Behind the Cloud: The Untold Story of How Salesforce.com Went from Idea to Billion-Dollar Company-and Revolutionized an Industry

I have founded and run two small, but successful, SaaS businesses and I like to think I have acquired the scar tissue of experience. However reading the book Marc and Carlye have written has been an inspirational learning experience. It describes a journey that as a technology entrepreneur I can empathise with. But it does far more than this. It is jam packed full of ideas and approaches that I can use in my business and it encourages a mindset that I know will help me. Marc's phenomenal track record provides the authenticity that is so often lacking in business books and together the authors have ensured that each bite-sized chapter succinctly and clearly conveys its intended points.

Yes, this book was a quick read; I am embarrassed that it took me so long to get around to finally reading it. There are many tips in this book (111 to be exact). Some of the advice in the book is common sense and some of the advice is obsolete. Some of the points made show Marc's intestinal fortitude as Marc and his amazing team drove through challenges that bankrupted many great companies during the dotcom bust. The parts of the book that floored me pertain to Marc's philosophy on business and philanthropy. Marc's business views are refreshing in comparison to some of the "nice guys finish last" mentality we have seen so often in the business world. Marc sprinkles his advice with examples where "doing the right thing" is always the right thing to do, and you don't need to cheat or run over people and other businesses to win. Even if it means having to pay one of your employee's living expenses in Hawaii because of a medical emergency. (Read the book.) What affected me most was Marc's chapter on the Salesforce 1-1-1 philosophy; the company contributes 1 percent of profits, 1 percent of equity, and 1 percent of employee hours back to the communities it serves. This is not just lip service, they are actually living this and "infecting" other companies like Google who have adopted this philosophy. Imagine how much of a dent we could put into solving major world problems if every business adopted this strategy. I highly recommend this book even if you don't work in the high tech sector.

CEOs often feel the need to share their wisdom with the rest of us common mortals, and end up sharing nothing but their own sense of superiority. Marc Benioff, CEO of [...], does a wonderful job of actually sharing teachable moments along the road to creating a very successful company, and arguably a new way of doing business. He also shows how he built his company to be socially responsible from the outset. Without the pompous cadence of the motivational speaker, Benioff and his co-author, Carlye Adler, actually manage to impart useful information for anyone looking to start their own company while remaining interesting to the casual reader. There's also a lot of information about the prevailing technology culture and insights that help those of us who don't live on the West Coast understand the special brew of technology, entrepreneurship and spirituality that make it what it is. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is open to the positive side of capitalism and disappointed by what they've experienced thus far. Marc Benioff has done more than create a great company; he's set a great example.

salesforce (with a lowercase as was the mania at the turn of the century) is, of course, a major industry success, but also the symbol of a timely, intelligent strategy adjustment at a time of crisis and craziness, the [...] bust. Great ideas and products that are useful to people always manage to weather bad storms. Sure, Marc Benioff, the CEO founder of the company must have freaked out at the 2001 meltdown, but he lost neither his cool nor his faith on his "End of software" motto (a striking way to impose the then novel software as a service -- SaaS -- model). His obstinacy paid off: The company went public in June 2004. Not all entrepreneurs have Marc's chutzpah, but his 111 recommendations to entrepreneurs will all be extremely precious to anyone. Sure, you may not dispatch a commando unit on bicycle to circle the Los Angeles Convention Center at a Microsoft launch event and instead settle for less spectacular tactics, but the message is clear: if you are an underdog, you can't be too subtle either, and you have to find a way to force the big guys into adopting your message. Regardless of who they are. Frankly, when Tom Siebel from Siebel Systems started to talk about software-as-a-service after he acquired Upshot, most of us smiled at the recollection that only two years before, Siebel had been repeating that SaaS was the type of stuff for [...] kids. "Don't fear competition: welcome it and leverage it," Marc concludes - provided, though, that you keep it under tight control. And you do so by maintaining an all-out high energy level. High energy (sometimes high voltage) is the tone of the book. It has a lot to do with Marc's personal style. But guess what? Low-energy doesn't work. So find what your own high-energy level can be, and make sure that your employees and your customers turn into fervent evangelists of the company anywhere in the world. Meanwhile, enjoy dozens of great anecdotes. There is one section of the book I especially like: The Corporate Philanthropy Playbook. This section is a must read for entrepreneurs of for-profit companies, of course, but also for any executive director of any foundation who does not want a foundation to stagnate or simply "survive": "Innovative nonprofits have historically achieved true sustainability by embracing a revenue-generating business model." Great book. Very well worded (no siliconite verbiage), co-authored with an excellent writer, Carlye Adler.

A CEO business book which doesn't follow the tired Gilda Radner formula of `Enough of me talking about me...let's hear what others think about me!'. This is a fun to read book chock-full of no-holds-barred advice on everything a growth company faces. In short easy to read chapters, Benioff writes instructively about everything from fostering an innovative product development and marketing machine, to driving explosive sales in existent and new/emerging markets, to focusing on customers while simultaneously inspiring a culture of employee hyper-success. His chapters on giving back to the community should be standard reading at all business schools today. In short, this is a practical guide on how to grow a successful business without selling your soul to Mephistopheles. The enthusiasm infused in the writing is contagious. For those looking for MBA jargon, four quadrant charts, circles with arrows, new buzzwords, or formulaic bromides on business success brought about by `the cult of the leader', don't pick up this book. Benioff and Adler have penned an easy to read practical, no-nonsense step-by-step `how to' guidebook on building and running a great company. John Henry - Danville, CA