‘Live Free or DIY’

by Justine E. Crawford

May 31, 2016

From startup to growth to pivoting in a changing marketplace, “Live Free or DIY” reveals that small business owners in every industry hit the same roadblocks — and that the solutions are within reach. Whether wrestling with customer acquisition, budgeting, time-management skills, work-life balance, the headaches of red tape, or how to build a team, “Live Free or DIY” is the ultra-practical guide you’ve been searching for.

In an easy-to-use format that systematically tackles the small business owner’s greatest challenges, “Live Free or DIY” answers all the questions you’ve been asking: How do I build a team – on a shoestring budget? How do I get more customers? How can I do the kind of marketing that will nail customer acquisition once and for all? How do I improve at time management? Is it possible to be a small business owner and achieve work-life balance?

In “Live Free or DIY,” you’ll find a simple strategy for properly valuing and allocating your time. You’ll also find the difference between “cheap” and “efficient,” how passion equals efficiency and boredom equals bankruptcy, how breaking up “the value chain” is key to running a smart business, how the Business Model Canvas can help you focus and build, and how you can develop a marketing plan that finally cracks customer acquisition.

‘Shoe Dog’

by Phil Knight

April 26, 2015

In this candid and riveting memoir, for the first time ever, Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing and profitable brands.

Young, searching, fresh out of business school, and Knight borrowed $50 from his father and launched a company with one simple mission: import high-quality, low-cost running shoes from Japan. In 1963, Knight began selling the shoes from the trunk of his Plymouth Valiant. He grossed $8,000. Today, Nike’s annual sales top $30 billion. In this age of start-ups, Knight’s Nike is the gold standard, and its swoosh is more than a logo. A symbol of grace and greatness, it’s one of the few icons instantly recognized in every corner of the world.

But Knight, the man behind the swoosh, has always been a mystery. Now, in a memoir that’s surprising, humble, unfiltered, funny and beautifully crafted, he tells his story at last. ♦