SCL Biz: Everything Business in Sonoma County

The Truth About Hiring the Best, by Cathy Fyock [Financial Tines Press, 2007] “Staffing specialist Fyock displays considerable acumen in this guidebook on how to hire the right person for the right job. The critical first step is to know your organizational needs, and whom you need to fill those needs: a risk-taker who embraces change and innovation or a knowledge-hungry, lifelong learner. Fyock then moves on to the practicalities, laying them out with frankness and a propulsive energy in short, bulleted chapters. The best candidates will likely be passive ones; you have to go get them through talent hunting. There is no shame in rehiring, and it is wise to look in-house first and to tap retirees. Don’t avoid job-hoppers; some spots don’t require long tenures. You have to sell yourself to top prospects, but don’t oversell as you will look desperate (a red flag in both prospects and employers). When it comes to the interview, Fyock notes the importance of probing, though not aggressively so. Don’t put too much emphasis on the resume, for these have a way of attracting plenty of exaggerations, and beware of any incomplete answers on the application. Sharp, necessary words for both employers and prospective employees.” [Kirkus, June 2007]

For more help on hiring and firing see the SCL Biz Guide to Growing a Business.

In his book Persuasive Presentations for Business, author Robert W. Bly [Entrepreneur Press, 2008] reveals his success secrets for winning a room and closing a deal in any forum: seminars, podcasts, webinars, interviews, or meetings.

He’ll help with planning, writing, and delivering your presentation, practicing (without feeling silly) and audience management. The book also has sample speeches and questionnaires and presentation tips for special situations, e.g., town meetings, eulogies, shareholder meetings, speaking to elementary and high school students, and many more.

“This slim but forceful debut by turnaround management expert Cloutier serves as a wakeup call for small business owners who have been hit hard by the recession. “Don’t blame the economy,” he writes. “Recession or no recession, if your small business is failing, it’s your fault!” Cloutier dishes out tough love in pithy chapters that introduce his 15 “Profit Rules” (e.g., “Love your Business More than Your Family,” “The Best Family Business Has One Member” and “Teamwork Is Vastly Overrated”). While Cloutier’s provocative pronouncements seem designed for maximum shock value, each rule relies on practical business principles: maintain tight controls, pay for performance and focus on sales at all times. This blunt work will not be for the timid business owner afraid to re-evaluate operations, planning, compensation or family dynamics. For those ready to focus on profits, though, Cloutier’s book is loaded with valuable advice on how to get back on track and stay in the black in any economic environment.” PW, June 2009

Profits Aren’t Everything, They’re the Only Thing: No-Nonsense Rules from the Ultimate Contrarian and Small Business Guru, by George Cloutier [Harper Business, 2009].

Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond, by Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman [Bantam, 2007]“From two leaders in executive education at Harvard Business School, here are the mental habits and proven strategies you need to achieve outstanding results in any negotiation. Whether you’ve “seen it all” or are just starting out, Negotiation Genius will dramatically improve your negotiating skills and confidence. Drawing on decades of behavioral research plus the experience of thousands of business clients, the authors take the mystery out of preparing for and executing negotiations—whether they involve multimillion-dollar deals or improving your next salary offer.” The Library also has an audiobook CD version of Negotiation Genius.

See the SCL Biz Guide to Managing a Business for more help.

True to Our Roots: Fermenting a Business Revolution, by Paul Dolan [Bloomberg Press, 2009], “sets forth the simple but powerful management principles that enabled Fetzer Vineyards under Paul Dolan to become one of America’s biggest and best-know wineries even as it was becoming a model for sustainable business practices everywhere. Dolan and Fetzer led the California wine industry toward profound change in how wineries and grape growers preserve their environment, strengthen their communities, and enrich the lives of their employees, without sacrificing the bottom line.

Filled with personal anecdotes and practical wisdom, this book offers inspiration and guidance to business managers who see the compelling need to build and grow healthy, sustainable organizations.”

“Get your eBay business started right away–the QuickSteps way. Color screenshots and clear instructions show you how to establish and run a profitable eBay business in no time. Follow along and learn how to create a business plan, build inventory, set up processing centers, create appealing listings, set up an eBay store, and market your business. You’ll also find out how to become an eBay Trading Assistant, use eBay sales outlets, and even raise money for your nonprofit on eBay. Use these handy guideposts:

• Shortcuts for accomplishing common tasks
• Need-to-know facts in concise narrative
• Helpful reminders or alternate ways of doing things
• Bonus information related to the topic being covered
• Errors and pitfalls to avoid”

Build an eBay Business QuickSteps, by John Cronon and Carole Matthews [McGraw Hill, 2009]

Why She Buys: The New Strategy for Reaching the World’s Most Powerful Consumers, by Bridget Brennan [Crown, 2009].

“The founder of Female Factor Strategic Consulting is a convincing cheerleader for marketing more effectively to women. She points out that women purchase or are the key influencers in about 80% of all consumer product sales in the U.S. alone—but 90% of marketing execs trying to reach them are men.

In her crusade to teach marketers to become female-literate, Brennan offers very practical advice, urging readers to think twice before using overtly “masculine” competitive messages, to avoid violent images and language, and to realize that women, focused on practicality rather than cool bells and whistles, require fairly sophisticated marketing: “pink is not a strategy,” she reminds us tartly. The five important global demographic changes affecting female consumerism—more women in the work force; delayed marriages and therefore more spending on self; lower birthrates resulting in fewer kids (but more stuff); a divorce economy, which translates into needing two of everything; and the growing rate of active older women—mean that the female market must be well catered to.

Brennan’s style is smart and straightforward, and her pragmatic advice is spot-on; marketers should take note.” PW 2009.

The E-Myth Enterprise: How to Turn a Great Idea into a Thriving Business, by Michael E. Gerber [HarperBusiness, 2009]

Gerber, entrepreneur and consultant, offers his perspective on inventing an original company and becoming successful in our free-market system in an atmosphere in which most companies fail and 6 out of 10 venture-capital-funded businesses also fail.

His is a book about the rare people he has met, passionate and persevering, who imagined and then created businesses unlike any they had seen. We learn that succeeding in a free market requires a company to continually beat the competition in satisfying the essential needs, expectations, and perceived preferences of four critical constituents: employees, customers, suppliers, and lenders (only serving customers is not sufficient). Collectively, these four groups determine a company’s life span.

In concluding, Gerber reflects, “Great companies . . . are headed by great people who are possessed by a burning hunger to create something perfect in the world that they can’t find in themselves.” They are driven by ideas. Everyone will not agree with all of Gerber’s beliefs, but he makes a compelling case for his views. This excellent book is a must-read for current and aspiring entrepreneurs.  Booklist Reviews, 2009

From the U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, A Basic Guide to Exporting: the Official Government Resource for Small and Medium-sized Businesses [2008], will help you from start: Determining Your Products’ Export Potential to finish: Providing After-Sales Service.

The Library has other books about exporting to help you get started.

Brand Digital: Simple Ways Top Brands Succeed in the Digital World, by Allen P. Adamson [Palgrave Macmillan, 2008] ” (who should know the subject intimately as a senior executive for a top global advertising-marketing firm),  tackles the mysteries of the Internet universe, dubbed BrandDigital. It’s more storytelling than science, more instinctual than intellectual. Then, again, dot-com addresses offer the opportunity to dialogue with people and share insights and actions through those conversations, admittedly connecting more emotionally than logically and factually. Hear from Unilever’s Dove and its quest-for-beauty campaign, criticized for its authenticity yet still seductive in its celebration of all women, large and small. Read how long-lived icon Betty Crocker has adapted to the net and what Lego realized in its e-transactions?that grown-ups love the creation process, too. The tales alone, divided into six truths and six building blocks, could easily mesmerize readers; the addition of rules and guidelines at the end of each ‘building blocks’ chapter provides readers both structure and tangible actions to help embrace all things Web.” Booklist, August 2008

“Fox (Internet Riches), an e-business success coach (who lists Bill O’Reilly and Larry King among his client list), offers a beginner’s guide to harnessing the Internet to help grow business. He presents succinct advice on how to attract customers online, arguing that marketing is no longer a series of one-way blasts at consumers but a two-way communications system, and that an increasingly personal approach is expected from online business; he urges marketers not to waste energy trying to get customers to their own Web sites, but to get online and find customers where they are already hanging out.

He explains the best ways to utilize e-mail lists and newsletters, RSS feeds, online viral marketing, social networking (Facebook, LinkedIn), microblogging (Twitter), online video and radio/podcasts, tele-seminars and webinars, search engine keyword advertising and affiliate program advertising. Interviews with specialists and real-life examples round out the lessons. The book is aimed at absolute newbies, so while experienced Internet users may find this too basic, it will be a godsend to those who are intimidated by the digital revolution.” PW, April 2009

E-Riches 2.0: Next-Generation Marketing Strategies for Making Millions Online, by Scott Fox [Amacom, 2009]

The Library has many books to help you decide what business to start and information on starting a specific kind of business. Here is just a sample of what is available:

The Essential Guide to Business Etiquette, by Lillian Hunt Chaney and Jeanette St. Clair Martin [Praeger 2007]. “This is a practical guide for business etiquette for almost every situation. The 14 chapters include everything from job-interview etiquette to office politics to business entertaining and sports etiquette, giving the reader a professional edge for every situation from cocktail parties to conventions. A chapter on global manners will help avoid common faux pas committed while traveling abroad. A useful resource not only for the new professional but for managers.” Copyright 2008 Booklist Reviews

The Library has more titles to help you with business etiquette at home and abroad.

“This one-of-a-kind book includes fifteen entirely new chapters on such vital twenty-first-century topics as green businesses, easy online advertising and marketing, technology and mobility, and e-commerce. More comprehensive than ever, yet as easy to read and understand as always it is everything you need to turn your entrepreneurial dream into a profitable reality. Find a gold mine of cutting-edge business-building strategies and advice on virtually every topic important to today’s small business owner, including: Developing your idea and writing a winning business plan Buying a great business or franchise Hassle-free hiring, rewarding, and firing of employees Creating a powerful, memorable small business brand Understanding insurance and legalese Thriving in a global economy Designing a killer Web site Marketing, advertising, and growing your business made easy Building a great home-based business Operating and growing on a shoestring budget”

The Small Business Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in Your Small Business, by Steven D. Strauss [John Wiley, 2008] is also available as a sound recording on CD.