Steven S. Little

Biography

Steven S. Little is a much sought after expert on the subject of business growth and the future of opportunity. As a former President of three fast-growth companies, he now advises thousands of leaders of growing organizations and communities each year. For over ten years, Steve was also a Senior Consultant for Inc. magazine. He is the author of the best-selling books The 7 Irrefutable Rules of Small Business Growth (Wiley, 2005) and The Milkshake Moment: Overcoming Stupid Systems, Pointless Policies and Muddled Management to Realize Real Growth (Wiley, 2008).

He also regularly speaks for some of the world's leading organizations, including UPS, Microsoft, FedEx, Bank of America, SunTrust Bank, Echostar, National Association of Home Builders, Consumer Electronics Associations, National Sporting Goods Association, Million Dollar RoundTable, American Banking Association, Associated General Contractors, Retail Industries Leaders Association and over 80 chambers of commerce. His style has been described as “real-world” “highly credible” and “uniquely engaging.”

From 1988 thru 1999, Steve was President of three fast growth companies. Both FAME, Inc. and Erb Industries, Inc. achieved profitable growth rates of over 500% during his tenure.

Steve is a graduate of Miami University and has studied at The Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland and The University of Houston's Future Studies Program. Steve and family live in sunny Wilmington, NC and historic Merida, Mexico.

Publications

Growth. It's the central focus of every organization, the underlying goal of virtually every business project, product launch, non-profit initiative, or community campaign. To grow, an organization must encourage creativity, flexibility, and the overall capacity for individuals to recognize and respond to opportunity at every level. So why, then, do so many organizations, both big and small, continually find ways to shoot themselves in the foot?

In The Milkshake Moment, growth guru Steven S. Little shows you how to identify and overcome the stifling behaviors built into your organization and lead the way toward substantive change and real growth.

Building on the frustrating true story of his inability to order a simple milkshake, Little explains how well-intended systems meant to increase satisfaction can often produce the opposite effect for both customers and employees. The "Milkshake Moment" is that precise instant in which an organization's individuals realize that they are allowed to do the right thing— to serve the interests of others in order to grow the organization—instead of following arcane internal procedures that actually hinder growth. Little clearly demonstrates that only when we remove our own self-imposed barriers can we begin to seize growth opportunities in any organizational setting.

The Milkshake Moment helps you develop both the actions and the attributes of a true growth leader as you learn how to:

Foster "grow" versus the status quo

Understand the difference between "the managed" and "the led"

Break the cycles of conformity

"Develop" policies that promote growth

Hone your judgment

Uncover the BIG secret to service

Resolve the "people problem" problem

See your future opportunities more clearly

Packed with fascinating examples of behaviors that drive an organization's growth and those that throw it into reverse, The Milkshake Moment mixes up a refreshing blend of engaging reading and actionable advice on how you can help your organization reach another level.

Titles

Duck and (re)Cover: What Every Embattled Business Must Do Now to Survive and Grow!
Short on theory and long on actionable advice, Little delivers refreshingly candid observations and practical "know-how" drawn from his 15-plus years as President of three fast growth companies. Little imparts these lessons learned in the trenches and couples that personal perspective with his decade-long experience working with resilient business growth leaders. Having already weathered three economic downturns in his career, he brings a unique perspective on what works (and what doesn’t) in challenging times like these.
 
Focusing on the most salient and immediate issues facing any organization’s leadership, Little never leaves an audience wondering "I wonder what we should do now?".  In this engaging keynote presentation, he addresses the importance of looking beyond survival mode to scanning for the future of opportunity. His presentation will provide specific answers regarding those areas in which leaders need to concentrate their time, money and effort in today’s changing world.
 
The Milkshake Moment: Overcoming Stupid Systems, Pointless Policies and Muddled Management to Realize Real Growth
Growth. It's the central focus for nearly every organization and leader. So why then do so many organizations, both big and small, continually find ways to shoot themselves in the proverbial foot? In this humorous, yet insightful keynote presentation, Steve shows you how to identify and overcome the growth-stifling behaviors inherent in any organization and how you can lead the way toward substantive change and real growth.

The 7 Irrefutable Rules of Business Growth: 21st Century Strategies for Building Your Company
More than any other objective, businesses want to grow. In this, his most popular keynote, Steve investigates what it takes to grow your business both effectively and profitably. Through his personal experience as a growth expert (both as a growth consultant and as President of three fast growth companies) and studies of the Inc. 500 (America's fastest growing privately-held companies) Steve identifies those best practices of organizations that achieve sustained and profitable growth.

The Future of Opportunity: A 20/20 Vision of Your Success
In this exciting and thought-providing keynote, Steve helps audiences focus on their near-term future. By identifying the most impactful macro-changes taking place in our world today, and dovetailing them with the specific developments within your industry or organization, Steve illuminates the future of opportunity and success for your group over the next 3 to 15 years. No crystal ball or tea leaves here…just factual, down-to-earth information your group will find interesting, entertaining and actionable.

BREAKOUT SESSION:
The Ten T's of Customer Acquisition & Retention: Proven Initiatives For Building Relationships and Profits
Today, business interested in growth are looking to improve their customer relationships to increase sales, lower costs and maximize profits. Short on theory, long on practical advice, Steve examines how today's most successful organizations are transforming the way in which they acquire and retain customers. Through concepts such as “touches”, “telepathy” and “timebombs”, this no-nonsense discussion will help your group build customer-centric processes that lead to sustainable growth.