Simple Numbers can guide you to increased business profitability Take the mystery out of small business finance with this no-frills guide to understanding the numbers that will guide your business out of any financial black hole. Author Greg Crabtree, a successful accountant, small business advisor, and popular presenter, shows you how to use your firm's key financial indicators as a basis for smart business decisions as you grow your firm from startup to $5 million (and, more ) in annual revenue. Jargon free, and presented in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step format, with plenty of real-world examples, Crabtree's down-to-earth discussion highlights the most common financial errors committed by small businesses, and how to avoid them. You'll be fascinated to learn: Why your numbers are lying to you (and why you are the cause ) How labor productivity is the key to profitability and simplifying human resource decisions Why the amount of tax you pay is your #1 key performance indicator Take advantage of Crabtree's years of experience teaching clients how to build successful businesses by ''seeing beyond numbers'' with this step-by-step guide to increasing your businesses profitability.

Revised edition of the authors' Managing business ethics, [2014]

"Straight Talk for Startups memorializes age-old best practices and empowers both experienced and new investment professionals to beat the odds."—David Krane, CEO, Google Ventures "Straight Talk for Startups is filled with real, raw, and fact-based ‘rules of the road’ that you need to know when diving into our ultra-competitive startup world. A must read and a re-read!"—Tony Fadell, Coinventor of the iPod/iPhone & Founder of Nest Labs Veteran venture capitalist Randy Komisar and finance executive Jantoon Reigersman share no-nonsense, counterintuitive guidelines to help anyone build a successful startup. Over the course of their careers, Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman continue to see startups crash and burn because they forget the timeless lessons of entrepreneurship. But, as Komisar and Reigersman show, you can beat the odds if you quickly learn what insiders know about what it takes to build a healthy foundation for a thriving venture. In Straight Talk for Startups they walk budding entrepreneurs through 100 essential rules—from pitching your idea to selecting investors to managing your board to deciding how and when to achieve liquidity. Culled from their own decades of experience, as well as the experiences of their many successful colleagues and friends, the rules are organized under broad topics, from "Mastering the Fundamentals" and "Selecting the Right Investors," to "The Ideal Fundraise," "Building and Managing Effective Boards," and "Achieving Liquidity." Vital rules you’ll find in Straight Talk for Startups include: The best ideas originate from founders who are users Create two business plans: an execution plan and an aspirational plan Net income is an option, but cash flow is a fact Don’t accept money from strangers Personal wealth doesn’t equal good investing Small boards are better than big ones Add independent board members for expertise and objectivity Too many unanimous board decisions are a sign of trouble Choose an acquirer, don’t wait to be chosen Learn the rules by heart so you know when to break them Filled with helpful real-life examples and specific, actionable advice, Straight Talk for Startups is the ideal handbook for anyone running, working for, or thinking about creating a startup, or just curious about what makes high-potential ventures tick.

Straight-talk at work! Grumblings in offices everywhere suggest that we crave more, but don't get often enough of it. Beyond Bullsh*t reveals the dynamics of bullsh*t and why it has become the corporate etiquette of choice. It also explains how telling it straight contributes to personal well-being and business success. After decades of research and consulting, Samuel A. Culbert is convinced that straight-talk at work is possible. But it requires more than luck and willing people. Straight-talk is the product of thoughtful, caring relationships, built upon trust and commitment. There's no greater contribution to operational effectiveness and success than conversations in which people with conflicting viewpoints discuss their differences forthrightly. Readers will be engaged and delighted as the text demystifies the obstacles to getting beyond bullsh*t and guides them in developing straight-talk relationships. Further details are available at www.straighttalkatwork.com.

From the high-profile founder of the highly successful "Black Enterprise" magazine comes an illuminating guide for the aspiring African-American entrepreneur. Graves uses his own story--which includes careers in the military, real estate, and public service as an assistant to Sen. Robert F. Kennedy--and those of dozens of other black men and women as examples of how to achieve professional success.

"This book is as powerful as it is simple. And that'sthe point. The world truly needs more reminders of this kind of wisdom." Patrick Lencioni; president, The Table Group; bestselling author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The Advantage "In this crisp and timely book, Dan Veitkus exposes the communication traps that stand in the way of even the smartest people. Figure out how to deliver Straight Talk, and watch your leadership, consulting or sales career take off. Because at the end of the day, making real connections is the secret to success." Tim Sanders, author of Love is the Killer App: How To Win Business & Influence Friends and former CSO at Yahoo! "This book is a page turner - a beautiful blend of home spun wisdom, the most up to date research and compelling storytelling. I believe that leaders who embrace the principles in this book will indeed fast track their way to success and simultaneously create an empowering vibrant culture within their organization." Kevin Kelly, Internationally acclaimed leadership speaker and Best Selling Author Too much of what is thrust upon us today as "communication" is simply inefficient and ineffective and in many cases, incoherent and just plain noise. The truth is, we are living in the midst of a "Smart Talk" epidemic. This is a book about a critical set of distinctions. It will expose the difference between spending time, energy and intellectual firepower trying to sound smart and savvy - what the author condemns as "Smart Talk" - and the more effective choice to speak and operate deliberately in order to avoid confusion, frustration, and wasted time and therefore dramatically improve our productivity. Smart Talking is the enemy of Smart Execution. This book exposes common Smart Talk Traps and offers seven Straight Talk Principles that will: - Quickly help you become more productive, communicate more clearly and expertly detect Smart Talk trash. - Allow you to learn (or re-learn) the secrets to more productive conversations, communication and relationships. - Identify the distinction between Straight Talk that produces results and harmony and Smart Talk that brings only disappointment and ultimately, a crash-and-burn finale. The Straight Talk Principles are inspired by the greatest wisdom of the past, colored with personal experience from the present and organized for the benefit of our future. If you make them part of your "operating style," you'll achieve more positive outcomes as you communicate deliberately, honestly, and sincerely -the Straight Talk way.