The Biker's Guide to Business: When Business and Life Meet at the Crossroads

By Dwain M. DeVille

Book Overview

The path to business success is an open road and you'd better be ready for anything

What do businesspeople and entrepreneurs have in common with bikers? More than you'd suspect. The freedom of hitting the open road is a concrete extension of the need for freedom that encourages entrepreneurs to start businesses. The desire to succeed in business by doing it your own way is no different than the desire to hit the road and plot your own course on two wheels.

The Biker's Guide to Business explores these parallels and offers hard-won business wisdom specially suited for Business Bikers who do it their way-whether out on the highways or in the corporate boardroom.

Introduces DeVille's Navigation Process that helps you develop your own action plan for achieving your own unique vision of success Shows you how to tailor a road map to guide your personal journey from where you are now to where you want to be tomorrow Uses biker terminology, analogies, and parallels to communicate real business wisdom Though written to appeal to bikers, the book is a handy business guide for anyone willing to take the ride

Whether or not you're a biker, the passion to ride is the same passion that pushes people to succeed professionally by taking their own path. Hop on, rev up, and succeed.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 047048120X
• ISBN13: 9780470481202
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 3.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Biker's Guide to Business - Powerful Insights from the Road of Business...and Life

Few business books will `grab you by the handlebars' and speed you from one insight to another like "The Biker's Guide to Business." You don't have to be a biker, if you are a business owner or business leader, you'll profit from the ideas in this book - and enjoy yourself along the way. I've known Dwain DeVille for more than a few years, and it's true, I am biased. I am biased because I know the incredible insights Dwain brings to his clients and to his friends. Dwain is the kind of person who makes you sit up and take notice - of yourself, your business, and the opportunities around you. He asks the hard questions and sees opportunities others miss. And unlike stereotypical consultants, when Dwain navigates your business, he knows when to push the speed and when to let you cruise at your own pace. His agenda is totally focused on your success and the ideas that are uniquely right for you and your organization, instead of looking for strategies and "big ideas" that merely serve to make him look good while building gunk in your business engine. So when Dwain started talking about writing this book, I was his biggest cheerleader. As a coach myself, I know how much stuff is out there masquerading as good business advice. You won't get that in The Biker's Guide to Business. What you will get are road-tested tools that you can actually implement and profit from. From a true small business specialist, the book includes these chapters: Chapter 1 Who Am I? Chapter 2 Why Am I Writing This Book? Chapter 3 Roadside Distractions. Chapter 4 The In-Between. Chapter 5 The Tragedy of Strategy. Chapter 6 What is Navigation? Chapter 7 Finding My Ultimate Destination. Chapter 8 It's My Ride. Chapter 9 Meeting Life at the Crossroads. Chapter 10 Figuring It Out. Chapter 11 Your Economic Engine. Chapter 12 Planning Your Ride. Chapter 13 The Work to Be Done. Chapter 14 Communication: The Fuel of High Performance. Chapter 15 Harnessing the Power of the Pack. Chapter 16 Sharpening Your Skills. Chapter 17 Your Role as Road Captain Against the conventional wisdom? Yes. Pragmatic and impactful? Yes. Boring? No way. One of my all-time favorite quotes: "Business is easy until you add the people."

Insights from the road

Absolutely loved the matter-of-fact style and practical tips from this business metaphor. Dwain has a wealth of experience to share and does so in an entertaining and personal way that really engages the reader. It helps if you ride, as it strengthens the metaphoric links, but it is not imperative. This is a sensational book and a great gift for any motorcycle rider.

An original and unique take on business that many will find highly attractive

The dry cleaned pants, the double windsor tie, the bugs in your teeth. "The Biker's Guide to Business: When Business And Life Meet At the Crossroads" is a guide to understanding the intersection of biking and business, two things that would not seem to draw comparisons at first glance. Taking the wisdom of the road and applying it to the world of business, author Dwain DeVille draws many parallels which will prove of much worth for the man who wants to tear up the board rooms like he tears up the road. "The Biker's Guide to Business" is an original and unique take on business that many will find highly attractive.

Should be on every entrepreneur's bookshelf.

Grab your helmet, climb aboard your motorcycle, rev its engine and get ready for one heck of a ride down the intersecting roads of life and business. Consultant Dwain DeVille has written a book that charges full throttle into helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses while also having time to enjoy the open road. The Biker's Guide to Business opens with a brief introduction to the author, his initiation into the business world, past experiences with the banking world turning around distressed banks, and finally to his consultant business, WaterMark International, Inc. The author is brutally honest about his career, the ups and downs, and particularly his mistakes. He doesn't mince words when he talks about his blunders, such as a project he was working on that came crashing to a halt (partially) by 9/11, which led to a parting of ways with his two partners. DeVille goes into great detail about what caused the demise of the organization; mistakes he made that the reader can avoid. Next, the author proceeds to clearly outline, again in great detail, what he (and thus others who find themselves in similar situations) needed to do to recuperate and move on. The Biker's Guide to Business is not for those running "big" businesses, but rather for entrepreneurs who want to grow their own smaller organizations. The author makes it clear that "...what works in a behemoth like GE doesn't necessarily transfer to a company of 10, 20, or 100 people." Throughout the book, the author weaves his love of the open road into analogies with the business world which work well, even for those such as myself who are unfamiliar with motorcycles. He also frequently stresses that no matter how driven you are (pun intended), it is vitally important that you put aside time for your hobbies and personal life. An key aspect of this book is the need to answer "the question" before you can grow your business. What is "the question"? It is a statement/question that DeVille uses, both for himself, and for clients, to assess a business. It requires an extensive, critical review of where a company/entrepreneur is (emphasis on the entrepreneur), and where he/she hope to be in the future. In DeVille's words, "It's five years from now and my entire life has gone according to plan - every challenge overcome, every goal achieved. What does it look like now?" The author states that answering this question is essential to improving your company, its future direction, and your happiness. DeVille outlines the thinking process involved, then gives his answer but makes it clear that your personality and needs might well take you down a different road. He presents a four-page questionnaire to help one answer "the question," and discusses the various points within those pages. Perhaps the most useful sections of this book are those dealing with actual hands-on case studies. DeVille gives an overview of the companies, what their problems were, and how he/they re-organized, made changes, et