The Authentic Brand: How Today's Top Entrepreneurs Connect with Their Customers »

The Authentic Brand gives a behind-the-scenes look at a dozen of today's top entrepreneurs to discover their leadership, management and marketing triumphs and lessons. These include:

• Wally "Famous" Amos
• Jerry Baldwin, Co-founder, Starbucks, Principal, Peet's Coffee
• Bobbi Brown, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics
• Ben Cohen, Ben & Jerry's Homemade
• Jerry Greenfield, Ben & Jerry's Homemade
• Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield Farm
• Jim Koch, Samuel Adams Beer
• David Neeleman, JetBlue Airways
• David Oreck, Oreck Corporation
• Roxanne Quimby, Burt's Bees
• Andy and Kate Spade
• Jeff Taylor, Monster.com

Because of the insights revealed by our interviewees, the take-home value in The Authentic Brand is remarkable and applicable to all types of businesses, regardless of size or industry: After all, leadership and marketing are universal and transcend industry nuances. Each pioneer has risen to the top amidst an abundance of competitors and started from nothing. All of the business leaders and brand-builders in this book speak to their customers' intelligence, and they are about more than just commerce. For example, Ben & Jerry have worked actively to make the world a better place; Wally Amos has helped tens of thousands of adults to read; Bobbi Brown donates pallet-loads of product to women in need; and Gary Hirshberg brings healthy snack foods into schools and works toward improving the environment. More than price or the superficial elements of the product, each of these brands resonates with the customer. There is a feeling associated with these brands – something real and substantial. It is authenticity.

The Authentic Brand is a refreshing real-world business book that can help readers build companies that resonate with their customers and stand apart from the crowd. It is about leadership and marketing and is based on the practical and real-life experiences of highly successful and prominent self-starting entrepreneurs. The Authentic Brand leaves the world of the theoretical behind. It avoids supposition, academic conjecture, or unsubstantiated conclusions.

Authenticity     I
Facing the Truth: There Are Too Many "Faceless" Companies     1
Doing Good to Do Well: How Cause Marketing Builds Brands     23
Speak to Your Customers' Intelligence     47
"Geo-Branding"     57
Story-Telling Creates Even Bigger Brands     65
Flying Under the Radar: A Great Way to Crash and Burn     75
Leadership Qualities and Beliefs     87
Leadership Styles     88
Time Management     95
Influences and Role Models     99
Finding the Right People     108
Managing Conflict     124
Accountability, Measuring Results and Goal Setting     125
Too Many Meetings?     132
Showing Vulnerability     133
Family and Belief Systems     137
Confronting Failure     143
Mentoring     150
Shared Insights and Experiences     155
Is There a Better Mousetrap?     155
Mission Statements     169
Can You Take the Business Too Seriously?     175
The Importance of Education     178
Business Tools     185
Sharing Equity and Taking on Partners     190
Creating an Exit Strategy     194
Letting Go     198
Macro-Managing-Not Micro-Managing     204
Leaving a Legacy     208
Final Thoughts     211