FOUNDER, FARMER, TINKER, THIEF

A veteran business owner and mentor counsels entrepreneurs on the stages of business development.

In this business book, Cooper (Two-Brain Business 2.0, 2015, etc.) uses the four title characteristics to describe sequential phases of entrepreneurship, guiding business owners from hands-on involvement in the day-to-day operations to an oversight role that allows for personal and financial freedom. For each phase, Cooper provides guidelines for: determining if the business is succeeding, building the staff and infrastructure to accommodate growth, and ensuring the growth is sustainable. Although the phases are presented as sequential, Cooper also reminds readers that they may decide that any given level is the best fit for their goals and values and stop there; the book offers advice for success at each stage as well as for the entire progression. Anecdotes from Cooper’s own work as a gym owner and fitness coach, stories from entrepreneurs he has mentored, and longer case studies of businesses facing inflection points provide engaging, illustrative examples of the book’s broad concepts. He does an excellent job of providing specific data points entrepreneurs should consider in evaluating business success, with plenty of charts, equations, and mnemonics to guide thought exercises. Cooper generally does a good job of minimizing the novelty terms that too often fill business books (“ARM x LEG = the lifetime value of the customer” is a rare exception, with its uniqueness making it memorable within the text), and the result is a highly readable and enjoyable narrative that conveys its message effectively. Cooper’s combination of cheerleading and tough love (“Here are the myths that lead to martyrdom and what to do about them”) does an excellent job of reminding readers that owning a business is a choice, and it should be pursued in a way that balances and maximizes the owner’s financial and personal goals. Readers will be left with a substantial number of concrete action items and thought-provoking guidance.

A well-considered, actionable guide to understanding how to thrive as an entrepreneur.