This site contains many articles that address issues commonly occurring in businesses of all sizes and for entrepreneurs who are thinking about or have recently started a business. It also includes presentations and tools that complement the articles.

The site should be of interest to entrepreneurs who are just starting their businesses and CEOs or managers of virtually any size business. Most of the articles are equally applicable to private, public, and non-profit organizations. Of course, not all content is applicable or of interest to all potential readers.

As described below, the content is written in short, standalone articles. Articles average about 850 words can occupy about two pages each. Some are much longer. Over 750 articles have been included on the site. They total over 840,000 words and would occupy over 2,057 pages if printed. With the presentations and tools, the content would exceed 3,000 pages.

The information is organized in an encyclopedia fashion that consists of nine volumes containing a total of forty-three chapters. Each chapter consists of multiple sections that, in turn, contain the individual articles.

Yes, subscribers can use the Ask CxO Atlas, an AI enable chatbot that allows the user to access the articles content via a chat conversation. This tool makes it easy to get access to the knowledge base the articles represents, as well as, offers suggested articles for viewing.

Additionally, some of the articles are also assigned to one of the nine business stages that startups or maturing companies experience. Two stages, for example, are “Working Full Time in the Business” and “Ready to Expand.” About twenty articles are assigned to each stage. A far greater number of articles could be assigned to each stage, and many articles could be applied to more than one stage.

The Ask CxO Atlas chatbot allows members to interact with the site’s content conversationally. For example ask: “What does it take to get a product ready for market?” or “I have a business but need funds.” This AI-enabled tool allows members to quickly get answers to all types of business questions. It’s like have a conversation with an expert consultant.

The content in the site is not intended to be read from cover to cover. Instead, the content should be read only as a specific need arises, like an encyclopedia. Each article has been written as a standalone document. They can be read in any order with no need to start at the beginning of a volume, chapter, or even a section.

Each article includes a twevle-word one-sentence summary that may help a user decide if they want to read further. An abstract of about 80 words is also included. In many cases, the abstract contains sufficient information about the subject that a user may not need to read the article itself, which averages 850-1000 words. Only site members have access to the full articles.

There are multiple ways to access the content. In most cases, an article can be accessed with one or two clicks and some scrolling. A user could select a volume or business stage of interest and then sequentially browse or search through the articles. Alternatively, they could search the entire site by keyword, article title, article name, volume, chapter, or other tagged words. For registered members, the site also includes the Ask CxO Atlas chatbot that enables a user to ask a question and then receive a response based on the site’s content or generic information.

There is no charge for accessing the summaries and abstracts of each article. However, only registered users can view and download the articles, presentations, and tools and access the chatbot.

No, users do not have to register to use the site. Anyone can view each article’s summary and abstract. However, only registered users can view or download the articles, presentations, and tools.

The user needs to enter the information displayed after the SIGNUP menu option is selected.

Registered users are given the opportunity to view and download any article, presentation, or tool and use the chatbot query tool. Also, registered users will have access to exclusive in-person and virtual events.

The site tracks the number of times each article is viewed by anyone. No user information is tracked.

The number of views and downloads are tracked to determine the most popular content so that those areas can be expanded if/when it is applicable.

The primary content author, Tom Berger, began collecting observations about the differences between large, mature companies and startups in 1990. The list of observations grew to be 983 items long. In January 2015, Tom began the task of writing the actual articles. A considerable amount of time between 2000 and 2015 was spent in reviewing and organizing the material. To date, well over 6,500 hours have been spent in the content creation effort.

The name “Atlas” has two connotations. First, Atlas, the Greek Mythology figure, is often depicted as holding the weight of the world on his shoulders. Every entrepreneur and manager has felt that way when dealing with issues that seem to crop up unexpectedly, perhaps daily. The second connotation involves a road atlas. When one is trying to find a route to a destination, they select only the map or maps of interest and focus their attention on those details. Users should follow suit and select only the articles of interest to help them reach their desired destination or decision.

When first envisioning a new company or even a new product, it is easy to focus on “how great it is going to be.” Once actual work begins, the reality sets in, and operational challenges appear that seem to require immediate attention. It is, indeed, hard to run any organization.

Volume Eight contains a collection of tools and presentations that may be useful to users. The tools are Excel™ workbooks, and the presentations are in PowerPoint™. Other file formats, including PDF versions of speeches and presentations, may also be included later. Articles and user documentation associated with the downloadable files are available as well.

The content is owned and copyrighted by RDK Consulting, Inc. Registered users are free to read, download, and copy any of the content for their own use. If it is desired to distribute it, all copies need to credit CxO-Atlas and RDK Consulting, Inc. as the content creator and owner.

Tom Berger, the President of RDK Consulting, wrote all of the current articles. In the future, guest authors will be asked to contribute articles.

Except as specifically noted, all of the content is believed to be original. However, much of the content is based on common sense and well-established business principles. It is highly likely that others have created very similar content.

The content author makes absolutely no claim to be a business expert. However, the author does have over fifty years of business experience, including 22 years with larger companies and 20 years running venture-backed startups. For the past ten years, he has coached entrepreneurs and private companies, mostly on a pro bono basis. He readily acknowledges that he has made many mistakes and done a few things right. Additionally, he has observed others and taken good notes. All content should be considered operational guidance based on years of experience but virtually zero research!

Please use the contact form.

Yes, there is currently a backlog of over seventy-five articles that will be created over time. New ideas for material appear almost daily. Updating articles and creating new articles will be a continual process.

Yes, as articles are updated or new articles created, they will be added to the site. Each article contains a “loaded” date, which indicates when the article was uploaded to the new site. The original article creation date in shown in each article.

Several enhancements and extensions are being considered. Further work depends on the user community’s interest. Some items being considered are: adding videos to some of the articles or groups of articles, creating audio versions or podcasts, adding war stories, case studies, and examples written by the author and others that describe situations with what worked and what didn’t, and finally, establishing a blog or forum for article and general business discussions.

No. Perhaps in the future, the articles will be grouped together into e-books and made available. User interest will drive this activity.

The site is free for anyone to browse. Revenue, to offset the development and continued operational costs, will be supported by Registration Fees. Over $27,000 has been spent to date on the development and operation of the site.