Author Description

This isn't a playbook for productivity. It's not a list of hacks, frameworks, or best practices. And it sure as hell wasn't written for entrepreneurs who want to scale fast and exit. This book was built for the ones who stayed. The ones who've carried payroll on their backs. Who've outlasted slow seasons, broken systems, and burned-out staff. Who've built something real - and now find themselves trapped inside it. The SMB Survival Guide is a field manual for small business owners navigating the long, unspoken middle - the years where growth doesn't feel like progress, and leadership starts to cost more than it returns. It doesn't offer easy answers. It offers earned clarity. Written by Steve Doty, a seasoned operator who's led from the trenches, this book isn't coaching - it's a conversation. One that sits across the table with you, not above you. One that tells the truth about what it means to lead a business when the systems don't hold, the team doesn't listen, or the weight lands squarely on your shoulders - again. Each chapter brings forward a hidden inflection point most owners face - and walks through how to navigate it without losing your edge, your people, or your identity. You won't find platitudes here. You'll find scar tissue, turned into strategy. Whether you're in year 2 or year 20, this book will meet you where you are - not with judgment, but with recognition. It will show you how to stop solving symptoms, start building with intention, and lead a business that can actually last without costing you everything. Because surviving shouldn't be the goal. Leading should. And in the world of real small business ownership, the truth isn't always polished - but it's what saves you. In a business landscape obsessed with hustle, scale, and exit strategies, this book offers something far more valuable: permission to build with clarity, lead with honesty, and create something that lasts - not just for the market, but for your life. The work matters. So do you.