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Boss Life Surviving My Own Small Business

Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business

By Paul Downs

"When [small business owner] Paul Downs was approached by The New York Times to write for [its] '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"--.

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Book Information

Publisher: Blue Rider Press
Publish Date: 08/04/2015
Pages: 352
ISBN-13: 9780399172335
ISBN-10: 0399172335
Language: English

What We're Saying

December 08, 2015

In which we announce our eight category winners, which become the finalists for our book of the year. READ FULL DESCRIPTION

November 24, 2015

Ryan Schleicher, who spends his days split between author services, corporate sales, and PR, takes a look inside this year's best Entrepreneurship titles. READ FULL DESCRIPTION

November 03, 2015

These 40 books—five selections across eight distinct categories—make up the 800-CEO-READ Business Book Awards Longlist. READ FULL DESCRIPTION

August 06, 2015

Paul Downs takes readers through a year in the life of running his small business, exposing all the ups and downs of being a boss. READ FULL DESCRIPTION

Full Description

**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.

About the Author

WINSTON MA is an investor, attorney, author, and adjunct professor in the global digital economy. Most recently for 10 years, he was Managing Director and Head of North America Office for China Investment Corporation (CIC), China's sovereign wealth fund. Prior to that, Mr. Ma served as the deputy head of equity capital markets at Barclays Capital, a vice president at Learn More

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