Braun Ink has released the second book in its Braun Collection of executive biographies and memoirs. Written for business students, business professionals and business enthusiasts, “SALES FIRST! Growing Our Company the Old-Fashioned Way, the ColorMatrix Story,” was written by entrepreneurs John Haugh and Michael Shaughnessy. Haugh and Shaughnessy tell the story of innovating in the 1980s in the now-$1.75 trillion-dollar, global plastics industry through offering a new way to add color to plastics.
Financing business growth the old-fashioned way — by selling like crazy rather than raising venture and bank capital — is the primary message of the book. Driving their beat-up cars around the 1980s and 1990s Rust Belt area, Haugh and Shaughnessy made cold calls as they grew their business to $100 million in revenues, recapitalized it and participated in its eventual sale for $400 million. They referred to their business plan as “SALES FIRST!”
Commenting on their story, Haugh said, “Too many businesspeople chase venture capital financing when a better way to finance growth is through going out and selling, selling, selling.” Haugh and Shaughnessy said they wanted to offer that message through an engaging, short book. “That’s where the Braun Collection came in,” Shaughnessy added.
The Braun Collection is a suite of executive memoirs and biographies covering business leadership, strategy, finance, fundraising and entrepreneurship. Its books, comic books and conversation cards aim to uncover the business issues and opportunities executives face as they grow their companies. Longtime business biographer Braun Ink launched its Braun Collection in 2019 to fill a gap in the topics, businesses and formats found in traditional business stories and classrooms and to offer content that drives discussion, reflection and communication among students and business people.
For more information, visit https://www.braunink.com/brauncollection/.