Lead from the Core: The 4 Principles for Profit and Prosperity

by Jay Steinfeld

Overview

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER

Jay Steinfeld, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the founder and CEO of Blinds.com (acquired by Home Depot), never planned to create the biggest online window blinds retailer in the world.

Against all odds to succeed, Steinfeld’s journey in business included failed acquisitions, partnerships gone wrong, perpetual self-doubt, deaths in his family, budget-limited guerilla marketing, corporate buy-outs, brutal market competition, and a complete disruption of industry leaders, including Amazon and big-box retailers.

To build something meaningful like Steinfeld, you need to do more than dream about it. You need to Lead from the Core.

Learn Steinfeld’s “Four Es”—a set of guiding principles that help overcome any obstacle to your organization’s success: Evolve Continuously, Experiment Without Fear of Failure, Express Yourself, and Enjoy the Ride.

In these pages, you’ll also learn specific, actionable tactics, including:

How to start a business with little money and experience

Ways to avoid the early failure that plagues many businesses

Strategies to scale beyond the startup phase

Exactly how to communicate with boards and investors

Proven lessons to attract potential acquirers of your company

Told with humor and heart, Lead from the Core is not just a roadmap to make your company a resounding success. It’s a masterclass for leaders looking to prevent costly business mistakes, no matter where you are in your journey.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781953295729
Publisher:	BenBella Books, Inc.
Publication date:	11/30/2021
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,024,694
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Jay Steinfeld founded and wasthe CEO of GlobalCustom Commerce,which operates theworld’s numberone online windowcovering retailerBlinds.com. Boot-strapped in 1996for just $3,000from his Bellaire, Texas, garage, Global CustomCommerce was acquired by The Home Depot in2014. Jay remained as its CEO and later joinedThe Home Depot Online Leadership Team. Afterstepping away from these roles in early 2020,he has increased his involvement on numerousprivate company boards and serves as a directorof the public company Masonite (NYSE: DOOR).He also teaches entrepreneurship at RiceUniversity’s Jones Graduate School of Businessand supports numerous charities. Jay is anErnst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and hasearned a Lifetime Achievement Award fromthe Houston Technology Center. Active as anindustry speaker on topics including corporateculture, core values, how to scale a start-up, anddisruption, he has more than 100 publishedarticles. He also sings in the same barbershopquartet of which he’s been a part of for nearly50 years. He lives with his wife, Barbara, inHouston, Texas, and has five children and sevengrandchildren whom he proudly refers to as hisseven start-ups.

Table of Contents

1 Before It's Too Late 1

2 The Beginning of Magic: Why You Don't Need to Know Everything at the Start 9

3 Hail to the Light Bulb: How to Experiment Without Fear of Failure 31

4 Get Real: The Power and Pitfalls of Growth 63

5 Mind the Gaps: Readying Yourself and Your Team for the Inevitable Disruptions and Stress 83

6 One Thing. Just One Thing: Crafting the Right Culture 109

7 In Systems We Trust: How to Scale Beyond the Startup Phase 137

8 Giving and Taking a Punch: Maximizing Stakeholder Relationships 147

9 The Orange Blossom Trail: Proven Lessons to Overcome the Poor Odds of a Successful Merger 159

10 Smart with Money, Smarter with People: The Huge Payback of Authentic Generosity 195

11 Half Full and Half Empty: The Secret to Simultaneously Dealing with Disparate Dilemmas 219

12 It's Never Too Late 233

Acknowledgments 235

Index 239

About the Author 246

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Great advice, terrific storytelling, and very human!"
—Frank Blake, former CEO of Home Depot and current chairman of Delta Air Lines

“Lead from the Core documents the most important part of growing a company—the human part. Jay didn’t just grow a successful business, he continually experimented and evolved as a leader, and grew a winning team that met real human needs. The lessons he offers from his journey are invaluable.”
—Dave Ramsey, Bestselling Author and Radio Host
 
“This is a deeply personal story about business and about life. Anyone hoping to lead a disruptive organization and do it with purpose, will find wisdom in Jay's book.”
—Bill Oesterle, CEO and Co-Founder, Angie’s List
 
“Jay’s thoughtful approach will resonate with business leaders looking for a book that clearly articulates the challenges and opportunities of starting a business and improving the operations of an existing one, regardless of its size or maturity.”
—George W. Tamke, former CEO and Chairman of The Hertz Corporation, Kinko’s, and Culligan
 
“I love books that inspire audacious thinking and equip you with the toolset to execute on big ideas. Lead from the Core does both.”
—Peter H. Diamandis, MD, Founder/Chairman, XPRIZE; Executive Founder, Singularity; Bestselling Author of Abundance, BOLD, and The Future Is Faster Than You Think
 
“An inspirational treatise on how the personal and philosophical interact with the day-to-day tactics of creating and growing a business. I highly recommend this book if you’re interested in winning through people.”
—Luis L. Martins, Professor and Herb Kelleher Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at Austin
 
“Jay Steinfeld’s book is a must-read for business students, nascent entrepreneurs, or anyone who wants to expand their entrepreneurial mindset. The narrative of the book flows easily as the reader experiences both the pitfalls and triumphs of entrepreneurship punctuated with lessons learned and actionable takeaways.”
—Katie Pritchett, Ph.D., Former Director of the Entrepreneurship Minor UT-Austin Faculty Member, Management Department

“Jay experienced a life fraught with tragedy, sacrifice, disruption, rewards, and success.  His book offers a detailed chronicle that’s jam-packed with life lessons learned. Read it, reflect on it, and take these lessons to heart.”
—Leo Bottary, Founder and Managing Partner, Peernovation, LLC

“This book's guidance on maximizing stakeholder relationships is required reading for any startup founder thinking about raising growth capital. Jay's specific advice on soliciting and leveraging advice from board members should be used by entrepreneurs both young and old!”
—Blair Garrou, Cofounder and Managing Partner, Mercury Fund (startup venture capital)
 
“Jay's educational lessons, insights and philosophies have become an integral part of my entrepreneurship curriculum. They resonate so much with my graduate business students that he frequently gets standing ovations when he finishes speaking to them.”
—Al Danto, Entrepreneurship Faculty Jones Graduate School of Business Rice University