In business, there's no standing still. The trick is to become an elephant, big enough to make a difference, healthy enough to withstand financial currents, strong enough to influence your market, and smart enough to avoid the pitfalls of growth.
With “Be the Elephant”, bestselling author Steve Kaplan provides the business-growing playbook for every entrepreneur, CEO, sales professional, small business owner, and manager alike. The strategy, the process, the toolbox.
Written in a friendly, no-nonsense style, Be the Elephant takes the mystery and the fear out of growing bigger. It shows you how to address potential downsides, point by point, and provides a 25-question quiz to gauge your business's current health. There are lessons in strengthening sales, a business's front line. Vertical and horizontal growth. Risk versus reward. How to avoid the twin dilemmas inherent in growth, grow too slowly and wither or grow too fast and lose control. And finally, how to chart it and start it, from developing an all-important USP, unique selling proposition, to avoiding the Five Killer Mistakes that can ruin a company.
Preface: It's Great to be Gray
Part 1: Beginnings
Chapter 1: The Hard Work of Standing Still
Chapter 2: Map It Out or Mess It Up
Part 2: On Solid Ground
Chapter 3: Think You're Ready to Grow
Chapter 4: The Guts of the Model
Chapter 5: Four Statements to Live By
Chapter 6: What's the Downside?
Chapter 7: How's Your Health
Part 3: The Role of Sales
Chapter 8: The Cornerstone of Growth
Chapter 9: The Rule of Go
Chapter 10: Inside or Outside the Family?
Part 4: As Big As You Can Be
Chapter 11: How Do You Make Your Money?
Chapter 12: Horizontal and Vertical Growth
Chapter 13: The Growth Matrix
Chapter 14: Risk vs. Reward
Chapter 15: Start It and Chart It
Part 5: Creating Value
Chapter 16: The Method Behind the Madness
Chapter 17: What Makes You So Special?
Chapter 18: The Name Game
Chapter 19: The Strategic Alliance Puzzle
Part 6: Killer Mistakes
Chapter 20: Failing to Lead
Chapter 21: Neglecting Your Processes
Chapter 22: Corrupting the Culture
