Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,000+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
How to Grow Your Small Business summary
Donald Miller
A 6-Part Strategy to Help Your Business Take Off
16 mins
Brief summary
Donald Miller's 'How to Grow Your Small Business' is a practical guide that provides useful insights and entrepreneurial skills to help you grow your small business and achieve success.
Table of Contents
How to Grow Your Small Business
Summary of 7 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 7
Your Cockpit - Leadership
Before a plane even takes off, the pilot knows where and when it’s meant to land. The cockpit of your small business is your leadership team, and you, like a pilot, should know where you want to end up. For a business, this means writing your Mission Statement.
Most Mission Statements are too vague. They end up plastered on a company’s website and forgotten. To be useful, your mission statement should be an actual mission, inviting your team into a story where they are a key character.
There are three components to a mission statement. The first is the goal itself. In a story, it’s always clear early on what needs to be accomplished. The dragon needs to be slayed, the thief caught, the villain stopped. You should set out three measurable economic goals that your team can rally around. Be specific. Specific goals give your team a clear objective, and lends your mission some traction.
Then, your mission statement should include a deadline. People are sometimes nervous to include fixed dates, but deadlines create urgency in your team. Ideally, the timeline shouldn’t be longer than two years.
Finally, your mission statement should include a purpose. This gives your mission stakes, and your team a reason why they should care in the first place.
Let’s look at an example for a newspaper.
“We will increase our subscriber base by 30 thousand, the number of advertisers by 30 percent, and our average client investment to $21 thousand within two years. Because good journalism can change the country.”
Notice the three parts to this mission statement: The three measurable goals, the timeline, and the purpose. Once you’ve written your mission statement, you should try to use it as often as possible. Put it on the wall. Read it at meetings. When your mission statement changes, mark the event with fanfare.
So, now your team knows where the plane is going. Let’s look at how to get there.
Want to see all full key ideas from How to Grow Your Small Business?
Key ideas in How to Grow Your Small Business
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is How to Grow Your Small Business about?
How to Grow Your Small Business (2023) is your six-step flight plan to guide your business as it takes off. When Don Miller started to take his business to the next level, he realized no-one had written a reliable, step-by-step playbook for growth. Since then, his small home content business has expanded into a $20 million dollar company, so he wrote the book he wished he’d had.
How to Grow Your Small Business Review
How to Grow Your Small Business (2021) is a practical guide that provides valuable insights and strategies for entrepreneurs. Here's why this book is a worthwhile read:
- It offers real-life examples and case studies that illustrate effective techniques, making it highly actionable and relevant.
- With its emphasis on practicality and implementation, the book equips small business owners with the necessary tools to achieve growth and success.
- Written in a straightforward and accessible manner, the book avoids jargon and delivers information in a way that is engaging and easy to understand, ensuring an enjoyable reading experience.
Who should read How to Grow Your Small Business?
- Small Business Owners
- Entrepreneurs
- Anyone who spends too much time putting out fires in their business
Categories with How to Grow Your Small Business
Book summaries like How to Grow Your Small Business
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
30 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
How to Grow Your Small Business FAQs
What is the main message of How to Grow Your Small Business?
The main message of How to Grow Your Small Business is to provide practical strategies for achieving business growth and success.
How long does it take to read How to Grow Your Small Business?
The reading time for How to Grow Your Small Business varies depending on the reader's speed. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is How to Grow Your Small Business a good book? Is it worth reading?
How to Grow Your Small Business is a valuable read for entrepreneurs and small business owners. It offers practical insights and actionable strategies for business growth.
Who is the author of How to Grow Your Small Business?
The author of How to Grow Your Small Business is Donald Miller.
What to read after How to Grow Your Small Business?
If you're wondering what to read next after How to Grow Your Small Business, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
- The 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib
- The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman
- Burn the Boats by Matt Higgins
- Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller
- Elite Sales Strategies by Anthony Iannarino
- $100M Offers by Alex Hormozi
- Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller
- The First 20 Hours by Josh Kaufman
- The Art of Clear Thinking by Hasard Lee