--- title: "Craft: The Expedition of Business — A Book by Zack Tomlin" description: "Craft is a business book for leaders who want first principles over playbooks: decision-making, people, leadership, and systems in one expedition." lang: en json-ld: --- [About the Book](#about)[What's Inside](#chapters)[The Author](#author) Read a Sample [Purchase Now](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTX87CGV?maas=maas_adg_9CF0471FEA05E685E22E976AF59CEE85_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas) [About the Book](#about)[What's Inside](#chapters)[The Author](#author) Articles Based on the Book [The Mountain of Why](/mental-models-and-first-principles-thinking)[Not All Decisions Are Created Equal](/business-decision-making-framework)[What Makes a Good Leader?](/what-makes-a-good-leader)[Building Company Culture That Actually Works](/building-company-culture)[How to Motivate Employees (Hint: You Probably Can't)](/how-to-motivate-employees)[How to Stop Being the Bottleneck in Your Own Business](/stop-being-the-bottleneck)Book Sample Free PDF Preview →[Purchase Now](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTX87CGV?maas=maas_adg_9CF0471FEA05E685E22E976AF59CEE85_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas) ![](/hero-mountain-bg.webp) ![Craft: The Expedition of Business by Zack Tomlin](/book.webp) Available Now # Craft: The Expedition of Business For when your craft is no longer doing the work but leading those you depend on. [Purchase on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTX87CGV?maas=maas_adg_9CF0471FEA05E685E22E976AF59CEE85_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas)[![Amazon](/amazon-logo.webp)](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTX87CGV?maas=maas_adg_9CF0471FEA05E685E22E976AF59CEE85_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas)[Or get a free sample →](#free) ![National Indie Excellence Awards Winner seal](/__l5e/assets-v1/37704921-4b4e-4b88-970c-ee969f8a73a5/niea-winner-seal.png) Award-Winning ## Winner of the 20th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards Small Business & Entrepreneurship category ![Readers' Favorite Five Stars](/assets/readers-favorite-badge-Bp8Ml1Dl.webp) 5-Star Reviews > "A breath of fresh air...completely ditches the standard corporate buzzwords. A grounded way to look at leadership that feels a lot more honest than your typical management book." — Readers' Favorite > "Frameworks that are crisp and timeless. The book follows a logical climb from mere mimicry to a summit of first principles. It sharpened how I look at our own operations... It's a masterclass in lead-craft..." — Readers' Favorite > "A sharply defined business guide that presents leadership as the work of charting a route for an organization and then creating the conditions that keep it on course... an especially valuable guide for readers responsible for leading teams and determining the future direction of a business." — Readers' Favorite About the Book ## Plot a Better Course Forward Many of the frustrations leaders experience — stalled progress, constant firefighting, and reliance on individual heroics — trace back to a single issue: the organization itself is not designed to produce the desired results without excessive effort. Craft: The Expedition of Business is written for leaders who want to build organizations that work better. It explores how clarity of direction, leadership, people, and systems work together — and why lasting improvement requires attention to all of them. The book equips leaders with principles, not prescriptions. It helps them craft more self-sufficient organizations — businesses where hard work and good decisions are rewarded with the success they deserve. ![Front Cover](/assets/book-front-cover-Du_OMMaP.webp) Front Cover ![Back Cover](/assets/book-back-cover-nMFIJ8BR.webp) Back Cover ![Table of Contents](/assets/book-toc-DrnguOqT.webp) Table of Contents ![The Road Ahead](/assets/book-answers-map-CNd4ruey.webp) The Road Ahead ![Field Notes — A Business Leader's Journal](/assets/journal-cover-front-Cji1DjHY.webp) Included with the Book ### Companion Journal Fifty-eight pages of guided questions and exercises designed to turn the book's insights into action — so the learning doesn't stop when the reading does. [Download the free PDF →](/journal) ![](/assets/expedition-bg-1-CZnJMaym.webp) The Journey ## From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be This book is the map for a different way of leading — replacing common pitfalls with proven principles. Copying Others Your First Principles Guessing About People Knowing What Drives Them Firefighting & Hand Holding Clarity and Order Everything Depends on You Everything Runs Without You ### Where Most Leaders Start Copying Others Guessing About People Firefighting & Hand Holding Everything Depends on You ### Where This Book Takes You Your First Principles Knowing What Drives Them Clarity and Order Everything Runs Without You What's Inside ## Four Pillars of Any Expedition The book is organized around the essential parts of every journey and of every organization. ### Part One: Destination The goal that is sought. A clear vision that aligns your team and guides decisions. Where you are going, but also why, the challenges that stand in the way, and how success is measured. ### Part Two: Crew The heart of any organization. No business can truly succeed without a deep understanding of people and creating an environment where they can be at their best. ### Part Three: Leader The one they follow. It's the leader that sets the capacity of an organization — the one who must unify the energy of the crew and provide the clarity and structure required for success. ### Part Four: Expedition The journey itself. The systems, decisions, and execution that overcome the headwinds standing between you and your intended destination. ![](/assets/expedition-bg-1-CZnJMaym.webp) ## Four Books Worth of Insights. One Expedition. Everything a leader needs — decision-making, people, leadership, and systems — woven into a single, cohesive framework. Decision-Making People Management Leadership Systems & Process ![Zack Tomlin - Author, with mountain background, wearing a black vest](/assets/zack-headshot-mountains-KW_6bXva.webp)[Learn About Working with Zack](https://yourcraftyourclimb.com) The Author ## Zack Tomlin Zack lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife Jackie, their two daughters, Hadley and Abilene, and one furry degenerate son, Bruce the dog. After spending more than a decade founding, crafting, and exiting his business, Zack now works with leaders of small and midsized companies. He is the founder of Your Craft Your Climb, accelerating the development of licensed and degreed professionals into confident, effective business leaders. Free Resources ## Start Reading — No Charge Two ways to get a feel for the book before you buy: read original essays drawn from its ideas, or grab a free sample of the book itself. ### Get a Preview of the Book The same sample Kindle offers, delivered to your inbox as a PDF. - — Table of contents and "The Road Ahead" - — Introduction and opening chapters - — No spam, unsubscribe anytime Get the Free Sample ![Craft: The Expedition of Business — 3D book render](/book.webp) Articles Based on the Book [ ### The Mountain of Why Why copying what worked for someone else keeps you stuck — and a five-level framework for thinking your way to better answers. ](/mental-models-and-first-principles-thinking)[ ### Not All Decisions Are Created Equal Most leaders treat every decision the same. Here's how to separate the ones that set direction from the ones that just keep the lights on. ](/business-decision-making-framework)[ ### What Makes a Good Leader? The usual list of leadership traits falls short. A practitioner's take on what leadership is actually for. ](/what-makes-a-good-leader)[ ### Building Company Culture That Actually Works Culture isn't a list of values on a wall — it's the story running through your organization. Here's how to build one your team actually believes in. ](/building-company-culture)[ ### How to Motivate Employees (Hint: You Probably Can't) You can't motivate employees with incentives alone. What actually drives engagement — and how to build an environment where people motivate themselves. ](/how-to-motivate-employees)[ ### How to Stop Being the Bottleneck in Your Own Business Scaling isn't working harder. It's building systems where your input produces results far beyond your effort. ](/stop-being-the-bottleneck) ![](/assets/expedition-bg-2-u3bMCYHL.webp) ### Get Your Copy Available now in paperback and Kindle. [Purchase on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTX87CGV?maas=maas_adg_9CF0471FEA05E685E22E976AF59CEE85_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas)[![Amazon](/amazon-logo.webp)](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTX87CGV?maas=maas_adg_9CF0471FEA05E685E22E976AF59CEE85_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas) ### Stay Connected Sign up for updates on events, new content, and future projects from the author. First Name Last Name Email Sign Up The Book - [About the Book](/#about) - [What's Inside](/#chapters) - [The Journey](/#journey) - [The Author](/#author) Free Resources - [Free Sample PDF](/#free) - [Field Notes Journal](/journal) - [Expedition Assessment](/assessment) - [Enduring Traits](/enduring-traits) Articles - [The Mountain of Why](/mental-models-and-first-principles-thinking) - [Not All Decisions Are Created Equal](/business-decision-making-framework) - [What Makes a Good Leader?](/what-makes-a-good-leader) - [Building Company Culture That Actually Works](/building-company-culture) - [How to Motivate Employees (Hint: You Probably Can't)](/how-to-motivate-employees) - [How to Stop Being the Bottleneck in Your Own Business](/stop-being-the-bottleneck) The Expedition of Business A book by Zack Tomlin. A service of Harnessing Energy, LLC. © 2026 Harnessing Energy, LLC [Learn More About Working with Zack](https://yourcraftyourclimb.com)[LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/zack-tomlin/)