Roadside MBA, Michael Mazzeo
Roadside MBA, Michael Mazzeo
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Roadside MBA
Back Road Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Executives and Small Business Owners

Author: Michael Mazzeo, Paul Oyer, Scott Schaefer

Narrator: Steve Gibbons

Unabridged: 7 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Business Plus

Published: 06/10/2014


Synopsis

In this "refreshingly different" high-toned business book, three leading business school professors take to America's back roads in search of offbeat small businesses—enterprises that hold valuable lessons for executives and entrepreneurs everywhere (Bloomberg Businessweek).

While playing hooky from a conference in Boston a few years back, three former colleagues from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management hopped in a car and embarked on a life-changing road trip. They pulled into a shoe store in Maine and noticed that the sales help was unusually pushy. After a few questions, they discovered the store had a "secret shopper" program, in which employees would be marked down if they were not sufficiently aggressive with customers. A lightbulb went off.

Instead of teaching the tried-and-true case studies involving GE and Microsoft, these three men decided to pull their heads out of their ivory towers and search for insights about product differentiation, pricing, brand management, building a team, and a host of other topics. Why take your cues on employee compensation from Wall Street when you can learn from a Main Street company like Couer D'Alene's best crime-scene cleaner? Want to learn about scaling a business? Come meet Dr. Burris, the flying orthodontist, who operates multiple, profitable practices in rural Arkansas.

Spiced with vehicular mishaps and unexpected finds, this is one business book you won't want to miss. 

Reviews

Goodreads review by Julian on May 04, 2021

This is a good book if you have that business mindset and are probably thinking of going to get a MBA one day. The lessons that are presented in here are pretty good and one should definitely take into consideration if starting a small business, but shouldn't be the bible or anything. Based on the b......more

Goodreads review by shanghao on May 03, 2016

Might be useful for students in Econs or Business 101 to enrich their lessons. This economist trio aren't as funny or amusing as they thought they are, but they tried their best in giving structure to the case studies. Despite taking to the road their very academic style is still too dominant for th......more

Goodreads review by Hank on July 30, 2014

I loved this book. I was an English major, not an Econ major, so I was surprised that I found this book so fascinating. To illustrate their points, the authors use case studies that are more anecdotal than scientific, and that certainly appealed to me. The personalities of the three economist-author......more

Goodreads review by Patricia on January 02, 2015

Great title. Great content. I enjoyed, indeed, the dozens of lessons, principles and tips highlighted during this road trip by three university economists who agree to hit America's back roads and towns to discover the best business practices of several small to mid-size American companies. Taking m......more

Goodreads review by Brandon on October 29, 2014

Good book for entrepreneurs. Their approach is simple, fun and instructive whether you have a mind for business or not. I do like the idea of sharing lessons learned from small businesses who have figured out how to do business--and not only that but well. Insightful examples from guys who got degre......more


Quotes

"Roadside MBA succeeds admirably in providing fresh examples to illustrate the basic tenets of MBA theory."—The Economist

"For those who don't have the time or money to go to business school, but teem with ambition, or for burgeoning small business owners looking for creative ideas, Roadside MBA is an excellent primer. Pick and choose the businesses that illustrate what you want to learn, grab your favorite snacks, and then hit the road, because with Mazzeo, Oyer, and Schaefer at the wheel, you're in good hands."—Fortune.com

"A reminder of everything that makes business vital, fascinating--even fun."—Inc. Magazine

"An excellent primer on dealing with problems that keep managers...awake at night."—Financial Times

"A great new book that combines two quintessentially American things: the road trip and small businesses."—Jack Covert selects

"Refreshingly different from your typical high-toned business books....Timeless lessons for every executive, entrepreneur, and business student."—Bloomberg BusinessWeek

"Roadside MBA combines humor with business theory and practice in a fresh, amusing way. You'll be entertained and educated, ending up with a newfound admiration for the ingenuity of small-town businesses."—Success