Archive for category: The 100 Book

The 100: Building Blocks for Business Leadership Press Release

Saint Paul, United States of America, March 22, 2016 (Newswire.com) – How does someone build a thriving business with loyal customers and employees? How does someone craft a workplace that wins dozens of awards for being a best place to work and, more importantly, is filled with happy employees who rarely leave? How does someone generate healthy annual profits while still facilitating life balance, not only for himself but also his employees? Ask Tom Salonek, founder and CEO of Intertech, a Minnesota-based IT consulting and training company. Better yet, read his new book, The 100: Building Blocks for Business Leadership (Agate B2, 978-1-57284-196-3, $14).

“You could spend a year reading the top 100 business books and not come away with as much as an afternoon spent reading this book”–Thomas W. Schaefer, CEO and President, Master Coating Technologies

Salonek, who founded Intertech in 1991, has intentionally developed a company where people thrive – personally and professionally – and customers receive best in class IT services and training. His book, a sort of self-help manual for small business leaders and corporate managers alike, contains 100 short lessons filled with hands-on techniques and practical advice based on concepts Salonek learned at Intertech and through executive education he pursued at Harvard, MIT and the University of St. Thomas.

Best of all, The 100 is practical, pithy and comes with 30-plus downloadable resources for implementing the book’s concepts. The 100 is available in both print and electronic formats through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million and a variety of local independent booksellers. ​

View the release online here.

The 100 Book Q&A – Advice for Businesses on the Decline

What’s your advice for entrepreneurs whose businesses are on the decline? 

Action cures fear. When you’re actively focused on the solution and working the problem, you feel more empowered. For a business in decline, remember that you’re not the first to experience this problem. Who do you know within or outside your organization that could help generate ideas to turn things around? Start with “green light” brainstorming session around the core problems causing the decline. Ask, “In what ways can we increase sales?” or “In what ways can we reduce expenses to improve profitability?” After all the ideas are on the table, sort from first to worst, and then act.

The 100 Book Q&A – Advice for Starting a Business

What advice would you give to someone just thinking about starting a business?

There never will be a perfect time to start a business. I started Intertech in a recession. To limit risk, ask yourself if there’s a way to dip your toe in the water without quitting your day job. Also, set it up to succeed or fail quickly. It’s not about money or significant investment. From colocation workspaces to all the resources available through cloud-based services to the sharing economy, there are a lot of ways to start with minimal expense.

The amount of resources available for an entrepreneur is staggering. From books to workshops to online resources, the challenge isn’t to find resources—it’s to sift out what is practical and useful. My hope is that The 100 provides a quick read with plenty of actionable ideas for the aspiring entrepreneur.

The 100 Book Q&A – The Inspiration Behind the Book

Today is the official release date of my book.  My thanks to Doug, Jessica, Eileen, Jaqueline, Zach, and the rest of the crew at Agate for their belief in and support of The 100.

What inspired you to write “the shortest book” on this subject? 

When I attend a workshop or read a book or periodical, I’m the type of person who’s looking for the answer or core idea. Theory, while good to know, isn’t as useful to my business as practical, actionable, and proven ideas and tools are. My goal was to create a book where there were a lot of implementable ideas to grow and improve a business.

The 100 Book Q&A – Lessons Learned Starting Intertech

What was your own experience starting up Intertech? What lessons did you learn?

In the beginning, it was controlled chaos. I worked insane hours, I took on any project regardless of whether or not it was in my wheelhouse, and I was so focused working “in the business” that I didn’t work “on the business.” I learned a lot of lessons starting the firm.

One of the biggest lessons I learned was that great people make a great organization. When hiring, take time, be stringent, and be consistent. When I was starting out, I was so focused on not missing out on work or opportunities that I was too quick to hire—I’d hire someone over a coffee. Today, we have eight separate steps in our interview process and hire only one out of every 20 applicants. The process is thorough, and the right employees appreciate that we set a high bar. The wrong employees are weeded out or opt out themselves.

I also learned that life is short. For clients and employees, if it’s not a positive relationship, cut bait and move on. When starting out, I would tolerate the employee who was technically gifted but who acted like a prima donna. I would tolerate the client who used berating as a tool to get more “value” out of the work provided by our team.

Today, we have a thorough hiring process, but when we make a mistake in a new hire, we’re quick to fire. It’s a similar story for clients. While it doesn’t happen much, if there’s a client who sees us as a “bar of steel” and not a partner—or thinks raising their voice is a motivational tool—we’ll finish up the project professionally and pass on future opportunities.