Napkin Logic is 48 Great Business Ideas, Lessons, and Rules - Insights to make you a better business person and entrepreneur. Napkin Logic is a "great idea book" and a "group topic/how to book" rolled into one easy and informative read. The topics are based on over 30 years in the high tech industry in start-ups and large corporations in a variety of roles from salesperson to Chief Technology Officer as everything from a manger to a senior executive. The topics in Napkin Logic started as exercises in mentoring my employees and business associates in real life business situations, often on a napkin or a white board, sketching out the very same diagrams you will find in the book. Typically someone with less experience in an area would ask a question or present something that required them to understand a basic business principle or how to analyze or think about a topic or challenge. Through the years I have found myself regularly repeating these same "lessons" or "rules", often having people come back later and say that through the explanation they understood something clearly for the first time. Napkin Logic sets these forth as topics that can be consumed, but the tone I have tried to achieve is essentially a written or conversational mentor, using over 80 charts and graphs of the concepts. The topics include strategy, sales, marketing, finance, technology, management, and the business of you. In each section there are multiple topics, each covering a key business concept that will help you through your career. In the finance section, a simple and clear explanation of Profit and Loss, discounting, and margin are covered so anyone can understand complex business issues. In the Sales section starts with the "Three Rules of Sales", three simple concepts that will enable anyone to understand how to manage and motivate a sales team. Next is a chapter on using one of the rules, "Time Based Sales Management", as a comprehensive program to manage a sales team. This sales management system enabled me to increase sales productivity by 70%. In the Managing the Business of You section, clear strategies to evaluate your role and your company as well as how to plan your career are discussed. Each of the 48 topics can be used on its own or combined as you build your business knowledge through Napkin Logic. Readers, both seasoned business professionals and new graduates have said Napkin Logic gave them valuable insights that enabled them to succeed. Every reader will find many, if not all of the topics will give new insights and will help grow skills and knowledge in business and management. Whether helping you in your role today or growing into new areas, Napkin Logic is like having your own executive mentor. Napkin Logic is a book you will refer to again and again to help you in your career.
About the Author: Phil Edholm is the President of PKE Consulting LLC. He consults to end users and vendors in the communications and networking markets. Phil is recognized as both a technology visionary and a leader and innovator in business. He has over 30 years experience in delivering results in the networking and communications industries. In his career, Phil has worked with all of the major technology vendors as a partner, supplier, or customer and with most of the Fortune 1000 companies around the world. He is recognized as an industry expert in VoIP, data networking, real-time applications, Unified Communications, and business models for technology adoption. Prior to founding PKE, he was Vice President of Technology Strategy and Innovation for Avaya. He was responsible for defining vision and strategic technology and the integration of the Nortel product portfolio into Avaya. Prior to Avaya, he was CTO/CSO for the Nortel Enterprise business for 9 years. At Nortel, he led the development of VoIP solutions and multimedia communications as well as IP transport technology. His background includes extensive LAN and data communications experience, including 13 years with Silicon Valley start-ups. Phil is the organizer of WebRTC World Conference & Expo, the global eco-system event for WebRTC. Phil has led teams ranging from a few people in Silicon Valley Start-Ups to hundreds in Fortune 500 companies. He is recognized as a visionary leader and is often asked to speak to companies and help their teams understand how to manage complex business situations. The concepts and companies he has founded or led have created over a billion dollars of market capitalization. Phil is recognized as an industry leader and visionary. In 2007, he was recognized by Frost and Sullivan with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Growth, Innovation and Leadership in Telecommunications for creating the VoIP industry. Phil is a widely sought speaker and has been in the VoiceCon/Enterprise Connect Great Debate three times. He has been recognized by the IEEE as the originator of "Edholm's Law of Bandwidth" as published in July 2004 IEEE Spectrum magazine and as one of the "Top 100 Voices of IP Communications" by Internet Telephony magazine. Phil was a member of the IEEE 802.3 standards committee, developed the first multi-protocol network interfaces, and was a founder of the Frame Relay Forum. Phil has 16 patents and holds a BSME/EE from Kettering University.