What do you think?
Rate this book
Breakthrough: How to Harness the Aha! Moments That Spark Success
Serial entrepreneur, business growth expert, and brand ambassador Scott Duffy weaves together stories from his own journey and those of superstar entrepreneurs along with sage advice to help listeners identify their own "aha!" moments and turn them into unique growth opportunities to help them break through and level up their entrepreneurship game.
Helps listeners identify opportunities to rethink how they plan, start, grow, and scale their businesses - no matter how big or small Provides clear-cut advice and takeaways on topics ranging from rethinking the business plan and hiring the right team to evaluate productive partnerships and positioning your business model for investors Showcases stories about and interviews with superstar entrepreneurs and influencers, like Virgin founder Richard Branson, athlete Shaun White, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, and football legend Rudy Ruettiger
Helps listeners identify opportunities to rethink how they plan, start, grow, and scale their businesses - no matter how big or small Provides clear-cut advice and takeaways on topics ranging from rethinking the business plan and hiring the right team to evaluate productive partnerships and positioning your business model for investors Showcases stories about and interviews with superstar entrepreneurs and influencers, like Virgin founder Richard Branson, athlete Shaun White, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, and football legend Rudy Ruettiger
- GenresBusinessEntrepreneurship
Audible Audio
Published January 22, 2019
45 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Scott Duffy
3 books3 followersScott Duffy is an entrepreneur and AI business strategist. He is the founder of multiple AI-focused businesses, including AI Mavericks, AI Tool Setup, and AI Build Team. Prior to AI ventures, he founded a company acquired by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, held leadership roles at FOX Sports, NBC Internet, & CBS Sportsline, and started his career working for Tony Robbins. He is the author of four influential books including:
“Shoshin: The System for AI-Powered Business Transformation”
"The Ultimate Prompting Guide: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Thinking Smarter, Moving Faster, and Achieving More With AI"
“Breakthrough: The Aha Moments That Spark Success"
"Launch: The Critical 90 Days From Idea To Market"
Scott has been recognized as a “Top 10 Speaker” by Entrepreneur, has appeared on CNBC, spoken at the NY Stock Exchange, and was Co-Host of a popular podcast for Microsoft.
“Shoshin: The System for AI-Powered Business Transformation”
"The Ultimate Prompting Guide: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Thinking Smarter, Moving Faster, and Achieving More With AI"
“Breakthrough: The Aha Moments That Spark Success"
"Launch: The Critical 90 Days From Idea To Market"
Scott has been recognized as a “Top 10 Speaker” by Entrepreneur, has appeared on CNBC, spoken at the NY Stock Exchange, and was Co-Host of a popular podcast for Microsoft.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 7, 2018
If you're thinking about starting a business or struggling to get your business off the ground or to the next level Scott Duffy's Breakthrough might help you. Aside from some nut and bolts topics any any entrepreneur to address the big value can come from the example of breakthroughs other entrepreneurs have had. Benefit from the problems and a-ha moments other entrepreneurs have experienced. Just seeing other breakthroughs may very well lead you to your own light bulb moment and break through that gets you results.
September 8, 2019
Though this book Breakthrough is about creating a business with an áha idea', scaling up to the highest possible limit, what intrigues me the most from the book is the way Scott has defined a culture of an office or organisation can be defined. Being in the ofScott Duffyfice furniture industry I have been experiencing and learning the change of thoughts and ideas in India for almost one and half decade now. The culture have been evolving in this country faster than ever before, and the time was just perfect for me to read this book with some inspiring stories he shared to create your own culture with the important elements to be successful in your business. Sharing some of the relevant quotes below:
"If you ask people what's changed the most when you walk into an office today, as opposed to 25 years ago, most people will tell you it's technology. And while that may be true, there's another significant change that jumps out at you in many companies- the culture.
How many offices 25 years ago had ping pong tables, Foosball tables, Basketball hoops, yoga classes, snacks, order-in team lunches, or teams assembled outside for meetings? Work was supposed to be opposite of fun, but now they are fused together in many company cultures, and it's paying off with increased creativity, in the workplace.
In Scott's word Culture is King. The example of sales driven culture of California based company Xoom.com where Scott worked in the year of 1998 which is now owned by PayPal from the book is worth mentioning here. During his interview when Scott asked the founder and CEO of the company Chris Kitzee why the office's carpets were torn and walls are chipped in knowing that the company had money, Chris's reply was that's not important, as an owner he believed the best use of funds was to invest the money back into the company- into hiring the best people and building a great business. He believed in the culture of pride of ownership, everyone in the organisation had a common purpose and a sense of community that was not present in the fancier offices. Everyone knew that one goal was to generate revenues. Without cash coming into the door they had no business. Chris set the tone, singing all his emails with the tagline "Go Sell Something." Everyday, in every email, those words reinforced the focus, not just with the sales people, which meant they thought about problems and about the product in a way what was very customer-centric.
The key factors in creating a great culture for a new business is:
Vision: Establish a clear and shared vision. That way, everyone runs in the same direction. How do you create a clear vision? Ask yourself this question: Where do we want to go?
People. Invest money in great people. Give them access to all the resources they need.
Commitment to seeing everyone on the team win. From the top down, everyone must be absolutely committed to seeing the team win. Shared ownership, structured in the right way, in which everyone knows their role and the impact they are having on results, creates a culture that can't be beat
To create your own Work-Life Balance Scott writes about two things that are vital in today's environment: Creativity and Culture. Forget conventional wisdom, forget the roles society box you are into. Ask yourself, "What do I want? What do I value? What do I have to do in order to achieve it? Remember:
Just corporate world says you should work from 9 to 5 does not mean that has to apply in your business. It's not about how much time a person is sitting at his desk; its about what they get done
When working with your remote workforce, be absolutely clear on what needs to be accomplished and when the project is due; then manage against those objectives
Leverage technology to connect with your team, manage goals, and set everyone up to win"
While writing about the importance of Accountability, he encourages to create a culture of Creative Accountability where an employee is rewarded on his admission of screwing up so that the lesson is learned.
"Every Monday morning, the team at Sports 1 Marketing holds a contest. Each employee shares with the office the biggest mistake they made during the previous week. We look for truly epic screw ups! We call this award the "Steve". Why? Because early a guy named Stevie had a monumental mistake that was so big we named the award after him. We do this exercise because the number one problem people have in business is accountability. When they make a mistake, they use excuses to shift blame and justify actions. What our culture does is encourage people to get better. We simply need to ask ourselves two important questions: What did I do, what am I supposed to learn from it? This is the story of David Meltzer from Sport 1, whom Scott mentions as his mentor and business partner. To win the Stevie award, the people not only share the mistake, but also which of the four core principles of Sport 1 applies to the error: lack of gratitude, empathy, accountability or effective communication. He even rewards the biggest mistake each week with a bonus.
This highly efficient and accountable culture makes people recognize that it's OK to make mistakes. As a result, people are less afraid to take measured risks. They understand that if they screw up or fail, it's not the end of the world. The faster we can shine a light on their error, the faster we can grow from it, resolve it and move forward. The recognition of mistakes and failure can also encourage creativity: If people are too scared to take risks, they will not dare to be very creative. Success requires a willingness to take risks and make mistakes, but just as important, to shine a light on what did not work.
From the book, some set of examples by the exceptionally successful leaders from the world of America's entrepreneurs Scott referred to culture in a workplace:
A company is only healthy as its unhealthiest employee, Everyone needs to be taking care of themselves on every single level in order to be productive to the best of their ability every single day. It's a cool culture. It feels good, You are always energized. To build this culture - when we first meet candidates to hire, we just don't want to know their prior work experience, but also what they do outside the office. We want to know how they take care of themselves and the kind of food they put in their bodies. For us not reading consistently is a problem.- by Chris Stoikos, a serial entrepreneur and founder of The Beard Club (originally dubbed The Dollar Beard Club).
Scott mentions as his good friend about Sam Khorramian from Big Block Realty, one of the fastest growing real estate companies in the US. In Sam's words "I think creating a welcoming, fun environment comes out of the basics. People like to have fun. People like to know that people like to care about them. People like to know that when they need help, someone is gonna be there to help them. If we only offered a traditional split but backed it up with love, a great culture, and great service, I think we could have similar growth, because people will pay when there is value. We learned that if you take care of the customer, actually love the customer, give them something they are proud to be a part of, then that's going to help you grow organically. The most important steps to creating a killer culture in your business are:
Creating an environment that everyone involved wants to be a part of
Making sure the environment doesn't feel like every other business
Making work more fun"
One of the things that differentiates us from other species on the planet is that we can put unlikely, disconnected things together to form something new and useful. We all have creativity inside us. When it comes to creativity, I think there are a handful of things that can be done. First of all, it's important to recognize that creativity is not some gift that's anointed. It is a process of putting something out there, of discovery and rediscovery. Creativity is a really, really critical aspect of our culture. It is a way of thinking and creating solutions to all sorts of problems. This something we should look to shepherd into each new generation so that we get the benefit of creativity of everybody. We should encourage creative thinking. Chase Jarvis, co-founder of CreativeLive. He is widely recognized for creating Best Camera, the world's first photo app to share images to social networks, which kicked off the mobile photography sharing craze. Here is the link for you to read about the 12 secrets for unlocking creativity http://www.chasejarvis.com/blog/12-se...
This was the summery of the fifth chapter named 'Unlocking Creativity ' from the book Breakthrough. Depending on a professional's background, her priorities, needs and aspirations a particular culture fits. More you grow more you know about the importance of culture in your work life. 19 years back when I started working, as long as I get a job and the monthly paycheck it was more than anything I expected. In today's world the culture plays a vital role in an individual's growth and an organisation's success. The book is a must read for those professionals who are leading a business, for those looking for a click of 'aha idea' for the breakthrough, and also for the dreamers in the entrepreneurial world. I will try to write about other subjects too in near future. Happy reading!
"If you ask people what's changed the most when you walk into an office today, as opposed to 25 years ago, most people will tell you it's technology. And while that may be true, there's another significant change that jumps out at you in many companies- the culture.
How many offices 25 years ago had ping pong tables, Foosball tables, Basketball hoops, yoga classes, snacks, order-in team lunches, or teams assembled outside for meetings? Work was supposed to be opposite of fun, but now they are fused together in many company cultures, and it's paying off with increased creativity, in the workplace.
In Scott's word Culture is King. The example of sales driven culture of California based company Xoom.com where Scott worked in the year of 1998 which is now owned by PayPal from the book is worth mentioning here. During his interview when Scott asked the founder and CEO of the company Chris Kitzee why the office's carpets were torn and walls are chipped in knowing that the company had money, Chris's reply was that's not important, as an owner he believed the best use of funds was to invest the money back into the company- into hiring the best people and building a great business. He believed in the culture of pride of ownership, everyone in the organisation had a common purpose and a sense of community that was not present in the fancier offices. Everyone knew that one goal was to generate revenues. Without cash coming into the door they had no business. Chris set the tone, singing all his emails with the tagline "Go Sell Something." Everyday, in every email, those words reinforced the focus, not just with the sales people, which meant they thought about problems and about the product in a way what was very customer-centric.
The key factors in creating a great culture for a new business is:
Vision: Establish a clear and shared vision. That way, everyone runs in the same direction. How do you create a clear vision? Ask yourself this question: Where do we want to go?
People. Invest money in great people. Give them access to all the resources they need.
Commitment to seeing everyone on the team win. From the top down, everyone must be absolutely committed to seeing the team win. Shared ownership, structured in the right way, in which everyone knows their role and the impact they are having on results, creates a culture that can't be beat
To create your own Work-Life Balance Scott writes about two things that are vital in today's environment: Creativity and Culture. Forget conventional wisdom, forget the roles society box you are into. Ask yourself, "What do I want? What do I value? What do I have to do in order to achieve it? Remember:
Just corporate world says you should work from 9 to 5 does not mean that has to apply in your business. It's not about how much time a person is sitting at his desk; its about what they get done
When working with your remote workforce, be absolutely clear on what needs to be accomplished and when the project is due; then manage against those objectives
Leverage technology to connect with your team, manage goals, and set everyone up to win"
While writing about the importance of Accountability, he encourages to create a culture of Creative Accountability where an employee is rewarded on his admission of screwing up so that the lesson is learned.
"Every Monday morning, the team at Sports 1 Marketing holds a contest. Each employee shares with the office the biggest mistake they made during the previous week. We look for truly epic screw ups! We call this award the "Steve". Why? Because early a guy named Stevie had a monumental mistake that was so big we named the award after him. We do this exercise because the number one problem people have in business is accountability. When they make a mistake, they use excuses to shift blame and justify actions. What our culture does is encourage people to get better. We simply need to ask ourselves two important questions: What did I do, what am I supposed to learn from it? This is the story of David Meltzer from Sport 1, whom Scott mentions as his mentor and business partner. To win the Stevie award, the people not only share the mistake, but also which of the four core principles of Sport 1 applies to the error: lack of gratitude, empathy, accountability or effective communication. He even rewards the biggest mistake each week with a bonus.
This highly efficient and accountable culture makes people recognize that it's OK to make mistakes. As a result, people are less afraid to take measured risks. They understand that if they screw up or fail, it's not the end of the world. The faster we can shine a light on their error, the faster we can grow from it, resolve it and move forward. The recognition of mistakes and failure can also encourage creativity: If people are too scared to take risks, they will not dare to be very creative. Success requires a willingness to take risks and make mistakes, but just as important, to shine a light on what did not work.
From the book, some set of examples by the exceptionally successful leaders from the world of America's entrepreneurs Scott referred to culture in a workplace:
A company is only healthy as its unhealthiest employee, Everyone needs to be taking care of themselves on every single level in order to be productive to the best of their ability every single day. It's a cool culture. It feels good, You are always energized. To build this culture - when we first meet candidates to hire, we just don't want to know their prior work experience, but also what they do outside the office. We want to know how they take care of themselves and the kind of food they put in their bodies. For us not reading consistently is a problem.- by Chris Stoikos, a serial entrepreneur and founder of The Beard Club (originally dubbed The Dollar Beard Club).
Scott mentions as his good friend about Sam Khorramian from Big Block Realty, one of the fastest growing real estate companies in the US. In Sam's words "I think creating a welcoming, fun environment comes out of the basics. People like to have fun. People like to know that people like to care about them. People like to know that when they need help, someone is gonna be there to help them. If we only offered a traditional split but backed it up with love, a great culture, and great service, I think we could have similar growth, because people will pay when there is value. We learned that if you take care of the customer, actually love the customer, give them something they are proud to be a part of, then that's going to help you grow organically. The most important steps to creating a killer culture in your business are:
Creating an environment that everyone involved wants to be a part of
Making sure the environment doesn't feel like every other business
Making work more fun"
One of the things that differentiates us from other species on the planet is that we can put unlikely, disconnected things together to form something new and useful. We all have creativity inside us. When it comes to creativity, I think there are a handful of things that can be done. First of all, it's important to recognize that creativity is not some gift that's anointed. It is a process of putting something out there, of discovery and rediscovery. Creativity is a really, really critical aspect of our culture. It is a way of thinking and creating solutions to all sorts of problems. This something we should look to shepherd into each new generation so that we get the benefit of creativity of everybody. We should encourage creative thinking. Chase Jarvis, co-founder of CreativeLive. He is widely recognized for creating Best Camera, the world's first photo app to share images to social networks, which kicked off the mobile photography sharing craze. Here is the link for you to read about the 12 secrets for unlocking creativity http://www.chasejarvis.com/blog/12-se...
This was the summery of the fifth chapter named 'Unlocking Creativity ' from the book Breakthrough. Depending on a professional's background, her priorities, needs and aspirations a particular culture fits. More you grow more you know about the importance of culture in your work life. 19 years back when I started working, as long as I get a job and the monthly paycheck it was more than anything I expected. In today's world the culture plays a vital role in an individual's growth and an organisation's success. The book is a must read for those professionals who are leading a business, for those looking for a click of 'aha idea' for the breakthrough, and also for the dreamers in the entrepreneurial world. I will try to write about other subjects too in near future. Happy reading!
August 20, 2018
This book is a fantastic primer on what you need to get your arms around to start and grow a business. I strongly recommend it to anyone who is contemplating starting a business or has plateaued in their current business. The storytelling engages and personalized the content in a way that keeps the pages turning. Great find!
October 14, 2018
Why do some companies make a breakthrough in their markets and why don't others? That's a very important question for entrepreneurs and business owners.
This book discusses why it happens, how to position yourself to make it happen and how to prepare for the situation for when it happens, each of these topics is incredibly important by themselves.
Great job by the author.
This book discusses why it happens, how to position yourself to make it happen and how to prepare for the situation for when it happens, each of these topics is incredibly important by themselves.
Great job by the author.
kindle
July 24, 2018This book offered examples of the successes of other people and gave some great advice on how to turn a great idea into a reality.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews