The Leader's Guide to Radical Management by Stephen Denning - Book review

The Leader's Guide to Radical Management

Reinventing the Workplace for the 21st Century

By: Stephen Denning

Published: October 12, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
ISBN-10: 0470548681
ISBN-13: 978-0470548684
Publisher: Jossey-Bass











"This is a book about a radically different way of managing", writes former director for knowledge management at the World Bank, and thought leader on management, innovation, and leadership, Stephen Denning, in his visionary and provocative book The Leader's Guide to Radical Management: Reinventing the Workplace for the 21st Century. The author describes the critical importance of dismantling the traditional workplace and management techniques, and replacing them with a fresh approach to managing in the twenty-first century.

Stephen Denning recognizes the dramatic changes that have taken place in workplaces in recent years. These changes include the entirely different ways of thinking, speaking, and acting at work. With employees now feeling frustrated and unfulfilled at work, and seeking job satisfaction, and a more meaningful work experience, the author proposes that an entirely new system of management is essential as well. With the changes in the marketplace, in customer behavior, and a more interactive marketing conversation, the old ways of managing are no longer effective, and are not sufficient or appropriate for the new emerging marketplace and empowered customers. The old management system is no longer adequate for managing employees either. As a result, the entire system of management, as it is currently constructed, must be changed completely and in very fundamental ways.



Stephen Denning (photo left) proposes a complete revamping of the traditional management system, and rebuilding it from a new and firmer foundation. For the author, current management practice and theory is outdated and ineffective, and can not be repaired with incremental change. With the complete transformation of the marketplace, an entirely different workforce and a revamped workplace, and a legacy system that has become counterproductive, Stephen Denning recommends the concept of radical management. He breaks radical management into seven principles:

* Delighting clients
* Self-organizing teams
* Client-driven iterations
* Delivering value to customers in each iteration
* Radical transparency
* Continuous self-improvement
* Interactive communication

For me, the power of the book is how Stephen Denning takes a holistic approach to rebuilding the entire theory and process of management, that includes fundamental changes in the workplace and in relationships with customers. The author recognizes that the existing management system is suboptimal, and even stands in the way of enhanced employee productivity and job satisfaction. Existing management practices all too often fail to understand fundamental changes in the marketplace, and lack the ability to optimize the relationship with customers. One of the most piercing insights presented by Stephen Denning is his understanding of the current unspoken assumption that the current management model is both inevitable and almost a law of nature. The author recognizes that, not only is the current management system broken, but is most certainly not the only possible option available to managers.

Stephen Denning points to the transformation of the workforce from semi-skilled workers to that of knowledge employees. The current management system was created for an entirely different type of employee, company, and economy. It is only reasonable to expect that such deep and fundamental changes would also necessitate a change in the process and practice of management as well. Simply making minor changes around the edges will not result in a form of management that meets the needs of the twenty-first century. Stephen Denning recommends ending the old twentieth century management model, and reinventing the theory and practice to suit the present and future workplace, marketplace, and economy. The author doesn't simply tear down the previous management system. He shares concrete and viable ideas and principles to transform the workplace and management into a new and radical management format.

I highly recommend the seminal and must read book The Leader's Guide to Radical Management: Reinventing the Workplace for the 21st Century by Stephen Denning, to business managers seeking to reinvent their workplaces and approaches to the evolving marketplace. This book provides the techniques and strategies to address change in both the workplace and with customers.

Read the thought provoking and destined to become classic book The Leader's Guide to Radical Management: Reinventing the Workplace for the 21st Century by Stephen Denning, and take the crucial steps toward reinventing your workplace and customer relationships from the ground up. Instead of the outmoded management practices utilized by your competitors, your company will be on the forefront of management techniques for the twenty-first century.

Tags: The Leader's Guide to Radical Management: Reinventing the Workplace for the 21st Century, Stephen Denning, enhanced management strategies, business book reviews.

Wikibrands by Sean Moffitt & Mike Dover - Book review

Wikibrands:

Reinventing Your Company in a Customer-Driven Marketplace

By: Sean Moffitt, Mike Dover

Published: January 6, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 318 pages
ISBN: 978-0-07-1749275
Publisher: McGraw-Hill













"Wikibrands represent the future of business - a future that calls for a shift in the long-held business management tenets on how we approach customers", write thought leaders Sean Moffitt and Mike Dover in their landmark and visionary book Wikibrands: Reinventing Your Company in a Customer-Driven Marketplace. The authors describe how the entire concepts of marketing and branding have been turned completely upside down in the new, engaged customer driven world.



Sean Moffitt (photo left) and Mike Dover recognize the changes that are transforming brands, as well as the opinion that consumers hold of brands. The previous paradigm of brands as promises, and of controlled images, has long since passed into history. The marketer no longer exerts control over the message and the brand. That power has passed through to the empowered customers of today and tomorrow, who regard themselves as being part owners and critical stakeholders in the brand itself. As a result, the traditional brand itself is evolving into a new, community based concept. One of the tools at the disposal of the modern consumer is that of social media. While the tools may be important as a platform, what really matters is the shared message, customer collaboration, and the building of community.



Mike Dover (photo left) and Sean Moffitt understand the critical importance of engaging customers in meaningful dialogue, that builds relationships and shared collaboration, and stakeholding in the brand and its future.Brands without engagement will fall by the wayside to marketers who understand the shared ownership of brands in the emerging engaged world. The brand can no longer be a marketing shaped image. Instead, the revolutionary change in the idea of a brand, is fast becoming on of relationship. With the old command and control model of one way communication being shattered by the social web, the authors have termed the new model of of the Wikibrand. In this new view of the world, the brand is built upon, added to, shared, changed, and transformed into something entirely customer driven and designed. The letting go of the control is the crucial first step for marketers to achieve engagement and create relationships. The participatory brand is replacing the the one way brand, and future branding and marketing thinking must reflect that new reality.

For me, the power of the book is how Sean Moffitt and Mike Dover present their thought provoking analysis of the evolution of brands from one of working and talking with customers, from the previous technique of broadcasting messages at customers. The authors provide both a theoretical background for their ideas, and share their practical steps for creating a fresh and collaborative approach to marketing and brands. The book contains nine steps, that should be read and absorbed by every business leader and marketer, as a source of understanding into how brands have ceased to exist in their previous form. Indeed, the new Wikibrand is almost formless, as it is altered, amended, and recreated in previously unimagined ways and uses.

The authors also bolster their discussion with case studies of real world companies who have embraced the Wikibrands ideal. These businesses have recognized the fundamental changes that are taking place in the social marketplace. These corporations have reconciled the seemingly opposing worlds of brand development and customer driven conversation and collaboration. For these companies, community has replaced control, and the result has been a strengthening of their business relationships with its customers, and an enhanced bottom line. The authors capture the essence of the new paradigm, and not only describe how it works, but also why Wikibrands are the future of brands and of marketing.

I highly recommend the seminal and important book Wikibrands: Reinventing Your Company in a Customer-Driven Marketplace by Sean Moffitt and Mike Dover, to any business leaders, marketers, and social media thought leaders who are seeking a fresh approach and perceptive insights into the rapidly evolving nature of brands and marketing. The authors take the reader into the online social world where pull marketing is created through engagement and collaboration, and where the old push ideas are not only ineffective, but irrelevant.

Read the essential and idea packed book Wikibrands: Reinventing Your Company in a Customer-Driven Marketplace by Sean Moffitt and Mike Dover, and discover the philosophy behind this new collaborative world, and learn the tactics and strategies that will turn your company into a success in the Wikibrand universe.

Tags: Wikibrands: Reinventing Your Company in a Customer-Driven Marketplace, Sean Moffitt, Mike Dover, marketing and branding, business book reviews.

The No Asshole Rule by Robert Sutton - Book review

The No Asshole Rule

Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't

By: Robert I. Sutton PhD

Published: September 1, 2010
Format: Paperback, 256 pages
ISBN-10: 0446698202
ISBN-13: 978-0446698207
Publisher: Business Plus















"Every organization needs a no asshole rule because mean-spirited people do massive damage to victims, bystanders who suffer the ripple effects, organizational performance, and themselves", writes Professor of Management Science at Stanford University, Robert Sutton in his meticulously researched and seminal book The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't. The author describes the damage inflicted on people and organizations, as well as the hidden costs of having these unpleasant and demeaning people within a company.

Robert Sutton understands how destructive the bosses, co-workers, and subordinates he calls assholes can be to people and organizations. The author has experienced the venom of these socially maladjusted people first hand. Through his painstaking research of a wide variety of companies, across many industries and sectors, the author discovered that the asshole is an all too common menace in most offices. Robert Sutton describes in detail what he classifies as the twelve different types of these destructive personalities. From the very beginning of the book, the author makes it clear that his goal is to replace these demeaning people with decent people, who share the traits of common courtesy, collaboration, and respect for others. Robert Sutton is clear that he is not recommending hiring spineless wimps and yes people. Instead, he considers hiring people who respect others, and treat people with civility and cooperation.



Robert I. Sutton (photo left) shares his simple but valuable tests for determining another person's asshole factor. The first test asks if a person, having spoken and interacted with the other person feels oppressed, humiliated, or belittled. Even more importantly, does the demeaned person feel worse about himself or herself. The second test is whether the alleged asshole demean those less powerful than themselves, but not those who are more powerful. For Bob Sutton, the way a person treats subordinates and the non-powerful as opposed to the way the same individual interacts with those possessing more power, is a very good test of whether that person is an asshole. The author strongly encourages hiring and associating with people who treat everyone, regardless of their perceived power or lack thereof, with decency and respect. The author points to the benefits of hiring, retaining, and promoting good people to the productivity and job satisfaction of other employees, and also to the overall benefit to the company. For Robert Sutton, assholes in the organization are bad for business.

For me, the power of the book is how Robert Sutton describes the problems caused by the presence of the unpleasant assholes in a company. He points out the characteristics of these problem people, and shows clearly the damage they wreak on the organization, its employees, and customers. Along with the vivid description of what makes a person an asshole, Robert Sutton demonstrates how to work with these people, without being contaminated by their brand of venom. He also shares techniques and strategies for disarming these unsociable individuals, and for avoiding the tendency to let their insensitivity demean others or yourself. To prevent the addition of more assholes to the roster, and to ensure these people don't become the reigning force, Robert Sutton outlines his no asshole rule, and how to ensure it works and becomes a course of action for the company.

Robert Sutton strengthens his theoretical outline with real world examples of how some organizations have neutralized problem individuals within their own systems. These examples are useful for the reader to understand how assholes operate, and how they affect others around them. The examples and stories are bolstered by extensive research into the asshole phenomenon, and why it is so widespread in organizations of all types. The painstaking research provides important background to the issue, as well as offering tests to uncover hidden assholes within the company. There is even test in the book for the reader to determine one's own level of asshole traits and behavior. The practical strategies and tactics for surviving asshole laden organizations, and for dealing with those unpleasant people as individuals make this book a must have tool for workplace action and survival.

I highly recommend the seminal and highly readable book The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't by Robert I. Sutton, to anyone who has close encounters with boorish and insensitive people at work or elsewhere in one's life. The concept of having a no asshole rule as part of the company culture is brilliant, and essential in the modern organization. The costs of assholes in terms of personal well being, employment satisfaction, productivity, and company performance are simply too large to ignore.

Read the practical and very valuable guide The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't by Robert I. Sutton, and make your own workplace one where assholes dare not tread. Instead, transform your own organization into one where people treat one another, their customers, and everyone with whom they come into contact, with the respect they deserve as human beings. A no asshole rule will do wonders for your sanity, your productivity, your personal self esteem, and your overall performance. Your company will be more profitable, without the asshole generated distractions, as well.

Tags: The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't, Robert Sutton, personnel management, business book reviews.

The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century by Dr. Dickson Despommier - Book review

The Vertical Farm

Feeding the World in the 21st Century

By: Dr. Dickson Despommier

Published: October 12, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
ISBN-10: 0312611390
ISBN-13: 978-0312611392
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books












"When farms are successfully moved to cities, we can convert significant amounts of farmland back into whatever ecosystem was there originally, simply by leaving it alone", writes speaker, lecturer, environmentalist, and former professor of microbiology and public health in environmental sciences at Columbia University, Dr. Dickson Despommier in his visionary and revolutionary book The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century. The author offers the concept of the urban based vertical farm as a self sustaining alternative to creating a secure global food supply for the future.

Dickson Despommier understands the severe challenges of pesticide use, soil degradation, crop loss, and dependence on fossil fuels. To meet these growing pressures, the author takes the radical step of moving the farm from the countryside, and into the city itself. With the ever expanding global urban population, and with those growing cities being the final destination for food, Dr. Despommier proposes moving food production to the ultimate consumers. The author believes that cities must produce their own food supplies, as he considers current agricultural systems to be unable to meet the demand. Basing his ideas on scarce resources, environmental concerns, and demographic projections, Dickson Despommier provides what is a viable solution for potential food shortages. By placing the growing of food under glass, and building upwards toward the sky, the urban vertical farm becomes a self sustaining source of food to supply the growing population of the world.



Dr. Dickson Despommier (photo left) points to additional benefits of urban based agriculture, beyond those of environmental and energy challenges. He writes that the wastes generated by urban dwellers can be recycled into the vertical farm. At the same time, water usage is reduced trough reuse of black and gray water for the growing plants. Through the reduction of urban waste and recycling of refuse, the health of the cities would also be improved with less disease and lower vermin numbers. The author extrapolates the growth of the world's population, and calculates that vastly more land area than is even available for cultivation, would be required for conventional agriculture. With the need for either more farmland, or for more intensive use of existing farmland, Dickson Despommier considers the lack of available resources to be a limiting factor. To make up the difference, or to replace current agricultural land entirely, the author considers the vertical, urban based farm to be the only workable alternative.

For me, the power of the book is the visionary approach taken by Dr. Dickson Despommier, as he shares his philosophy, scientific research, and engineering designs for the vertical farm proposal. Along with the theoretical framework, the author provides practical methods to turn the dream of an urban based agriculture into a reality. The author also addresses the critics of his concepts in a realistic and meaningful way. He points to the rapidly evolving conventional agricultural industry, and how it is bumping against environmental, technological, resource, and financial barriers. Even with expanded area under cultivation, and with dramatic yield increases, writes the author, the existing global agricultural industry will fail to produce enough food in a sustainable manner.

Even more controversial than the proposed limits to production, is Dr. Dickson Despommier's proposal to return agricultural land to a native state. The author points out how 70 percent of the world's fresh water is used for agriculture. To Dr. Dickson Despommier, that is an unsustainable amount, and the precursor to an environmental disaster. His urban agricultural vision uses much less water, and recycles its use back into the vertical farm's ecosystem. The saving in energy is considerable, according to the author, especially in light of Peak Oil and other resource limitations. The reduction in pesticides and the lower number of food miles present energy savings that can be applied elsewhere. The author also considers the vertical farm to be a source of future employment, a remover of urban wastes, a technique to reduce crop losses, as well as a source of safer food.

I highly recommend the innovative and seminal book The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century by Dr. Dickson Despommier, to anyone seeking a viable, and ingenious solution to global food security. The reader might not agree with all of the author's premises or conclusions, but the book provides an excellent starting point for discussion. The future of the family farm, the role of corporations, and the benefits of the urban based vertical farm must all be considered. The author provides a backdrop of environmental degradation, an exploding world population, resource shortages, and the need for more land area for conventional agriculture, when he offers his vertical solution.

Read the important and paradigm shifting book The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century by Dr. Dickson Despommier, and consider the advantages and potential drawbacks of the vertical farm. The author shares a compelling case that the vertical farm will meet the food challenges of the 21st century. from the viewpoint of the author, it may even be the only way to feed a hungry world.

Tags: The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century, Dr. Dickson Despommier, future agriculture, economics book reviews.

Branded! by Michael E. Conroy - Book review

Branded!

How the 'Certification Revolution' is Transforming Global Corporations

By: Michael E. Conroy

Published: June 1, 2007
Format: Paperback, 320 pages
ISBN-10: 0865715793
ISBN-13: 978-0865715790
Publisher: New Society Publishers





"There is a movement afoot that has the potential to transform the way global corporations do their work", writes economist and independent consultant on sustainable development certification, Michael E. Conroy, in his visionary and corporate transformational book Branded! How the 'Certification Revolution' is Transforming Global Corporations. The author describes how the rapidly expanding 'certification movement' is creating a revolution in how leading corporations conduct business in a globalized economy.

Michael E, Conroy recognizes that a corporation's brands, and the images and promises both explicit and implicit within those brand names, are their most valuable assets. Because of the critical importance of these brand reputations, leading global companies are taking steps toward protecting their brands. In the process, the same corporations have discovered that improved social and environmental practices are also strengthening their company bottom lines. In effect, the revolution in global corporate thinking is leading to the realization that ethical and sustainable business is also good business practice. To ensure the cooperation of even more corporations, in this growing worldwide sea change, the very effective 'certification movement' was born.



Michael E. Conroy (photo left) understands the controversial position that certification creates for both sustainable development advocates and corporations. The author discusses the criticisms leveled against non-governmental organizations (NGO's) for forming alliances and agreements with multinational companies. Michael Conroy regards certification as simply part of an overall process toward social and environmental sustainability and responsibility. The process works in three general steps:

* Nonprofit organizations create new standards for corporate responsibility
* Companies move to adopt the standards through NGO pressure or market forces
* Standard setting organizations develop an effective certification method

Despite initial skepticism from both environmentalists and corporations, Michael Conroy points to the successes of the certification system. The author describes the concept as a growing movement, gaining acceptance from all stakeholders.

For me, the power of the book is how Michael E. Conroy makes a convincing case for the development and practice of the 'certification movement'. The author provides a theoretical framework that demonstrates not only how the certification process works, but why it operates so effectively. The author shares his ideas for strengthening the system and for expanding it to include more companies, nonprofit organizations, and a deeper understanding of social and environmental sustainability. The author calls for more transparency in the process, to ensure it works more effectively, and achieves its goals more efficiently. The author strengthens his book with research based evidence, resulting from a decade long study of certification, from all aspects of the concept.

Through a series of case studies, of real world corporations utilizing the certification system, Michael Conroy provides evidence of the effectiveness of the alliances. At the same time, the author offers evidence of growing acceptance of certification, as only one step in a journey toward more social and environmental concern, on the part of corporate leaders. The evidence that ethical behavior is also profitable behavior is compelling, and important for companies to recognize. Their brands are associated with their environmental, employee, and social activities, with bad behavior being punished in a growing environmentally aware marketplace. The author also looks to the future of certification, and its prospects for initiating and enhancing efforts toward alleviating poverty, environmental degradation, and employment conditions.

I highly recommend the comprehensive and definitive book Branded! How the 'Certification Revolution' is Transforming Global Corporations by Michael E. Conroy, to anyone seeking a guidebook to understanding the revolutionary and expanding 'certification movement'. The book presents the theory and best practices necessary to developing and implementing a certification system within any NGO and corporation.

Read the seminal and research based book Branded! How the 'Certification Revolution' is Transforming Global Corporations by Michael E. Conroy, and discover not only the power of certification, but also how alliances and partnerships between global companies and international organizations can result in greater social and environmental sustainability. The companies benefit through their brands being associated with sustainable practices, more profitability, and greater positive visibility. NGO's benefit through the achievement of their goals in harmony with companies, rather than through an adversarial role. The general public benefits through a healthier environment and greater social responsibility on the part of corporations.

Tags: Branded! How the 'Certification Revolution' is Transforming Global Corporations, Michael E. Conroy, certification movement, business book reviews.

Riding The Alligator by Pen Densham - Book review

Riding the Alligator

Strategies for a Career in Screenplay Writing...and not getting eaten

By: Pen Densham

Published: January 1, 2011
Format: Paperback, 272 pages
ISBN-10: 193290784X
ISBN-13: 978-1932907841
Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions












"The right way to create is the way that works best for you", writes accomplished and successful Hollywood screenwriter, and principal of Trilogy Entertainment Group, Pen Densham, in his comprehensive and idea packed book Riding the Alligator: Strategies for a Career in Screenplay Writing...and not getting eaten. The author takes the aspiring screenwriter behind the scenes, and describes the process and the passion that drives a Hollywood movie and television screenplay writer.

Pen Densham has achieved acclaim and numerous awards, from his peers and the from the film industry as a whole, for his well known screenplays. While he written and sold numerous blockbuster scripts, the author maintains a balanced view of what it means to mark one's mark as a writer in Tinseltown. Pen Densham starts his discussion of screenwriting with a call for passion. While the author acknowledges that the very idea of suggesting passion has morphed into an overworked cliche, he also understands its critical importance. Without a passion to propel the writer forward, and to overcome the very high odds against a screenplay being purchased, the would be screenwriter might give up completely. The passion creates the preparation for success. With strong preparation, a well written script, and a little luck, the writer can beat the odds. With the passion in place, Pen Densham describes the essential skills and strategies that must be learned to become a success in Hollywood.



Pen Densham (photo left) recognizes that creating and selling a script, in the highly competitive movie and television fields, is not easy. The author begins by asking why do people watch movies. While a seemingly obvious question, the answers are partly philosophical, psychological, and personal. Story is embedded deeply in the psyche and emotions of all people, and Pen Densham points to the writer as the conduit and modern day shaman, to bring story and the human condition to life. Pen Densham shares his philosophies for finding story ideas, and for trusting one's own instincts. He makes clear that the experts and studio moguls can be wrong. The author provides insights into creating characters, and for developing roles that stars will want to play on the screen. Once written, Pen Densham describes the challenging process of selling a script for production, and for getting paid for the work.

For me, the power of the book is how Pen Densham provides an honest and unvarnished description of the entire process of screenwriting from start to stardom. The book contains a nice mixture of the author's philosophy and theory of screenplay creation, combined with the nuts and bolts process for putting story to paper. At the same time, the book features very crucial sections on the business side of becoming and remaining a Hollywood writer. Pen Densham describes candidly the pitfalls that can await the unwary, and how to avoid some of the most deadly mistakes. The author offers his experiences, both good and bad, as guidance for the novice writer.

Along with the thoughts and strategies shared by Pen Densham, are the ideas and philosophies of other well known Hollywood screenwriters. Their additional perspectives, and alternative concepts of writing, enhance the overall value of the book. By providing essays from other leading script developers, Pen Densham gives the reader other viewpoints on writing, and on the industry as a whole. Not content with simply providing his own work, and that of the other writers, Pen Densham gives the would be writer even more value. Included in the book are suggestions for other books that can provide additional information and techniques for writing and selling movie and television screenplays. Overall, the author provides a complete package that will benefit any novice screenwriter.

I highly recommend the informative and essential book Riding the Alligator: Strategies for a Career in Screenplay Writing...and not getting eaten by Pen Densham, to anyone seeking an insider's guide to success in the tough Hollywood market. The author provides the tools necessary to help the writer find the stories, create the roles, and write the scripts that will sell for production.

Read the delightful and practical book Riding the Alligator: Strategies for a Career in Screenplay Writing...and not getting eaten by Pen Densham, and start living your dream of success as a writer of Hollywood screenplays. This book will give you more than just the basics. It will provide both the inspiration and the techniques for creating that Hollywood blockbuster screenplay.

Tags: Riding the Alligator: Strategies for a Career in Screenplay Writing...and not getting eaten, Pen Densham, screenwriting technique, business book reviews.

Dal LaMagna: Raising Eyebrows: A Failed Entrepreneur Finally Gets It Right - Author interview

Successful entrepreneur, political activist, small business adviser, film maker, and founder of Tweezerman, Dal LaMagna, was kind enough to take the time to answer a few questions about his inspirational and practical entrepreneurship guide book Raising Eyebrows: A Failed Entrepreneur Finally Gets it Right.

Dal LaMagna shares his inspiration, his misfortunes, his mistakes, and his triumphs in building a successful company in the beauty industry. He also points to his conviction and commitment to responsible capitalism.







What was the background to writing this book Raising Eyebrows: A Failed Entrepreneur Finally Gets it Right?

Dal LaMagna: Ten years after I had graduated from the Harvard Business School I could not afford to attend the 10th Year Reunion. Frank Suttell a classmate and friend had announced to the class that I had cause its average income to drop $80. I only made $2,500 that year - painting and odd jobs. I had failed at numerous attempts to start a business. I assumed I suffered from some tragic flaw and left Venice Beach California, where I was living, and returned to Long Island, New York to live (for free) with my mother and younger sister. As an exercise I wrote up a chronology of all my business failure. I thought it could be a book. I called it Failing To Get Ahead. When I finished it 300 pages later I realized that people would not be very interested in a tale of woe unless there was a success at the end. I shelved the book. Twenty-five years later after I sold Tweezerman for millions I decided to finish the book. That took another six years.

You founded a successful company called Tweezerman. How did you get that idea for a business?

Dal LaMagna: One day my backside was covered with splinters. Read the book if you want to know how that happened. I was looking between my legs in a mirror, at my butt. I had a tweezers in one hand and a needle in the other trying to take them out. I couldn't even get one. I thought if the tweezers were itself a needle I would easily grab the splinters. I went to the drug store in town to buy one. They didn't have them. Nor did the local hardware store. I was at the end of my rope living in Venice Beach, California and - see above - moved back to live with my mom. I borrowed my sister's bike and found a job at an electronic company located in the neighboring Industrial park. The workers were picking up capacitors and diodes with needle pointed tweezers. They looked exactly how I imagined they should to work as splinter tweezers. I bought several from the purchasing director; packaged them as splinter tweezers; and that launched the business.

As an entrepreneur, what lessons have you learned about creating a successful start up business?

Dal LaMagna: Find something you can do with the money you have or can easily get. Focus on on idea. Don't expect to make a million dollars overnight. Don't overreach. If your friends think your idea is stupid, they are probably right. Don't spend any money on your business unless you are forced to. Buy things used. You can find anything you need - almost - on Craigslist. Don't fear failure. Get over it. Fear success - make sure you want the life you will have when you succeed.

All growing businesses need employees. What advice do you have for employers in creating people policies?

Dal LaMagna: Pay attention to your gut feeling when you are hiring people. Remember they will be in your life every day. If they don't click with you don't hire them. The first person you will hire is your assistant. They must be organized. I followed my candidates to their car and if their car was a mess I didn't hire them. When you do hire them have a trial period of at least one month - meaning you can let them go for any reason during the first month. Take care of your employees and they will take care of you. I empowered my employees. if you want to hear more go to www.askDal.com.



Dal LaMagna (photo left)

Many business people experience difficulty with debt, revenue, and cash flow. How can a business person better manage their money and finance their company without a crippling debt load?

Dal LaMagna: Keep track of all your expenses. I now use Quickbooks for my record keeping. Run profit and loss statements every month. Remember, there are three basic functions you need to finance - the product or service, selling it, and running the company. Balance your spending among these three things. Don't buy anything new. Don't build infrastructure until you have to - e.g. run your business from your house or garage until you get it running.

Have you got a few do's that every entrepreneur should consider adding to their business policy?

Dal LaMagna: Do write down all your agreements with everyone you are engaging in your business. Tell the truth. Be patient.

Are them some don't's that business people should avoid doing; or stop doing?

Dal LaMagna: Don't exploit anyone. The Law of Karma will bite you back. Don't fire people unless a second person in your company (assuming you have more than one) agrees. Don't gamble. Running an expensive ad to see how it might work is a gamble.

Capitalism has taken a few lumps in recent years, as many business models have failed, workers have been displaced by off-shoring, bad management has been rewarded, and bailouts have become the standard. How can a business person be a responsible capitalist today?

Dal LaMagna: Take care of your employee=, your customers, your vendors, and shareholders and they will take care of you. Give your employees a share of the profits yearly (I gave 5%); make them part owners (at the end mine owned 20%). Give 5% of your profits to charities that you and your employees select. Pay a living wage. Provide health insurance (if you can't afford full blown insurance, have a policy with a high deductible, so employees are covered for catastrophe.

What is one piece of advice you would give to any current or would be entrepreneur?

Dal LaMagna: Read my book Raising Eyebrows: A Failed Entrepreneur Finally Gets it Right.

What is next for Dal LaMagna?

Dal LaMagna: I am working as a small business responsible capitalist activist. I am a trustee and major funder of BGI Bainbridge Graduate Institute, a graduate school awarding MBA's in sustainable business. Recently, I became a managing part of IceStone a Brooklyn based manufacturing company that make counter tops out of recycled glass and cement.

*******

My book review of Raising Eyebrows: A Failed Entrepreneur Finally Gets it Right by Dal LaMagna.

Tags: Raising Eyebrows: A Failed Entrepreneur Finally Gets it Right, Dal LaMagna, responsible capitalism, business author interviews.