Robin Blandford [ ByteSurgery.com ]

10/01/08 Small Giants: Great Not Big

SINGAPORE - Imagefile.ie sent me a copy of “Small Giants - Companies that choose to be Great instead of Big” by Bo Burlington. I’m just coming to the end of reading it now and while it started off a little slow it turned out to be fantastic. It puts into words the ideals that someone might have about forming a company, or being an employee, and how you can be great without being big. Bo finds case-studies and interviews the founders to find out what ticks inside them. If you’re running a small company, it’s worth putting this book on your ‘to read’ list - if you’re an employee it might make you re-evaluate your employer.

How maverick companies have passed up the growth treadmill—and focused on greatness instead.

Goals like being great at what they do . . . creating a great place to work . . . providing great customer service . . . making great contributions to their communities . . . and finding great ways to lead their lives.

The only company I’ve come across that is close to this is Carsonified. I’ve got to credit Ryan for his leadership, I’m actually jealous of his staff. Spending a week to send hugs, getting iPhones & macbooks each, staff choosing their own name & logo, cool titles (Jo gave me her card at FOWA - it said ‘Events Extraordinare’).

Bo is right - a company with ‘mojo’ is a company you will be attracted to. You WANT to be their customer even if you don’t want their product.

I have created a custom Amazon store of my recommended reading lists and book reviews. You can get your own copy of Small Giants here.

-Robin

Tags: bo burlington, General, read, small giants

7 Comments

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10/01/08 Anthony

I’d agree about Carsonified. They seem to have a really friendly vibe about the way they do things as well. Gonna see how much that book is on Amazon

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10/01/08 Robin Blandford

Want me to post you my copy to read?

I’ll do a swappy for the read of another.

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10/01/08 Anthony

Yeah cool, I’ll do up a list of my books this evening and send it on.

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10/01/08 Aidan Finn

Hi Robin,

I actually bought this book based on your recommendation :) - I think maybe you twittered or blogged about it when you started it. Haven’t started it yet though. - will have to move it up the stack.

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10/01/08 Robin Blandford

;-) I’m now onto Hammond’s autobiography about his dragster crash.

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10/01/08 Anthony

That’s what I’m reading now too myself. Good book.

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28/04/08 Ryan

Hey Robin,

Thanks so much. Means the world to hear that.

All the best,
Ryan

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