Most of us are probably aware of the KISS principle (Keep it simple, stupid) which essentially states that design simplicity should be a key goal and that unnecessary complexity should be avoided. And this is exactly what Tom Marquardt achieves with his My Little Black Book To Success.
Marquardt reveals in his introduction that his book actually started out as his diary while he was working and consulting for several small and mid-size businesses. He goes on to state that the principal objective of the book is to accomplish three things, which he hopes will increase the success rates of small and mid-size businesses. These are to reach as many small and mid-sized business owners as possible in order that he can teach them fundamental business principles for success and then send them in motion with concrete, corrective action plans for their implementation.
To begin, Marquardt presents fourteen fundamental rules or directives. The intention is to create a map that will aid the small or mid-size businessperson to immediately take action and continue his or her leadership-driven attitude propelling their small and mid-size businesses success rates. As you study these principles, you will notice that in most instances nothing new is presented that we haven't read or heard about in the past in one form or another such as, stop pushing yourself but start utilizing your time more wisely, stop putting your concerns first, stop breaking the rules, stop focusing on tomorrow as today is everything, stop looking for a quick fix and several others. However, what is "cool" is the clear and precise manner in which these directives are presented that we are eventually led to the conclusion that feeling powerless is no longer an excuse for inaction.
After acquainting us with these indispensable precepts, readers are counseled to operate their businesses as if they were a hotel. It should be pointed out that Marquardt spent most of his life in and out of the hospitality industry and he staunchly believes that the skills he acquired while in this industry can readily be transferred to any business. Consequently, using the formula of effectively running a hotel, Marquardt discusses and explores topics pertaining to operations, sales and marketing, human resources, and accounting. Marquardt presents his readers with clear cut prescriptions as to how to deal in a resourceful manner with such issues as yield management for revenue maximization, installing standard operating procedures (S.O.P), yearly quality and assurance inspectons, quality performance of your products or services, safety and security, preventive maintenance, triage management, multi-tasking, customer relationship management, technology utilization and many more that are essential to the smooth running of a business.
One of the most noticeable attributes of this concise book is that the author steers clear of overwhelming and often confusing commentaries, explanations, and detail that are often found in books of a similar nature. The structure of the book is splendid, and penned in an animated, potent and engaging style. Moreover, Marquardt has successfully walked the fine line in providing his readers with a book that is both informative and entertaining that won`t wind up in the trash can. As we no doubt are aware, business principles can sometimes be very difficult to grasp, however, this author has effectively cut all the fat from the bone as he reminds his readers that anyone can bring about change, or as he states, "Learn from your past, work today, formulate action plans for tomorrow. Live by it!"
Tom Marquardt is a graduate of Indiana University and according to the back cover of his book, he is a dynamic, professional, career-driven leader focusing on daily operations while continuing to be productive in a fast-paced career in sales environment. He calls himself The Profit Repair Man and is an author, speaker, educator, consultant and an owner of small businesses.
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