**A Forbes Best Business Book of the Year, 2015******
**Winner of the 2015 800-CEO-READ Business Book Award in
Entrepreneurship******
When columnist Paul Downs was approached by The New York Times to
write for their "You're the Boss" blog, he had been running his custom
furniture business for twenty-four years strong. or mostly strong. Now,
in his first book, Downs paints an honest portrait of a real business,
with a real boss, a real set of employees, and the real challenges they
face.
Fresh out of college in 1986, Downs opened his first business, a small
company that builds custom furniture. In 1987, he hired his first
employee. That's when things got complicated. As his enterprise began to
grow, he had to learn about management, cash flow, taxes, and so much
more. But despite any obstacles, Downs always remained keenly aware that
every small business, no matter the product it makes or the service it
provides, starts with people. He writes with tremendous insight about
hiring employees, providing motivation to get the best out of them, and
the difficult decisions he's made to let some of them go. Downs also
looks outward, to his dealings with vendors and to providing each client
with exemplary customer service from first sales pitch to final
delivery. With honesty and conviction, he tells the true story behind
building and sustaining a successful company in an ever-evolving
economy, often airing his own failures and shortcomings to reveal the
difficulties that arise from being a boss and a businessperson.
Countless employees have told the story of their experience with
managers--Boss Life tells the other side of that story.
