How to Grow Your Small Business book cover

How to Grow Your Small Business by Donald Miller Summary

How to Grow Your Small Business
Donald Miller
4.34 (960 Reviews)
Entrepreneurship
Business
Leadership
Overview
Key Takeaways
Author
FAQs

Overview of How to Grow Your Small Business

Donald Miller's "How to Grow Your Small Business" delivers a six-step flight plan for entrepreneurial success. Using his airplane metaphor, Miller's strategies increased his own company's revenue by 30%. The five-checking-account system has revolutionized how small businesses handle cash flow - could yours be next?

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Key takeaways

1

When Your Business Runs You Instead of the Other Way Around

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What if the very thing you built to create freedom became your prison? Donald Miller faced this paradox when his startup consumed his life-constant firefighting, mounting chaos, no clear direction. Then something shifted. By implementing six interconnected systems, he quadrupled revenue while reclaiming his time. This wasn't magic or luck. It was architecture. Think of a business like an airplane: you need a cockpit for direction, engines for sales, wings for products, and fuel for cash flow. Miss one component, and you're not flying-you're falling. Most business advice focuses on isolated tactics. This approach recognizes that sustainable growth requires every system working in harmony, each supporting the others like the precise engineering that keeps aircraft aloft.

2

Mission Statements That Actually Move the Needle

3

Building Culture Through Characteristics and Actions

4

Marketing That Cuts Through the Noise

5

Sales Conversations That Serve Rather Than Manipulate

6

Optimizing Products and Operations for Maximum Lift

7

Money Management That Prevents Crisis

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How to Grow Your Small Business isn't just a book — it's a masterclass in Entrepreneurship. To help you absorb its lessons in the way that works best for you, we offer five unique learning modes. Whether you're a deep thinker, a fast learner, or a story lover, there's a mode designed to fit your style.

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@Chloe, Solo founder, LA
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"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw
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"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
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"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
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@djmikemoore
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@Pitiful
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@Chloe, Solo founder, LA
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likes
117

"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

@Raaaaaachelw
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star
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"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."

@Matt, YC alum
platform
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12
likes
108

"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

@Erin, Investment Banking Associate , NYC
platform
comments
254
likes
17

"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

@djmikemoore
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"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."

@Pitiful
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."

@SofiaP
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"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"

@Jaded_Falcon
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"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."

@OojasSalunke
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@Leo, Law Student, UPenn
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"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"

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