Your Next Million

During the recession, it might seem cruel to read about “the good old days”—aka, the high-flying years between 2001 and 2007—when, according to The Wall Street Journal, “businessmen wore Aqua Velva and quoted Vince Lombardi.” Jason Jennings’s new book, Hit the Ground Running: A Manual for New Leaders, profiles nine of the “best-performing chief executives” of the post-2000 era, who turned their companies around. But if you’re not quite ready to worship the cult of the CEO, Jim Champy’s new book, Inspire!, may be a little more appropriate for the times. It tells the story of seven little businesses that could. According to The Journal, Champy has two principles for small business success: “(a) Don't abandon your customers after each campaign but engage with them all the time; (b) be authentic—that is, do what you promise and don't take the people who buy from you for fools.”