Showing results by publisher "Ascent Audio" in Business Development & Entrepreneurship

Today's business environment looks dramatically different than it did even a decade ago, and it continues to evolve at an increasing rate; macroeconomic shifts, consumer trends, technological advances, and changing competitive dynamics are accelerating the pace of change. A handbook for how to succeed in the age of big data, Optimizing Growth provides insightful guidance, real-world success stories, and practical tools to achieve growth in this new era, utilizing big data to achieve a deeper understanding of demand, customers, competitors, and opportunity.

Frugal Value contests the notion that companies can rise to the great challenges of our time by adopting so-called "sustainable business" practices. Instead, the acute ecological crisis requires an all-round rethink of what business does and how it does it. This book explores what business responsibility looks like today and how it could be put into practice through far-reaching changes to companies, ranging from new approaches to product design and business models to reconfiguration of operations and innovative ownership structures.

Mindful Business Leadership presents a new model of leadership. It introduces 10 very different leadership roles that are required to meet the challenges of modern business. Memorable metaphors and images are created for each, and they are placed in a matrix. Listeners are shown how to develop these roles within themselves. Potentially negative aspects of each are discussed, along with material on how to put these to creative use.

Twenty-one years after its incorporation and 16 years after its stock peak, Yahoo sold for 96% less than its value on January 3, 2000, when it had closed at an all-time high of $118.75 per share, resulting in a market capitalization of $120 billion. Wall Street valued Yahoo!, at that time in business less than six years, higher than it did Disney, News Corporation, and Comcast combined. Yahoo!'s story is one of missed strategies, failed opportunities, and poor execution.

Coaching Up! is about inspiring those who matter to you to achieve peak performance. Whether you are a coach, a business leader, a civic activist, a teacher, a counselor, or a parent, this book will offer you a powerful, highly effective way to connect to the people you care about and move them forward toward their best selves. In sports, coaches have developed ways of connecting with their players quickly in the "heat of the battle", inspiring them to perform to their fullest potential and "leave it all on the field".

Stadium status is that elusive place every coach, athlete, entertainer, and performer strives to reach. It's moving from being an opening act to the headliner, from performing on a small stage to the greatest stage in the largest venue possible: a sold out stadium. Everything starts from humble beginnings; talent and work ethic might get you in the game, but stadium status takes strategy - and that starts with a vision.

When kindness becomes your primary goal, everything changes: how you look at life, what you get from it, and how others interact with and relate to you. The Profit of Kindness will help you master the art of building trusting, long-lasting relationships through open, nonadversarial interchanges that result in mutually beneficial outcomes.

What if you could brainstorm innovative solutions to your company's challenges? What if you could dream up new businesses that capture markets? What if you could tap the creative genius driving Silicon Valley's success stories? The truth is you can! Analytical thinkers, numbers people, non-artists - everyone can generate imaginative ideas. All it takes is letting go of the "I'm not creative" mindset and employing a proven process.

Leaders have talked about the importance of corporate culture for decades, but the success of iconic companies like GE, Apple, and Google show how culture is a strategic lever that can be utilized for driving growth, change, and innovation. In this new age of globalization, rapid technology shifts, and constant disruption, the 21st-century marketplace is more volatile and uncertain than ever. To thrive, businesses need a new kind of emphasis around culture.

Like the ocean, the marketplace constantly changes and today's cresting reward becomes tomorrow's crashing risk. Before you venture out, take a lesson from the experts: big wave surfers. Like successful entrepreneurs, they rely on preparation, passion, and persistence - and they relish a challenge. So it's no surprise that countless surfers have pioneered products and launched thriving businesses (GoPro cameras, O'Neil, Reef, Quicksilver).

In the last 10 years, the number of nonprofits and social sector organizations has grown by almost 25 percent, while charitable giving declined 30 percent over the same period. As a result, many organizations are chasing grants, tweaking and adding to their core activities to match what they think funders are looking for. Almost half of nonprofits surveyed nationally in 2014 said they added additional programs in the last year. The result is colloquially known as "mission creep" - organizations trying to be everything to everyone.

Small business and legal expert Cliff Ennico has followed the equity crowdfunding story since its inception. Now, in The Crowdfunding Handbook, he explains the JOBS Act and translates the regulations into a clear set of do's and don'ts for entrepreneurs and small-business owners looking to get in early - and do things right.

Birds of a feather flock together. We're all in the same boat. Great minds think alike. While just figures of speech to some, they reflect a simple truth - it's the company we keep that often determines the level of personal growth and professional success we achieve in life. Business leaders exchange information and ideas. They network to make deals and build partnerships. They work together to optimize best practices, and they reach out to leaders outside their companies to accelerate growth.

Career Courage serves as a personal coach through the soul-searching and planning process ahead, whether you're a college grad contemplating choices, a seasoned professional seeking new directions, or a stay-at-home mom preparing to reenter the workplace. Packed with exercises and stories of inspiring second acts, the book poses tough questions about motivation, confidence, character, risk tolerance, and more.

It's an exciting time to be in marketing: The Internet, social media, and content marketing are powerful equalizers, resetting the playing field for businesses large and small. Yet it's also a challenging time, with much work to do and an ever-changing array of platforms, features, and networks to master - all on a tighter budget than before. Don't get discouraged. Get scrappy!

Funding falls apart. A similar product is unveiled by a more established company. A key employee jumps ship to work for a competitor. These are the unexpected obstacles that derail even the most promising new ventures. Entrepreneurs determined to keep up with today's constantly changing business environment need to stay nimble enough to shift their strategies, products, and services on a dime. Yet many fail to master this essential new mind-set: agility.

In their runaway best seller Weekend Millionaire's Secrets to Investing in Real Estate, Mike Summey and Roger Dawson revealed a powerful formula for making a killing in real estate during your spare time. Now, the fourth book in the Weekend Milionaire Series, Weekend Millionaire Secrets to Negotiating Real Estate, teaches the fine art of negotiating in every kind of real estate climate.

Supported by the latest research, this eye-opening audiobook argues that our best work is the product of a positive environment. That's good news for you as a manager. While you can't personally transform the corporate culture, you can influence the workplace climate and create meaningful and lasting change.

In this accessible guide to the meanings of sustainability, Kent Portney describes the evolution of the idea and examines its application in a variety of contemporary contexts - from economic growth and consumption to government policy and urban planning.

From Brian and Alan Beaulieu - the CEO and president of ITR Economics (ITR) - comes Prosperity in the Age of Decline, the must-have resource for thriving in uncertain economic times. ITR has mastered long-term economic trend forecasting, with an astounding 94.7 percent accuracy rate over the course of six and a half decades.