Small Giants

Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, 10th Anniversary Edition

By: Bo Burlingham

Narrated by: Bo Burlingham, Sean Pratt

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

It's an axiom of business that great companies grow their revenues and profits year after year. Yet quietly, under the radar, a small number of companies have rejected the pressure of endless growth to focus on more satisfying business goals. 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.

In Small Giants, veteran journalist Bo Burlingham takes us deep inside 14 remarkable companies that have chosen to march to their own drummers. They include Anchor Brewing, the original microbrewer; CitiStorage Inc., the premier independent records-storage business; Clif Bar & Co., maker of organic energy bars and other nutrition foods; Righteous Babe Records, the record company founded by singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco; Union Square Hospitality Group, the company of restaurateur Danny Meyer; and Zingerman's Community of Businesses, including the world-famous Zingerman's Deli of Ann Arbor.

Burlingham shows how the leaders of these small giants recognized the full range of choices they had about the type of companies they could create. And he shows how we can all benefit by questioning the usual definitions of business success. In his new afterword, Burlingham reflects on the similarities and learning lessons from the small giants he covers in the audiobook.

©2016 Bo Burlingham (P)2016 Gildan Media LLC

Excellent on why to stay small

This was even more insightful than I thought it would be. Its delivery was good. If you’re a small company and trying to decide to grow or not the author presents good arguments to stay small.

that's what I needed

this was the perfect book for me assert this time in our growth pattern thanks

Excellent and so fresh!

This is a take on business greatness so refreshing as compared to most books. The author is a great storyteller and weaves together interesting and useful ideas without trying to position them as “laws” or something. Greatness does not have to equal largeness.

Updated Release Worth It

Overall, a good book with good lessons. It tends to go on a little long, but if you can endure… it’s worth it. Best section is the update to his original findings.

How everyone should be doing business

Narrator is easy to listen to. This is a wonderful guide to how leaders should be running companies

A Guide to Top Tier Culture within a Small Business

This is an excellent book for small business owners looking to improve culture as well as maximize the potential of their organizations. Very insightful and would definitely read again.

Great examples

I have gleaned things from this book that I will be incorporating into my company asap. Great listen.

A general take on the MOJO of culture

Book was good in that the revised texts involves the follow up of many of the original companies and shows that change comes, like it or not.
Just because you have it now doesn't mean you'll have it later.

great business info

very much appreciated the combination of culture and practical business tools and the application of the soft skills resulting in healthy companies.

great listen

This book captures the pervasive peer pressure to grow revenue rapidly and indefinitely merely for the sake of it. We all have a choice. We get to decide exactly what our business will be.