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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Book Review - Start at the End: How Companies can grow bigger and faster by reversing their business plan - Dave Lavinsky


Start at the End: How Companies Can Grow Bigger and Faster by Reversing Their Business Plan
Title:  Start At the End

Author: Dave Lavinsky

Review:  I love the title of this book…I always find the end a great place to begin…except when reading books that is.  I start at the end of new math problems that I am unfamiliar with, I start at the end in most magazines I read at the drs. office, I start at the end when making goals….what do I want to accomplish, so this is a great idea…starting at the end that is.

This book has some great ideas for growing your business.  If you have a business then you need to be reading.  You can’t expect to improve things without more knowledge on how business works and especially how yours works.  What are you looking to accomplish?  Well that is a good place to start…where do you see the business in 5 or 10 years?  Start there.  Also are you a good leader?  So do your employees follow you and think that you know what you are doing and talking about?  Well that is needed in any business and you need to get better if you feel you are lacking in this area.

Read this book and see how starting at the end with help you achieve what you planned to when you started the business in the first place.  You may need to redesign your business plan…but if it isn’t working now that is a good thing to be doing.  You need this book if you run a business or are part of a team that does….it’s your future… make it a good one.


Publisher: Published October 23rd 2012 by JohnWiley & Sons
ISBN: 9781118417447
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 240
Quick Review: 4 stars (out of 5)- ending came too fast
Why I Read It:  Sent by the editor for review.

Synopsis: Re-focus your business plan and achieve the success your business deservesBusiness owners, and their teams, often lose their way in the midst of the day-to-day stress of generating sales and profits. Whether your goal is selling millions of your product, expanding operations to a new location, or generating more profits, "Start at the End" offers a unique approach and action steps for business owners and entrepreneurs to redevelop your business plan and achieve ultimate success. You'll learn how to re-create your long-term vision and then make continuous progress in achieving that vision while continuing to hit your short-term goals. "Start at the End" offers inspiring stories of other entrepreneurs who have achieved significant success in this area, as well as easy-to-follow exercises and next steps. Shows how to develop a realistic business and financial model based on market dataExplains how to identify and pursue new opportunities, raise capital, and build growth strategies

"Start at the End" gives business owners a chance to take a step back, re-evaluate your business, and redesign your business plan to achieve the success you dreamed of when you first launched your company.
 
Author Biography: Dave walks the talk. He is a successful serial entrepreneur, having started and exited multiple Internet and product-focused ventures, including Emerge Juice and Nutrition Systems - a wellness products developer and distributor; Shoutmouth - a niche music -focused social networking site; Z Reporter LLC - owner of over 3,000 niche-focused information websites; and TopPayingKeywords - a Search Engine Marketing & Optimization research data firm.

Dave is a past board member of the Los Angeles Regional Technology Alliance and a winner of the Anderson School at UCLA's Knapp New Venture Competition.

As a co-founder of Growthink, Dave has managed more than 150 client engagements across all of Growthink's practice areas. He particularly enjoys helping early stage companies prepare for significant growth as he has done with Dakim, Sandel Medical, XCom Wireless and numerous other businesses. Dave also conducted the market research and wrote the initial business plan for KeySpan Energy Services, now part of National Grid, which grew from zero to over $1 billion in revenues in less than three years.

Prior to Growthink, Dave gained professional management consulting, marketing consulting and market research experience with FIND/SVP (now Guideline), BPA International and The NPD Group.

Dave has an MBA from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and earned his Bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia. He lives in New York with his wife and two children.


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