I’m surprised to see CLIF bar on the list; I would’ve guessed they’re a much larger company based on the prevalence of their products. But that’s a good sign for the smaller enterprises, right?
My Take-Aways from the book Small Giants
By Mike Maddaloni on Saturday, February 10, 2007 at 07:30 PM with 3 comments
This year I have a goal to read one book a month. Where for some this may not seem like much, it is a big deal for me. I have not been much of a reader in the past, with the exception of trade magazines and technical manuals. As I finish each book, I will write not a review but my "take-away" or the things that made me go “hmmm” after I put the book down for a final time.
My book for January was Small Giants by Bo Burlingham, editor-at-large at Inc. magazine. It highlights several companies that are "giants" in their respective industries, but chose to remain at a certain, smaller size, and details their path to this decision. Some of the companies featured include Anchor Brewing, CLIF Bar and Chicago's Artists' Frame Service.
When people talk about growing their business, the discussion starts at getting larger, but it does not tend to stop anyplace. The companies in this book made a decision to get to a certain size – by the number of staff or services they offer – and are content there. They do not see themselves being limited by this, and the contrary they feel much better about their businesses and its vitality, and in turn themselves. As I plan to grow my own business, this book has given me a different perspective on what growth is, and insight into some choices I may have to make in the future. I recommend fellow small business folks to give this book a few hours to read.
This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.
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Book Take-Aways • Business • Diversions • (3) Comments • Permalink
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Comment by Agreed. My friends in the triathlon community speak highly of their hands-on marketing that sends feedback to the company. Another interesting note is that Anchor is owned by a descendant of Maytag washers!
Comment by CLIF bars? Wow that is really surprising to me. I mean they are huge amongst athletes. Are they a world wide company?
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