A good business strategy is essential to grow the business, to get ahead of the competition and keep it away. But beware: data collection, analysis and planning are not enough to achieve success.
In a globalized world, where competition is increasingly fierce, it implies for entrepreneurs and businessmen the need to broaden their knowledge and perspective on the market to discover new opportunities and make the most of available resources. It’s also key that they meet business leaders and experts who help them think “outside the box” with a disruptive approach to the problems they face every day.
That is why today we present you with a selection of the best five business strategy books that will help you rethink your model, make the necessary adjustments and start 2022 with all of it. The texts are available in Spanish in both print and digital versions. .
- The big plan. A Simple Strategy for Growing an Extraordinary Business, by Mike Michalowicz
Most entrepreneurs tend to fall into the worst of nightmares: working tirelessly for years to produce, sell and, in the end, barely survive with their business. In this book, Mike Michalowicz shares with us the method that he applied in his own company (and that he developed inspired by the cultivation of giant pumpkins) to make it number one in its market . Some of the lessons this entrepreneur and speaker gives in his work from him are “plant the right seeds” , “don’t let rotten pumpkins stunt the growth of healthy ones” or “weed out losing customers who don’t add any value to your business.” business” .
- The Invincible Company, by Alex Osterwalder, Yves Pigneur, Fred Etiemble and Alan Smith
The author of the bestseller “Generation of business models” and “Designing the value proposition” compiles in his book everything a company needs to start, grow and reinvent itself permanently. Because today there is no company that can survive if it always operates in the same way . Osterwalder shares his research from him through a guide on the best business models in the world , which we can draw inspiration from when creating or transforming a company. The author dedicates special sections to the culture of innovation and leadership.
- The Starbucks Challenge, by Howard Schultz
This classic book on business strategy is interesting because it is based on a real case: the transformation of the Starbucks business model after the crisis that the company went through in 2007. As its founder relates, in previous years the business had focused on its growth and had abandoned its founding values, such as connecting with its customers and employees, as well as the high quality of its products. Starbucks was also threatened by external events, such as changing consumer habits and a global recession. Through his story, Schultz describes the key to any change in business strategy: preserving core values, daring to make bold decisions, and abandoning what no longer serves .
- Total strategic planning, by Gustavo Hernández and Ana María Godínez
This book offers an in-depth and detailed method of strategic planning , developed by two experts in process reengineering and organizational improvement. What is the main problem you detected? That the strategy is a task that is carried out once a year between the owner and the key managers of the company, which after the beginning of the year does not have any operational application. In this book the authors present a “Total Strategic Planning Method”, a practical and understandable methodology that involves not only the hierarchy but all the employees of a company .
- Exponential Organizations, by Salim Ismail, Michael Malone, and Yuri van Geest
The world is changing exponentially and even more so as we move forward in the midst of uncertainty after a year and a half in a pandemic. The world is globalizing, the opportunities are expanding and so are the risks. Faced with this panorama, organizations are still hierarchical, centralized and linear. Those called “exponential organizations” stand out , which manage to accelerate their growth through the use of technology , big data, artificial intelligence and with strategies for hiring personnel on demand. A book aimed at business owners of all sizes to understand how the way of doing business has evolved and to locate where the keys to growth are today.
Which of these books do you think will be useful to you right now? Tell us in the comments or give us another recommendation.
