A turnaround expert offers a practical management guide to surviving a recession or any other tough business environment, from an industry downturn to getting blindsided by competitors. Theo van Dijk has spent a lifetime getting companies out of difficulties. In Managing When Times Are Tough he shares his expertise, offering practical advice on honing management skills and employing simple techniques that are highly effective in helping companies weather nearly any storm. Urging managers to rediscover that business is a team sport, and he argues that the key to success in tough times is to ignore the "big gloom and doom picture" and concentrate on the issues a manager can and must control. In a text interspersed with anecdotes from his own experiences, van Dijk teaches managers and business owners how to concentrate on real cash flow, emphasize product differentiation, implement marketing tools without adding expense, and practice the technique of "inverse marketing." Stressing that management requires personal commitment and great attention to detail, he demonstrates a "lean and mean" approach, enforcing practical skills that will work now—and prepare the team for the opportunities to come.

Everyone knows the typical entrepreneurial success story: A couple of entrepreneurs have a great idea, work their tails off to establish the business and, before long, they're set for life. Right? Hardly. Turnaround artist Theo van Dijk knows two things: First, young businesses that have survived the start-up years will face periods of stagnation. Second, every venture at some point reaches a complacent plateau, owners take their eyes off the ball, and--wham!--a crisis charges through the door. Entrepreneurs can avoid that fate by watching for signs of trouble and taking the action steps van Dijk outlines in this book. And it's worth the effort, van Dijk believes, because troubles and crises all have a silver lining--they position the company for greater, long-term growth. Entrepreneurs, predictably, become overconfident just when they think they have it made. A crisis of leadership and/or direction then occurs, and it usually has to do with mismanaged growth. Suddenly, the company can't fill orders, or customers complain about service and delivery. Or family bickering slows momentum just when the company is poised to take off. Theo van Dijk has seen it all, and he knows what the real problem is. During the start-up years, everyone is focused on creating a product and building a list of customers. Informality and flexibility are the rule. But at some point, what used to work no longer does. Survival is once again at stake and the odds are once again very much against the survivors of the early entrepreneurial phase. It's right at this point, van Dijk argues, that the structure of the organization needs to become more formal and "built to last." He shows many ways companies in crisis canovercome challenges by changing the way they handle customers, putting new processes and procedures in place, and managing employees in a more professional manner. This work is painful, but it's necessary if the company is to survive trouble and set a course for long-term growth. Besides tips, tactics, prescriptions, and strategies, Managing Growth and Handling Crises also features: *Appendices with tips on hiring consultants, creating job descriptions for key employees, and setting up systems to chart cash flow. *A full chapter devoted to cases studies of successes and failures. The reward is great: The companies that make this transition--from start-up to solid growth company--are the true entrepreneurial success stories you read about in the business press.