Resources

The Internet is a great place to find helpful information and guidance regarding your business. We have listed several resources below that we feel are useful for keeping your business moving in the right direction. Also, we have listed some books that can provide comprehensive insight and perspective into your business.

We also want to know what resources have worked well for you. Send us an e-mail at Valutis@Valutisconsulting.com with the subject heading "Resources" with any web pages, news groups, list servers, books, or other resources that have been helpful. We will review your contributions and post the best of the best.

Our Resource Center is divided into three sections: Web Links; Other Internet Resources; and Recommended Books.

Web Links

Family Firm Institute
The Family Firm Institute is dedicated to assisting family businesses and uses their web site to help educate not only family businesses, but the advisors and consultants that serve them.

Fast Company Magazine
One of our favorite magazines with a variety of useful and informative articles. Fast Company profiles successful businesses and provides ideas and tools to help your business thrive in this age of technology.

Inc. Magazine on-line
Provides features and articles from the monthly magazine. Also check out the Virtual Consultant, with useful worksheets, databases, and bulletin boards to help growing businesses help themselves.

Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)
A terrific resource for human resource professionals looking for a multitude of on-line resources and services. A good site for sample application forms and other basic human resource documents.

Other Internet Resources

Slide Share

Khan Academy

Recommended Business Books

Danger in the Comfort Zone
by Judith M. Bardwick
Exposes a critical threat to our nation's economy; complacency in the workplace. When executives are more concerned with perks than with motivating their employees and demanding high performance, a decrease in productivity is the result. This book serves as a wake-up call to American businesses.

Growing Pains
by Eric G. Flamholtz
Provides some answers as to why many start-up companies never seem to break through the entrepreneurial stage. Flamholtz reveals that many of these firms are unprepared for the demands of rapid growth and are unable to adapt to the changing needs to their organization based on its level of maturity.

Hands-On Strategy
by William Finne
Is a practical guide to strategic planning that takes the view that setting a corporate vision is a top down process, but success is dependent on a bottom-up implementation. The author directs his approach to best fit small to medium sized businesses.

How to Run a Family Business
by Michael Friedman and Scott Friedman
Offers a comprehensive look at the very complicated task of starting a family business and seeing it survive for future generations. A few of the topics discussed include business structure, board of directors, financing, succession planning and many more crucial considerations for the longevity of the family business.

Leadership is an Art
by Max DePree
Describes some of the more important aspects of a leader. Perhaps one of the greatest gifts a leader may possess it the ability to understand people and be able to recognize and utilize their talents and skills.

Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers
by Robert Kriegel and David Brandt
Really gets to the heart of the many buzzword programs: people. They'll show you how to coach yourself and others to be ready for change at a moments notice.

Taking Charge of Change
by Douglas K. Smith
Provides good insights and guidelines for managing people and performance in your business. It is well organized and has good examples and questions to ask of your own business.

The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization
by Peter M. Senge
Urges you to evaluate your organization to see if it might have a learning disability. That is, something or idea which prohibits its learning, growth, and expansion. A relatively new bible among contemporary business books.

Think Out of the Box
by Mike Vance and Diane Deacon
Is for anyone looking to break out of traditional modes of problem solving. It provides a number of creative exercises and guidelines to help you reframe problems and arrive at high quality, innovative solutions.

Buying books on-line? May we recommend www.amazon.com