Boss Life

June 29, 2015
In this eye-opening debut, Downs presents himself as just your average small business owner; Paul Downs Cabinetmakers is only one of the over seven million American companies employing fewer than 20 people each—for a grand total of nearly 30 million employees. Since 2010, however, he’s also been writing for the New York Times “You’re the Boss” blog. This book provides a fleshed-out view of the “triumph and tragedy of small business” as Downs experienced it over the course of 2012. His intention is to help readers understand what this substantial portion of the American economy looks like, and what challenges small business owners face. Month by month, Downs drills down into the ins and outs of running a small business, focusing on sales, operations, money, and the personal demands of being a boss. The book unfolds like an extremely tense thriller, as Downs races to break even by the end of the year, all while navigating the recession, hirings and firings, payroll, expansion, and a demanding home life. He is strikingly hard on himself, and this frank accounting will be a godsend to any small-company owners wondering if they’re the only ones constantly second-guessing themselves—or on the verge of going out of business. An honest look at a usually overlooked demographic. Agent: Paul Lucas, Janklow & Nesbit.

June 1, 2015
Want to be your own boss? You might think twice after reading this large-hearted memoir from a frequently exasperated business owner. New York Times "You're the Boss" columnist Downs, the owner of a firm that builds custom furniture, notes at the outset that he doesn't intend to offer any lessons of the sort that the usual how-to business book promises. At the end, though, he provides one guiding principle that might make a Chamber of Commerce I-built-this ideologue wince: namely, "get help." Running a business is tough: that much readers who work through this longish but straight-spoken account will divine. Running it while having to reinvent every wheel is tougher still, though there are some things that a business owner must figure out himself or herself no matter how sage the advice. To trust Downs' advice, hiring people is the toughest thing of all-and keeping the ones who work out and getting rid of the ones who don't will take off years from a boss's life span. The author recounts, pleasingly, that the best workers have been those who have come to him and announced that they wanted to work for him, not those who replied to a want ad or were pushed on him by well-meaning third parties. Cash flow is another thing: Downs' ups and downs are dizzying, though in fairness to all concerned, it seems that he's not the best money manager in the world. His solution, another reality of the being-the-boss world, is too often to deny himself a paycheck. But he's nothing if not self-aware; as he writes, "it's true that I make quick decisions and that I'm used to having my own way." Refreshingly absent of bulleted lists and sidebars, this is a welcome addition to the literature of business ownership. Read it-and then get help.

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July 1, 2015
Downs started his own custom-furniture-building business in 1986, right out of college with no experience. His company builds custom conference tables, and his clients range from individuals to small companies to Fortune 500 firms and the government. After struggling through the 2008 economic downturn, Downs' business finally made a substantial profit in 2011. Seeking to reproduce those results in 2012 proved to be much more elusive than hoped. Being both the owner and boss of a small company is a stressful 24-hour endeavor, and, perhaps to relieve some of the pressure, Downs started a blog at NYTimes.com called You're the Boss, which detailed both his daily struggles and his successes. Here he presents the full year 2012 in one volume, warts and all, as he takes us on a day-to-day, minute-to-minute tour of the intricacies of running a business, from dealing with employees to negotiating with vendors, the roller-coaster ride of sales, and the headaches of customer service. This is an invaluable look into operational details for anyone considering starting a business or caught up in the struggle of owning and running one.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2015

This book is ostensibly about a year in the life of a small business owner, but it is actually a fascinating peek behind the scenes of a small Pennsylvania furniture factory that specializes in hand-crafting boardroom tables. In addition to his 29 years of experience as a cabinetmaker and shop owner, the author has honed his writing skills as a contributor to the New York Times You're the Boss blog. The combination of a humorous, self-deprecating, jargon-free writing style and content that mixes business fundamentals (cash flow, salesmanship, HR issues) with day-to-day events on the shop floor makes for a truly immersive narrative. The book begins on January 2, 2012 and ends on New Year's Eve of the same year, with each month a fiscal page-turner driven by the harsh reality of orders coming in vs. money going out. VERDICT A great read for those who wish to understand what running a small factory or business entails, as well as anyone interested in woodworking and craftsmanship. [See Prepub Alert, 3/2/15.]--Susan Hurst, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2015

Follow small-business owner Downs as he discusses hiring, advertising, marketing, cash flow, and stress. As well as being an engaging read, this book can help business owners feel less alone during a difficult stretch. (LJ 7/15)

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2015

Having managed his own custom-furniture business since 1986, Downs was approached by the New York Times to write for its "You're the Boss" blog. Now he has thousands of readers. With a 50,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2015

Follow small-business owner Downs as he discusses hiring, advertising, marketing, cash flow, and stress. As well as being an engaging read, this book can help business owners feel less alone during a difficult stretch. (LJ 7/15)

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.