One of my favorite startup books is The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. But I have a bias – it’s bent toward processes, checklists, and following a clear path no matter how unpredictable. Steve Blank, I admire him too, and I mean a lot. I love his scientific approach to startups in The Startup Owner’s Manual.
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Brett Fox Discusses the Startup CEO’s Journey
Eric Ries and Steve Blank, move over. My new favorite book on startups is by Brett Fox, and the title is Learn How to Take a Punch: Building Your Startup Isn’t a Marathon, It’s a Prizefight. One of my first takeaways in the book is the mental stamina required for a startup CEO. I also learned the importance of hiring right and startup cultures.
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Adam Coffey Demystifies Private Equity
In the next four years, CEO, author, and private equity expert Adam Coffey will be creating $2 billion in new wealth for his investors through just 6 initiatives with only a small team while maintaining a great culture of 3,000 employees. Adam is also the author of The Private Equity Playbook. In this episode, Adam breaks down the basics of private equity funds.
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A Deep Dive Into Open Book Leadership
There’s a 14-year-old who started his first business with a buddy mowing lawns in Farmington, Missouri. His second business was servicing coffee and cappuccino machines after graduating from college. He and his wife traded the coffee business for chicken which ultimately resulted in a business with a 20-year run of double-digit sales growth.
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The Real Peter Lynch and A Simple Model
I’m a huge fan of Peter Lynch. No, not the mutual fund manager, the other one – the private equity guy who thinks he’s a nerd, but he’s not. He also created the Excel-based A Simple Model which is growing by leaps and bounds. We also talk about private equity and acquisitions. He’s our guest on the CFO Bookshelf podcast.
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Are You Hyper-Learning at the Speed of Change?
One of my all-time favorite business authors is Professor Edward Hess of one of the top business schools around the world – The Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia. He’s written 12 books and his newest is Hyper-Learning: How to Adapt to the Speed of Change. We’ll find out that hyper-learning is far more than applying a few tactics.
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Young College Student Overcomes Pandemic and a Challenging Sales Position
What job did you have when you were 20 years old? Imagine starting a complex sales position during one of the most challenging economic environments our country has ever experienced. Yet, 20-year-old Alex Dickinson overcame overwhelming odds that he would not succeed in his father’s company.
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Former CFO Aaron Beam Revisits the HealthSouth Accounting Fraud
If you were asked to cook the books, would you? You may think, “Of course not.” Yet, why do CFOs do it? Aaron Beam was a co-founder of HealthSouth and their first CFO when his boss, Richard Scrushy, told him to fix the numbers so that the share price would not drop. Aaron faced an ethical dilemma.
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Paul Downs Reminds Us We Don’t Need to be Steve Jobs or Jeff Bezos
Periodically, I stumble across a book where I don’t want it to end. I found Boss Life by Paul Downs so absorbing, so real, and so transparent that I felt compelled to reach out to him for an interview. Not only did he agree to do so, but he also said, “Let’s take all the time you need to answer these questions.”
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Ron Baker Discusses Pricing, NPS, Metrics, and Much More
Not only is Ron Baker a long-time member of my mental board of mentors and experts, but he’s also seated at the head of the table. When he walks into my thought process, I stand. Yes, this revolutionary thinker on value pricing for professional services firms is that good. Accordingly, you are in for a treat.
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