By David Green
David Green started with $600 and created Hobby Lobby – the large chain of home and craft stores.
A person who has had that kind of success is someone you could probably learn something from, and in this very readable book from 2005, you can.
While I believe there are many management and leadership lessons in these pages, including tactical ideas about simplicity, empowerment, focus and mission, there are two groups of people who will likely get the very most from this book.
First and most obviously, people in retail businesses (the focus of Green’s business and therefore where the most tangible ideas come from – many that you could apply directly in your setting).
And second, those of faith who choose to (or would like to) let their faith be more widely seen in their work and businesses. Green and his family are Christians (his father was a minister, as are some of his siblings) and in many ways runs his (large but still family owned) business to reflect that faith. One case in point – Hobby Lobby is famously closed on Sundays. In the book, Green talks about the decision to do that, the financial considerations and the results.
I believe the section on how Green applies his beliefs and faith is one of the strongest points of the book, in part perhaps because my beliefs align with his. Regardless of that fact, the book is strong and useful regardless of your faith and beliefs. Even if your faith is different and wish he would spend less time in this area, in nearly every case, he talks about the business side of his faith-based decisions as well.
The bottom line is that there is a significant Christian portion of this story and book, yet even if that isn’t your faith, you will find value in this highly readable book. If that is your faith, you may find more practical inspiration here than you might have initially expected.
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