Terry Conway lays out 3 rules for business survival in new book

Former CFO and longtime Handy Seafood owner Terry Conway says many startups fail by losing sight of basic competitive discipline. His new book, Business is Simple, distills decades of building and expanding family-owned businesses into a three-part framework aimed at helping entrepreneurs improve their odds.

Why it matters: - Nearly 6 million businesses are expected to launch this year. - Roughly half of new businesses fail within five years. - Conway argues the difference often comes down to whether a business keeps its focus on the fundamentals that drive revenue and competitive advantage.

What happened: - Terry Conway released Business is Simple: From a Family Cottage Business to World Processing and Markets. - The book presents a three-part growth framework Conway developed through decades of operating businesses under pressure. - Conway built the structure from experience as former Perdue Farms CFO and longtime Handy Seafood owner. - The book also introduces “all-abouts,” which Conway describes as bottom-line focal points meant to cut noise and align each business function around its core purpose.

The details: - Conway’s framework centers on three priorities: improve product quality, produce at a competitive advantage, and surround the business with people who can close deals. - Conway says core values matter, citing two: “Trust is the cornerstone of everything” and “free flowing collaboration to innovate and use innovations for competitive advantages.” - Conway took over Handy Seafood when the company had one phone line and no expansion plans. - He later built Handy Seafood into an international business operating in 17 countries. - The book recounts risks, fierce competition, regulatory hurdles, betrayals and costly mistakes Conway encountered along the way. - Conway also writes about expansion efforts and high-risk ventures in Thailand and India. - Those experiences earned him the nickname “The Indiana Jones of the seafood business.” - Conway says the book is part memoir, part business manual and part survival story. - He positions the book for entrepreneurs, business leaders, family-owned companies and recent college graduates.

Between the lines: - The book’s message is not that growth comes from a complex playbook. - Conway frames long-term business success as a discipline problem: stay focused, keep improving, and avoid letting operational noise crowd out execution. - The emphasis on family ownership, succession and longevity suggests the book is aimed as much at durability as at expansion.

What's next: - Conway says he hopes the book helps readers accelerate growth. - The book is available through Amazon. - More information is available at Terry Conway's website. - Conway is Executive Chairman of Handy Seafood and says he has transferred voting control to his five adult children. - He also serves as Executive Consultant to the Board after his recent retirement.

The bottom line: - Conway’s core message is simple: businesses improve their odds when they protect product quality, competitive cost and sales execution while keeping the organization aligned on a few clear priorities.