industries, Sonic, Cabela's, Medline Industries, O'Reilly Automotive, Dot Foods, SAS Institute, Strayer Education. The companies presented have grown revenues by at least 10% for 10 consecutive years.

What stands out about this Think Big, Act Small is that the ten companies the author highlights are not only model organizations and true to their mission, they also have the benefit of outstanding leadership. What struck me, especially in light of the culture of the rock star CEO is that for the most part, those who lead these organizations wants no part of that star mystique. Instead, they are interested in building organizations that stay true to their employees, their partners, and ultimately, to their customers.

KnightofGod spoke about some of the common sense lessons, that surprisingly enough are not as common place as you would think. I think that's the crux of how these companies operate. They adopt a common sense approach to their business, placing little bets along the way, quietly go about building their reputation, and where I think most companies truly fall short, give their employees a sense of ownership, either emotionally or by giving them a piece of the company.

For the CEO's that think a part of their job is to be on CNBC, it certainly is refreshing to read about executives who to a certain extent shun the spotlight. Not only are they averse to being on stage, they also shun the trappings of CEO-life. It is in stark contrast to the stories we have all read about.

Jenning's lays out ten "Building Blocks" to think big, but act small. In each of his ten cases, to one degree or another, these building blocks were a cornerstone or some component to their success. He also provides the reader with an evaluation to determine where their companies fall in a "The Quad," or the four types of companies (TSAS, TSAB, TBAB, TBAS - See Robet Morris' excellent review for further details).

Ultimately, Think Big, Act Small, is a great book on how ten companies did things their own way, shunning the advice of investment bankers and the demands of wall street. In most cases it gave each company the liberty to do what they thought was best for them, their partners and their companies. And in each case, the beneficiary has been the client.

I highly recommend Think Big, Act Small. If you are a commuter like me, reading this book is time well spent as you wait for your stop.