Recommended by: WiseSuit Staff 

"Rebel companies produce dreamers. And those dreamers create an organization that may fly in the face of conventional wisdom." 

Chip Conley is a rebel.  There are lots of rebels out there, especially those who did it their way, and lost.  Being a rebel in and of itself is no guarantee of success in anything.  But, being a rebel in a targeted manner of creating an environment for success can be a path to greatness. That is what this book is about. 

Chip chronicles his own efforts at being a rebel and a success when he realized he connected more with 'creatives' than he did with his fellow people-pleasing Stanford MBA classmates. He followed his unconventional passions and he brings others into focus who themselves are rebels in their fields.  Names like Michael Dell, Sam Walton, Jeff Bezos, Ted Turner, and Martha Stewart. These are rebels who have completely changed their industries.

Throughout the pages of this book the reader will be taken on a journey in learning how to:

• Tap your natural talents while focusing on what you can control
• Build a fanatical customer base by creating great buzz
• Engaging your employees and pushing them to break the rules
• Kicking butt in business and still having a life

While the tenor of the book shouts "unconventional," not to be left out is a section called "What do you stand for?" This section forces the reader to come to grips with these pivotal and mandatory issues: Integrating your values into the workplace, creating your company's core values, identifying misalignments in your company, and finding meaning in what you do.

Chip challenges anyone who has thoughts of starting a company with some worthwhile concepts.  He walks you through writing a foolproof business plan, creating your own business model, and ten questions that any entrepreneur should ask himself before getting into a new business.

He then touches on corporate vision, culture, passion, instinct and agility.

The book is segregated into five major sections that deal with issues surrounding the rebel entrepreneur.

Also, as a practical aside, he includes a work climate survey, and rebels' results and relationships grid prescriptions.

If you are looking for a book that prescribes the ultimate challenge to be successful your way, this is your book.

Reviews:

"The Rebel Rules is more than just an inspirational handbook for the new generation of leaders -- it's essential reading for anyone who really wants to make a difference. The future belongs to the rebels who can take the principles in this book and run with them." - Seth Godin, author of Permission Marketing

"Chip Conley beautifully explains the importance of the new breed of entre/intra-preneur. The Rebel Rules gives us each the opportunity to explore and put into action the rebel within us." - Faith Popcorn

About the Author:

Chip Conley, founder and owner of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, broke the two cardinal rules of business by investing in an industry about which he knew nothing and he ignored the mantra of "location, location, location."  His was the purchase of a "by the hour" hotel in a seedy part of San Francisco.  Now, over a decade later, he is the newest poster boy for success in the travel industry.

He brings his entrepreneurial genius, creativity and sense of fun with him into the business environment and with it, focuses on vision, passion, instinct and agility to make his business thrive.

His management company is now an umbrella which operates twenty-five diverse businesses.  He has an MBA from Stanford Business School and lives in San Francisco.

Categories:  Leadership ,  Biography,  Marketing