Grow to Greatness

by Hess, Edward D.

• ISBN13: 9780804775342
• ISBN10: 0804775346
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-04-25
• Publisher: Stanford Business Books

Summary

Simply put, most entrepreneurial start-ups fail. Those fortunate enough to succeed then face a second, major challenge: how to grow. This book focuses on the key questions an entrepreneur must answer in order to grow a business. Based on extensive research of more than fifty successful growth companies, Grow to Greatnessdiscusses the top ten growth challenges and how to overcome them. Author Edward D. Hess dispels the myth that businesses must grow or die. Growth can create value. But, too much growth too fast outstrips effective processes, controls, or management capacity. Viewing growth as "recurring change," Grow to Greatnesslays out a framework for how to approach business development--and how to manage its risks and pace. The book then takes readers through chapters that explore whether the time is right to grow, how to do it, and how to manage the vital reality that growth requires the right leadership, culture, and people. Uniquely, this book aims to prepare readers for the day-to-day reality of growth, offering up the lived experiences of eleven entrepreneurs. Six workshops to assess where readers stand now and a suite of templates that will prove to be useful over time help bring the book's teachings to life. After reading this book, entrepreneurs will have a real understanding of their readiness to grow and place in the growth cycle, as well as a concrete action plan for where to take their businesses next. Many books address how to start a business, but this is a unique, go-to resource for readers who want to learn how to thrive beyond the start-up phase.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
The Roadmap to Smart Growth	p. 1
Whether to Grow
The "Truth" About Growth	p. 21
Preconditions to Growth	p. 45
How to Grow
The Four Ps: Planning, Prioritization, Processes, and Pace	p. 69
The Four Ways to Grow Your Business	p. 101
Creating Three Growth Plans	p. 132
Growth Requires the Right Leadership, Culture, and People
Growth Is Much More Than a Strategy	p. 155
The Entrepreneur Must Grow, Too!	p. 184
The Silver Bullet: Highly Engaged Employees	p. 210
Building an Effective Management Team	p. 239
Reminders for the Entrepreneur	p. 265
Notes	p. 267
Bibliography	p. 275
Recommended Reading	p. 279
Index	p. 283
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