If you are considering starting a business, or if you are in business but considering making some changes,  I highly recommend this book, Driven by Robert Herjavec.  Although  Herjavec  does not gravitate toward the minutiae of running a firm, he effectively communicates the values required to achieve success as well as referencing particular circumstances inevitable to all business owners.  In this referencing, he proposes that business owners have responsibilities to multiple parties and it is in this context that decisions are based.  Herjavec is unapologetic about his humble roots and how his modest beginnings were instrumental in driving him passionately forward in business.  A contrast is drawn between those who “pitch” business concepts on the “Dragon’s Den” and himself as the more pragmatic business administrator without the “MBA”.

Herjavec illustrates the situation which propelled him in business at the earliest stage and what I remember thinking at the time of reading was how decisive he was at the most critical of times in a virtually undiscovered technological landscape.  His value system is on display throughout the book and evidently was paramount in the assembly of teams required for achievement.

Simple rules of thumb are presented in the context of business decisions.  Lifestyle issues are addressed as well as the personal characteristics required to excel in a business pursuit.  A philosophical perspective is cited when confronted with banking and regulatory matters.  The creative element is highlighted as is one critical common cause leading to regression.

You will not acquire any technical administrative skill from this book but you will come away thinking that some like Herjavec thrive amidst chaos and from there flows finance.