Most start-ups fail.And they die remarkably young: The typical start-up lasts 20 months and burns through $1.3 million in financing before closing its doors.So what's the formula for success for those start-ups that make it through the early trials, leveraging their early success into either getting acquired or issuing an IPO (initial public offering)? What are the lessons that first-time entrepreneurs and employees need to know to navigate their way to success?...

How do you like your weirdness? A subtle nudge towards the untoward? A quick zap of zany? Or a full-on assault of aberration? Whatever your taste, you'll find it here, and many more strains of strange that you didn't suspect existed. From magic rain to a talking (severed) head, extraordinary eggs to belligerent birds, the stories in this collection enter the rabbit hole to explore its hidden corners and winding ways. Through all the variety, what they have in common is originality, creativ...

Northern California in the early 70's. An investigative reporter is on the trail of radical attorney Donna Fairchild, who hasn't been seen for three years. In the course of her investigation, she discovers a group of ex-cons and political refugees (including Fairchild) living in an abandoned lumber camp.As the investigation broadens, a number of questions emerge about the ex-cons and their mysterious leader. Why do the police interview him after every local rape? What is his relati...

The man Business Week calls "the ultimate entrepreneur for the Information Age" explains "Permission Marketing"—the groundbreaking concept that enables marketers to shape their message so that consumers will willingly accept it.Whether it is the TV commercial that breaks into our favorite program, or the telemarketing phone call that disrupts a family dinner, traditional advertising is based on the hope of snatching our attention away from whatever we are ...

The fast and easy way to learn how to manage people, projects, and teamsBeing a manager can be an intimidating and challenging task. Managing involves teaching new skills to employees, helping land a new customer, accomplishing an important assignment, increasing performance, and much more. The process of management can be very challenging at times, but it can also bring you a sense of fulfillment that you never imagined possible.Managing For Dummies, 3...

THE MARKET-PROVEN PRINCIPLES OF SOLUTION SELLING FOR TODAY'S HIGH-SPEED, HIGHER-PRESSURE SALES ENVIRONMENTThe long-awaited sequel to Solution Selling, one of history's most popular selling guidesNearly 10 years ago, the influential bestseller Solution Selling literally rewrote the rules for selling big-ticket, long-cycle products. The New Solution Selling expands the classic text's cases, examples, and si...

Your business success is now forever linked to the success of your customers Customer Success is the groundbreaking guide to the exciting new model of customer management. Business relationships are fundamentally changing. In the world B.C. (Before Cloud), companies could focus totally on sales and marketing because customers were often 'stuck' after purchasing. Therefore, all of the 'post-sale' experience was a cost center in most companies. In the world A.B. (After Benioff), with granula...

A concise extension of the business classic Topgrading, targeted to sales managersBrad Smart's Topgrading has sold more than 150,000 copies since 1999, making it the definitive book for executives who want to hire, coach, and retain top talent. Now Smart has teamed up with Greg Alexander, who used Topgrading to radically improve his sales force at EMC.In Topgrading for Sales, they have boiled down the key Topgrading ideas to a pithy 112 p...

From award-winning entrepreneur, inventor, and business owner Stephen Key comes the highly anticipated follow-up to his bestseller One Simple IdeaStephen Key is back, and he’s delivering a proven, straightforward process for starting, growing, and running a business—without the need for an MBA or millions of dollars in funding.Key draws on his own experience as a billion-dollar inventor to offer how-tos and other takeaways you can use to get off th...

Even for the most organized person, managing a project can be a challenge. The Everything Project Management Book, 2nd Edition is the perfect resource to help you complete any type of job successfully and on time. This book is packed with tips for every stage of project management, from setting goals to evaluating the final results, and provides ways to:Monitor progress and evaluate resultsShift gears while maintaining flexibilityCut costs without...

Hundreds of interview-acing words and phrases to land you the jobIn a job interview, every word counts. That's why you need to make sure you'll be prepared with exactly the right answers to any question an interviewer might throw at you. With Perfect Phrases for the Perfect Interview, you will be equipped to handle even the toughest questions. This ready reference supplies you with:The best answers to a wide range of interview questions, from...

Master the basics of project management.You've been asked to manage a key project—or perhaps you've volunteered for an assignment that could advance your career. So how do you make sure the project succeeds? Managing Projects walks you quickly through the basics, including:Drawing up a realistic schedule and project planMonitoring key tasks and benchmarksCommunicating with stakeholdersBringing th...