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Dealing With the Tough Stuff: Practical Wisdom for Running a Values-Driven Business
Your business plan is only going to get you so far. When you’re actually running a values-driven business, problems come up that you never could have anticipated. The whole experience can be incredibly isolating and draining.
Margot Fraser and Lisa Lorimer have been there, and they’re here to help. Together with five of their colleagues—including Stonyfield Farm founder Gary Hirshberg and former Ms. Foundation president Marie C. Wilson —they offer the kinds of personal insights and seasoned advice you just can’t get in business school. It’s like sitting down at the table with some of the nation’s top socially conscious entrepreneurs.
The book tackles the kinds of challenges every entrepreneur struggles with. How open and honest can you really be with your employees and still run an efficient business? At what point do you seek outside expertise? What do you do when things go terribly wrong? When is it time to leave? The authors and their fellow travelers share their experiences—not just what worked, but sometimes what spectacularly didn’t. Some of these stories are a worker getting killed by factory equipment, a false accusation of intellectual property theft , a crucial distributor running up a $195,000 debt with no way to pay it back. Others are simply day-to-day meeting payroll when you’re always in debt, deciding how to expand in a responsible way, balancing business needs with your commitment to the triple bottom line. At the end of each chapter, Lorimer and Fraser offer practical tips that can guide you through similar situations.
This is a book you can look to for affirmation, hope, and tools. No book can cover every challenge that might arise, but if you learn from the attitudes, techniques, and coping mechanisms these seasoned leaders offer, you’ll get through the tough stuff with your sanity and your business intact.
Margot Fraser and Lisa Lorimer have been there, and they’re here to help. Together with five of their colleagues—including Stonyfield Farm founder Gary Hirshberg and former Ms. Foundation president Marie C. Wilson —they offer the kinds of personal insights and seasoned advice you just can’t get in business school. It’s like sitting down at the table with some of the nation’s top socially conscious entrepreneurs.
The book tackles the kinds of challenges every entrepreneur struggles with. How open and honest can you really be with your employees and still run an efficient business? At what point do you seek outside expertise? What do you do when things go terribly wrong? When is it time to leave? The authors and their fellow travelers share their experiences—not just what worked, but sometimes what spectacularly didn’t. Some of these stories are a worker getting killed by factory equipment, a false accusation of intellectual property theft , a crucial distributor running up a $195,000 debt with no way to pay it back. Others are simply day-to-day meeting payroll when you’re always in debt, deciding how to expand in a responsible way, balancing business needs with your commitment to the triple bottom line. At the end of each chapter, Lorimer and Fraser offer practical tips that can guide you through similar situations.
This is a book you can look to for affirmation, hope, and tools. No book can cover every challenge that might arise, but if you learn from the attitudes, techniques, and coping mechanisms these seasoned leaders offer, you’ll get through the tough stuff with your sanity and your business intact.
- GenresBusiness
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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December 5, 2009
Honest stories about running a small business while keeping your personal beliefs in tact. If you're looking for inspirational, happy ending stories this isn't the book for you. But if you want real accounts of real people dealing with all the business issues that can come up every day, this is a good read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review