They're invisible; but don't be fooled. As they walk unnoticed through the halls of your small business, they're doing a number-a negative number-on your bottom line. They slow productivity, treat your customers rudely, and infect other employees with their poor morale and shoddy work ethic. In a small business, one zombie-one employee not pulling his or her share of the workload-can make all the difference.

In his second book, Zombies Ate My Business, Jamie Gerdsen returns to help traditional business owners-plumbers, dry cleaners, bakery operators-find and eliminate zombie employees, and to clear the ranks of zombie-like thinking among management. Traditional businesses-those mainstays of Main Street-may have started out with a bang, but many have grown stagnant, even tottering on the edge of death. Join Gerdsen as he considers the life cycle of a traditional business, and the life cycle of an employee. Listen as he forecasts what happens when the two intersect. Sure, a young business staffed with young employees should find it easy to grow; but what about a mature, "plateaued" business, staffed with mature, retirement-age employees? Or a middle-aged company with middle-aged workers? Even these companies can return to growth, says Gerdsen, who speaks from experience with his own turned-around HVAC business. This book maps the way to growth, renewal, and zombie-free prosperity for businesses in all life stages.