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As a young man, Ed Catmull had a dream: to make the world’s first computer-animated movie. He nurtured that dream...
As a young man, Ed Catmull had a dream: to make the world’s first computer-animated movie. He nurtured that dream first as a Ph.D. student at the University of Utah, where many computer science pioneers got their start, and then forged an early partnership with George Lucas that led, indirectly, to his founding Pixar with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter in 1986. Nine years later and against all odds, Toy Story was released, changing animation forever. Since then, Pixar has dominated the world of animation, producing such beloved films as Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Up, and WALL-E, which have gone on to set box-office records and garner twenty-seven Academy Awards. The joyousness of the storytelling, the inventive plots, the emotional authenticity: In some ways, Pixar movies are an object lesson in what creativity really is. Now, in this book, Catmull reveals the ideals and techniques, honed over years, that have made Pixar so widely admired—and so profitable. Creativity, Inc. is a book for managers who want to lead their employees to new heights, a manual for anyone who strives for originality, and the first-ever, all-access trip into the nerve center of Pixar Animation Studios—into the story meetings, the postmortems, and the ‘Braintrust’ sessions where art is born. It is, at heart, a book about how to build and sustain a creative culture—but it is also, as Pixar co-founder and president Ed Catmull writes, ‘an expression of the ideas that I believe make the best in us possible.’ Author: Ed Catmull ISBN:9780593070109
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The foremost authority on innovation and growth presents a path-breaking book every company needs to transform innovatio...
The foremost authority on innovation and growth presents a path-breaking book every company needs to transform innovation from a game of chance to one in which they develop products and services customers not only want to buy, but are willing to pay premium prices for. How do companies know how to grow? How can they create products that they are sure customers want to buy? Can innovation be more than a game of hit and miss? Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen has the answer. A generation ago, Christensen revolutionized business with his groundbreaking theory of disruptive innovation. Now, he goes further, offering powerful new insights. After years of research, Christensen has come to one critical conclusion: our long held maxim—that understanding the customer is the crux of innovation—is wrong. Customers don’t buy products or services; they "hire" them to do a job. Understanding customers does not drive innovation success, he argues. Understanding customer jobs does. The "Jobs to Be Done" approach can be seen in some of the world’s most respected companies and fast-growing startups, including Amazon, Intuit, Uber, Airbnb, and Chobani yogurt, to name just a few. But this book is not about celebrating these successes—it’s about predicting new ones. Christensen contends that by understanding what causes customers to "hire" a product or service, any business can improve its innovation track record, creating products that customers not only want to hire, but that they’ll pay premium prices to bring into their lives. Jobs theory offers new hope for growth to companies frustrated by their hit and miss efforts. This book carefully lays down Christensen’s provocative framework, providing a comprehensive explanation of the theory and why it is predictive, how to use it in the real world—and, most importantly, how not to squander the insights it provides. Author;Clayton M. Christensen ISBN; 9780062565235
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Based on a five-year, 7,000-company study The vast majority of small businesses stay small–and not by choice. Only the m...
Based on a five-year, 7,000-company study The vast majority of small businesses stay small–and not by choice. Only the most savvy and persistent–a tiny one tenth of one percent–break through to the very highest ranks. In The Breakthrough Company, technology CEO and Fortune 500 consultant Keith McFarland draws upon an extensive empirical study to reveal exactly how everyday companies become extraordinary, showing that breakthrough success is associated with a clearly identifiable set of strategies and skills that anyone in any business can emulate–from small startup to industry leader. With powerful and specific action steps concluding each chapter–and invaluable advice on virtually every page from business leaders who’ve taken their companies to extraordinary levels of growth and profitability–The Breakthrough Company is stuffed with real-world tools and myth-busting insights that can be used by anyone wanting his or her business to join this exclusive circle. “Think Good to Great for those still small enough to think big.” —Bob Eckert, chairman and CEO, Mattel, Inc. “If you’re looking for a breakthrough, break open this book.” —Harvey Mackay, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive Author: Keith R McFarlarnd ISBN:9780307352194
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Fully revised and expanded for the first time in a decade, The Art of the Start 2.0 is Guy Kawasaki's classic bestsellin...
Fully revised and expanded for the first time in a decade, The Art of the Start 2.0 is Guy Kawasaki's classic bestselling guide to launching and making your new product, service or idea a success. This new edition has been expanded to reflect the seismic changes in business over the last decade, in which once-invulnerable market leaders have struggled and many of the basics of getting established have become easier, cheaper and more democratic. Today, business plans are no longer necessary. Social media has replaced PR and advertising as the key method of promotion. Crowdfunding is now a viable alternative to investors. Cloud computing makes basic infrastructure affordable for almost any new venture. The Art of the Start 2.0 will show you how to effectively deploy all these new tools. And it will help you master the fundamental challenges that have not changed: building a strong team, creating an awesome product or service, and facing down your competition. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, own a business, or want to get more entrepreneurial within any organisation, this book will help you make your crazy ideas stick. It's an adventure that's more art than science - the art of the start. 'The Art of the Start 2.0 is the ultimate entrepreneurship handbook. Kawasaki's generous wisdom, tips, and humour reflect his successes and failures. We can all benefit from his insights' Arianna Huffington, president and editor in chief, Huffington Post 'A successful entrepreneur requires three things: a garage, an idea, and this book - Guy's irrepressible guide to the raw essentials of life in a young company' Michael Moritz, Sequoia Capita Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva (an online design service) and an executive fellow of the Haas School of Business at U.C. Berkeley. Previously, he was the chief evangelist of Apple and special adviser to the CEO of the Motorola business unit of Google. His many acclaimed books include The Art of Social Media and Enchantment. Author: Guy Kawasaki ISBN:9780241187265
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