THE POSTER BOY: Small Towns, Big Ideas, and the Reality of Becoming an Entrepreneur by Chad Scott is chock full of remarkable stories, solid advice, and discussions regarding tangible resources a budding business owner might need. From customer relations management tools (CRM) to apps that accurately clock a long-distance workforce or enable a company to get paid, this succinct nonfiction business book is a treasure trove of useful information. Most encouragingly, the author was not someone who started out with a trust fund or other secure safety net, nor was his start-up — which can be found in 30+ locations and currently pulls in millions of dollars in revenue — built without problems. A whole host of troubles plagued the endeavor from day one. However, according to this part-memoir/part-how to manual, being able to work through a steady stream of ever-more-challenging issues is the foremost sign of a successful business realistically underway.

Especially motivating is each of Scott’s tales of woe that led, in the end, towards personal growth along with expansion of the business, rather than its failure. Issues range from legal, to over-eager ‘we-can-do-everything’ rookie blunders, to being held hostage when mistakenly depending too much upon a single resource; all missteps that could occur in any business, making the guidance offered feel universally applicable. The book is packed with kernels of wisdom such as: Businesses can’t be built alone; one must find cohorts who can be trusted and then given free rein to do their thing. Business owners must always under-promise and over-deliver rather than the other way around. Dependable, clear, regular communication is key; never disappear with anyone’s money while trying to rectify snafus in secret. Know sharing virtues and values in common is even more important than the skill set anyone brings to the table. Creating a work environment no one wants to leave is how a company keeps top-notch staff. And, most importantly, every single problem that comes along has a solution.

Chad Scott’s hard-won business success is outlined in fine detail in the marvelously compact heartening and practical THE POSTER BOY: Small Towns, Big Ideas, and the Reality of Becoming an Entrepreneur.

~C.S. Holmes for IndieReader