Boss Life

出版者:Blue Rider Press

作者:Paul Downs

页数:352

出版时间:2016-8-2

价格:0

装帧:平装

isbn号码:9780399185298

具体描述

★ A Forbes Best Business Book of the Year, 2015

.

★ Winner of the 2015 800-CEO-READ Business Book Award in Entrepreneurship

.

When columnist Paul Downs was approached by The New York Times to write for their “You’re the Boss” blog, he had been running his custom furniture business for twenty-four years strong. or mostly strong. Now, in his first book, Downs paints an honest portrait of a real business, with a real boss, a real set of employees, and the real challenges they face.

.

Fresh out of college in 1986, Downs opened his first business, a small company that builds custom furniture. In 1987, he hired his first employee. That’s when things got complicated. As his enterprise began to grow, he had to learn about management, cash flow, taxes, and so much more. But despite any obstacles, Downs always remained keenly aware that every small business, no matter the product it makes or the service it provides, starts with people. He writes with tremendous insight about hiring employees, providing motivation to get the best out of them, and the difficult decisions he’s made to let some of them go. Downs also looks outward, to his dealings with vendors and to providing each client with exemplary customer service from first sales pitch to final delivery. With honesty and conviction, he tells the true story behind building and sustaining a successful company in an ever-evolving economy, often airing his own failures and shortcomings to reveal the difficulties that arise from being a boss and a businessperson. Countless employees have told the story of their experience with managers—Boss Life tells the other side of that story.

.

【Reviews】

.

"A memoir—not a manual—about life as a small business owner, complete with honest reflections on failures and shortcomings."

—Forbes

.

“In this eye-opening debut…Downs drills down into the ins and outs of running a small business, focusing on sales, operations, money, and the personal demands of being a boss….this frank accounting will be a godsend to any small-company owners wondering if they’re the only ones constantly second-guessing themselves—or on the verge of going out of business. An honest look at a usually overlooked demographic.”

—Publishers Weekly

.

“[A] large-hearted memoir… Refreshingly absent of bulleted lists and sidebars, this is a welcome addition to the literature of business ownership.”

—Kirkus Reviews

.

“[A] day-to-day, minute-to-minute tour of the intricacies of running a business, from dealing with employees to negotiating with vendors, the roller-coaster ride of sales, and the headaches of customer service. This is an invaluable look into operational details for anyone considering starting a business or caught up in the struggle of owning and running one.”

—Booklist

.

“This book is ostensibly about a year in the life of a small business owner, but it is actually a fascinating peek behind the scenes of a small Pennsylvania furniture factory….The combination of a humorous, self-deprecating, jargon-free writing style and content that mixes business fundamentals (cash flow, salesmanship, HR issues) with day-to-day events on the shop floor makes for a truly immersive narrative….A great read for those who wish to understand what running a small factory or business entails, as well as anyone interested in woodworking and craftsmanship.”

—Library Journal

.

"My husband and I own a small book store in Memphis, TN. I read a review of your new book somewhere, thought it sounded intriguing, got a copy in and started it a few days ago. Before I even finish it I think I want to thank you for writing it. FINALLY someone being totally honest about running a small (tiny) business! I have felt so much better in the past few days knowing that someone else has experienced the same things we have—no cash, employee struggles, family life and business life merging into each other, cars breaking down, etc. I think we are all hesitant to talk about the struggles because we might be perceived as failures. I plan to recommend this book to all small business people. "

—Cheryl Mesler, Burke's Book Store, Memphis TN

作者简介

Paul Downs started making custom furniture in 1986, shortly after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in engineering. Downs has only one line on his résumé but he has a wide variety of skills gained in twenty-four years of running his business. His clients range from individuals and small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, all branches of the military, and foreign governments. Downs lives with his wife and three sons outside of Philadelphia.

用户评价

这本书真叫人欲罢不能！我很少对一本书有如此强烈的感受，仿佛作者直接把我的思绪拉进了那个纷繁复杂的世界里。它没有落入俗套地描绘那种光鲜亮丽的成功人士生活，反而深入挖掘了光环背后那些不为人知的挣扎、决策的艰难，以及那种孤独的重量。我尤其欣赏作者对人物内心世界的细腻刻画，那些微小的犹豫、瞬间的动摇，都被捕捉得淋漓尽致。读的时候，我总忍不住停下来，对着书页琢磨，如果是我处在那个境地，我会怎么做？这种强烈的代入感，让我对“领导力”这个词有了全新的理解，它不再是高高在上的口号，而是无数个日夜煎熬后的产物。叙事节奏的把握也相当高明，时而如平静的湖面，让你沉思；时而又像突如其来的暴风雨，将你卷入紧张的商业博弈中，每一次转折都出乎意料却又合乎情理。这本书绝对是那种值得反复品读，每次都能从中汲取新东西的佳作，它挑战了我们对“成功”的传统定义，提出了更深刻的思考。

这本书的深度远超我预期的“商业成功学”范畴，它更像是一部探讨人性在极端压力下如何扭曲、如何坚持的哲学寓言。我非常欣赏作者在叙事中时不时穿插的那些充满洞察力的独白，那些段落往往是全书最精华的部分，它们像是作者对这个喧嚣世界的深沉耳语。它没有提供任何廉价的“秘诀”，相反，它揭示了真正的领导力源于对自身局限性的清醒认识，以及对未来不确定性的持续拥抱。我发现自己读得越来越慢，不是因为看不懂，而是因为舍不得——害怕读完就失去了这种与书中角色并肩作战的感觉。对于那些在职业生涯中感到迷茫、想要突破瓶颈的读者来说，这本书提供了一个极其真实且不加美化的参照系。它教会我的不是如何变得更“成功”，而是如何成为一个更“完整”的决策者。

这本书的结构安排简直是教科书级别的范本，每一章都像是一个精密的齿轮，紧密咬合，推动着故事向前发展，但同时，它又具备极高的独立可读性。我是在一个非常忙碌的时期开始读它的，原本担心无法集中精力，但很快我就发现自己被情节深深吸引住了。作者似乎非常擅长运用环境描写来烘托人物的心境，无论是深夜里空旷的办公室，还是异国他乡紧张的谈判桌，那种氛围感是如此的真实，以至于我能闻到咖啡的苦涩和文件纸张的气味。更让我印象深刻的是，它成功地塑造了一系列立体的人物群像，没有绝对的好人或坏人，每个人都在自己的逻辑体系内做着“必须做”的选择，这使得整个故事充满了灰色地带的张力。读完最后一页，我感到了一种巨大的满足感，不是因为谜团解开了，而是因为我仿佛经历了一场漫长而深刻的修行。

老实说，这本书的文笔有一种魔力，它不是那种华丽辞藻堆砌出来的“美文”，而是一种直击灵魂的、带着冷峻力量的叙述。我通常对商业题材的书籍敬而远之，总觉得过于枯燥乏味，但这本完全打破了我的偏见。作者的观察角度极其独特，他仿佛拥有一个能穿透表象的透视镜，将那些隐藏在报表和会议室背后的权力动态、人际暗流描绘得入木三分。阅读过程就像是在看一部高智商的悬疑片，但敌人不是罪犯，而是市场波动、内部背叛以及自我怀疑。我特别喜欢它对于“代价”的探讨，没有给出轻松的答案，反而把所有的可能性都摊开在你面前，让你去面对那个残酷的真相：每一步的迈进，都意味着某种形式的放弃。我建议所有对现代商业生态好奇的人都应该读一读，它会让你对那些表面上风平浪静的行业巨头产生更复杂的敬畏。

初看书名，我以为这会是一本充满浮夸和炫耀的读物，但实际体验却完全是颠覆性的。这本书最成功的地方在于它的真实感和毫不留情的自我剖析。作者似乎毫不避讳地将那些最不堪的瞬间、最愚蠢的错误，甚至是最黑暗的念头都暴露在了阳光下，这种坦诚让人肃然起敬。它打破了人们对于“精英”的刻板印象，展现了那些站在顶端的人，同样需要应对日常的琐碎、家庭的牵绊以及永无止境的自我怀疑。我特别关注了其中关于团队协作和信任建立的部分，那种从零开始，在猜忌和利益冲突中搭建桥梁的过程，描绘得尤为精彩，充满了戏剧张力。这本书不是用来“激发斗志”的，而是用来“打磨心性”的，它更像是一面镜子，让你看清自己想要什么，以及为此愿意付出什么代价。强烈推荐给所有正在攀登自己人生阶梯的人。