Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, 10th-Anniversary Edition

The content was informative and useful, but for some reason I found this one somewhat difficult to get through.

Speedy delivery. A very good read

After reading Jim Collin's seminal work Good to Great, I became enamored with the idea of "scope" as it pertains to business success. I recalled hearing about Gore, the company, and how they do not allow any one of their offices to grow beyond 250 people - setting 250 as the magic number, above which intimacy, norms of reciprocity and mutual assistance are not possible. I started to crave a book that might address those very ideas from a Collins-esque standpoint. After some search, I found a book that Jim Collins had reviewed: "This well-written book should inspire thousands of entrepreneurs to reject a mantra of growth for growth's sake in favor of a passionate dedication to becoming the absolute best. Bo Burlingham reminds us of a vital truth: big does not equal great, and great does not equal big."That was enough of an endorsement for me, and I dove right into reading. I came away somewhat disappointed by the less-than-rigorous methodology, but also energized by the ideas presented. Burlingham does not use the same exactitude in selecting the companies he features (largely because the financial reports are not public for the private groups he chose to focus on). Thus, it is difficult to appreciate his findings in the same way as I can appreciate Collins'.However, Burlingham writes like the capable and clever journalist that he is (editor at Inc. magazine) and the pages turn easily. His chapters are divided as logically as possible, given the lack of concrete data. Much of what he presents is based off feeling, interviews, observation, and contemplative conclusions. He does not hesitate to label the success of these businesses as "mysterious" - following from "mojo" or (my preference) "spiritual terroir."Read this book if you want to read some incredibly articulate leaders talking about their perspective on business. It is one of the best compilations of leader interviews I have read. The book groups the commentary together when appropriate, or allows one leader to dictate the chapter content entirely. Either way, Burlingham does a marvelous job of letting these men and women speak for themselves and their hard-won success. It is refreshing. The owner and CEO of Anchor Brewing, Fritz Maytag, is downright moving in his eloquence. Jay Goltz, head of Artists' Frame Service is brazenly pragmatic, but uses stories to speak to the underlying support of this leadership approach (managing is "also about learning how not to demotivate [your people]").Do not read this book if you are looking for applicable solutions or step-by-step recommendations.

Me encantó. Casi todos los libros de management y emprendimiento, son sobre startups y escalabilidad a alta velocidad.Pero este habla con bastante detalle de la experiencia de tomar una decisión consciente de mantenerse de un tamaño (pequeño para USA debo decir, eso sí).Emotivo, sabio y lleno de aprendizajes. Lo recomiendo sobre todo para los dueños de PyMes que a veces se sienten el “hermano pobre” de las startups. No lo son

Wonderful book about belief systems and how bringing in personal beliefs and values into a business can positively affect the success and impact of businesses. There is a trend with "stakeholder capitalism" and to some degree "Certified B Corporations" that expands the approach of personal beliefs and values to larger corporations. To me, it's a trend that is critical to American core values and this book tells us how it can be. There are important warnings as well including basics like watching profitability and cash flow and critically important, succession paths. If the firm's beliefs and values as well as skills, are based on the founder and there is no continuity/succession plan, the beauty of the "Small Giants" may well be lost when the founder leaves the firm. The philosophies of "stakeholder capitalism" and "Certified B Corporations" are an opportunity to have on-going models. Great book for opening eyes to possibilities.

This was one of the first "business" books I read just after we started our business back in 2008. My business library is well over 300 and I recently went back and read this updated version (my third reading of this book). I pass this book out to key new staff members so they can see why striving to be great at what we do, and why we treat our team the way that we do, is so much more important than growing as fast as possible.This book helped us establish a rock solid business foundation. If you just want to read about the latest fad business guru this book isn't for you. If you want a vastly underrated classic you can't go wrong here.

In "Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big," author Bo Burlingham has done for small businesses what Jim Collins did in "Good To Great" for large, publicly traded companies. Mr. Burlingham's criteria for profiling a "small giant" were that the company must be privately held, successful over several years, and the owner must have passed up opportunities to sell or to take the company public.The profiles of a disparate variety of businesses is both enlightening and inspiring. From a chain of restaurants in NYC, to a Brooklyn-based storage warehouse to a Michigan bakery, the common thread that appeared in each story was that the men and women who own and run these businesses have a passion to give great service to their customers and to create a wonderful place for their employees to call home. No matter the size of the company being profiled, there always emerged a sense that there was an intimacy created among the owner, employees and customers.This is a book that should inspire any business owner to reach for greatness regardless of the size of the business. The book is a welcome addition to the literature on the search for greatness in the business world.

great book

I bought this book because it was recommended by Tim Ferris in his books and YouTube program, it was totally different from what I expected, it’s about taking a counter intuitive approach to building a business, putting the focus around employee satisfaction and gains rather than building the company to the sky.

It could be made into a really great article, instead it is a long winded book.The structure of the book should have been a series of articles, clearly that is the author's talent.Instead he wanted to write a book and thus walked away from his best skill. It meanders and fails to make points, instead drawing things on and on.It is great if you want to read little sections and feel inspired to go out there and find or build a great workplace, but it is difficult to sit down with this book, it is like trying to have a long, meaningful conversation with someone who has ADD.It has great examples and lovely research, I just wish the author had more respect for his own talent and didn't ignore it trying to be good at something else. That does seem especially odd since the book is about people learning to focus on what they do best.

The book describes many different approaches how and why to keep a company small.It is very interesting to see how different operators find ways to create and preserve value without compromising integrity.The book shows how to operate a business by seemingly deviating from the classic mba model.A Very refreshing and inspiring read.

Para quem tem uma pequena empresa e está na crise do crescer ou não, é uma boa leitura, pois apresenta os benefícios de permanecer pequeno. Porém é um pouco frustrante no final quando o autor revela 10 anos depois o que aconteceu com as small giants da primeira edição.