Small Business Development

What's Wrong with China is the widely anticipated follow-up to Paul Midler's Poorly Made in China, an expose of China manufacturing practices. Applying a wider lens in this account, he reveals many of the deep problems affecting Chinese society as a whole. Once again, Midler delivers the goods by rejecting commonly held notions, breaking down old myths, and providing fresh explanations of lesser-understood cultural phenomena.

Leadership development speaker & consultant Andy Ellis is the former CSO of Akamai, where he contributed to the creation of Akamai's billion‑dollar cybersecurity business. He now brings his speaking, consulting, and business knowledge to listeners with 1% Leadership—based on the reality that real-world leadership is messy and complicated; it rarely fits into an acronym or a dogmatic overarching philosophy. Ellis says that there are no “irrefutable laws” of leadership or power; there is no secret.

If you are getting exhausted by the endless emphasis on revenue or employee growth as the assumed primary goal of every agency owner, then this book is for you. It is a clarion call for agency owners to stop chasing unicorn-like growth, and instead focus on serving their clients, employees, friends, family, neighbors, and thus make an indelible imprint on the world.

Harness the "power of can't" to make your big, impossible dreams a reality with help from a creative entrepreneur who's turned her quirky passion into a global force.

Leadership Hacks is the business leader's guide to getting things done. Over the years, the leader's role has expanded to encompass more duties, more responsibility, and more accountability - yet we're still stuck with the same 24 hours in every day. The evolving business environment leaves many of us struggling to achieve against constantly shifting priorities, competitors, and deadlines, and we are forever expected to do more with less. Is it even possible to make a real impact? Yes! This book shows you how to sort through the madness and get back to getting results.

Business strategist, entrepreneur, #1 podcaster and global speaker Lisa Johnson is here to guide you through the world of passive income. No complicated plans or tech troubles; just a simple step-by-step approach using Lisa's simple system to earning money either as a side hustle or as your main business, without ever trading time for money.

While Erik Z. Severinghaus has been to the top of the physical world (literally climbing Everest) and the business world (exiting companies for hundreds of millions of dollars), what has defined his journey is not the successes...but rather, the hard times of loneliness and self-doubt that nearly cost him his accomplishments and his life. This guidebook passes along the lessons needed in those dark times, with the hope that it will help every entrepreneur who is going through this struggle understand their journey and build the mental resiliency to succeed.

In Applied Empathy, Michael Ventura, CEO and founder of Sub Rosa, a design firm that finds creative solutions for iconic brands and institutions such as GE, Nike, Citibank, Nikon, and Warby Parker and also West Point and the White House, offers entrepreneurs and executives a radical new business book and way forward. Applied Empathy presents real strategies, based on Sub Rosa’s design work as well as the popular class Ventura and his team have taught at Princeton University, on how to make lasting connections and evolve your business internally (your employees, culture, and product/services) as well as externally (your brand, consumers, and value).

Major life transitions such as leaving the protected environment of school or starting a new career can be daunting. It is scary to face a wall of choices, knowing that no one is going to tell us if we make the right decision. There is no clearly delineated path or recipe for success. Even figuring out how and where to start can be a challenge. As head of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Tina Seelig’s job is to guide her students as they make the difficult transition from the academic environment to the professional world.

Success is not born out of skill, school, where we’re from, who we know, or what we scored on the SAT. None of us were born ready. None of us started life knowing how to fly a plane or launch a company or knit a sweater for our dog. But we are born with something more important than skills. We’re born with optimism—the initial seed for success. Optimism fuels the belief that you can be the one to create the good the world needs. But you’ve got to hone it. And practice it. And determine to live from it.

In his latest work, The Price Whisperer, Per Sjöfors explores the complex network of variables that regulate customer perception of price and value, that is, why people buy one product and not another. By isolating key factors that determine a target market’s willingness to pay, businesses can effectively hack their existing model, thereby increasing asking price and sales volume. It’s not black magic, it’s human psychology.

There are many struggles in the SaaS world, but the biggest one is arguably the most important one: pricing. Leaving money on the table by charging too little or driving clients away with confusing plans is one of the many reasons why many SaaS companies fail. Getting pricing right can be the difference between just getting by and high revenue growth. But don't get it twisted, this is not another book about pricing theory.

Are you ready to transform your small business into an unstoppable empire? Dive into "Scaling Your Business: Strategies for Building, Scaling up, and Sustaining Your Small Business Empire Beyond Entrepreneurship", a compelling guide crafted for ambitious entrepreneurs like you who are determined to break through the glass ceiling and achieve extraordinary growth.

Jobs feel safe. We show up, do what we're supposed to do, and a check for the same amount comes in every couple of weeks. We can feel safe, secure, and comfortable with that. We can budget for housing, transportation, and food. We might even get a few weeks of vacation each year and have enough left over to go somewhere nice. So, what's the problem? The problem is that average just isn't satisfying. We can be thankful that we're not homeless or completely impoverished all we want, but that still doesn't scratch the itch we all have to live an extraordinary life.

Today, there are three Americas. At one extreme are the brain hubs with workers who are among the most productive, creative, and best-paid on the planet. At the other extreme are former manufacturing capitals that are rapidly losing jobs and residents. The rest of America could go either way. For the past 30 years, the three Americas have been growing apart at an accelerating rate. This divergence is one the most important developments in the history of the US and is reshaping the very fabric of our society. But the winners and losers aren't necessarily who you'd expect.

In Only Humans Need Apply, Thomas Hayes Davenport and Julia Kirby reframe the conversation about automation, arguing that the future of increased productivity and business success isn't either human or machine. It's both. The key is augmentation, utilizing technology to help humans work better, smarter, and faster. Instead of viewing these machines as competitive interlopers, we can see them as partners and collaborators in creative problem solving as we move into the next era.

Andrew Sobel offers a proven, 100-day plan for conquering 14 tough client development challenges and growing your client base. He's encapsulated 25 years of unique research, including personal interviews with over 3,000 top executives, into a practical road map for winning more new clients and growing your existing relationships. You'll learn specific strategies to move confidently and predictably from a first meeting to a signed contract, and discover the agenda-setting techniques that create a steady stream of sole-source business.

Why did Albert Einstein discover the general theory of relativity, Jane Goodall advance our understanding of primatology, and Steve Jobs change the way we think of computers and phones, while many other people live lives of quiet imitation? What are the components that contribute to an original and brilliant life? In this highly innovative new book, Arjuna Ardagh shows us how brilliance can become more of a predictable outcome and less of an accident: when four very different kinds of activity and focus co-exist together.

The key to achieving what you set out for - in business and in life - doesn't lie in perfectly executed strategy. The greatest tool you have is your own mindset - it determines your ability to adapt and persevere. While most aspiring entrepreneurs think the next business strategy will manifest the life they desire, successful entrepreneurs know it's the emotional and mental "shifts" that will bring you closer to your goals. No one is better equipped to explore these shifts than Ajit Nawalkha, cofounder of Mindvalley and one of the world's leading entrepreneurs and business coaches.

Turn Your Passions into Profits outlines step-by-step guidance for turning your passions into a profitable and lasting business. Author Matt McWilliams, a successful entrepreneur and in-demand online business coach, shows you exactly how to do just that. He details how to find and attract your audience, build a following, and ultimately how to monetize your venture quickly and sustainably.