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Small Giants

A business book. From the USA. And the first few lines have that 'American business book' tone. However, read on and discover an inspirational guide to business strategy.

Small giants could have been written about many of our clients (in fact, one of them is included as one of the fourteen case study companies). It could have been written about our businesses too. The book examines an emerging business force, a new class of companies. These organisations are determined to be the best at what they do; they have chosen not to focus primarily on getting as big as possible, as fast as possible instead pursuing goals they consider to be more important. These companies are privately owned. There in lies the interest of this book because most business analysts will look at larger public companies and those are the main focus of business magazines and newspapers.

The case studies in this book are successful, profitable businesses. They also want to be great at what they do. Their owners have created 'great places to work'; they contribute to the community; they provide fantastic service; they have fantastic supplier relationships. Overall, they find great ways to live their lives. These companies have learned how to excel in all these things and in many cases have put limits on how much and how fast they grow. Now here's the interesting bit: the wealth they have created, though substantial, has been a by-product of success in these other areas. Bo Burlingham calls them giants and we like them a lot! There are lessons to be learned for any type of company within this book. £9.99 for a wealth of good ideas and inspiration, definitely a recommended read.

15 January 2009