First Business

Women of color comprise one of the fastest-growing segments in the corporate workforce, yet often we are underrepresented—among the first, few, or only ones in a department or company. For too long, corporate structures, social zeitgeist, and cultural conditioning have left us feeling exhausted and downtrodden, believing that in order to “fit in” and be successful, we must hide or change who we are.

New York Times best-selling author Stedman Graham's Identity Leadership is a very personal and prescriptive guide that is based on his philosophy that a leader can't lead others until he can first lead himself - the more he works on himself, the more he can give to those around him. To know our purpose in life, we begin with our passions, skills, and talents, and with this book we learn how to channel the best of who we are to achieve success for ourselves and those we lead.

While both nonfiction and fiction genres have their own challenges and complexities, there are several key reasons why many individuals may find writing nonfiction to be easier than writing fiction. Nonfiction offers opportunities for personal and professional growth while contributing significantly to the dissemination of knowledge and the improvement of shared comprehension. Whether aiming to educate, motivate, or provoke thought and stimulate reaction, a nonfiction author leaves a lasting impression on both readers and society.

When Lynsi Snyder’s grandparents founded In-N-Out Burger in 1948, they built it with a passion for quality and service that Lynsi embraced at a young age. After starting as a store associate at age seventeen, she then worked in other departments, gaining firsthand experience with almost every aspect of the family business until she became president in 2010. She has led the company through explosive growth—today, there are three-hundred-ninety-two stores and counting—and is deeply committed to the well-being of the In-N-Out Burger family.

Ray Zinn founded his semiconductor company without venture capital and ran it for 37 years, 36 of them profitably - an enviable record. He went blind weeks before his company went public, yet he led it for another 20 years. Tough Things First, the distillation of Zinn's astonishing career as CEO of Micrel, is a comprehensive, inspirational head-to-toe training program for entrepreneurs and leaders.

Everything you've ever wanted to know about publishing but were too afraid to ask is right here in this funny, candid guide by acclaimed author Courtney Maum. Before and After the Book Deal: A Writer's Guide to Finishing, Publishing, Promoting, and Surviving Your First Book has over 150 contributors from all walks of the industry, including internationally best-selling authors Anthony Doerr, Roxane Gay, Garth Greenwell, Lisa Ko, R. O. Kwon, Rebecca Makkai, and Ottessa Moshfegh, alongside cult favorites Sarah Gerard, Melissa Febos, Mitchell S. Jackson, and Mira Jacob.

How can effective project management transform not just outcomes but entire organizations? In a world of constant change, mastering project management is more crucial than ever. This guide explores key principles from the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) to Agile methodologies, helping professionals lead projects with confidence. Covering core concepts like the triple constraint—scope, time, and cost—and the impact of stakeholder engagement, it reveals how communication and collaboration drive project success.

Apple: The First 50 Years includes new interviews with 150 key people who made the journey, including Steve Wozniak, John Sculley, Jony Ive, and many current designers, engineers, and executives. The book busts long-held myths; goes backstage for both the titanic successes (450 million iPods, 700 million iPads, 2.2 billion iPhones) and the instructive failures (Lisa, Apple III, MobileMe); and assesses the forces that challenge Apple’s dominance as it enters its second half century.

This audiobook is filled with proven solutions, options, and problem-solving methods that every first-time author needs to know - no matter what writing challenges you face. Follow the advice given in this audiobook and by the end, after putting what I have to say into action, you will have easily written a high-quality book.

Patagonia, named by Fortune in 2007 as the coolest company on the planet, has earned a reputation as much for its ground-breaking environmental and social practices as for the quality of its clothes. In this exceptionally frank account, Chouinard and Stanley recount how the company and its culture gained the confidence, by step and misstep, to make its work progressively more responsible, and to ultimately share its discoveries with companies as large as Wal-Mart or as small as the corner bakery.

Fatherhood today is far different from previous generations. Stay-at-home dads are increasingly common, and growing numbers of men are working part-time or flextime schedules to spend more time with their children. Dads today are more emotionally and physically involved on the home front. They are "all in", and - like mothers - they are struggling with work-life balance and doing it all.

Meghan is a beautiful, naive, and sheltered young woman working for her father's company. When Meghan asks to work for a difficult and demanding senior executive named Mark, she never suspects how far she will be asked to go to help her father's company out. She accompanies Mark to a convention and is presented with a unique opportunity to entertain investors in a way that she has only dreamed about. One night in a hotel room, Mark opens her mind to a whole other world of sexual fun.

Everything I Know About Lean I Learned in First Grade brings lean back to its original simplicity by showing how lean is alive in a first-grade classroom. The audiobook connects common lean tools to the broader lean journey, shows how to identify and eliminate waste, and aids the listener in seeing lean for what it truly is: a way to create a learning and problem-solving culture.

In this honest, practical and empowering guide, seasoned entrepreneur and investor Garry Mansell shows first-time founders how to master B2B sales – even if they’ve never sold a thing in their lives. Whether you’re building a SaaS product, a consultancy or a complex solution, you’ll learn how to approach sales with structure, confidence and integrity. No sleaze. No jargon. Just a clear, step-by-step approach to turning conversations into customers.

Developed for business professionals, The First Two Hours teaches you how to design your day, rather than be at the mercy of it. Using research on neuroscience, energy flow, and the body's natural rhythms, it divides the workday into manageable blocks and helps you determine when you are most resourceful, and therefore when you should complete your most demanding tasks.

The familiar adage that “It’s a jungle out there” applies to sellers and sales organizations now more than ever. Competitors are hungry for business; decision makers are wary of change; and the market is crowded with products and services that are barely distinguishable from one another. Meanwhile, the tried-and-true sales methods of the past are simply no longer effective in a world where customers aren’t sure whom to trust.

With the advent of numerous job search websites, finding and applying for jobs might be easy. But when it is time to face the first interview, the thought will probably be scary. In this powerfully effective listen, entrepreneur and author T. Muralidharan shows how to be successful at that first interview.

A chapter from Zoom by Daniel Roberts and Fortune contributors. With Zoom, Fortune magazine extends one of its most successful franchises, 40 Under 40, to bring you original insight on the best-kept secrets of top entrepreneurs, business leaders, and rising tech stars.

The world of work continues to grow more complex with hybrid work, a shortage of talent, and a mandate for more inclusive environments with a true DEI perspective. These changes have created many exciting opportunities but also carry big risks for HR managers on the front lines in organizations in transition.

As work and organizations have become more fluid - and business strategy is no longer about planning years ahead but about sensing and seizing new opportunities and adapting to a constantly changing environment - companies must deploy talent in new ways to remain competitive. Turning conventional views on their heads, talent and leadership experts Ram Charan, Dominic Barton, and Dennis Carey provide leaders with a new and different playbook for acquiring, managing, and deploying talent.