Entrepreneurs are visionaries -- but most are lousy managers. Successful entrepreneurs know this and turn over the management of their companies to a skilled manager that can work as their sidekick and enable the companies to reach the goals set by the owners. This book is based on over forty years of assisting entrepreneurs realize their visions. It explains the skills needed to manage growth, whether starting a new company or making an existing company grow to the next stage. It is not specifically a guide for entrepreneurs, except to tell them what skills they need to look for in the person that manages the companies they envision. The skills that are taught range from basic to very advanced and cover every important subject that the author has seen in four decades of hands-on management and training. There is also a separate section describing some of the humorous and not-so-humorous situations he has faced and the types of entrepreneurs he has worked with. The book is deliberately written in a smooth, flowing discussion style, with numerous anecdotes scattered throughout that emphasize the points being made. Originally written as a desktop manual for his clients that they could use as a reference source while building their companies over a period of years, at the request of the clients it has expanded to this full-sized book, but kept its easy-to-read format. It includes many of the planning and forecasting models that the author developed for his clients. Business owners who have read it say they love the unique stories, but also love the ease with which they can find ways to address problems in building their companies. Michael Atchison, MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington, had intense training in his first management position as an internal trouble-shooter in one of AT&T's subsidiaries, then expanded his skills by studying every subject that he thought would be relevant in being able to run a large company -- from finance and accounting, to marketing, administrative management, strategic planning, economics, and operations. Later, he applied his skills to International Banking, rising quickly to the level of department manager in a major bank. For the last four decades he has devoted his life to assisting entrepreneurs build their companies both domestically and internationally. During this time he has been a public speaker, had his own radio talk show, become a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor and has served on the boards of several firms. He is heavily involved in nonprofit organizations in the Houston area.