The Six-Month Fix

Direct, funny, and brutally honest, Gary Sutton addresses executives of faltering businesses and provides proven tactics for stopping negative cash flow, turning a company around, and rebuilding profits in this practical book. His role as "CEO du jour" in eight different industries resulted in remarkable transformations — and now he shares his hard-hitting wisdom and unique perspective so that your company can experience a similar resurrection.

The Six-Month Fix gives you complete access to real-life, no-holds-barred examples, situations, and methods of fixing any company the right way, the first time. Whether your business is paralyzed by steep losses, or just breaking even but still losing ground to competitors, Sutton shows you how to reverse direction immediately and see results in six months!

Mind you, this book is not for the faint of heart — Sutton is frank in outlining the gut-wrenched process of a turnaround, deliberately meant to frighten you into action, and help your business avoid bankruptcy. This involves embracing change, defining realistic goals, and becoming smarter about risks you'll need to take once your business is back on its feet. Depending on your situation, Sutton directs you to sections in the book you need to focus on right away, be it stopping the bleeding and stabilizing your cash, or shifting into the next gear to enhance profits and lift your company to new heights.

Business was stories in The Six-Month Fix guide management. You'll learn:

• The difference between turnaround professionals who negotiate for creditors and those who work for shareholders.
• How to identify frauds (the "unemployed CEOs" and those finance firms) and avoid their maneuverings.
• How to know your customer better than they know themselves.
• Why top turnaround managers always fail to lead a business after it's been fixed.
• How to quit gambling with your company (Think you're not? You are.)
• Ways to raise ethics and simultaneously boost profits.

This isn't just a battle for survival — it's the fight of your life. And nowhere will you receive more straightforward, essential advice on winning than in The Six-Month Fix.

• Chapter 1: First Stop the Bleeding
• Chapter 2: Turnaround Scams and Screwups

• Chapter 3: Over and Over and Over Again, the Same Mistakes
• Chapter 4: Make What Sells

• Chapter 5: Raise a Flag, Any Flag
• Chapter 6: Specialize or Die

• Chapter 7: Scorn Break-Even
• Chapter 8: Slash Costs

• Chapter 9: Jump-Start New Products
• Chapter 10: Manage More than Lead

• Chapter 11: Crawl into Your Customer's Skin
• Chapter 12: Cheap Is Such a Pretty Word

• Chapter 13: Nudge Value Up
• Chapter 14: Human Resources Is Neither

• Chapter 15: Hustle the Hustlers
• Chapter 16:  Interview Smarter

• Chapter 17: Cinderellas
• Chapter 18: Second Opinions

• Chapter 19: Contracts Are Sales Literature
• Chapter 20: Downgrade Education

• Chapter 21: Reverse Discriminate
• Chapter 22: Walk the Floor

• Chapter 23: Raise Pay, Cut Benefits
• Chapter 24: Incentivize Everyone

• Chapter 25: Tighten the Ship
• Chapter 26: Publish a Firing Policy

• Chapter 27: Beat the Union
• Chapter 28: Fight Politics

• Chapter 29: Dance with That Debt Devil, Arm's Length
• Chapter 30: Duck Computer Traps

• Chapter 31: Kill Meetings
• Chapter 32: Kick Down the Walls

• Chapter 33: What's Your Business?
• Chapter 34: Turnarounds Yes, Startups No and Why

• Chapter 35: One Bubble Off Plumb
• Chapter 36: Eliminate Sex

• Chapter 37: Attack Drugs and Alcohol
• Chapter 38: Stop Gambling. Oh, Yes You Are

• Chapter 39: Send God Back to Church
• Chapter 40: Slash Consulting

• Chapter 41: Use Lawyers Less
• Chapter 42: Romance the Bankers

• Chapter 43: Use the CPA as More than an Accountant
• Chapter 44: Insurance Stupidity

• Chapter 45: Challenge the Do-Gooders
• Chapter 46: Break Laws Carefully

• Chapter 47: The Turnaround Never Ends
• Chapter 48: How It Feels

• Chapter 49: Dressing Up the Stiff
• Chapter 50: Promote Offbeat Thinking

• Chapter 51: Cash Makes You Stupid
• Chapter 52: Demand Straight Talk

• Chapter 53: Create Real Plans
• Chapter 54: Get Advertising Results

• Chapter 55: Cut Costs by Raising Quality
• Chapter 56: Manage from One Piece of Paper

• Chapter 57: Invest Simply
• Chapter 58: Negotiate Faster

• Chapter 59: Flatten That Pyramid
• Chapter 60: Watch for Trouble Signs

• Chapter 61: Sell Harder
• Chapter 62: Raise Ethics, Raise Profits

• Chapter 63: Ride the Big Wave
• Chapter 64: Seed Your Culture with the Employee Manual

• Chapter 65: Elephant Hunting
• Chapter 66: Boards Suck. Here's How to Cope

• Chapter 67: Shareholders Only
• Chapter 68: Author's Track Record

• Chapter 69: The 31 Steps That Convert Bleeders into Winners

A very good book. Not only for the practical tips, but also for the introduction to a position many people don't know exists.

Of course, some of the advice is very centered around an American culture and regulations, which are alien to Europeans and Asians, but if you disregard those, it makes a wonderful reading as a 101 in real management.