Product Description

Too many start-ups don't make the grade - what makes a successful business take off? Starting a new business is exciting, but there are many traps for the unwary. Some would-be entrepreneurs stick so firmly to their step-by-step guides that they don't see what's really going on. Others become so obsessed with potential problems they lose sight of the bigger picture. What they really need, according to serial entrepreneur Norm Brodsky, is a mindset that will help them to stay focussed on the real goals and grab opportunities whenever they arise. He calls it 'the knack'. It's helped him to build eight phenomenally successful companies, and in this book he uses stories of real companies facing real challenges to show you how to develop it too.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #158502 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

About the Author
Norm Brodsky, the founder of Citi Storage, is an entrepreneur and a three-time Inc. 500 honoree. He began writing his monthly Inc. column (with Burlingham) in December 1995. Bo Burlingham is Inc.'s editor at large. He is the coauthor of The Great Game of Business and A Stake in the Outcome, and the author of Small Giants.

Customer Reviews

Norm Brodsky is on the money
Though not available yet in Europe, The Knack is on the shelves in every US airport which means TransAtlantic travellers don't have to wait to sample this delightful and inspirational, b.s.-free treat from Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham. Inc magazine is the best when it comes to magazines on entrepreneurship and Norm is its best columnist. In The Knack, he gives you a passenger-seat ride back over his business odyssey which has seen him build an unglamorous inner-city storage business into an exemplar of entrepreneurship and community building. Anecdote-rich and brimming with commonsense advice, you'll find out how the King of Jordan and a daily shower gave Norm the tips he needed to build a customer-crazy company which he's just sold for $110m.

Start up and maintenance guide to running your business
I own hundreds of books varying from business to sales to educational literature and this book is in the top 5 of books that I not only enjoy reading but must read on a regular basis. The book is so good in my opinion that I own the audio book and the Kindle version as well.

It is so down to earth and honest and perfect for anyone starting up or someone who needs a reminder on how to survive.

This is a must buy for anyone who is a small entrepreneur.

Insightful War Stories Distilled into Thought-Provoking Perspectives

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." -- Ezekiel 36:26

I've been teaching classes about how to start small businesses for many years and have many clients around the world who run small businesses. From these experiences, I've learned that those who want to learn about small business usually fall into one of the following categories:

1. They like the idea of being their own boss but have no idea of what's involved . . . but they would like to learn more.

2. Someone in the family had a successful small business, and they liked what they saw and want to do it for themselves.

3. They do something very well and work for an employer who doesn't treat them well enough. They feel they can strike out on their own, do well, and make more money.

4. The person has fallen in love with a dream of what a small business might be, but they aren't interested in changing anything about the dream . . . including things that doom the dream to fail.

5. They have been successful in a managerial role in a medium-to-large business, have some money, and want to take on a situation where they can improve effectiveness.

Why am I tell you all this? It's to help you understand who should read The Knack. This book will be highly valuable for those in the first category by filling in some of their knowledge gaps due to a lack of experience in running a small business. The book will also help them to realize they should find some experienced business people to learn from.

There's a drawback for this group: This book is a little too advanced for people who have few ideas about what a small business does. Mr. Brodsky has a quite sophisticated sense of the moving parts involved in a small-to-medium-sized business that won't be appreciated by those who don't even know what the tasks are. As a result, a lot of this book's wisdom will blow past its ideal readers. That's why I marked the book at four stars.

The book would have to be firmed up and made more detailed in its conceptual roots to be highly valuable to people in second and third categories. They will know most of the basic lessons. Not much can help those in the fourth category except painful experiences. The last group will fail to grasp how small businesses are different from what they've been doing if they read this book.

I plan to recommend it to my students who have pretty good instincts for small business, but lack the perspective of experience. I'm sure it will speed their learning.

I'm pleased to be able to make that recommendation.

As for content, the authors wisely focus on the key fundamentals: positive cash flow, developing profitable customers and keeping them, keeping track of how you are doing, leading your employees, developing and maintaining discipline, and avoiding mistakes that can be very costly (such as weakening what's working to start something that doesn't work). The book's strength is that it deals with the emotions and habits that underlie success and setbacks. Pay attention and be more deliberate in what you do, and the results will be better.