"A wonderful, well thought out analysis of entrepreneurship and leadership of a growth company."
Howard Lester, Chairman, Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

"If you dream about growing your business to a billion, this is a fascinating down-to-earth study that you must read. Apply the seven essential principles to your business and you are off and running. Learn about strategy, growth, leadership, team building, and a whole lot more."
Joe Scarlett, Chairman of the Board, Tractor Supply Company

"Blueprint to a Billion is a well-researched and thoughtfully written book that quantifies the growth pattern of America's highest growth companies."
Professor John Quelch, Senior Associate Dean, Harvard Business School

"Eighty percent of the top-performing stocks in the last twenty years were small entrepreneurial companies that had an IPO in the prior eight years. Blueprint to a Billion tells you the seven key things these innovators did in common to become America's greatest growth companies."
William J. O'Neil, Chairman and Founder Investor's Business Daily, www.investors.com

"Thomson has written a masterful work that will catalyze, empower, inspire, motivate, and illuminate entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers. The world needs this book and will profit from it in manifold ways."
David M. Darst, Managing Director, Individual Investor Group Chief Investment Strategist, Morgan Stanley

DAVID G. THOMSON has been leading business growth for twenty years in general management and executive sales/marketing at Nortel Networks and Hewlett-Packard. He also served as an associate principal during his five years at McKinsey& Company. Thomson graduated with an electrical engineering degree from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the University of Western Ontario. He resides with his family in Overland Park, Kansas.

Foreword ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xvii

1 The Blueprint Thesis: A Different Approach to Growth 1

Part One Create and Sustain a Breakthrough Value Proposition 23

2 The Blueprint Value Proposition 25

Part Two Create and Sustain Exponential Revenue Growth 51

3 Exploit a High-Growth Market Segment 53

4 Marquee Customers Shape the Revenue Powerhouse 75

5 Leverage Big Brother Alliances for Breaking into New Markets 105

Part Three Seizing the Opportunity to Create Exponential Returns 129

6 Becoming the Masters of Exponential Returns 131

7 The Management Team: Inside-Outside Leadership 155

8 The Board: Comprised of Essentials Experts 183

9 Linking the 7 Essentials 189

10 Blueprint Companies for the Next Decade and Your Part in Them: An Epilogue 213

Appendix A Top 100 Blueprint Companies 223

Appendix B Delivering Breakthrough Benefits Drives Exponential Growth 227

Appendix C Assessing Managements Focus, Drive, and Ability 233

Appendix D Methodology 237

Endnotes 243

Index 253