Beating the competition is never easy. Neither is running the gauntlet of a business start-up, which not only is a major challenge but can often prove fatal. Success for both depends on being a benevolent dictator. The Benevolent Dictator lays out the philosophy that every business or ideas has a life cycle that encompasses for critical phases: 1) Idea Development 2) Build Out 3) Continuous Improvement 4) Cash Out. This methodology is spelled out through dozens of specific leadership lessons, which provide examples and practical applications designed to help everyone from students of business and aspiring entrepreneurs to executives who take any concept effectively and rapidly from mind to market. The Benevolent Dictator lessons include: Always be prepared to turn to Plan B and sometimes C and D Learn how to make every dollar last Manage by the three Ps: Persistence, Perspiration and Performance Pot stirring 101The key to continuous reinvention How to put lightning back in the bottle again and again