“The WORST-CASE SCENARIO Business Survival Guide”
By David Borgenicht and Mark Joyner
Reviewed by Theresa A. Pugh
Some job seekers decide to try to create businesses of their own. David Borgenicht, one of the co-authors of this book, tells us upfront that he is not a business guru. He hasn’t earned his MBA or sold his start-up business for millions of dollars. This means, for the most part, he is just a ‘regular guy’ who happens to own a book publishing business. And he can write. The other author, Mark Joyner says this about the book: “If I had such a resource when I was starting my first business, I would have been spared a tremendous amount of pain and suffering.”
The secret to why this book has been so successful is its simplicity and common-sense approach.
There
is also a great quote at the beginning of the book, attributed to
Winston
Churchill: “If you’re going through Hell, keep
going!” Of course, a feeling of
going through hell can often sum up both the way the job search
experience
feels and the feelings of many of those struggling to start new
businesses.
The book is comprised of the following chapters:
1. Financial Emergencies
2. HR Emergencies
3. Productivity Emergencies
4. Sales and Marketing Emergencies
5. Executive Emergencies
· Basic Training
· Epilogue
· Appendix
The authors give you first-aid tools.
The common-sense approach of the book is illustrated in the Basic Training section:
· Treat everyone with respect, no matter what
· The ultimate form of respect is clarity-in both communications and expectations
· “Respect” does not mean being a pushover
· Put the important stuff in writing
· Sweat the small stuff
· Then again, don’t sweat the small stuff
· Counsel early and state clearly the consequences of failure
· Never engage in gossip
· You are not their friend. You are not their father. You are their boss
Many of these points are self-explanatory and are classic advice in a business environment. In reference to the first point, treat everyone with respect, the authors write: “High School is Over.” This is a really clear way of getting their point across. Grow up and be professional. You’ll get further this way in the short-term and the long-run, is their message.
“Sweat the small stuff” includes remembering people’s birthdays. “It may be a small calendar entry for you, but for them, it’s a huge once-a-year event, one that is potentially wrapped in intense emotions. If you’re the only one to acknowledge the special day when all other friends and family have forgotten, your sensitivity is likely to engender great loyalty.” Besides, it‘s a nice, easy and inexpensive thing to do.
“Don’t sweat the small stuff” means acknowledging everyone makes mistakes. That’s life. You don’t need to keep harping on the past.
For useful tips that everyone can apply in their daily lives, turn to the section called: “How to Remove Productivity Leeches.” The advice here comes from an outside advisor, Ryan Lee, www.ryanlee.com.
He recommends the following approaches to increase efficiency:
· Do not check your e-mail first thing in the day. Check it after you’ve mapped out your priorities for the day
· Eliminate interruptions. This means not answering your door or finding something to eat when you’re bored
· Unplug yourself. Focus, focus, focus means unplugging from cell phones, emails and all types of distractions
· Take productivity-enhancing breaks. Take a fifteen-minute walk during lunch and stay energized
· Work with a timer. Use a stopwatch and compete with yourself for extra efficiency
· Block distracting web sites. Contrary to proponents who use social media sites during the day, Lee suggests blocking this at work· Perform similar activities together. Don’t multi-task from emails to phone calls. Do assigned tasks and then move on to the next area
Another aspect of this book which contributes to the clarity of the message is the combination of simple illustrations in each chapter and the “expert advisor” sections offered at points throughout the book.
In the How to Market Without Money section, for example, expert advisors such as Andrew Lock, www.helpmybusiness.com and Corey Perlman, www.ebootcampbook.com, offer their insights: even the names of the web sites lend credibility on the given subject matter.
Bringing in external expert advisors is part of the winning approach of the book. The authors, Borgenicht and Joyner, do not try to give the readers all the required answers; instead, they bring in outside help.
Also found in the Appendix is a list of speeches. There is a:
· “You’re Fired” Speech
· Announcing a Termination to Your Staff
· The Layoff Speech
· The “We can’t pay you on time” Speech
· The All-Purpose Apology
· The Breakup/“It’s not you, it’s me” Speech for Business Relationships
· The “Down at Halftime” Pep talk Formula
And my personal favorite: Ten Great “Tough Time Pep Talk” Quotes including: -
“Big shots are only little shots who keep shooting.” Christopher Morley
About the Authors:
David Borgenicht is the creator and co-author of the books in the Worst-Case Scenario series (visit www.worstcasescenrios.com), several of which have become international best sellers. He also is the founder of Quirk Books, a publisher of crossover nonfiction and “irreference” books.
Mark Joyner is the founder and chairman of Construct Zero (www.ConstructZero.org). He is the author of more than a dozen books that have been translated into 21 languages, and is widely recognized as an influential figure in the birth of the Internet as a marketing tool. He is interested in entrepreneurialism as a tool for social change.
Other online reviews of this book can be found at:
“Wow! This book is truly amazing! It has helped me save my business....”
“You'll learn how to Stay in business when you can't make payroll....”
Check
out the Google preview of this book at:
http://www.wiley-vch.de/publish/en/books/bySubjectBA00/bySubSubjectBA01/0-470-55141-0/?sID=p2qlnooj68su7htl8qrrc2qjt3