Books for Entrepreneurs - The Back of the Napkin

shalliebey by shalliebey
Last updated: 12/31/2010

The Back of the Napkin - A book for Entrepreneurs

When Dan Roam wrote The Back of the Napkin, he probably never thought he was writing a book for entrepreneurs. But that is exactly what he did. The book is about discovering ideas, developing ideas, and selling ideas. That is the entrepreneurship process. That is the way to develop entrepreneurial ideas and the foundation of the entrepreneurial mindset.

Shallie Bey

Smarter Small Business Blog

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Publisher's Weekly Review of The Back of the Napkin

"The premise behind Roam's book is simple: anybody with a pen and a scrap of paper can use visual thinking to work through complex business ideas. Management consultant and lecturer Roam begins with a "watershed moment": asked, at the last minute, to give a talk to top government officials, he sketched a diagram on a napkin. The clarity and power of that image allowed him to communicate directly with his audience. From this starting point, Roam has developed a remarkably comprehensive system of ideas. Everything in the book is broken down into steps, providing the reader with "tools and rules" to facilitate picture making. There are the four steps of visual thinking, the six ways of seeing and the "SQVID"- a clumsy acronym for a "full brain visual work out" designed to focus ideas. Roam occasionally overcomplicates; an extended case study takes up a full third of the book and contains an overload of images that belie the book's central message of simplicity. Nonetheless, for forward-thinking management types, there is enough content in these pages to drive many a brainstorming session. Illus."
-Publisher's Weekly

The Back of the Napkin on Amazon

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A quick Overview of The Back of the Napkin

The Back Of The Napkin by Dan Roam |Book Brief
by BNETvideo | video info

45 ratings | 23,636 views
curated content from YouTube

“Make sure you watch this video of Dan Roam at Authors @Google”

My Review of YouTube Video: Dan Roam - Authors@Google

Dan Roam and Authors @Google, thank you for sharing this extraordinary presentation on The Back of the Napkin. I was recently involved in a training program called the 30 Day Challenge that used this visual thinking process to design marketing programs for Internet entrepreneurs. I was super impressed with how clear they made the process and went looking for the book.

Much to my surprise, I find it to be a perfect explanation of what I have tried to share with my clients over the years on how to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and how to evaluate and implement entrepreneurial ideas.

The concept, as you express it in the book, of visual thinking being like a Swiss Army knife that you can carry with you anywhere to tackle problems as they come to you, will be revolutionary as it becomes more visible to entrepreneurs. As Global Entrepreneurship Week approaches as a world wide effort to encourage young people to embrace entrepreneurship as a tool to solve the challenges of the world, your contribution must be made visible and will become increasingly important.

Thank you for generously sharing in this video on The Back of the Napkin and making yourself accessible to global entrepreneurs.

Shallie Bey

Dan Roam Presents to Authors@Google

Authors@Google: Dan Roam
by AtGoogleTalks | video info

92 ratings | 33,381 views
curated content from YouTube

Dan Roam's Information about Dan Roam and The Back of the Napkin

This is information from official Dan Roam web sites.
Back of the Napkin
"Inspiring! It teaches you a new way of thinking in a few hours; what more could you ask from a book?" - Dan Heath,author of Made to Stick

"With style and wit, Dan Roam has provided a smart, practical primer on the power of visual thinking." Daniel H. Pink,author
Digital Roam - The Back of the Napkin blog
Adventures in visual thinking: The Back of the Napkin blog
Digital Roam. Inc.: Visual thinking for the business world
Visual thinking is how we use our eyes (and our mind's eye) to look at a problem, see patterns and opportunities, imagine ways to manipulate those patterns to our advantage, and show those insights to others.
Digital Roam: Napkin tools: now downloadable!
Ever since The Back of the Napkin appeared, people have been asking me for download-friendly versions of the key visual thinking tools I introduce. So due to popular request, here they are; high-resolution PDF files for: The Visual Thinking Toolkit....

What Others Are Saying About Dan Roam and The Back of the Napkin

The Napkin Sketch -- Graphic Expression -- Microsoft Sketches | Page 0,0 | Fast Company
How Wal-Mart, Microsoft, and others are using the power of images to digest complex ideas.
Dan's Back of a Napkin approach to visual thinking (and how I bought the book). « In Front Of Your Nose
In Front Of Your Nose - Technology PR. And George Orwell. Mostly.
800-CEO-READ Excerpts: Excerpt from The Back of the Napkin
800-CEO-READ Excerpts

March 13, 2008 Excerpt from The Back of the Napkin. The excerpt below is from the introduction to The excerpt below is from The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures.
Neuromarketing » Visual Selling - A REview of The Back of the Napkin
Where Brain Science and Marketing Meet - » Visual Selling

Blog Posts on The Back of the Napkin

Munch goes to Aseoma
Occasionally laid out in smudgy pen on the back of the napkin, these proposals are often pitched during happy hour specials and are, approximately 99 percent of the time, bars, taverns or restaurants. The rest of the time they involve starting a ...
People's utility district for Clatsop?
The back of the napkin estimate is that the power rates would come in about at the amount Tillamook PUD pays after all costs are considered ... The Board is looking for some cover by having folks and agencies who are interested send a letter along ...
NEW YEAR, NEW JOB: 20 books you should read
?Patrick Lencioni's Death by Meeting, Dan Roam's The Back of the Napkin, Garr Reynolds' The Naked Presenter, Sandra A. Crowe's Since Strangling Isn't An Option? Dealing with Difficult People and Robert I. Sutton's The No Asshole Rule: Building a ...

Ed Dale of 30 Day Challenge Makes Use of Visual Thinking In Presentation

Ed Dale explains how entrepreneurial marketing is a 'Symphony In Four Parts" beginning with market research. This is the introduction to the 30 Day Challenge.
What To Expect In The Thirty Day Challenge
by eddale | video info

195 ratings | 24,721 views
curated content from YouTube

Some of my other lenses you might want to visit

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Check Out My Other Information on Entrepreneurship

Here is a list of other things you may want to explore

Other Shallie Bey projects on entrepreneurship

Here are some other projects relating to entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurial mind, entrepreneurial ideas and books for entrepreneurs.
Smarter Small Business Blog
This is my primary blog. Look here for current thinking on entrepreneurship.
Global Entrepreneurship Week
Global Entrepreneurship Week is the first ever effort by more than 70 countries to encourage young people to consider entrepreneurship as a means to solve the problems of the world. This directory shares information about Global Entrepreneurship Week. It also offers resources to entrepreneurs around the world who may not have direct access to Global Entrepreneurship Week events.
Entrepreneurial Ideas
This directory explores entrepreneurial ideas. It discusses how to find them, how to develop them, and how to implement them.
Michael Gerber and the Book The E-Myth Revisited
Michael Gerber is one of the giants in the world of entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial ideas, and the entrepreneurial mindset.
Smarter Small Business: Books for Entrepreneurs - The Back of the Napkin
Here is my brief introduction to The Back of the Napkin and this lens.

How will you use visual thinking?

Now that you have seen the benefit of visual thinking, how will you be using it?

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Flickr Photos About The Back of the Napkin

Napkin sketch from Dan Roam's event at AP by pepperlime
curated content from Flickr

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shalliebey

Shallie Bey is the name. Some refer to me as "The Business Dream Weaver". I live in Fort Worth, Texas. I am a business coach who specializes in working... more »

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