Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai - by Nicolas Darveau-Garneau (Hardcover)

About the Book

Learn the secrets of the Sequoias and how long-term success comes from implementing a strategy that maximizes growth.

Book Synopsis

Whether you work at a Fortune 500 giant, a startup, or a nonprofit, Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai gives you the playbook to grow profits (or donations) much faster, while delighting customers.

Nicolas Darveau-Garneau, Google's former Chief Evangelist, has advised senior executives at more than a thousand companies. He discovered that the fastest-growing 5% all followed the same seven principles. And he saw that the executives who mastered these principles rapidly advanced their careers.

This book contains a step-by-step guide and hundreds of case studies. For example, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital increased online fundraising 46% in a single year, expanding lifesaving cancer treatments to sixty countries. Invisalign added $7 billion in market value while competitors faltered. Surex Insurance quadrupled profits by acquiring more valuable customers. Asbury Automotive Group became the first dealership group to sell cars entirely online, driving a 33% jump in profits and a 30% rise in customer satisfaction at a time when competitors were stagnant. Pandora Jewelry increased advertising-driven in-store sales by 200% and total sales 77% simply by shifting how it measured marketing success.

The best part? These breakthroughs don't require acquisitions, billion-dollar tech investments, or years of product development. They come from simple, low-risk experiments you can test right now, moves that cost little but pay off big.

In Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai, you'll learn how to:

• Maximize profitable growth by tracking the right metrics, not vanity metrics
• Acquire the most valuable customers, not just the most customers
• Dramatically increase customer lifetime value with practical, scalable strategies
• Strengthen your brand with modern, profit-driven branding approaches
• Deliver a customer experience your competitors can't match
• Build a culture of rapid testing and innovation that keeps you ahead

"Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai is a groundbreaking book. Nicolas Darveau-Garneau has distilled thousands of CEO and CMO meetings into a playbook every ambitious leader needs to read--and, more importantly, put into practice every day." -- Jasper Malcolmson, Head of Growth at Gusto and Robinhood

Review Quotes

'As someone who guides top executives through AI and Digital Transformation, I can attest that the principles in Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai are the blueprint for what separates truly great companies from the merely good.'--GOPI KALLAYIL, Google Chief AI Business Strategist

'Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai is a ground-breaking book. Nicolas Darveau-Garneau has distilled thousands of CEO and CMO meetings into a playbook every ambitious leader needs to read and, more importantly, put into practice every day.'--JASPER MALCOLMSON, Head of growth at Gusto and Robinhood

'Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai is a practical book that any company can follow to unleash profitable growth. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to take their company, startup, or non-profit to the next level.'--LUC LEVESQUE, former head of growth at Shopify

'Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai offers a smart and actionable framework for enduring business growth. Drawing on over 1,000 C-suite conversations, Nick distills seven practical shifts used by the world's most exceptional companies. If you're ready to move beyond optimization theater and build something lasting, start here.'--JIM LECINSKI, Clinical Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and author of The AI Marketing Canvas

'I was in the room on multiple occasions when Nick showed CMOs, CFOs, and CEOs how they could reshape their profit trajectories. Be a Sequoia, Not a Bonsai is not just a book, it's a strategic mantra and competitive weapon. If you are an executive interested in driving profitable growth, here's your new playbook.'--ALAN EAGLE, bestselling author of The Trillion Dollar Coach, How Google Works, and Leading Excellence

'I've worked with the world's top CEOs and CMOs and rarely seen someone distill complex growth truths this clearly. Be a sequoia. Your customers, and your CFO, will thank you.'--AVINASH KAUSHIK, bestselling author of Analytics 2.0 and Occam's Razor

'Many business books are conjectures wrapped in consultant speak. NDG's approach is different: it's battle-tested. His track record speaks for itself, but more importantly, his frameworks actually work in the real world. If you want to radically change your company's profit trajectory, this is your playbook.'--NEIL HOYNE, Google Chief Strategist and author of Converted