Читать книгу Small Business Revolution - Barry C. McCarthy - Страница 17

You can see from the Contents that most of the chapters are on specific business-growth principles. Certainly, it's possible to dip in and out, depending on what you need at the moment. However, you'll benefit the most from reading this book in the order that you find the chapters.

In the SBR series, we followed a methodical approach to helping businesses. First, we got acquainted (as we have in this first chapter). Then we sat down with the business owners and got a sense of how the business came about, and what the revenue and expense situation look like. Then we explored the assets of the business, not so much in terms of equipment but the products and services that are most successful.

Then the discussion shifted to the positioning of the business in the community: where business comes from, what we know about customers, and what the unique positioning of the business is, if any. There's also a discussion of the competition or any other seismic events facing the business.

The final part of the interview revolved around some difficult discussions and initial actions to be taken. In some cases that meant bringing in special talent to the business or making sure that written agreements existed among friends. Business has a way of testing friendships; if you have a real business, you might start with a handshake, but you need to follow up with something in writing.

In the SBR series, this is the point at which the Deluxe team of experienced professionals like Amanda, Julie Gordon, Cameron Potts, and many others rolled up their sleeves and brought their expertise to bear. Each episode is a bit different, but also similar in certain respects.

That's where this book will be particularly handy to you. The chapters do a deep dive into key business elements, and especially where many small businesses run into trouble. As you read each chapter, either make notes in the margins or have some paper handy, because you'll need it. This is a read-think-and-do kind of book, and not some new business theory that doesn't get specific.

You're likely to find one chapter may be pretty familiar information to you, and several others are not. This also will vary by business, but I can tell you this: we chose some great businesses in the many episodes of SBR, and not a single one of them was successfully using all the advice that we cover in these chapters.

Now that I've given you some perspective on what this book is about and how it can help you, it's time to ask some hard questions about your business. That's the topic of Chapter 2.