The latest volume from Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzweig recently made the list of Top Books for Business Owners put out by Inc. Magazine. A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Building a Great Business is the first volume in the new series Zingerman’s Guide to Good Leading and hit shelves in October 2010. In it, Ari lays out the “secrets” to success that have enabled Zingerman’s to grow from a small deli with four employees to a Community of Businesses with over $37 million in annual sales. He also shows how 100-year-old anarchist ideas are at the core of progressive business building in the 21st century. With this book, Ari hopes to answer a most frequently asked question: “What makes you guys so successful?” Following Zingerman’s commitment to lavishingly sharing what we’ve learned over almost thirty years in business, the book outlines 18 “secrets” including the power of a well-written and communicated organizational vision; how to put a mission statement to use and make it an effective organizational tool; and Zingerman’s development of a brand “from the inside out.” Ari cautions that there are no miracles or get-rich-quick schemes in the book; just lots of sound advice on how to develop the tools and work habits that greatly increase the odds of an organization’s success in achieving its goals.
Read the entire Inc. article here. Lots of great books on the list!