Jobs are key to Ireland's economic recovery. And while the multinational sector continues to grow and develop, the focus is shifting to indigenous Irish companies, especially those with the capability to scale and grow internationally. As a serial entrepreneur known globally in the Telecoms industry as a thought leader for innovation and strategy, Brendan Dowling shares practical advice and stories based on his own experience - whether that's starting out selling mushrooms as a student in UCC or taking on the big guns like Polo, Boss and YSL with his premium aftershave company - in his groundbreaking book, ACCELERATING COMPANY GROWTH: A Practical Guide for CEOs. According to Brendan, "One of my overriding reasons for writing this book was the fact that I received very little practical advice myself as I started and grew my own businesses. I did not have a mentor or coach and practical books with real business advice were hard to come by. ACCELERATING COMPANY GROWTH will help any CEO to grow their business beyond what they would have achieved on their own. "For the cover, I chose an image of a racing yacht in full sail, capturing the power of the wind and crashing through waves, as it accelerates through the ocean. This is the best representation of what it is like to accelerate company growth. To go this fast, you need to have a great team who know what they are doing and who work in perfect harmony, under the leadership of a great captain, who makes the right decisions on what direction to go and the sails to use for the wind conditions, currents, waves and all the other elements that are thrown at you by the unpredictable environment. When you get everything right, the excitement and adrenalin rush that comes from the acceleration, as you ride and crash through waves under your own power, is invigorating - just like accelerating the growth of your company". About ACCELERATING COMPANY GROWTH: o Section 1 covers the pre-requisites for accelerating company growth: motivation, leadership, vision and strategy. o Section 2 covers the key areas that drive company growth, giving you advice and tips from Brendan's own experience: your elevator pitch; value proposition; market; the customer's problem and your solution; marketing; sales; business model; competitors; team/people; finances; and operations. At the end of each of these chapters, Brendan shows how to complete a slide for your Accelerated Growth Plan that covers all the points critical to having a document that forms the blueprint for your company's growth. o Section 3 looks at other topics that are important contributors to accelerated company growth: how to use your board of directors; working with venture capital funding; selling your company; and business ethics. o Appendix 1 includes a slide deck template that you can use to form the basis of your own Accelerated Growth Plan, while Appendix 2 shows a sample slide deck for a fictitious company, Nautique2 - based on Brendan's first business, Nautique, as if he were starting it again from scratch today. All author proceeds go to MyGoodPoints.org, a new online charity based out of Ireland, which Brendan chairs. An account with MyGoodPoints lets you donate to a global network of charity projects, while charity workers keep you updated on how your projects are going with amazing videos, inspiring photos and letters of thanks.