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<p>Foreword by <i>Guy Kawasaki</i> xiii</p> <p>Plug In xvii</p> <p>Accolades and Gratitude xxvii</p> <p><b>1 Running on Empty 1</b></p> <p>Ever wonder why you're feeling drained—even though your company appears successful on the outside? Hear a story that may just sound similar to your own.</p> <p><b>2 Brains, Beliefs, and Growth Blunders 9</b></p> <p>There are two main reasons why businesses fail—lack of a written plan and our limiting beliefs. What are the most common limiting beliefs? What is the medical evidence that our beliefs and written plans determine our outcomes?</p> <p><b>3 Say No to the Good, and Yes to the Great 29</b></p> <p>Today's time crunch can destroy our life force as business owners. Here is a guide to prioritize your activities and focus on what you do best.</p> <p><b>4 Increase Your Wealth Quotient 47</b></p> <p>The definition of wealth has changed dramatically. What does it mean now? How can you prepare your company for ultimate sale or exit? Here is a contrarian view on value drivers and seven principles to position your company for higher valuation. Interview excerpts from "triple bottom line" companies such as Seventh Generation and Hollyhock Institute.</p> <p><b>5 The Path to Planning 69</b></p> <p>The path to wisdom begins with a common set of definitions. We define the first five steps of planning for growth companies, with real examples of each. The planning process begins from an external (market) point of view.</p> <p><b>6 The Inside Job 93</b></p> <p>Now harness the market wisdom gained from the first five steps, assess your internal strengths and gaps, position your company, align your teams, and ultimately increase your Wealth Quotient.</p> <p><b>7 What's on Your Dashboard? 107</b></p> <p>Most measures of success are prematurely selected, and usually lead to failure. How do you track the success of your plan? First, you must know what stage of growth you're facing. We show you how to determine what stage of growth you're facing and how to scale the walls of growth.</p> <p><b>8 Design Your Dashboard 119</b></p> <p>What success measures are relevant in each phase of growth? How do you distinguish between "leading" and "trailing" indicators? When is it time to redesign your dashboard and change your success measures? This chapter shows you how to build meaningful measures, with examples from The Beryl Companies.</p> <p><b>9 Plan Your Brand 135</b></p> <p>Now that you have developed the first draft of your Energize Growth plan, how do you ensure that your plan is aligned with your brand? We interview branding expert Samantha Hartley to find out. Branding is not just for well-funded, mature companies. Includes contemporary examples of strong brands in large and small companies alike.</p> <p><b>10 More Revenues, Fewer Clients 151</b></p> <p>It's time to kiss old value definitions goodbye. Ancient "hours for dollars" business models drain many companies of their wealth potential. We present 16 proven methods to help you build a more predictable stream of lifetime clients. Hear how Zipcar and Eversheds are leading the way.</p> <p><b>11 Future Energy Sources: How to Grow Your Wealth Quotient with Social Media 173</b></p> <p>Will social media increase your company's Wealth Quotient—or destroy it? We take a closer look at social media and its impact on growth companies. Read these tips before you launch your social media plan. We include interviews with companies who have generated six and seven figure sales using LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.</p> <p>Appendix A: Sample Energize Growth Plan 187</p> <p>Appendix B: Sample ProfitCents Report 194</p> <p>References 202</p> <p>About the Author 206</p> <p>Index 207</p>

<b>Lisa Nirell</b> is a strategic growth expert, consultant, and keynote speaker, as well as the Chief Energy Officer of EnergizeGrowth LLC. An award-winning business columnist, she has written for <i>San Diego's Daily Transcript</i>, <i>Computerworld</i>, <i>Custom Builder</i> magazine, and <i>Women in Technology</i>. For more information and to download your bonus gifts, visit www.energizegrowth.com/egnow.shtml.

<b>Praise for <i>Energize Growth Now</i></b> <p>"Effective, timely, balanced-this book captures the critical steps for growing a business the 'right way' and avoiding the usual pitfalls of a poor growth strategy."<br /> —<b>Stephen R. Covey</b>, author, <i>The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People</i> and <i>The Leader in Me</i></p> <p>"Much like my experience at Apple, you will need to know when it's time to stop acting like a bootstrapper and start operating like a growth company. This book is a great resource to ease the transition. By applying these core principles and time-tested planning guides, you will have changed the world for the better."<br /> —<b>Guy Kawasaki</b>, author, <i>Reality Check</i> and <i>The Art of the Start</i>, and cofounder, Alltop</p> <p>"I wish I'd had access to this book's wisdom in the past. It's a wellspring of invaluable marketing ideas and wealth-building strategies business owners and management teams can-and should-use to take their companies where they need to go. There's no abstruse theory or hard-to-understand doublespeak here. Just actionable plans anyone can literally start using tomorrow. That makes Lisa Nirell the growth strategy guru for sustainable businesses."<br /> —<b>Jeffrey Hollender</b>, President and Chief Inspired Protagonist, Seventh Generation</p> <p>"<i>Energize Growth NOW</i> appears at an ideal time to provide small business owners with their rightful wealth, life balance, and peace of mind through great advice, easily applied. Lisa Nirell's advice is more important than any business plan you now have in place."<br /> —<b>Alan Weiss, PhD</b>, author, <i>Million Dollar Consulting</i></p> <p>"<i>Energize Growth NOW</i> is simply a fantastic how-to guide for building a great company. Try the ideas in this book and not only will your business grow, but so will you!"<br /> —<b>Marshall Goldsmith</b>, <i>New York Times</i> and <i>Wall Street Journal</i> #1 bestselling author of <i>What Got You Here Won't Get You There</i> and <i>Succession: Are You Ready?</i></p> <p>"In <i>Energize Growth NOW</i>, Lisa Nirell has written a smart, concise guide for business leaders looking to navigate growth successfully. The book provides valuable tips on how companies can grow better as well as bigger, and how leaders can create the kind of vibrant culture that's critical now more than ever."<br /> —<b>Ray Davis</b>, CEO, Umpqua Bank, and author, <i>Leading for Growth</i></p> <p>"Lisa Nirell has captured the essence of what it takes to grow an entrepreneurial venture into a successful,sustainable enterprise."<br /> —<b>Jerry Andres</b>, CEO, Jeld-Wen Development, and Chairman of the Board, Clear Choice Health Plans</p> <p>"What's uniquely cool about Lisa's book is the way she interweaves values with financial success. Making big bucks without values smells. Having high values go unrewarded ultimately destroys beliefs. She keeps them together."<br /> —<b>Gary Sutton</b>, author, <i>The Six-Month Fix</i> and <i>Corporate Canaries</i></p>

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