The One-Percent Edge: Small Changes That Guarantee Relevance and Build Sustainable Success

If you’re not looking ahead, you’re already falling behind.

That’s the heart of the message behind The One-Percent Edge, Susan Solovic’s guide to not only staying ahead of one’s rivals but keeping one’s business lean, mean, and hungry. And honestly, although the book is meant to offer advice, it actually does a marvelous job of serving as a form of serious motivation as well.

The book offers loads of solid counsel on constantly reassessing your business, looking forward, and anticipating market trends, buttressed by the idea that it takes too long to turn the ship around once you’ve missed a big sea change in the industry. And at a time when every company seems to be focused on maintaining the status quo, it’s a breath of fresh air to hear otherwise.

Yes, there are a few spots you may disagree with. (For instance, I’d argue that using Chik-Fil-A as a model of morality rings a little hollow after the CEO’s anti-LGBTQ comments.) And you’ll want to ignore the roughly thousand or so mentions of “the One-Percent Edge” branding-through-repetition tactic. But if you focus on the actual advice, you’ll be in good shape.