Books
Built, Not Born
In his new book, Tom Golisano, self-made billionaire and founder of Paychex, provides no-nonsense, often humorous advice on how to succeed in all phases of business ownership.
Starting a business can often feel like performing a high-wire act for the first time, without a safety net. After taking that first brave step, the early phases of business ownership can still feel fraught with risk; every decision seems to have the power to sink your entrepreneurial dreams.
Tom Golisano understands the fears, risks, and challenges small-business owners face every day–he’s lived it. He has launched and grown his own highly successful businesses and mentored dozens of entrepreneurs, helping them build their own successful companies. In Built, Not Born, Golisano shows readers that starting a new business is, in many ways, far less risky than more traditional career paths, especially in our current age of disruption.
Golisano shares the knowledge and wisdom he wishes he’d had when he started Paychex over thirty years ago, with just $3,000 from the sale of a small business he launched from the basement of his home, and a much-abused credit card. Today, Paychex has a market value of $28 billion.
In his trademark direct and often humorous style, Tom Golisano provides no-nonsense advice across all phases of business ownership, including:
Strategy
How going against the grain can be a great strategy for finding business opportunities and why it pays to question conventional wisdom
Negotiation
Why the power of the pregnant pause can be your best weapon when negotiating and when interviewing potential employees
Practical
Why a prenuptial or even a postnuptial agreement is critical to your business
Getting Funded
What potential buyers and funding sources look for, and the best way to present your business plan
Growth and Leadership
The key growth and leadership strategies that have helped Paychex sustain its incredible level of growth and profitability
The Italian Kid Did It!
Entrepreneurs, business owners, investors: here is the rare, no-nonsense advice you haven’t heard—straight from Paychex founder and billionaire philanthropist Tom Golisano—to overcome the most common (and some not so common) obstacles to live a successful life.
Watching his father struggle to support his family through bigotry and other challenges in being an Italian immigrant, Tom Golisano learned early on the value of thinking outside the box and not letting perception sway your view of reality.
Now, for the first time, Golisano shares the political shenanigans, behind the scenes stories, significant characters from his remarkable life, and key insights to thrive in your career. Filled with humor and wisdom, The Italian Kid Did It!:
- Reveals the secrets behind much of Golisano’s success and teaches you how to apply those same success-hacks to your own life.
- Emboldens you to see the world differently in terms of what’s possible despite what others may have you believe.
- Entertains and enlightens you along the way, with Golisano’s stories of running for Governor two times, purchasing a failing NHL franchise, the Buffalo Sabres, and dry sense of humor throughout.
The American Dream is possible to all of us if we are willing to take risks and work for it. The stories, wisdom, and insight in The Italian Kid Did It! just might be the shortcut you need to get there faster.