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Scrappy: A Little Book About Choosing to Play Big
Scrappy \’skra-pē\ Full of fighting spirit—synonymous with having moxie, being feisty, enthusiastic, gutsy, lively,and spunky
Maybe you have been told time and time again that if you pay your dues and keep plugging away, you’ll gain enough experience through “the school of hardknocks” to be successful. That might be true. But maybe you want to reach your goals faster. Maybe you want to earn more, beat the odds—and do it with class and style. If so, it’s time to get scrappy.
Scrappy people see big problems and come up with big solutions. Or they see ordinary challenges and find a new path to extraordinary results. They’re like the entrepreneur who turned his home into an indoor jungle—complete with waterfalls, tropical birds, and a live baboon—to sell investors on the now famous Rainforest Café restaurant chain. Or the Girl Scout who skipped the usual door-to-door cookie sales and set up a table outside a medical marijuana dispensary, selling 117 boxes in just 2 hours.
It can seem like these successes are just one-off acts of ingenuity or isolated flashes of brilliance...but are they? In today’s world you need more than just an occasional burst of creativity. You need a consistent attitude, a proven strategy, and a tactical plan for execution. That’s where Terri Sjodin’s Scrappy can help you, by explaining and demonstrating the unique elements behind any successful scrappy effort.
Drawing on research, interviews, and her own personal experience, Sjodin identifies the habits that will help you get into the right mind-set. She shares stories of scrappy tactics that have worked and those that have crashed and burned, in order to provide practical takeaways for achieving your vision, whatever it might be. She explains, for instance...
• Why getting scrappy is a choice to play big.
• How to cultivate your best ideas.
• How to manage risks and bounce back from mistakes and failures.
• How to scale a scrappy culture within anyorganization, big or small.
As Sjodin puts it, "This is not another book about persistence, although scrappy and persistent make a winning combination. Nothing annoys a persistent person more than a scrappy person who pulls off a classy, unexpected, amazing effort to land the deal, the sale, or the opportunity."
Whether you're a sales rep, a job seeker, an entrepreneur with big dreams but a small budget, or a corporate executive aiming for the next level of success, the fastest way to get what you want is to get scrappy.
Maybe you have been told time and time again that if you pay your dues and keep plugging away, you’ll gain enough experience through “the school of hardknocks” to be successful. That might be true. But maybe you want to reach your goals faster. Maybe you want to earn more, beat the odds—and do it with class and style. If so, it’s time to get scrappy.
Scrappy people see big problems and come up with big solutions. Or they see ordinary challenges and find a new path to extraordinary results. They’re like the entrepreneur who turned his home into an indoor jungle—complete with waterfalls, tropical birds, and a live baboon—to sell investors on the now famous Rainforest Café restaurant chain. Or the Girl Scout who skipped the usual door-to-door cookie sales and set up a table outside a medical marijuana dispensary, selling 117 boxes in just 2 hours.
It can seem like these successes are just one-off acts of ingenuity or isolated flashes of brilliance...but are they? In today’s world you need more than just an occasional burst of creativity. You need a consistent attitude, a proven strategy, and a tactical plan for execution. That’s where Terri Sjodin’s Scrappy can help you, by explaining and demonstrating the unique elements behind any successful scrappy effort.
Drawing on research, interviews, and her own personal experience, Sjodin identifies the habits that will help you get into the right mind-set. She shares stories of scrappy tactics that have worked and those that have crashed and burned, in order to provide practical takeaways for achieving your vision, whatever it might be. She explains, for instance...
• Why getting scrappy is a choice to play big.
• How to cultivate your best ideas.
• How to manage risks and bounce back from mistakes and failures.
• How to scale a scrappy culture within anyorganization, big or small.
As Sjodin puts it, "This is not another book about persistence, although scrappy and persistent make a winning combination. Nothing annoys a persistent person more than a scrappy person who pulls off a classy, unexpected, amazing effort to land the deal, the sale, or the opportunity."
Whether you're a sales rep, a job seeker, an entrepreneur with big dreams but a small budget, or a corporate executive aiming for the next level of success, the fastest way to get what you want is to get scrappy.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published August 23, 2016
20 people are currently reading
580 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 22, 2016
After you read this book, you’ll want to be a Scrapper! Terri Sjodin’s book, “Scrappy,” teaches you the benefits and how-to’s of being “Scrappy.” Bust through limitations and challenges. Go ahead, achieve your dreams! She wants you to – and helps you to – build a scrappy spirit. Then garner the success rewards earned by those who play BIG! Get what you want out of life. Here’s to your SCRAPPY success!
~ Andrea H Gold, President, Gold Stars Speakers Bureau, and author of “The Business of Successful Speaking”
~ Andrea H Gold, President, Gold Stars Speakers Bureau, and author of “The Business of Successful Speaking”
September 12, 2018
As the title suggests it is a great little book with some clever tactics , thoughts and ideas on how to play big. Various pieces through out the book seem to be common sense, however most "aha" moments are simply common sense resurfaced.
I think this book can be very helpful for those in particular circumstances. It's a great tactical guide to connect with decision makers. I personally am not in need of this knowledge at the moment, so it was not as practical to me at the moment. However, for those seeking to advance throgh the connection with decision makers, I'd recommend checking this book out.
The only reason I did not give this book 5-stars is that I feel it could have spent a little more time taking the "decision maker" concept and brought it to general sales and simple connections. Most of the stories are connecting with CEOs or other big name players, that for many are often beyond what is needed to advnace. However, if those are what you are looking to do, as stated early, definitely check this book out.
I think this book can be very helpful for those in particular circumstances. It's a great tactical guide to connect with decision makers. I personally am not in need of this knowledge at the moment, so it was not as practical to me at the moment. However, for those seeking to advance throgh the connection with decision makers, I'd recommend checking this book out.
The only reason I did not give this book 5-stars is that I feel it could have spent a little more time taking the "decision maker" concept and brought it to general sales and simple connections. Most of the stories are connecting with CEOs or other big name players, that for many are often beyond what is needed to advnace. However, if those are what you are looking to do, as stated early, definitely check this book out.
January 30, 2019
OH EM GEE. I cannot express enough how much I loved this book.
As an entrepenaur who has tried to do her own thing but gets beaten down by those who tell me I shouldn't "recreate the wheel", I appreciated this. It's ok and even encouraged to do things in a big way or a unique way. It's ok to be authentic and stand out. It's ok to not follow the path everyone else is on. I so needed this book in my life!
I have a feeling that this is something I will have to work on for the rest of my life. I'm not going to just wake up tomorrow morning with a Scrappy mindset. I will have to work at it. I will have to nurture that skill. But I LOVE that Terri gave me permission to do things in my own way and push the envelope in my own unique and signature way. I mean, I'm still trying to figure out entirely what that is, and that's ok. Being scrappy is applicable in figuring life out too.
As an entrepenaur who has tried to do her own thing but gets beaten down by those who tell me I shouldn't "recreate the wheel", I appreciated this. It's ok and even encouraged to do things in a big way or a unique way. It's ok to be authentic and stand out. It's ok to not follow the path everyone else is on. I so needed this book in my life!
I have a feeling that this is something I will have to work on for the rest of my life. I'm not going to just wake up tomorrow morning with a Scrappy mindset. I will have to work at it. I will have to nurture that skill. But I LOVE that Terri gave me permission to do things in my own way and push the envelope in my own unique and signature way. I mean, I'm still trying to figure out entirely what that is, and that's ok. Being scrappy is applicable in figuring life out too.
December 28, 2017
Being a scrapper, that's Terri Sjodin's key message loud and clear in her book "Scrappy: A Little Book About Choosing to Play Big." Getting scrappy takes determination, time and effort, and will definitely yield rewarding results. With step-by-step instructions and hands-on coaching coupled with real-life examples, Scrappy encourages people to think on your feet, plan ahead and "put tush on the line." An inspirational, thought-provoking and easy-to-understand book that tackles real world issues.
September 3, 2017
Excellent book about being confident and unafraid in business and life. Get Scrappy and go for it to quote the great Rocky Balboa. A few pull quotes: "Great Leaders give people the flexibility and adaptability to be creative, Leave room for serendipity in your life, and ultimately Stay the course when other might quit. Keep showing up,Keep doing the work, Stay the course. Get Scrappy in all areas of your life, be flexible, and be amazed!
August 20, 2025
An easy (even if not quick) read to help energize and creative-ize someone setting out on a new adventure, wanting to get things done. I enjoyed the anecdotes, especially about the start of Rainforest Cafe, and I can imagine using some of the tips, like DARPA's "recipe" for high-performing innovators and the concept of "premortems" before putting risky ideas into action.
April 27, 2018
Really enjoyed this book and appreciated all the reflective questions and applications for how to be scrappy!
October 11, 2019
Decent book with ideas that can be useful. Good concept but overuse of the word scrappy.
July 19, 2016
This is a book I started at the beauty shop and finished this morning. Why so fast:
1 clear, easy writing and FILLED with kick-in-the-rear action steps
2. resiliency is my area of expertise and being able to "go all in" is a critical mind set
3. case studies are both inspiring as well as down-to-earth.
The book is now filled with highlighting and notes in the margins. There aren't many books that move my hand to grab a pen. This one does. I was fortunate to get an advance copy. Mark this date down; August 23, 2016. In just a month's time, you too can grab a pen and start reading.
1 clear, easy writing and FILLED with kick-in-the-rear action steps
2. resiliency is my area of expertise and being able to "go all in" is a critical mind set
3. case studies are both inspiring as well as down-to-earth.
The book is now filled with highlighting and notes in the margins. There aren't many books that move my hand to grab a pen. This one does. I was fortunate to get an advance copy. Mark this date down; August 23, 2016. In just a month's time, you too can grab a pen and start reading.
January 1, 2017
I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. I am a stay at home mom, so a lot of this didn't apply to me directly. I could however apply this to goals I have personally. Not professionally. There were some terrific motivational insights in this book. Many stories to explain how or why to follow through with being scrappy. I am passing this along to my husband who enjoys these books very much. I think he will love it!
January 26, 2017
Found the stories to be more of a practical guide than the lists. Nothing earth shattering here, but picked up a few bits that will help win clients.
April 15, 2017
Since reading this book, I’ve become a big fan of the word scrappy. I like all that it embodies: fighting spirit, creativity, persistence, being feisty, determination, and street smarts. This book is all about learning to become scrappy and acquiring that scrappy attitude.
The key idea is that you have a goal, an objective, but there are obstacles in the way. How do you overcome these in a smart, fast way? That’s what being scrappy is all about.Most of this book is aimed at entrepreneurs and shares stories of people getting scrappy in trying to close a deal, sell a product, get a certain person to speak at their event, etc. But the concepts are applicable to many situations and positions. I’ve certainly got many ideas from the book on how to approach people I want or need something from in a more creative way than just a plain ask.
Scrappy tackles how to get a scrappy attitude, how to devise a solid strategy and executing that strategy. I love how the author shows that embracing risk and fear is part of being scrappy.
The book gets very practical and doesn’t just share lofty theories, but tons of nitty-gritty details as well. The warnings on using common sense and staying on the right side of the line between scrappy and stalking were wise, including the stories of people failing big time in trying to be scrappy.
It’s the many stories that make Scrappy fun and entertaining to read. They’re not only interesting and inspiring, but also show how being scrappy works in real life and how creative you can (or need to) get to get the job done. However, memorable it's not, hence the three star rating.
The key idea is that you have a goal, an objective, but there are obstacles in the way. How do you overcome these in a smart, fast way? That’s what being scrappy is all about.Most of this book is aimed at entrepreneurs and shares stories of people getting scrappy in trying to close a deal, sell a product, get a certain person to speak at their event, etc. But the concepts are applicable to many situations and positions. I’ve certainly got many ideas from the book on how to approach people I want or need something from in a more creative way than just a plain ask.
Scrappy tackles how to get a scrappy attitude, how to devise a solid strategy and executing that strategy. I love how the author shows that embracing risk and fear is part of being scrappy.
The book gets very practical and doesn’t just share lofty theories, but tons of nitty-gritty details as well. The warnings on using common sense and staying on the right side of the line between scrappy and stalking were wise, including the stories of people failing big time in trying to be scrappy.
It’s the many stories that make Scrappy fun and entertaining to read. They’re not only interesting and inspiring, but also show how being scrappy works in real life and how creative you can (or need to) get to get the job done. However, memorable it's not, hence the three star rating.
April 18, 2017
Worth a read for new ideas on how to tackle a project
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December 18, 2017pretty good quick motivational read. good to review again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews