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Start The Work Hardcover – July 23, 2024
Purchase options and add-ons
If you're a business owner feeling trapped in the daily grind or not at the level you want to be, then you're not alone...
In this book, Natalie Dawson, best-selling author of "TeamWork: How To Build A High-Performance Team," shares her proven playbook for busy business owners looking to break free from doing it all by themselves (or feeling like they have to) and start building their business so that it's dependent on your team and not just you as the business owner.
Growing a business requires more than just daily operations; it demands strategic scaling. Many leaders, while busy running their businesses, miss out on opportunities to expand their team, reach, and revenue because they don't understand the scaling process. As the co-founder and president of Cardone Ventures, Natalie Dawson not only led her company from $2.7 million in revenue in 2019 to $146.8 million in 2023, but she has also coached thousands of clients to grow their businesses exponentially.
In the early days, she managed multiple roles-from people and operations to technology, running 40 events per year. Over time, she has systematically replaced herself with skilled team leaders, growing our team to 220 members. This book shares my secrets on effectively duplicating your role and expanding your business. It provides practical tools and strategies necessary for substantial growth, applicable across any industry.
The book is structured into four sections: Time, You, Your Culture, Your Team. It starts with how to optimize your time-the foundation for personal growth and business expansion. The following sections delve into cultivating your habits, designing a scalable culture, and structuring your team for maximum effectiveness. Each section is designed to shift your focus from day-to-day operations to long-term growth strategies.
Whether you're a startup founder hungry for rapid growth or an established business owner dreaming of expansion, 'Start the Work' delivers invaluable guidance to drive measurable results and propel your business toward a scalable future.
- Print length272 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherMindful Media
- Publication dateJuly 23, 2024
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.63 x 8.5 inches
- ISBN-13979-8218428822
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
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Product details
- ASIN : B0D65TRRN5
- Publisher : Mindful Media (July 23, 2024)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 272 pages
- ISBN-13 : 979-8218428822
- Item Weight : 15.8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.63 x 8.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #161,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #14 in Total Quality Management (Books)
- #60 in Management Science
- #154 in Business & Organizational Learning
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Natalie Dawson is an expert in developing people and building scalable teams. She has interviewed, hired, trained, and led thousands of employees over the course of her career, most recently as Executive Vice President and Partner of Cardone Ventures, a management consulting, joint ventures, and private equity firm that helps business owners achieve their personal, professional, and financial goals through the growth of their businesses. Her specialty lies in aligning employees with business objectives—for measurable returns on investment.
Having attended the London School of Economics, Natalie uses her unique blend of operational and financial skill sets to oversee eight-figure operating budgets by inspiring and aligning the people who drive them.
Customer reviews
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Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book to be an amazing read that guides them to implement practical business principles. They appreciate its scalability features, with one customer describing it as a game changer for business growth. The book receives positive feedback for its time management advice, with one review highlighting how it helps achieve time freedom.
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Customers find the book's advice helpful, with one customer noting it serves as an operating manual for a great team.
"...The concepts on automating processes, empowering your team, and leveraging technology are insightful and this book guides you to implement...." Read more
"Loved how simply and effectively Natalie lays out the processes that she uses to scale small businesses, giving owners both financial freedom and..." Read more
"LOVE this book! Highly recommend if you want a lot of great advice, along with free template resources on all the topics she writes about." Read more
"...behind it, and how to train others to do it in a simple, effective manner. Now although this sounds simple, the execution is work!!!..." Read more
Customers find the book excellent and easy to read, with one customer noting it's a great follow-up to the previous book.
"This book is an absolute must-read for anyone looking to scale their business and truly take things to the next level...." Read more
"LOVE this book! Highly recommend if you want a lot of great advice, along with free template resources on all the topics she writes about." Read more
"...Now although this sounds simple, the execution is work!!!..." Read more
"This is an amazing read. With all the knowledge of the greats...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's approach to scaling, with reviews highlighting its step-by-step guidance on building teams, creating a scalable company culture, and empowering employees.
"...The concepts on automating processes, empowering your team, and leveraging technology are insightful and this book guides you to implement...." Read more
"...the framework provided in Start The Work, I have scaled my business by 5-figures and freed myself from the do it all mindset by starting to hire a..." Read more
"...has captured the ability to create a template for goals, targets, creating a team, and duplicating yourself...." Read more
"...away so you can set all the SOPs with your team and everything is a process for scaling. There is no fluff but practicals." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's approach to time management, with one mentioning it covers crucial points and helps businesses progress faster.
"...If you're serious about scaling your business, achieving time freedom, and building a sustainable model, this book will guide you every step of the..." Read more
"...businesses, giving owners both financial freedom and the ability to leverage their time to do the things they love...." Read more
"...As a COO and business coach these books have helped my business and others get farther faster and helped us all pull time forward...." Read more
"...in hiring right people, developing clear processes, performance management, leadership mindset, as well as many other helpful tools to help get your..." Read more
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The operating manual for a great team
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2024This book is an absolute must-read for anyone looking to scale their business and truly take things to the next level. Natalie brilliantly lays out actionable steps for duplicating yourself and building systems that allow your business to thrive without you being involved in every single detail so you can focus on where needed and not be the Jackie of all trades trying to run your entire business yourself.
The concepts on automating processes, empowering your team, and leveraging technology are insightful and this book guides you to implement. I found myself constantly taking notes and immediately applying the lessons to my own business.
If you're serious about scaling your business, achieving time freedom, and building a sustainable model, this book will guide you every step of the way. It’s a game-changer, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to grow and scale their company. I am now on to read her next book “Teamwork”!
5.0 out of 5 starsThis book is an absolute must-read for anyone looking to scale their business and truly take things to the next level. Natalie brilliantly lays out actionable steps for duplicating yourself and building systems that allow your business to thrive without you being involved in every single detail so you can focus on where needed and not be the Jackie of all trades trying to run your entire business yourself.A game changer for business growth!
Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2024
The concepts on automating processes, empowering your team, and leveraging technology are insightful and this book guides you to implement. I found myself constantly taking notes and immediately applying the lessons to my own business.
If you're serious about scaling your business, achieving time freedom, and building a sustainable model, this book will guide you every step of the way. It’s a game-changer, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to grow and scale their company. I am now on to read her next book “Teamwork”!
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2024Loved how simply and effectively Natalie lays out the processes that she uses to scale small businesses, giving owners both financial freedom and the ability to leverage their time to do the things they love. Yes, hard consistent work is part of the equation but by following her blueprint the returns will absolutely be worth the investment. This is a must read for every small business owner who is serious about their growth.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2025LOVE this book! Highly recommend if you want a lot of great advice, along with free template resources on all the topics she writes about.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2024Let me start off by saying Natalie Dawson's Start the Work is not a motivational book full or fluff or big ideas that are grounded in dreams..
It's a practical, in the trenches, battle tested playbook that covers actionable strategies that work.
In running teams from 3 up to 30 people, the biggest challenge I've always run into is this:
How do I get everyone to actually DO the things we've proven to work, at a level that ensures we're profitable and viable as a company.
Start the Work answers that question by breaking down the process of understanding what do I do that creates real value, how to document it and put structure behind it, and how to train others to do it in a simple, effective manner.
Now although this sounds simple, the execution is work!!! But Natalie does not pull any punches and is very transparent about the work required pull this off... However I found this refreshing as so many business books make it seem all rainbows and sunshine and don't set you up for success with the proper expectations of what's required...
I will say this though, on the other side it's worth it!
I've already applied some of the principles since reading the book in July and it's helped me to spin up a new leader in our business that has been able to take a large chuck of the work off my plate and freed me up to focus on other areas of the business - and increase revenues along the way.
Simply put, if you read this book, understand it and apply, it works!
Thank you Natalie!
5.0 out of 5 starsLet me start off by saying Natalie Dawson's Start the Work is not a motivational book full or fluff or big ideas that are grounded in dreams..The operating manual for a great team
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2024
It's a practical, in the trenches, battle tested playbook that covers actionable strategies that work.
In running teams from 3 up to 30 people, the biggest challenge I've always run into is this:
How do I get everyone to actually DO the things we've proven to work, at a level that ensures we're profitable and viable as a company.
Start the Work answers that question by breaking down the process of understanding what do I do that creates real value, how to document it and put structure behind it, and how to train others to do it in a simple, effective manner.
Now although this sounds simple, the execution is work!!! But Natalie does not pull any punches and is very transparent about the work required pull this off... However I found this refreshing as so many business books make it seem all rainbows and sunshine and don't set you up for success with the proper expectations of what's required...
I will say this though, on the other side it's worth it!
I've already applied some of the principles since reading the book in July and it's helped me to spin up a new leader in our business that has been able to take a large chuck of the work off my plate and freed me up to focus on other areas of the business - and increase revenues along the way.
Simply put, if you read this book, understand it and apply, it works!
Thank you Natalie!
Images in this review
- Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2024To scale a business or team requires proven processes and systems that work, and that's the exact framework you'll receive insights to when you purchase Start The Work.
Like many entrepreneurs, I quickly fell into the trap of working in and not on the business. This caused my revenue to be stagnant and muddled the vision for my company. I felt frustrated, burnt out, and left questioning if I really had a scalable business at my fingertips.
Since implementing the framework provided in Start The Work, I have scaled my business by 5-figures and freed myself from the do it all mindset by starting to hire a team. It's clear that Natalie is an expert in developing people in a wholistic way and scaling high-performers into powerful teams that get 10X results. Her infrastructure on how to do this has been paramount as I develop my team. From SOPs to activity trackers, how to get the people in your personal life to understand your vision (and what to do if they don't) - the resources available in this book are invaluable.
The back of Natalie's book says it best: you don't have time to read a book summary - you need to start the work.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2024The author, Natalie Dawson which is part of the executive leadership team at Cardone Ventures LLC, jumps right into what you need to do, and how to do it! No "pie in the sky" just real ideas, and a task lists on "how to" start and get it done. "Start The Work" is a great reference guide. I found it to be a powerful resource to take the next steps in scaling our business!
Robert Dayton - President - Houses & Then Some Rentals & Realty - Inc 5000 company
- Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2024This book along with the online platform is something that is really unique and helpful.
I have had the exact issues and problems that are addressed on this book and the fact that i can watch the videos from anywhere while reading the book or just progress to one or the other is really amazing.
I strongly recommend this book to business owners who want to scale. i am not sure if that is the right starter book for someone who starts now, as a lot of things that are addressed and ways to handle them, means you have to have a business at some point to take it to the next level.
One of the few that are both simple and effective. I hate complexity and "ultra-fancy" books. This one rocks!
- Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2024This is an amazing read. With all the knowledge of the greats. Natalie Dawson has captured the ability to create a template for goals, targets, creating a team, and duplicating yourself. Look no further this is the book that will change your life bringing you from someone who works for your business or a business and gets your business to work for you whether you own or operate. Highly recommend
This is an amazing read. With all the knowledge of the greats. Natalie Dawson has captured the ability to create a template for goals, targets, creating a team, and duplicating yourself. Look no further this is the book that will change your life bringing you from someone who works for your business or a business and gets your business to work for you whether you own or operate. Highly recommend
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Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on September 15, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Natalie Delivers 10X Business Advice and Ideas!
Natalie has some really incredible content in both her books that she wrote! highly recommend her 2 books and audio book, Team Work!
- LaraReviewed in Australia on August 26, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars The Holy Grail of Duplication
Natalie Dawson’s book ‘Start the Work’ is a must read for all CEO’s, leaders & entrepreneurs who desire to create high performance teams, duplicate themselves and scale their businesses for massive impact and success. The book provides real, actionable tools, insights and strategies that leaders can apply to their businesses to support long term growth and success. So much more than just a book to simply inspire, Start the Work is a blueprint I will continue to revisit at every stage of business growth. I could not recommend this book and Natalie’s work more highly - she is an absolute powerhouse!
LaraThe Holy Grail of Duplication
Reviewed in Australia on August 26, 2024
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