Visionary Business: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Success

...and that's needed today more than ever. I had never heard of Marc Allen before finding this book in audio format at a local rental store. You may not have heard of him, either, but whether you are starting a business or just trying to manage your life better, I encourage you to check out the audio or print version of this book.I was just looking for something to help me in my work. The title "Visionary Business" caught my eye. It was a short, yet unabridged audio book, and read by the author. I figured it might help. Couldn't hurt. Why not try it? What I expected to get was the usual one or two good ideas that might make it worth the price of the listening... It's such a thin volume, after all.What I got instead was a new vision and practical approach to my business and to living, which was so amazing... It's such a thin volume, after all.In it, we meet a character named Bernie, who says (among other things): "When you believe in yourself enough, your most important desires will become intentions, and your intentions will manifest in reality. It's a law of nature. Intentions produce results. Our thoughts and our words are powerful -- powerful enough to create what we want... So be it. So it is."At the same time, I was reading THE POWER OF NOW, by Eckhart Tolle, and having daily Ah-Ha's that were nudging me into a little more presence and away from some of my old head trash... In Visionary Business, I was reading a story of a struggling start-up business and an entrepreneur who reminded me of myself. I'm sure many readers would feel the same. At one point, Bernie asks the young man how his business plan is working, and he describes it as a barge that is very hard to move... He is then encouraged, not to work on his plans, forecasts, action plans, etc., but on his VISION -- the vision of that barge... because as long as he sees it as not moving, nothing else he does will matter.Understanding that your vision is the controlling factor is vital. There's a song I love by David Wilcox, that includes the words: "I got such a mess between my earslike dishes in the sinkStuff I don't believe just tumbles inuntil I don't have room to think......All my failures are on display,the broken dreams of yesterdayStuff I should have thrown away,but I've kept it here insteadI've got to empty out the inside of my head"Stuck barge or cluttered head, we get what we envision, and the power of our intention is greater than we have dreamed. This is a storyteller's tale. Spun more than told, and practical as well, with business advice and guidelines for a healthy enterprise in addition to the emphasis on working on your vision (and emptying the trash from the inside of your head).A final thought that I found helpful (in reading the author's bio) was this: Decide you are going to do everything in life in an easy, relaxed manner & a healthy and positive way... I appreciate that bit of vision a lot -- maybe most of all, and I'm seeing its fruit in the lives around me.

It is important to understand that this is a fictionalized account of a true story, and, that the twelve "Keys of Visionary Business" will be of greatest benefit to those who are about to begin or have already embarked on an entrepreneurial venture of some kind. My own opinion is that the same twelve "Keys" could be almost as valuable to everyone else in business. I say "almost" because the perils and opportunities of entrepreneurship pose quite unique challenges which almost always must be overcome with limited resources, including (especially) experience. In Allen's fictionalized account, there are two main characters: The narrator and his mentor, Bernie. Allen devotes a separate chapter to each of the 12 "Keys" and then provides an Epilogue, followed by an Afterword in which he includes 25 principles and practices of visionary business. This term has many different, sometimes quite different denotations and connotations. In this context, Allen means (a) being able to envision with absolute clarity what you want your business to be and (b) building the business guided by that vision. Having embarked on a number of entrepreneurial ventures myself, and now working with many others who have, I can personally attest to the great value of the "Keys" but it would be a disservice to the author and to you, were I to divulge them here. Each must be shared within the context of the on-going interaction between the two. Bernie asks all of the questions I wish someone had asked me. Of even greater value is the wisdom he shares, sometimes strategically withholding it until the narrator is ready for it. Their rapport reminds me of the rapport which Mitch Albom describes in Tuesdays with Morrie. An entrepreneur is one who (literally) "undertakes", often at great risk and amidst uncertainty. That is true of the narrator. With all due respect to the practical value of Bernie's business acumen, Allen reveals certain dimensions of Bernie's spirituality which are -- for me, at least -- at least as important as his impact on the narrator's business decisions. Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Robert L. Wallace's Soul Food. Both books share much in common (eg thoughtful, well-written, practical, and reassuring) even as they approach similar subjects from different perspectives. For those who are about to begin or are now embarked on an entrepreneurial venture, these two books are essential resources.

A change of pace from most business books. It is written as a fictional account of a business owner and his mentor Bernie, a retired businessperson who helps the entrepreneur see how to build his business while treating people right. A very nice book. This book came to me at a time when I needed inspiration and not another text book on business.

In addition to helping those about to start their own business, partnership, or corporation, I found this book to be quite useful in clarifying my own career within the organization I am currently employed. It's all about creating a vision, writing it down, mapping it out... read the book for further detail!

VISIONARY BUSINESS is a self-professed fictionalized account of a true story, written as a pleasing parable that is as far from a textbook as soufflé is from hard tack. If you need to know what it is that you need to be successful, with a healthy dose of common sense thrown in, then look no further. It is the conveyance of this high-level information that is so pleasing. What you won't get from the book are details on writing business plans, creating pro-forma cash-flow analysis. If that knowledge is what you seek you can always pick up any number of business school texts. The 'story' opens with Mr. Allen starting a business: under-funded, overworked, and with only a vague idea of what to do. Enter Bernie, a guy whose expression he had seen before "on the Yoda doll on my dresser - the Jedi master from the STAR WARS Movies...." Hokey as it seems, Bernie sits like a Zen Monk outside watching for several days before walking in the door to become Allen's mentor. With Bernie's pleased assessment of their used furniture, "I've seen start-up companies who have put all their money into the furniture... and they went bankrupt before the year was out. They didn't invest in the future," the relationship is off to a good start. "Every company needs a business plan, whether they need investors or not," Bernie says, and then tells what it should contain including the requisite five-year cash flow projections. He goes on with advice on why partnerships don't work, how to find the keys to personal motivation for the operatives and employees that will aid in setting up the fledgling corporation, and then he leaves. Bernie is the kind of venture capitalist known in entrepreneur circles as "Angels" and he certainly proves to be a Godsend for Allen as he becomes an investor/mentor, echoing the venture capitalist credo "Never forget: I'm investing in you," underscoring that a good management team is more important than the idea. The story moves from "plan your work and work you plan," to, "find ways to solve problems without lawyers," and on into solving the problems of a maturing company before they arise. Nice and proactive. Bernie talks sense about employee benefits, pension plans, ESOPs, and the benefits of a phantom stock program. It is pleasing to watch the relationship between Bernie and Allen grow as the company does. Every successfully completed step brings the two men closer and personal advice begins to flow. This is the fatherly 'spiritual' advice so nicely woven within that points to the realities of stress on the executive/entrepreneur, and offers ways to cope. Tidbits like maintaining focus through daily quiet time, a meditation, if you will, that fully aligns oneself, including one's subconscious, toward the all important goals. Bernie offers great advice on public relations and the importance of being a positive part of the community. All Bernie's points are summarized at the end of each chapter