Index

accountant, 15

acquisition, 43, 63, 70, 109, 127

as step-change, 109

cancelling of, reasons for, 115–116

deal structure, 113–114

geographical considerations, 112–113

ignoring a deal, 115

and inventory, 117–118

payment alternatives, 122–123

post-acquisition review, 121–122

precautions during, 110

and pricing, 109

risks and liabilities, 119–121

sales analysis, 116–117

and synergy, 110–111

value chain, 111–112

asset, 9, 10, 33, 36, 43, 67, 73–74, 83

business, 1, 4, 13, 15, 17, 19, 27, 39, 41, 50, 52, 67, 73, 75, 88, 94, 106, 115, 127. See also controls; delegation; employee; people

asset, 9, 10, 33, 36, 43, 67, 73–74, 83

challenge, 9, 10

company meeting, 53

decision to ignore, 70–71

do-it-yourself 17–18

employee performance, 50

employee perspective, 51–52

feedback loop, 102–103

growth and social media, 60–62

illogical and non-linear, nature of, 7

industry, 8

innovation, 23, 56

inventory, 33, 34, 67, 117–118, 126

lifestyle, 1, 41

Opposing Forces, levels of, 45–46

overtrading, 31

Plateau Business, 1, 2, 47, 77, 93

and price, 31

processes, changes to, 69–70

product, 21–24

recycling vs. closure, 43–44

risk, 14

scale, 101–102

sell-out, price issues, 41–43

service, 8, 21

shareholder, 19

subscription, 63–64

and vacation, 87–88, 103

value, 9, 18, 41, 73, 109, 122

Change, 5, 10, 16, 24, 39, 44, 55, 75

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), 16, 17, 19, 51, 106

Chief Operating Officer (COO), 19

contract, 15, 16

controls, 83, 85, 87, 88, 89, 127

and accountability, 86–87

and chaos, 83

and employee goals, 91–92

and rules, 85

corporation, 29

cost(s), 22, 24, 29, 33, 42, 63, 65, 70, 114

credit, 27, 28, 32, 35

80/20 rule, 28

reference agency, 28

customer service, 16

customer(s), 16, 22, 24, 25, 27, 32, 36, 70, 75, 79, 80, 94, 110, 126

80/20 rule, 28, 116

acquisition costs, 63–65, 78

as salesmen, 79

and credit, 28–29

loyalty, 64

and margin, 29–30

non paying, 33

and price, 39

and social media, 60–62

value, 29, 30

deep discounts, 65

delegation, 49, 83, 84, 87, 88, 89, 101, 127

and accountability, 86–87, 88, 101, 127

employee goals, 91–92

of responsibility, 85, 92

rule of seven, 49

disruptive innovation, 26, 56–58

diversity, 4

Drucker, Peter, 77

dual-sourcing, 22, 39

employee, 14, 86, 91, 98, 99, 102

accountability, 86–87, 88, 101, 127

and customer satisfaction, 94–95

goals, 91–92

self-measurement for, 101

strategic plans, 92–93

employment, 14

entrepreneur(s), 7, 69, 75, 109

feedback, 86, 89, 103

finance, 67

Franchise, 60, 120

freelancer, 15, 16

goals, 91–92, 98, 101, 127

government loan finance, 67

Grow, 5, 43, 44, 75

growth, 9, 11, 17, 44, 63, 83, 93, 126, 127. See also acquisition

organic, 59–60, 109

and Plateau Business, 77

and Plateau Busters, 78–82

social media, 60–62

Harvard Business Review, 91

Health & Safety, 4

Honnold, Alex, 98

Hsieh, Tony, 94

human resources (HR), 15, 16

ideas, 53, 77, 125

improvement, 22, 42

income, 4

incremental innovation, 24–25

innovation, 23, 24

disruptive, 26, 56–58

incremental, issues with, 24–25

insurance, 28, 32

inventory, 33, 34, 67, 117–118, 126

Invisible Opposing Forces

calmness, 98

and fear, 98

sense of fairness, 99

invoice

discounting, 32

factoring, 32

Jobs, Steve, 13

just in case (JIC), 13, 14, 34, 36, 50, 71, 111

just-in-time (JIT), 33, 34

law of comparative and absolute advantage, 72

license(ing), 4, 81, 82, 126

lifestyle, 1

low value-added work, 18

management, 4, 7, 16, 49, 110

rule of seven, 49

manager, 4, 16, 17, 52, 111

margin, 29, 30, 33, 40, 86, 111

marketing, 17, 29, 46, 60, 65, 116, 121

money, 31, 39, 42, 56, 63, 71, 81, 114

government loan finance and alternate funding, 67

inventory and stock turn, 32–34

inventory supplier and restocking charge, 34–36

invoice discounting (confidential), 32

invoice factoring, 32

non-recourse terms, 32

overhead costs, 36–37

overstock, 34

overtrading, 31

price, 31

80/20 rule, 34

spare capacity, 33

Opposing Forces,

definition, 45

identification of, 45

Invisible, 47, 98–99, 103

levels of difficulty of, 46–48

organization, 15, 17, 40, 85, 91

outsourcing, 15, 16, 18, 73

overheads, 36, 79

overstock, 34

overtrading, 31

people, 11, 13, 18, 36, 69, 78, 86, 110, 127

company meeting, 53

doing vs. managing, 16–17

employee perspective, 51–52

employee value, 14

entrepreneur/entrepreneurial, 7, 69, 75, 109

legacy people, 13–14, 49, 71

performance and tolerance, 50

personal accountability, 50–51

position fillers, 15–16, 49

self assessment, 18–20

Plateau Business, 1, 2, 47, 77, 93

employee motivation, 91–93

focus on the present, 93–95

Plateau Busters

hiring for new customers, 78–80

international customers, 80–81

licensing, 81–82, 126

reasons for illusive growth, 77

price(ing)

bargain price, 109

business sell-out, 41–43

cash with order price, 81

customer acquisition strategies, 63

deep discounts, 65

dual sourcing, 39

fancy price, 109

low prices, 101–102

and marketshare, 39

review, 40

right and fixing, 39–40

and scale, 101, 111

and subscriptions, 63–64

trade price, 81

processes, business, 69–70, 94

asset leverage, 73–74

decision to ignore, 70–71, 110, 115

make or buy decision, 71–73

product, 21, 25, 32, 39, 79, 126. See also business; money; price(ing)

cash cow, 25, 26

changes, 55, 56

disruptive innovation, 26, 56–58

first-mover advantage, 24

incremental innovation and issues, 24–25

innovation, 23

original vs. innovative, 21

reality, 22–24

restocking charge, 35

salesmen 79

profit, 29, 35, 42, 50

rainmaking team, 15

resource neutral, 5

resources, 5, 9, 11, 31, 44, 77

restocking charge, 35

return on investment (ROI), 46

Ruba Goldberg output, 3

80/20 rule, 28, 34, 78, 116

Saban, Nick, 93, 97

sale(s), 16, 17, 22, 27, 30, 33, 34, 40, 41, 42, 61, 74, 78, 79, 85, 110, 116–117

Search Engine Optimization (SEO), 61

self-reflection, 86–87

service-level agreement (SLA), 34

shareholder(s), 19, 84

SMART goals, 91

Smith, Adam, 72

spare capacity, 33

stagnation. See Plateau Business

start-up, 27, 93, 106

step-change, 16, 24, 25, 26, 78, 109

stock. See inventory

stock-turn, 32, 34

Stop, 4, 17, 24, 30, 43, 44, 45, 77

strategic plan, 92–93, 127

subscription business, 63–64

supply chain, 111

synergy, 110–111

value chain, 43, 111

value, 9, 18, 41, 73, 109, 122

Walmart, 101, 102

Walton, Sam, 102

work/life balance, 20