The Best Tactical and Strategic Business Advice You Haven’t Heard This Month

As we enter the second half of 2014, we decided to shake things up a bit. So instead of compiling great articles on leadership and culture, here’s some practical business advice you can put to the test at your company. From billion dollar branding strategies to guiding underperformers back to glory, these are our five favorite reads for the month of June.

1. This Startup Cracked A $2.4 Billion Market With Branding – Here’s Their Formula

By First Round Review
If there was ever a blueprint for how to accomplish the nearly impossible, this article is it. Taking a bite out of an established market is no easy task, but Harry’s is successfully shaving off Gillette and Schick’s market shares. For Design Director Garrett Morin and Director of Digital Products Matthew Tully, telling compelling stories is central to Harry’s value and identity. This is a must read for anyone who is looking for a great brand formula.

2. Life Beyond The Elevator Pitch: Venture Capital’s New Formulas

By George Anders
Ever see the movie, Moneyball? It’s the true story of a sports executive who revolutionizes talent acquisition in baseball by finding great players who are undervalued. Venture capitalists Trevor Kienzle and David Coats are putting that same strategy to work by creating secret algorithms to find the underappreciated winners in the startup game. This tale of two underdogs will inspire you to be the disruptive data-focused entrepreneur you have always wanted to be.

3. 12 Laws Of Building A great Company From One of America’s Most Innovative Small Business Owners

By Richard Feloni
Ari Weinzweig repeatedly threw traditional management out the window on his journey to $50 million in annual revenue. As co-founder of Zingerman’s Gourmet Food Company, Weinzweig has proved that being employee focused works! Zingerman’s executive meetings are open to all employees and the company is well on its way to becoming an employee owned co-op. Weinzweig believes that a strategically sound and inspiring company vision is the foundation of greatness, and leadership must serve their staff if they want them to give great service to customers.

4. How To Help An Underperformer

By Amy Gallo
There are many reasons why people don’t perform at a level that is expected of them. Sometimes it isn’t necessarily a result of the person’s skills and abilities. It can be due to communication breakdown, misaligned expectations and understanding. Leadership must be prepared to evaluate and take immediate action to address underperformance.This includes communicating the issue to the employee and offering support for improvement. Amy lays out a detailed plan along with 2 informative case studies for you to follow.

5. 6 Tactics To Becoming A Better Negotiator

By Jenny Q. Ta
Negotiation is one critical skill that every professional will have to develop during their career. Some believe that negotiation is about the biggest…ahem…ego in the room. But the founder and CEO of Sqeeqee offers that it’s not about winning or losing, and suggests finding the best possible deal for all parties involved.

Whether you are raising capital, disrupting the marketplace, or supporting employees to do their best, there are people who have already blazed that trail ahead of you. As you develop your own strategic framework for success, we hope that this advice will be useful. And who knows, the trail you blaze may one day lead the way for others intrepid enough to stake a claim in the business landscape.

David Mizne, Content Manager at 15Five interviews some of the most brilliant minds in business and reports on topics ranging from entrepreneurship to employee engagement. 15Five is a SaaS company with a powerful and simple solution that gathers critical insights from employees in minutes each week, enabling informed management to get the visibility they need to boost engagement and drive alignment across their entire team.

Image Credit: Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig

What’s the best strategic advice you have for other entrepreneurs? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.