Know What Matters: Lessons in Building Transformative Companies and Creating a Life You Can Respect

Ron Shaich, the founder and former CEO of Panera Bread, shares his lessons learned from a lifetime of asking what really matters and making the transformations necessary to bring what really matters to life. He illustrates these lessons with his experiences turning a 400-square-foot cookie store into 2,400 restaurants with $5 billion in revenue, delivering annual investor returns of 25 percent over two decades, and outperforming both Starbucks and Chipotle. He offers clear-headed lessons for the entire life cycle of an enterprise, from bootstrapping a startup to going public to managing large companies to selling a business, and challenges readers to grapple with how the business impacts life.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 24 October 2023
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press

Ron Shaich, the founder and former CEO of Panera Bread, has written a book that explores the lessons he has learned from a lifetime of asking what truly matters and making the necessary transformations to bring those values to life. Shaich is a renowned business visionary who has played a significant role in creating three iconic restaurant brands: Au Bon Pain, Panera Bread, and now Cava. Throughout his career, he has pioneered the fast-casual dining segment, which has become a $100 billion-plus industry. In his book, Shaich shares his insights into entrepreneurship, managing large enterprises, business transformation, and life itself. He uses his experiences, including turning a small cookie store into a 2,400-restaurant chain with $5 billion in revenue and outperforming both Starbucks and Chipotle, to illustrate these lessons.

Shaich's success in such a notoriously tough industry is attributed to his ability to discover what will matter tomorrow and never hesitate to undertake sweeping transformations to achieve his goals. He offers clear-headed advice for the entire life cycle of an enterprise, from bootstrapping a startup to going public to managing large companies to selling a business. The relevance of his message extends beyond the boardroom, as he challenges readers to consider how the business impacts life and shares his own struggles and setbacks with candor.

Telling yourself the truth, knowing what truly matters, and getting it done is the path to creating and sustaining a meaningful life, a market-leading business, and even a healthier society. Shaich's reflections are practical, philosophical, and often challenging, encouraging readers to think critically about their own lives and businesses.

In conclusion, Ron Shaich's book "What Really Matters" is a must-read for anyone seeking to create a meaningful life, build a successful business, and make a positive impact on the world. Shaich's insights and experiences are invaluable, and his message is relevant to individuals and organizations of all sizes. By following his advice, readers can achieve their goals and create a better future for themselves and those around them.

Weight: 558g
Dimension: 164 x 243 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781647825591