BizBooks

In this gripping rags-to-riches instant classic, Matt Higgins provides the blueprint he used to go from a desperate sixteen-year-old high school dropout caring for his sick mother in Queens, New York, to a shark on Shark Tank and the faculty of Harvard Business School. Told with raw emotion and radical transparency, Higgins writes the definitive tome on the oldest life hack in history: burn the boats. From Sun Tzu to Julius Caesar, the ancient Israelites to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, there’s a bold and highly effective tactic seen throughout history—when leaders want to motivate their troops for success, they destroy all opportunities for retreat, and fully commit to the mission. They burn their boats; it’s win or perish, and the clarity of sheer desperation propels them to victory. But the conviction of crisis decision-making can also be harnessed in peacetime to achieve unfathomable success. Higgins draws upon extensive research, historical precedent, and dozens of firsthand case studies—from actress-turned-entrepreneur Scarlett Johansson to NFL Coach Rex Ryan—that prove merely contemplating Plan B diminishes the probability of ever achieving Plan A. Now a self-made serial entrepreneur with a $1 billion consumer portfolio of some of America’s most iconic brands, Higgins explains how to burn the metaphorical boats that undermine total commitment, ranging from imposter syndrome to paralyzing anxiety to toxic leadership. Burn the Boats is the manifesto for anyone looking to level up their life while navigating risk. Each chapter includes clear, actionable advice that readers can immediately start applying to their own lives, along with inspiration drawn from dozens of real-life success stories. This book will give you the courage to confidently go all in on your life’s true purpose. Topics in this episode include: 01:00 - About Matt 10:49 - Having empathy in business 20:33 - Determining the best use of your time 29:50 - Optimizing your mental health 40:10 - The importance of pattern recognition Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Boats-Overboard-Unleash-Potential/dp/006308886X About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

International leadership expert Jocelyn Davis presents twelve timeless female archetypes reimagined and refreshed with stories of literary and everyday women who fought, cajoled, commanded, schemed, or blasted their way free of the chains that bound them. Discover your personal types, along with inspiration and strategies for expanding your range, tapping your inner power, and unleashing your natural leadership in work and life. Topics in this conversation include: 00:42 - About Jocelyn Davis 08:05 - The Amazon Archetype 13:01 - Navigating the Amazon Archetype as a business leader 20:30 - Women who are experts in negotiation 27:52 - The Jesteress Archetype Buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Insubordinate-New-Archetypes-Women-Lead/dp/1637553870 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

The Bullseye Principle is the definitive how-to guide for communication, collaboration, and execution for leaders in the corporate arena. With these “soft skills” trending above technical knowledge in executive wish lists, this book provides invaluable guidance for new and experienced leaders alike; from the planning stages to the outcome and beyond, the discussion features critical insight and actionable tips based on award-winning methods. Polish your presence, utilize intention, influence emotion, engage workers, build relationships, make connections, and leverage the power of storytelling―it all comes down to technique. This book shows you everything you need to know to start communicating more effectively, starting today. The success of any communication rests more on how the information is conveyed than what that information actually is; at every level, in every sphere, effective leaders strive to master key skills that inspire, empower, motivate, and more. Topics in this episode include: 00:41 - About Gary 07:31 - The Pindrop Principle 18:50 - Navigating speaking to large audiences 26:00 - How to handle resistant audiences 33:40 - Creating a personal branding statement 40:00 - Transformational change and 'yes, and' Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Bullseye-Principle-Intention-Based-Communication-Collaborate/dp/1119484715 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

In The Power of a Graceful Leader, Alexsys Thompson shares how to begin integrating who you are and how you lead. Through her experience with this disconnect in her own leadership and having coached hundreds of leaders in their integration journey, Alexsys offers tools, tenets, and some relatable stories to support you in your journey toward becoming an integrated and graceful leader. You will find yourself making better decisions, building healthier relationships, and experiencing joy, love, and compassion as you transcend into the leader you were born to be. Topics in this episode include: 01:30: About Alexsys 09:00: Negative impacts of patterns of condemnation instead of grace 15:20: Conscious leadership 24:44: Being compassionately powerful 35:15: The act of gratitude Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Graceful-Leader-Alexsys-Thompson-ebook/dp/B08SJ4GSRV#:~:text=Graceful%20leadership%20embraces%20the%20ability,such%20an%20important%20leadership%20principle. About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

From executives complaining that their teams don’t contribute ideas to employees giving up because their input isn’t valued--company culture is the culprit. Courageous Cultures provides a road map to build a high-performance, high-engagement culture around sharing ideas, solving problems, and rewarding contributions from all levels. Many leaders are convinced they have an open environment that encourages employees to speak up and are shocked when they learn that employees are holding back. Employees have ideas and want to be heard. Leadership wants to hear them. Too often, however, employees and leaders both feel that no one cares about making things better. The disconnect typically only widens over time, with both sides becoming more firmly entrenched in their viewpoints. Becoming a courageous culture means building teams of microinnovators, problem solvers, and customer advocates working together. In our world of rapid change, a courageous culture is your competitive advantage. It ensures that your company is “sticky” for both customers and employees. This book provides you with the practical tools to uncover, leverage, and scale the best ideas from every level of your organization. Topics in this episode include: 01:31: About Karin and David 11:40: How to provide a psychologically safe environment 22:03: Chronic restructuring and why it's a big mistake 30:13: Navigating the narrative 36:05: Empowering your employees Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Courageous-Cultures-Karin-Hurt/dp/1400219531/ref=asc_df_1400219531/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459680637280&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4743187583971387121&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007481&hvtargid=pla-923415162948&psc=1 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

In Automate Your Busywork: Do Less, Achieve More, and Save Your Brain for the Big Stuff entrepreneur, founder, and CEO of Jotform Aytekin Tank delivers a can’t-miss blueprint to help you make the most of your most precious asset: time. You’ll explore what’s possible when you offload repetitive tasks, why automation has democratized innovation, and how you can use cheap―or even completely free―no-code automation tools to transform your ability to focus on what truly matters in your business and life. Aytekin Tank is a founder, productivity expert, automation enthusiast, and the bestselling author of Automate Your Busywork. His entrepreneurial passion and firm belief in creating tools to make organizations more productive led him to build Jotform, a bootstrapped global SaaS company that provides powerful online forms to tens of millions of users. In addition to serving as the CEO of Jotform since 2006, Aytekin frequently contributes to Fast Company and Entrepreneur. A developer by trade but a storyteller by heart, he writes about his journey as an entrepreneur, shares advice for other startups, and provides insights on leadership, productivity, and using SaaS technology within workflows. Topics in this episode include: 01:23: About Aytekin 09:36: Automation framework 19:06: Workflows vs. business processes 28:05: Multiplying your solutions using AI 39:30: How to apply automation principles in real life Get his book here: https://www.amazon.com/Automate-Your-Busywork-Achieve-Brain/dp/1119901731 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

When the world’s biggest brands want to improve their approach to converting customers using their digital marketing strategy, they call Neil Hoyne – Google’s Chief Measurement Strategist and Senior Fellow at the Wharton School. In his first book, Neil offers a simple, research-backed playbook that anyone can use to find their best customers and develop relationships that last. Under pressure for quick results and facing fierce marketplace competition, too many marketers are boxed into spaghetti-to-the-wall forms of digital marketing that limit the potential of their long hours, countless experiments, and warehouses of data. And in the end, they watch their competition sprint ahead. But what if you built a business around long-term relationships with customers, using data to understand who they are, what they need, and where to find more customers just like them? You can. And you’ll leave your competitors, with all of their data and their short-term thinking, to poke around in the scraps. In Converted, you will learn how to: • Understand the full value of each relationship • Engage in an ongoing conversation with your best customers • Ask the right questions so you can anticipate your customers’ needs • Find more great customers A real person is always on the other end of the transaction. Converted shows you how to win their hearts. Neil has served as an analyst, researcher, inventor, lecturer and, in his words, the father of many forgettable slides of glossy funnels and Venn diagrams. A witness to and participant in billion-dollar successes, and instructive failures, all in the pursuit of building indestructible customer relationships through digital media. A key player in the executive rallying cry to be more “data driven.” As Google’s Chief Measurement Strategist, Neil has had the privilege to lead more than 2,500 engagements with the world’s biggest advertisers. His efforts have helped these companies acquire millions of customers, improve conversion rates by more than 400 percent and generate billions in incremental revenue. Immensely proud of the degrees he’s earned from Purdue University and UCLA, Neil returned to academia in 2018 as a Senior Fellow at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. This is his first book. He hopes you like it. Topics in this episode include: 00:40: The origin of Neil's book 08:00: The goal of data for small business owners 16:40: How to gauge your customers more to get the data that you need 27:00: Enticing people to take more surveys 38:00: Figuring out your customer lifetime value Get the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/688629/converted-by-neil-hoyne/ About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

Covid-19 has heightened career uncertainty in a workforce landscape dominated by turbulence and change, and it is directly impacting how people are entering—or re-entering—the workplace. But as Lindsey Pollak makes clear, the pandemic merely accelerated career and hiring trends that have been building. Changes that were once slowly spreading have been rapidly implemented across all industries. This means that the old job hunting and career success rules no longer apply. Job seekers of all generations and skill sets must learn how to thrive in this “new normal,” which will include a hybrid of remote and in-person experiences, increased reliance on virtual communication and automation, constant disruption, and renewed employer emphasis on workers’ health and well-being. While this new world is complicated and constantly evolving, you won’t have to navigate it alone. For twenty years, Pollak has been following the trends and successfully advising young professionals and organizations on workplace success. Now, she guides you through the changes currently happening—and those to come. Combining insights from both experts and professionals across generations, she provides encouraging, strategic, and actionable advice on making lifelong decisions about education; building a resilient personal brand; using virtual communication to remotely interview, network, and work; skilling and reskilling for the future; and maintaining self-care and mental health. Like your personal GPS, Pollak equips you to handle workplace obstacles, helping you see them as challenges to navigate rather than impossible roadblocks. There is no perfect path to a dream career, but with Recalculating you’ll be prepared with the necessary skills and tools to succeed. Topics in this episode include: 00:41 - About Lindsey 06:42 - Choosing your mindset 14:17 - The power of the word 'yet' 19:22 - Changing landscape of traditional education 27:10 - Interview advice for college students Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Recalculating-Navigate-Career-Through-Changing/dp/0063067706 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

The latest edition of The New Rules of Marketing and PR has been completely revised and updated to present the most innovative methods and cost-effective strategies. The most comprehensive update yet shows you details about the pros and cons of AI and machine learning to automate routine tasks. Your life is already AI-assisted. Your marketing should be too, but there are challenges to be aware of. As the ways we communicate continue to evolve, keeping pace with the latest trends in social media, including social audio like Clubhouse, the newest online video tools such as TikTok, and all the other high-tech influences, can seem an almost impossible task. How can you keep your product or service from getting lost in the digital clutter? The eighth edition of The New Rules of Marketing and PR provides everything you need to speak directly to your audience, make a strong personal connection, and generate attention for your business. An international bestseller with nearly half a million copies sold in twenty-nine languages, this revolutionary guide gives you a proven, step-by-step plan for leveraging the power of technology to get your message seen and heard by the right people at the right time. You will learn the latest approaches for highly effective public relations, marketing, and customer communications―all at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising! The definitive guide on the future of marketing, this must-have resource will help you: Incorporate the new rules that will keep you ahead of the digital marketing curve Make your marketing and public relations real-time by incorporating techniques like newsjacking to generate instant attention when your audience is eager to hear from you Gain valuable insights through compelling case studies and real-world examples Topics in this episode include: 00:52 - How the book evolved to the 8th edition 07:44 - How video has changed messaging 13:40 - How to effectively incorporate video into your company 19:18 - David's take on the risks of rebranding 28:38 - AI and machine learning in marketing and PR Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Marketing-Podcasting-Newsjacking/dp/1119854288 About Gene: About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

A customer-base audit is a systematic review of customer buying behavior using data captured by its transaction systems. It will help you answer questions such as: -How healthy is your customer base? -How realistic are your growth objectives? -How do your customers differ in terms of their behavior and value? -How has the quality of your customers changed over time? -What changes in customer behavior lie behind period-to-period changes in firm performance? -What is important to your high-value customers? -Which products help you acquire and retain your best customers? Fader, Hardie, and Ross present five “lenses” through which an executive can address questions like those above. The answers are often lurking in various parts of the organization, but it is rare to find all the relevant analyses in one place, let alone performed on a regular basis (as an audit should be). Yet without such a basic, systematic understanding of the foundations of the firm’s primary source of cash flow, how can executives make informed decisions? Pete Fader is the Frances and Pei-Yuan Chia Professor of Marketing at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His expertise centers on the analysis of behavioral data to understand and forecast customer shopping/purchasing activities. He works with firms from a wide range of industries, such as telecommunications, financial services, gaming/entertainment, retail, and pharmaceuticals. In addition to his various roles and responsibilities at Wharton, Fader co-founded a predictive analytics firm (Zodiac) in 2015, which was sold to Nike in 2018. He then co-founded (and continues to run) Theta to commercialize his more recent work on “customer-based corporate valuation.” Fader is the author of Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage (2020, 2012) and coauthor of The Customer Centricity Playbook (2018) with Sarah Toms. He has won many awards for his research and teaching accomplishments. Topics in this episode include: 01:11 - About Peter 09:50 - Methodology to predicting customer behavior 20:25 - Not all customers are created equal 24:34 - Factors to keep in mind when evaluating long-term customers 30:54 - Peter's thoughts on survey data 38:10 - Valuing a business by auditing your customer base Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Customer-Base-Audit-Journey-Customer-Centricity/dp/1613631618 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

This deep-dive into the revolutionary EOS method to strengthen a company's process component will help leaders at all companies run better businesses and live better lives. If you own, run, or lead in a fast-moving business, you're likely driven by passion and a desire to be free. Many leaders mistakenly believe instilling rigor and discipline for process throughout your organizations will inhibit freedom. They couldn't be more wrong. It's when you're stuck in the day-to-day, putting out fires and cleaning up messes, that passion turns to frustration. Freedom seems somewhere between elusive and impossible. The secret to getting unstuck is process. This inspiring, informative field guide will prove it's possible to establish rigor and discipline for process while also increasing creativity, flexibility, and innovation. Process!, written by Mike Paton and Lisa Gonzales, will help you identify a handful of core processes that make your business uniquely valuable. You'll learn how to document and simplify the major steps in those processes so they can be done the right and best way, every time. Finally, you'll execute a simple, step-by-step plan that is helping entrepreneurs around the world consistently get the results they want. Mike Paton has spent every working day of the last 15 years helping thousands of leaders around the globe run better businesses and live better lives. An EOS Implementer and sought-after speaker, Paton succeeded Gino Wickman and spent five years as EOS Worldwide’s Visionary, is the host of the top-rated podcast The EOS Leader, and co-authored two books in the Traction Library – Get A Grip and Process! He’s grateful to be living his ideal life – helping others master the timeless disciplines and practical tools of the Entrepreneurial Operating System. Topics in this episode include: 01:08 - About Mike Paton 09:07 - Process doesn't destroy freedom, it creates freedom 19:35 - Documenting the process 23:33 - Communication and training as part of the process 31:03 - Keeping the system simple 36:20 - Leading to help employees manage themselves Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Process-Discipline-Consistency-Will-Business/dp/B0BHLGY2R7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DVM9E6GI3XTQ&keywords=mike+paton+process&qid=1680740005&s=books&sprefix=mike+paton+process%2Cstripbooks%2C74&sr=1-1 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

Saving Main Street is an unfiltered, up-close examination of a small group of business owners and their employees, their struggles, and their strategies to survive. It is an eye-opening tale of grit, perseverance, and entrepreneurial spirit that follows three businesses: a restaurant owner and his rambunctious staff, an immigrant running her own hair salon, and the owner of a “non-life sustaining” gift shop—alongside a larger cast of vividly drawn characters. Gary Rivlin focuses on the first days of the Covid lockdown and the ensuing eighteen months of chaos, including the personal and financial risks, a contentious presidential election, and contradictory governmental guidelines—all which compounded the everyday challenges of running an independent business trying to attract and retain customers who expect low prices, convenience, and endless choice. Rivlin keenly observes small businesses from all angles, examining commonly held “myths”; contradictions in government policy; enormous racial and class fissures; a national self-identity intrinsically connected to the ideal of small business, and how the decline of this American way of retail impacts our notions of American exceptionalism, community, and civic duty. As Rivlin reveals, there’s something enduring about small business in the American psyche. Life will have changed in unprecedented ways on the other side of this pandemic, yet hard times will also create opportunities, offering hope and survival. Topics in this episode include: 00:53 - About Gary 06:55 - Gary's thoughts on the COVID lockdowns and mandates 19:41 - The Federal Reserve and Treasury's role during COVID 23:58 - Paycheck Protection Program 27:40 - Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program 40:20 - The role of politicians during COVID Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Main-Street-Business-COVID-19/dp/0063065967 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

A #1 Amazon Best-Seller, Thrive provides leaders with a clear blueprint for building a high-performance culture. Drawing on extensive experience in change management, organizational development, and performance consulting, Andrew Freedman and Paul Elliott share their systematic approach, known as the Exemplary Performance System (EPS), in a way that enables leaders to take immediate action to shift workforce engagement and performance. Thrive teaches leaders how to create clarity and alignment around what high performance looks like and how to replicate it at scale, identify and eliminate barriers to performance excellence, effectively align individual and team priorities with those of the company, and build organizational systems and processes that accelerate business and financial results. Purchasing Thrive also gives readers access to more than twenty accelerators—downloadable tools, templates, and artifacts to help leaders implement the processes and practices that Andrew and Paul share throughout the book. Andrew Freedman is a lifelong advocate for maximizing human potential and creating positive change, both personally and professionally. For more than twenty-five years, he’s been a driving force in designing strategies that provide leaders with a foundation to translate individual, team, and organizational talent into tangible business growth. As Managing Partner of SHIFT Consulting, he’s helped countless companies across diverse industries flourish through vibrant company cultures and a high-performance mindset. Additionally, through his work as an affiliate faculty member of the University of Baltimore, Andrew’s continued goal is to use his insatiable passion for human performance to inspire new generations of business leaders with the art and science of creating and executing successful, people-focused business strategies. Topics in this episode include: 00:48 - About Andrew and Paul 07:25 - Defining success 17:18 - What to do when previous high-performers are not performing well 25:13 - Identifying whether somebody will do well in their jobs 28:55 - Motivating your team 38:26 - Using a balance score card to amplify results Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Thrive-Leaders-Building-High-Performance-Culture/dp/154451607X/ref=asc_df_154451607X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475795130774&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16484615843778310309&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007481&hvtargid=pla-1164642357513&psc=1 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

Is unabated inflation the new normal? Inflation is back and here to stay. For companies, this means that the world in which they do business has fundamentally changed. This book examines inflation from multiple perspectives and offers actions and strategies for companies to cope with and manage it to ensure their survival. For businesses and consumers, it is not a question of eliminating inflation, but how to cope with it in order to suffer as little damage as possible. This includes not just price management, but also sales, finance, purchasing, cost management along with digitalization and innovation activities in equal measure. It also requires corporate cultural change, which if managed fast and successfully, the prospects of defeating inflation and thus ensuring the survival of the company are good. Hermann Simon is the Founder and Honorary Chairman of Simon-Kucher & Partners. He is an expert in strategy, marketing and pricing. He is the only German in the “Thinkers50 Hall of Fame” of the most important management thinkers in the world. In German-speaking countries he has been continuously voted the most influential living management thinker since 2005. The magazine Cicero ranks him in the top 100 of the 500 most important intellectuals. Adam Echter is a Partner and Head of the Silicon Valley office at Simon-Kucher. For 17 years, Adam’s career has focused on value-based sales. He gained 12 months of focused sales training at The Timken Company and then worked in outside industrial sales for the next five years. During his time in industry, Adam developed his sales skills from outside sales to restructuring, engaging, and empowering sales teams for industrial companies of various sizes, ranging from 100 million dollars to several billion. He has helped design pricing and sales organizations on three continents, installed enterprise-level pricing software for several Fortune 100 companies, and supported sales engagement for thousands of sales professionals around the World. Topics in this episode include: 01:00 - About Hermann and Adam 10:55 - Using data to beat inflation 18:28 - Communicating price increases with your customers 25:35 - Why you shouldn’t fully pass on 100% of your cost increases to customers 36:25 - Utilizing price escalators to beat inflation 40:29 - Dynamic pricing vs. multi-dimensional pricing and other pricing systems Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Beating-Inflation-Concrete-Effective-Corporate/dp/3031200926/ref=asc_df_3031200926/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=598359424988&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8086719900228207612&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007481&hvtargid=pla-1817689984547&psc=1 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

For decades, organizations of all sizes and in all industries have struggled at project management. Even though employees primarily worked together in physical offices, rare was the project that came in on time and on budget and delivered what stakeholders expected. The M-F/9-5 in-person world of work is gone forever. Depending on the country, more than nine in ten people would rather quit their jobs than return to the office five days per week. Brass tacks: Remote and hybrid workplaces are here to stay, and they pose formidable obstacles that complicate managing projects and launching new products. Against this backdrop arrives Project Management in the Hybrid Workplace, Phil Simon's timely and highly anticipated follow-up to his award-winning book Reimagining Collaboration. In his inimitable style, Simon adeptly fuses critical research and concepts from a slew of diverse and seemingly unrelated fields, including Agile software development, human resources, supply chain management, organizational behavior, cognitive psychology, and labor economics. Brimming with detailed case studies, penetrating insights, and practical advice, Simon's twelfth book is a tour de force. Product owners, new and seasoned PMs, service providers, freelancers, small business owners, and students taking PM classes will benefit from Project Management in the Hybrid Workplace. Phil Simon is a frequent keynote speaker and recognized authority. He is the award-winning author of thirteen books, most recently Low-Code/No-Code: Citizen Developers and the Surprising Future of Business Applications. He helps organizations communicate, collaborate, and use technology better. Harvard Business Review, the MIT Sloan Management Review, Wired, NBC, CNBC, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, and The New York Times have featured his contributions. He also hosts the podcast Conversations About Collaboration. Topics in this episode include: 00:56 - About Phil 07:06 - How many people want to work in the office? 14:03 - Downsides to efficiency 19:50 - The Waterfall Method 26:25 - What is Social Capital? 32:34 - Adopting a good project management platform Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Hybrid-Workplace-Simon/dp/B0B199PYNQ About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

Whether negotiating in business or your personal affairs, life is a series of negotiations you should be prepared for: buying a car, negotiating a salary, buying a home, renegotiating rent, and deliberating with your partner. Taking emotional intelligence and intuition to the next level, Never Split the Difference gives you the competitive edge in any discussion. After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a hostage negotiator brought him face-to-face with a range of criminals, including bank robbers and terrorists. Reaching the pinnacle of his profession, he became the FBI’s lead international kidnapping negotiator. Never Split the Difference takes you inside the world of high-stakes negotiations and into Voss’s head, revealing the skills that helped him and his colleagues succeed where it mattered most: saving lives. In this practical guide, he shares the nine effective principles―counterintuitive tactics and strategies―you too can use to become more persuasive in both your professional and personal life. Topics in this episode include: 01:13: About Chris 07:15: What is cognitive bias? 16:29: Demonstrating empathy 20:53: De-contemplation 26:00: Overcoming barriers 32:30: Accusation audits 39:10: Breaking down the word 'fair' Get his book here: https://www.amazon.com/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended/dp/0062407805 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10-person company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

Artificial intelligence is much more than a sexy marketing gimmick. At its core, it’s a powerful business tool that can make operations and decision-making more efficient, employees more productive, and customers delighted. Unfortunately, leaders who want to take advantage of artificial intelligence often don’t know where to start. The process can feel overwhelming—from analyzing existing processes and software systems and choosing where to apply AI automation, to preparing every tier of the organization for the transition. In this practical guide for business leaders, Kavita Ganesan takes the mystery out of implementing AI, showing you how to launch AI initiatives that get results. With real-world AI examples to spark your own ideas, you’ll learn how to identify high-impact AI opportunities, prepare for AI transitions, and measure your AI performance. Simple and compelling, The Business Case for AI gives leaders the information and resources they need without statistics, data science, or technical jargon. Whether you want to jumpstart your AI strategy, manage your AI initiatives for better outcomes, or simply find inspiration for your own AI and machine learning applications, The Business Case for AI is your blueprint for AI success. Kavita Ganesan is an AI subject matter expert, advisor, speaker, educator, and founder of Opinosis Analytics, an AI consulting and training company. With a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and over fifteen years of experience in the field, Kavita has delivered more than two dozen successful AI initiatives for a wide range of organizations, from midsize operations to Fortune 500s. An educator and collaborator at heart, she helps thousands of leaders and AI practitioners around the world through her blog articles, coaching and training sessions, and open-source tools. Learn more at kavita-ganesan.com. Topics in this episode include: 00:58 - About Kavita 10:00 - Deep Learning 16:16 - Robotics and AI in warehouses and factories 19:40 - Addressing foundational gaps when it comes to AI 26:00 - How AI can improve business processes 33:44 - How to leverage machine learning to improve processes Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Business-Case-Strategies-Real-World-Applications-ebook/dp/B09TRS55K8 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10 company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

In When Women Lead, Julia Boorstin brings together the stories of over sixty of those female CEOs and leaders, and dozens of new studies. Her combination of narrative and research reveals how once-underestimated characteristics, from vulnerability and gratitude to divergent thinking, can be vital superpowers—and that anyone can work these approaches to their advantage. Featuring new interviews with Katrina Lake, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jenn Hyman, Whitney Wolfe Herd, Lena Waithe, Shivani Siroya, Julia Collins, and more, When Women Lead is a radical blueprint for the future of business, and our world at large. Julia Boorstin is CNBC’s Senior Media & Tech Correspondent and has been an on-air reporter for the network since 2006. She also plays a central role on CNBC’s bicoastal tech-focused program “TechCheck” delivering reporting, analysis, and CEO interviews with a focus on social media and the intersection of media and technology. Topics in this episode include: 00:55 - About Julia 07:30 - Women and the Metaverse 12:00 - Addressing unconscious bias vs. Pattern Matching 25:25 - How men and women differ when it comes to taking risks 29:55 - What is the "confirmatory standard?" 38:13 - What to consider when joining networking support groups Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/When-Women-Lead-Achieve-Succeed/dp/1982168218 About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10 company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

Exit Right delivers the hard-earned lessons about selling your startup and decisions that lead to successful exits. From negotiation to valuation to breaking down a term sheet, managing legal costs, and handling emotional turbulence—this unparalleled guide covers every critical aspect of a technology startup sale. Learn where deals get into trouble, how to create alignment between negotiating parties, and what terms you should care about most. Above all, learn how to win in both the short and the long term, maximizing your price while positioning your company for a legacy you can be proud of. Mark Achler is Managing Director of MATH Venture Partners. Additionally, Mark teaches Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business. Prior to MATH, Mark was the Senior Vice President of New Business, Strategy and Innovation for Redbox. He is a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded four companies as well being a partner in an earlier venture fund called Kettle Partners. Mark has an undergraduate degree in Social Studies Education from Purdue University and is a frequent speaker, resource and ardent champion for the entrepreneurial community. Topics in this episode include: 01:10 - About Mark Achler 10:25 - What is the F.A.I.R Framework? 22:50 - Examples of companies buying other companies 29:44 - Why you need to have an annual exit talk 36:30 - Why Cap Table Management is one of the most important decisions you need to make Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Exit-Right-Startup-Maximize-Return/dp/1544525990/ref=asc_df_1544525990/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=564670366290&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2492043758215391607&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007481&hvtargid=pla-1629054639578&psc=1 About Gene: About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10 company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.

A Practical Guide to Buying a Business: Locating a Business, Performing Due Diligence, Valuing the Enterprise, Raising Funds, and Closing the Deal provides a comprehensive overview of the acquisition process-from locating a business a business to the final contract. The information is presented sequentially with sample forms, checklists, and agreements. Robert J. Chalfin is the CEO of The Chalfin Group Inc., a Metuchen, New Jersey-based firm that offers advisory services in connection with the purchase and sale of closely held businesses, strategic planning, and valuation. Mr. Chalfin is an owner/investor, corporate board member, and consultant to several businesses, many of which are in the information technology sector. He has invested in, operated, and developed real estate. For eight years he served on the Board of Directors of Raritan Bay Medical Center and Raritan Bay Health Service Corporation. ​ Mr. Chalfin is an attorney, CPA, and a Lecturer in Management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He teaches graduate-level courses on acquiring closely-held businesses and real estate entrepreneurship to MBA candidates. Mr. Chalfin has presented seminars to numerous professional organizations on a variety of topics including buying and selling businesses, strategic planning, and business valuation. Topics in the Episode Include: 00:43 - About Robert 03:58 - The Strategic Buyer 09:30 - Why it's important to understand why somebody is selling their business 20:38 - Differentiating a good Seller's Memo vs. a bad one 31:55 - How Robert approaches helping a buyer of a business 39:47 - Valuing a business 48:11 - How often does a seller stay involved in the business? Get the Book Here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08... About Gene: Gene Marks is a former columnist for The New York Times and The Washington Post and now writes weekly on political, economic, management and technology issues affecting small and mid-sized businesses for The Guardian, The Hill, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Forbes and Entrepreneur. He runs a 10 company financial and technology consulting firm near Philadelphia.