Weekend Entrepreneur: 101 Great Ways to Earn Extra Cash Review

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(More customer reviews)This book lives up to its title. It's a nice introduction to the topic of part-time (weekend) and home-based entrepreneurship, and should be a very helpful guide to anyone who is just starting out and simply needs an easy read with lots of ideas and some business basics. If that's what you're looking for, this book delivers.
As a serial entrepreneur who has started several ventures, both small and large, I really admire individuals who don't have a lot of time on their hands yet are motivated to take the first steps towards some extra cash -- and even the possibility of financial independence. It takes courage, especially for those with a full-time job and family obligations.
This book introduces the concept of part-time entrepreneurship, provides lots of part-time and home-based business ideas, and also some advice about marketing, etc. In some ways, the most valuable part of this book are the ideas that it presents (a page or two dedicated to each concept). Most of the ideas are within the reach of an entrepreneur who doesn't have a lot of start-up capital, and all are achieveable to varying degrees depending on how much time one can dedicate to them. Also, I really like the fact that this book takes the family into consideration and even discusses how to get the kids involved. For a mother or father trying to make a go of an entrepreneurial business after work or on the weekends, involving the kids can make all the difference in the world. It's nice to see this aspect of home-based entrepreneurship addressed.
The bottom line is that this book is for people who are just starting out and interested in a part-time, home-based business. It provides lots of ideas. If you use one of their ideas, great. And if not, it's still likely that the ideas presented in this books could inspire you and lead you to your own business concept. After you launch your business there are many other resources that will be helpful to you, but the key is to get going, and on that front this book is a good place to start.
Steven K. Gold
Author, Entrepreneur's Notebook: Practical Advice for Starting a New Business Venture

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Live the Lifestyle of Your Dreams!

Are you hoping to build a better life for you and your family?

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I could use some extra money to take a cool vacation or buy my kids something they really want.
I dream of taking a chance on one of my own ideas and turning it into reality.
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I'm looking for a way my whole family can work together.

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Thousands of people have found a way to live the lifestyle of their dreams--and now you can, too. Over a hundred weekend entrepreneurs share their secrets. It's all the information you need to forge your own path to the life you deserve.

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Lucky Or Smart?: Fifty Pages for the First-Time Entrepreneur Review

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(More customer reviews)I read Lucky or Smart after receiving a recommendation from a very creditable source. However, it was a great disappointment, and in my opinion, a waste of money. $13.95 (as per the inside cover of the book) for 58 pages that delivered little value.
Bo Peabody may himself be both lucky and smart for founding and selling a low revenue-no profit generating internet company during the internet bubble; I hope you are lucky enough to read this review and then smart enough to avoid purchasing his book. My brief summary of the lessons from the book follows:
Chapter 1: Start a company that is innovative, morally compelling and philosophically positive; this will attract smart, motivated people that will do great things because they are smart and motivated (Enron aside)
Chapter 2: you are born an entrepreneur or a manager - accept who you are because you cannot change
Chapter 3: entrepreneurs are B students, managers are A students - unfortunately I was a B student in high school and an A student in college, something the author does not address
Chapter 4: strive to be good enough to survive; if you do you will be bought by a company that can make you great; but don't be great on your own or you will not survive
Chapter 5: have faith
Chapter 6: don't take no for an answer
Chapter 7: entrepreneurs don't have power - "get used to it"
Chapter 8: stay calm and be gracious in difficult situations
Chapter 9: read the WSJ daily, the NY times on Sunday and pick one other reputable weekly or monthly business magazine - and don't read any other form of press
Chapter 10: always sell
Chapter 11: know what you don't know
after reading the above there is no reason for you to purchase the book unless you want to know more about Bo Peabody or the companies he founded. That is all there is, except for a number of tangentially related stories that involve Bo and his limited experiences in the business world (I say this because he was in his early thirties when this book was written).
Instead of reading Lucky or Smart I would highly recommend the Richest Man in Babylon or Rich Dad Poor Dad.


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Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose Review

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(More customer reviews)There has been quite a crop of customer service related books recently, as well as the classics in the field. They each have their own angle, and I'm going to use this brief review as a chance to summarize where Delivering Happiness falls in this group as well as how to complement it with a couple of other books with different approaches that make for a very well-rounded outlook in tandem.
As far as [[Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose:]]
I was privileged to get a galley of this much-anticipated title. It's the story of an entrepreneur and the different paths he took (or twists in the one path, depending on how you look at it). A fascinating story, and not just because of the bezillion dollars he got selling the company to amazon. (And: how can you not like a guy who calls his warehouse WHISKY (WareHouse Inventory and Supply in Kentucky -- Page 118)? Heavy emphasis on his pursuit of happiness for himself and his staff -- very admirable and inspiring.
If you're looking to directly transform your customer service/customer experience, you may want to add to Tony's inspiring autobiography some directly actionable books to help you turn his ideas into techniques you can put into practice right away -- and that are highly consonant with Tony's pro-employee, pro-customer, outlook -- I suggest two books --one a classic, one that's new this Spring -- that can take care of this for you.
1. Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization
This, like Tony Hsieh's book, is a new title this Spring. Practical, useful insights from the insiders who created high-tech startups and The Ritz-Carlton. Contains specific prescriptions for how to handle many different customer situations like they're handled at the companies profiled inside (incl: Zappos, Ritz-Carlton, Netflix, Charlie Trotter's, Lexus,), appendices with scripts you can use right away, etc.
2. [[Customers For Life: How To Turn That One-Time Buyer Into a Lifetime Customer]]
This is an older title, and a classic: how a texas cadillac dealer, of all people, mastered great customer service. Extremely simple, but never simplistic. Has inspired many business leaders since it was written. Many pages have usable, actionable insights. If you don't have this in your library (and in your psyche) yet, why not? You can probably grab it used for next to nothing, and the wisdom is timeless enough that you hardly need the "latest revised edition" if you need to save a few dollars.


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Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat (Agora Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)I enjoy the occasional book on marketing and how to acheive success. The cover blurbs for "Ready, Aim, Fire" seemed promising as did some of the Amazon reviews. So I figured why not.
I can now answer the question "why not" in detail and at length.
First, the good news. Michael Masterson does a reasonably good job of distilling the advice offered in dozens of other books on advertising and marketing, from Napoleon Hill to Rosse Reeve's "Reality In Advertising". However, the solid advice gleaned from those classics is diluted with Masterson's endless preening and outright bragging.
The overall experience is not necessarily enjoyable or instructive, unless you are inspired by someone telling you, over and over and over again, of how successful and great he is.
A careful reading led me to become very suspicious of Michael Masterson and to do some quick research. Masterson claims to have had titles on the New York Times, Wall St. Journal and Amazon best seller lists. Indeed, on two occasions - and that means two distinct dates - Masterson was on the Wall St. Journal best seller list. This is not like being on that list week after week: it was twice for one time each. As for the New York Times, a Nexis search shows Michael Masterson appearing in the Times just once, with a comment in an article. No appearances on their best seller list. Amazon's best seller lists are very different and appearing on them is on meaningless. It is said that having 30 friends order a book at the same time will put you on their best sellers list for a little while at least.
More disturbing are Masterson's associations, one of which is Agora International, which publishes a number of investment newsletters which seem to be of the "we have a tip for you" variety. Agora was sued for fraud by the SEC at one point. This does not reflect directly on Masterson since he claims a nebulous role of "consultant" with them. It does, however, reflect on the company he keeps.
The company he keeps also includes AWAI, American Artists & Writers, Inc. Masterson doesn't say that he authored a product for them, a course on copywriting. Both AWAI and Masterson are the subject of literally hundreds of online complaints.
As I said, much of this book is borrowed and adapted. I don't have a problem with that since solid knowledge is intended to be passed on, as long as it is not plagarized in violation of copyright laws. But even here, Masterson leaves himself open to question. He attributes the concept of the "unique selling proposition" to a 1980 book called "Positioning". In fact, Rosser Reeves first put forth the expression and the concept in his 1961 "Reality In Advertising".
Would I recommend that someone read this book? Sort of. It is an adequate distillation of marketing advice from many reputable sources. To his credit, Masterson doesn't claim to be the original thinking here. On the other hand, Masterson's personal credibility is questionable and you really have to take what he says of his own success with a very large grain of salt. Personally I think there are better books in this area to be found.
Jerry

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Whether you're thinking about starting a new business or growing an existing one, Ready, Fire, Aim has what you need to succeed in your entrepreneurial endeavors. In it, self-made multimillionaire and bestselling author Masterson shares the knowledge he has gained from creating and expanding numerous businesses and outlines a focused strategy for guiding a small business through the four stages of entrepreneurial growth. Along the way, Masterson teaches you the different skills needed in order to excel in this dynamic environment.

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Money Mavericks: Confessions of a Hedge Fund Manager (Financial Times Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)Lars Kroijer provides the reader with an excellent portal into the mind of a hedge fund manager. Kroijer started his fund, Holte Capital, in the boom years of hedge funds with a few dollars and a lot of ambition. His book tells the tale of all the ups and downs (business-wise, trading-wise, emotionally-wise, partners-wise, etc) he experienced with Holte Capital. There is no shortage of hedge fund manager autobiographies for sale these days, and generally I avoid reading hedge fund manager self-promoting nonsense. However, in the case of Kroijer, an exception must be made. Kroijer is that rare animal who, made clear from his writing, is much too self-reflective and aware of the world around himself, to be comfortable in the hedge fund industry. Kroijer's book tells of the absurdness of the industry and its participants which only a critical outsider would be able to discern; all the while Kroijer is deeply ensconced in the industry trying to make a go of it. This book is not a frat-house tale of lurid sexcapades and drug fueled parties, rather the story is one of the inner workings of a humble self-reflective mind placed in an environment of near-sociopaths and their institutions. Kroijer's book is the one book about hedge funds which I believe is an enjoyable read for the non-hedge fund person. A book which industry outsiders can appreciate, and certainly a book which industry insiders need to read.

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"I read this book cover to cover, and enjoyed every bit of it.The hedge fund industry is not known for its modesty, yet this book is not only full of fascinating information but is refreshing in this respect as well." Andrei Shleifer, Professor of Economics, Harvard University"Without sensationalising, Lars tells it like it is a no-holds-barred, warts-and-all account of what it's like to try and set and run a hedge fund." Neil Wilson, editor, Eurohedge "A compelling and demystifying chronicle of hedge funds, and of hedge fund managers.Lars' experience is by no means novel in the industry, but his perspective most certainly is." Drew Dickson, Managing Partner, Dickson Capital Management"In a world where few understand their complexities, Money Mavericks provides a compelling and accurate insight into the secretive workings of a hedge fund." Tets Ishikawa, author of "How I Caused the Credit Crunch Some call them 'grotesque', others as 'absolutely crazy bodies', and still more refer to them as 'hellish': hedge fund managers are stealthy, wealthy and tend to avoid the spotlight. But is this fair?Money Mavericks: Confessions of a Hedge Fund Manager charts the founding, seemingly interminable rise and eventual closure of a fund which operated in London during the febrile years of 2002 to 2008. Shedding light on the incredible inside workings of hedge funds, it's a tale of a bubble industry in a bubble town during the bubble years.It tells the story of some very smart people who were trying to do something that was incredibly hard: beat the market. If they failed, the repercussions would be swift and severe. If they succeeded, the rewards would be massive.Having grown from a small and mainly US investment activity to become a global trillion-dollar circus, the hedge fund industry is often unfairly portrayed as a fee-charging gambling den. But forget what you've heard: this is the true story of the life of a hedge fund."I was immersed in the hedge fund industry for years and now I want toaddress the myths and misperceptions that surround the hedge funds.I often feel that my six years of running Holte Capital was one long blur of human drama with triumph and failure following each other in quick and merciless succession.If you have ever been given the impression that the world of hedge funds is driven by meticulously-planned and well-coordinated dark forces, I hope my story will enlighten you." Lars Kroijer

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The MouseDriver Chronicles: The True-Life Adventures of Two First-Time Entrepreneurs Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a lifelong student of leadership and the Chairman of Coremetrics, a San Francisco-based company that I started almost three years ago. As a reader of dozens of books on leadership, I simply could not put this book down.
I graduated from Wharton with Kyle and John and know them well. But don't let that fact discount my review. The closest books to "The MouseDriver Chronicles" are "Startup", by Jerry Kaplan; "The Monk and the Riddle", by Randy Komisar; and "Burn Rate", by Michael Wolff. All three of these books are insightful reads, but if you only have time to read one book on entrepreneurship, "The MouseDriver Chronicles" is your best bet.
"Startup" isn't as personal and the key insight is that market timing is critical. "Burn Rate" is as personal and funny, but the key insight is that Michael Wolff isn't cut out to be an entrepreneur (and, worse, he doesn't realize it - if you read it, you'll understand what I mean). And "The Monk and the Riddle" is too fictitious, "dot comish", and "on the surface".
"The MouseDriver Chronicles" is the first book I have ever read that gives a truly open and honest view about what real entrepreneurship is about. Kyle and John started MouseDriver from ground zero with the right attitude. As lifelong students of leadership, Kyle and John provide the reader with valuable insights. "The MouseDriver Chronicles" is a personal tale that will remind you of a fireside conversation with friends. Often funny, often serious, and always real. Whether you aspire to be an entrepreneur or just want to read about what it's like, this is a great read.

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Upbeat: Cultivating the Right Attitude to Thrive in Tough Times Review

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(More customer reviews)We all have dreams in life like starting a business, becoming financially free, be healthy etc, but something is inhibiting us from achieving them. The years seem to roll by, recessions come and go and we are still left dreaming.
Rajesh's little book Upbeat! shows us how to turn those dreams into reality and be upbeat throughout the process irrespective of the external circumstances. His message is simple.
1. You don't need to do super duper extraordinary things to turn your dreams into reality, but do a few simple things consistently and extraordinarily. [..Read one page from an inspiring book daily, do 15 minutes of yoga/walk/excericse daily..]
2. The biggest enemy inhibiting us is not the economy nor the gazillion "bad things" that happens to us, but it is the "enemy within". We inhibit ourselves by the thoughts we have, the bad things we say about ourselves to ourselves, by brooding too much over our past failures. The book shows us how to first manage ourselves and our moods.
3. Once we can manage ourselves, we will become competent to manage our projects (plans to turn dreams into realities), manage our network and get good help to execute the projects.
For a small book readable in 30 to 45 minutes, this book is packed with potent ideas to help you take action right away and start seeing changes in your life.

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Recession makes it hard for everyone. Rising unemployment, weak stock markets, tough credit markets, weak demand, fierce competition for that weak demand, uncertainty about when this will all end are just a start. It seems like there are just too many things out of our control during a recession. It takes a lot to make a significant difference in a good economy. In a bad economy, it takes a significant effort just to produce something meaningful. Rather than going all out (when it is MOST required, ) most people choose to give up quickly, thinking nothing will happen anyway. In other words, they choose to participate in a recession. While this is generally true, there is one thing that is under our control-to have an UPBEAT attitude that's recession-proof. How we survive through the recession and thrive will depend largely on what each of us did before we reached this place and what every one of us will do during these times.

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Very Quick Job Search: Get a Better Job in Half the Time Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is designed for entry-level job seekers who can look for work at least 25 hours a week. Tells how to get a job by obtaining interviews, which is redefined as a conversation with a person who can hire you, whether or not they have a job open at the time of your discussion. Describes seven step to get a job, which are: 1) Know your skills. 2) Have a clear job objective. 3) Know where and how to look for openings. 4) Spend at least 25 hours a week looking. 5) Get two interviews a day. 6) Do well in interview. 7) Follow up on all contacts. The book is organized so you only have to read the parts that are relevant to you. Very helpful to people with learning disabilities.
From Annotated Bibliography of Learning A Living; A Guide to Finding A Job and Planning A Career for People with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Dyslexia by Dale S. Brown

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* A JIST best-seller—very popular with job seekers! * More than 215,000 copies in print! * Rated one of the top job search books ever! Millions of people have used Michael FarrÂÂÂ's job search methods to find better jobs in shorter amounts of time. The reason: FarrÂÂÂ's methods are practical and results-oriented, the very kind of information that job seekers want. "The Very Quick Job Search," Third Edition is completely updated and current with a substantial amount of new job search methods and research. ItÂÂÂ's comprehensive, yet designed in such a way that job seekers can quickly find just the information they need on topics such as the two best job search methods, three employer expectations that must be met, four strategies to use a resume effectively, and much more!

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Rework Review

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(More customer reviews)One of my biggest gripes about the early reviews to come out about Rework is that they had no substance. Words like "inspirational", "brilliant", and "rethink" generally trigger my BS alarm, so I really didn't know what to expect with Rework. I've been reading Signal vs. Noise, the design and usability blog by 37signals, for a few years now, and I've had plenty of time to become acquainted with Jason and David's style. That I even refer to them by their first names should clue you in to their style. They come across in writing as they do in their live webcasts and presentations: familiar. Point is, I've been irked by the longest by those vapid early reviews to come out. They meant nothing to me. Hopefully you'll find this review more much helpful for determining whether or not Rework is worth your time.
TL;DR Version: Buy the book if you have no idea what 37signals stands for. If you do, expect SvN on paper.
Long Version: If you've never heard of 37signals or read Signal vs. Noise and you're a business owner or someone who needs to buy a book for an "entrepreneur" (Jason and David prefer the term "starter"), then this is a pretty good book to purchase. It's 273 pages, but most of that is filled with white space and somewhat relevant artwork (almost too much artwork, really), so it's an easy read. From start to finish I spent just over a few hours reading Rework, and I'm no speed reader by any stretch of the imagination. Don't expect to be blown away by any revolutionary ideas, either. One of the early reviews to come out said, "The clarity, even genius, of this book actually brought me to near-tears on several occasions" (Tom Peters, New York Times bestselling author). I don't want to bad mouth the guy, because I don't know him, but that's some wicked crazy rad hyperbole. This is a simple book that's just a by-product of the blog. Nothing more, nothing less.
If you are someone who is very familiar with 37signals and has spent a considerable amount of time reading the blog, then don't feel like you need to pick up this book immediately. Don't get me wrong, $12 (or however much it costs when you buy Rework) is entirely worth it, if even just to have some good night time reading material. But if you think that Rework will bring you any additional insight into 37signals beyond what is available online, then you are thinking incorrectly. Rework felt like a package of SvN blog posts from 2007 to 2009. I'll explain why in a bit.
The Major Takeaways:
If you're strapped for cash and still want to take away lessons from this book, just read the table of contents and then cross-reference those words with the 37signals blog. Jason and David do a heck of a job being straightforward about what they are writing about. For example, "Ignore the real world" (page 13) can be found on their website. In fact, a whole bunch of their content from Rework can be found on their website. To wit:
"Learning from mistakes is overrated" (Rework, page 16): "Learning from failure is overrated" (Feb. 3rd, 2009)(SvN)
"Planning is Guessing" (Rework, page 19): "The Planning Falacy" (Jun. 12th, 2009) (SvN)
"Workaholism" (Rework, page 25): "Fire the workaholics" (Mar. 7th, 2008) (SvN)
"Enough with 'Entrepreneurs'" (Rework, page 28): "The word entrepreneur and its baggage" (Apr. 22nd, 2009) (SvN)
"Scratch your own itch" (Rework, page 34): "What's your problem?" (Getting Real)
"No time is no excuse" (Rework, page 40): "There's always time to launch your dream" (Mar. 10, 2009) (SvN)
"Outside Money is Plan Z" (Rework, page 50): "Fund yourself" (Getting Real)And that's just the first 50 pages! You see where I'm going with this. If you are an avid reader of 37signals and have kept up with them for 6-12 months, then most of what you read in Rework will simply be a regurgitation of what's already been written online. That's why the early reviews really irked me. Is this book insightful? Clearly. Is it legendary or tear-worthy? Give me a break! The grand language is really making me distrust books, and if I didn't already know the great work that 37signals does or if I were not already a long time customer with 37signals, I wouldn't have bought this book. The flowery language of the early reviews just made me expect the world from Rework, and all I really got was the hardcover form of Signal v. Noise, with better edits and word choice.
I wouldn't write this long, rambling review if I wasn't passionate about the line of work that 37signals is in. I owe much of my organization and peace of mind to 37signals products, so count me as one of the 37signals "audience" members. I think Rework is an exceptional book in that it serves as a reminder of many of the lessons and "recipes" that Jason and David have given us through the years. It is definitely worth the money if you have not already internalized much of the lessons contained in the Rework table of contents. If you have, and you are an avid fan of Jason and David already, then there's really no need to read Rework unless you have some extra time on your hands.
And to Jason and David, if either of you actually read this review, then I hope in your next book you'll ditch the early BS reviews. That's my main gripe. If you want to recycle SvN from 2009-2011 and turn it into a book called ENHANCE! in 2012, that's fine by me. I'll be the first one in line to read it; but know that I, and many other readers, will expect to see the same stuff that we've already read on the blog. I love the work you two do; I mean I REALLY love the work that you two do. But come on. Don't set me up for the stars and then throw glitter in my face.
All in all I give Rework a 7/10. It's worth a read if you have no clue what 37signals stands for. Even if you do, buy the book for a friend or out-of-touch boss.

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Changing the World One Invention at a Time: Acting on Your Ideas Using the Creatively Inventing Framework Review

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(More customer reviews)An idea is a terrible thing to waste. "Changing the World One Invention at a Time: Acting on Your Ideas Using the Creatively Inventing Framework" is a guide to making one's ideas come to life in the business world. Making one's ideas come to life is a great experience and a motivating factor in helping one push their place in their business life further. "Changing the World One Invention at a Time" is a solid inspirational business text, highly recommended.


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Impact Your Business: An allegory of an entrepreneur's journey to clarity, cash, profit, family, and success Review

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(More customer reviews)Ken Kaufman's Impact Your Business is a business book that reads like a well-written short story. It is a must-read for small and mid-size business owners and non-financial executives alike.
Impact Your Business is an excellent example of financial best practices and the power these practices have to keep companies out of financial trouble or to rescue those already in trouble.
Meet Steve Loveland: Entrepreneur and business owner, now at risk of losing it all.
Many business owners and executives running SMBs will identify with the book's entrepreneur business owner, Steve Loveland. Steve has known the thrill of success, but is currently experiencing a dark depression over the possibility that his business won't survive. "When the allegory begins, he's overwhelmed, depressed, frustrated, and tired. The burdens he carries are heavy, and he can't seem to find a way to lighten his load."
Steve Loveland represents all the business owners whose businesses have outgrown their ability to manage all details and who don't have the clarity that financial reporting systems can provide to support the enterprise at its current level.
Finding clarity and reducing anxiety.
Clarity is a key word in Impact Your Business. The more clarity in all parts of the business, especially the financial elements, the less anxiety the business owner will experience. Ken's book is a journey to financial clarity.
Clarity is found in the persona of Jennifer, a finance executive who serves Steve as an interim CFO, and the IMPACT criteria she employs to provide peace of mind, better decision-making, and improved cash flow and profits.
IMPACT is an acronym. It represents the six criteria to which all reports and information an entrepreneur receives about the business' performance should adhere: Insightful, Meaningful, Precise, Accessible (both physically and intellectually), Comparative, and Timely.
Praise for Impact Your Business.
Anita Campbell, whose SmallBizTrends.com is one of the savviest and most respected websites dedicated to small businesses, writes, "As a business owner it's all too easy to wake up one day and find that your business and indeed your life-feel out of control. Impact Your Business give you the inspiration-and the nuts and bolts advice-you need to deal with the challenges and be the success you KNOW you can be."
More than business insight.
Impact Your Business is more than mere business insight; it is business wisdom and life wisdom woven together. In this regard, it is similar to other books that I've read and enjoyed. They include: The Art of Profitability by Adrian Slywotzky; Lessons From The Window Seat-Achieving Shared Vision in the Workplace by David Specht; Loving Monday-Succeeding in Business Without Selling Your Soul by John D. Beckett; and Gifts From Eykis-A Story of Self-Discovery by Wayne W. Dyer.


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The Business Plan Workbook (Sunday Times Business Enterprise Guide) Review

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(More customer reviews)Any business or business library seeking a detailed step-by-step plan reviewing the processes and procedures for creating a business plan need this book. It pairs professional advice with real-world applications, updating examples throughout and including them from a large cross-section of business structures at various stages of development. More so than competing, simpler books, it provides the in-depth tools for analysis and review.


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* Hands-on guide to preparing a winning business plan

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Time to Think : Listening to Ignite the Human Mind Review

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(More customer reviews)I was part of a group who used Kline's method; the Listening Environment. I ordered the book that day. I'm an Alzhiemer coach and felt it would benefit my listening to those with Alzheimer's. It does. The book is clearly written and with compassion. I would recommend this book for anyone seeking to improve relationship with their family member, friend or professional partner/client.

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The power of effective listening is recognised as the essential tool of good management. In this book, Kline describes how we can achieve this, and presents a step-by-step guide that can be used in any situation. Whether you want to have more productive meetings, solve business problems or build stronger relationships, this book offers you a new world of possibilities.

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Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur's Guide to Launching a Multi-Million-Dollar Business Review

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(More customer reviews)It's been 13 years since I graduated college - so I'm definitely past the typical "Campus CEO" age - still, Dr. Pinkett's book taught me so much. I've had a small, side business in addition to my full-time job for almost a decade, however I've never really taken the time to write a full business plan, research how to obtain investors or other funding, hire other employees, etc.
"Campus CEO" has taught me about all of those things, and more.
One of the greatest things about "Campus CEO" is its user-friendly approach and candid, conversational tone. I bought an extra copy to share with my children and recommend others do the same. Dr. Pinkett's book is inspiring and a must-read for anyone - not just those on campus - interested in learning more about starting a business.

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Franchise Times Guide to Selecting, Buying & Owning a Franchise Review

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I liked this book very much. It is basically a marketing piece for Franchise Times magazine. It is written by a contributing writer to the magazine. And the book's forward is written by the founder of the magazine. The book is well written and very well organized. It is split into five sections and 18 chapters:
§1. Getting started: Finding the right franchise for you (1-7)
§2. The nuts & bolts: Investigating and buying a franchise (8-12)
§3. Getting ready for business: How to hit the ground running (13-15)
§4. Franchising today and tomorrow (16-18)
§5. Franchise directory
1. Who are today's franchisees?
2. Are you meant to be a franchisee?
3. Beyond burgers: Consumer-oriented franchisers
4. Service-oriented franchises: Everything from cars to computers
5. Finding your perfect franchise fit
6. Beginning your franchise search
7. You're interested. Now what?
8. The Uniform Franchise Offering Circular: Not exactly beach reading
9. Checking out your franchise of choice
10. Discovery day or the time I almost bought a sub shop
11. Franchise attorneys: Pay now or pay more later
12. Franchising your franchise
13. Franchise training
14. Finding a home for your new enterprise
15. Getting your franchise up and running
16. Trouble in paradise: Keeping the peace with your franchise
17. The diverse faces of franchising
18. The roles you can play in franchising's future
Let me say here that I am not a fan of franchising. As a practicing attorney I had a few clients who were franchisees and they did not have positive experiences in that capacity. Franchise agreements usually place too many restrictions on a small business owner and limit the company's growth potential. Sometimes those agreements also force a business to go under. And then there are the situations where franchisors allow other franchisees to set up shop too close to an existing franchisee and sales suffer for both franchisees.
Some people look to franchising in order to have a ready-made business plan and distribution system waiting for them as they start down the entrepreneurial path. Others seek a franchise so they will have a ready made customer-base because of the brand the franchisor has created. Some franchises deliver all three: business plan, distribution system, and customers. This last type typically cost a fortune to buy into, and they are the kind that come closest to buying a business. Unfortunately by buying into a franchise there are so many strings attached. By buying a business (instead of a franchise) you are free to grow the business as you see fit. You can even franchise it as a franchisor.
Yesterday I read a few books on franchising in order to get a feel for how good this book is. One of the other books I liked and reviewed: "BBB's Insider Guide to Buying a Franchise" (ISBN: 1933895012). I gave it a positive review rating, but I complained that it lacked sufficient meat on the bones to warrant the highest rating. I like the instant book in a similar way. But in my humble opinion, this book has the meat on the bones to warrant the 5-star rating.
I would have liked this book better if it had included Chapter 18 from the BBB book mentioned herein above. Athough a franchise comes with a proven business model and something called a business plan for start-up purposes, every franchisee must prepare their own business plan for their franchise. That will involve scoping out the local competition and seeing how they market their product or services. The competition's customers are something that every franchisee must become expert about because the franchisee is going to work at stealing some (or all) of those customers. Without customizing the business plan for a franchise so it will fit into a local market and new location, the franchisee is at serious risk of failure. 5 stars!

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Buying a franchise can be a handy shortcut to the American dream of owning your own business. But there are dangerous pitfalls-and possible drawbacks to even the best franchise deals. Here, for every prospective franchisee, is authoritative advice from a trustworthy source. The experts of Franchise Times offer their picks of the top 200 franchises and 100 up-and-comers, complete with contact information, financial requirements, fees, and more. There are practical tips on everything from hiring and marketing to financing your franchise, leasing a retail space (or setting up a home office), and deciding if you should buy or run a franchise with your spouse. With anecdotes and advice from current franchisees and franchisors, this is a book every would-be entrepreneur should read before signing a contract.

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Clearing the Hurdles: Women Building High-Growth Businesses (Financial Times Prentice Hall Books) Review

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(More customer reviews)Here, in one book, you will find the collective wisdom of five leading academics on the subject of women entrepreneurs and high growth businesses.
This incredibly well-researched book is the culmination of years of work on the gold standard of studies of women in business called "The Diana Project".
While women entrepreneurs have forged their own path and now account for over 50% of all new business start ups, issues still remain around perceptions and misconceptions of women in business by those who control purchasing and funding decisions. This book provides a road map for navigating these issues, while at the same time it holds a mirror up to everyone by laying out facts and case studies regarding the hurdles women face in breaking some of the last barriers to acheiving full economic parity.

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The Ten Commandments for Business Failure Review

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One of the fantasy dinners I occasionally think about would include several CEOs and one of them would definitely be Donald Keough. I tracked his career at Coca-Cola and then his association with Allen & Company as its chairman of the board. Regrettably, I never had the chance to meet him (much less dine with him) but was not surprised by the intelligence and sensitivity as well as circumspection that are revealed in his book. Keough is principled but he also possesses what Ernest Hemingway once characterized as "a built-in, shock-proof crap detector." He confirms a suspicion I have had for years: there are many different paths to business success but all business failures share common causes. Keough discusses ten of them, identifying each (with tongue somewhat in cheek) as a "commandment." He candidly acknowledges that throughout his career, he has broken (or at least bent) several of them when making a bad or at least ill-advised decision, notably the one he and former Coca-Cola CEO Roberto Goizueta made involving New Coke. He draws heavily upon his years at that company (1981-1993), citing real-world examples of business failure at a wide variety of companies, some of them otherwise quite successful and highly reputable.
No good purpose would be served if I merely listed the ten "commandments." Keough devotes a separate chapter to each and his insights are best revealed in context. However, I will provide a representative selection of brief excerpts to indicate the thrust and flavor of Keough's narrative, adding a comment or two of my own.
Excerpt: "A company doesn't fail to do anything. Individuals do, and when you probe a bit you usually find that failure lies not in a litany of strategic mistakes - though they may all be present in one form or another - but the real fault lies, as Shakespeare noted, in ourselves, the leaders of the business. Businesses are the product and the extension of the personal characteristics of its leaders - the lengthened shadows of the men and women who run them. (Pages 8-9)
Excerpt: "As Peter Drucker pointed out nearly fifty years ago, it is management's major task to prudently risk a company's present assets in order to ensure its future existence. In fact, if a company never has a failure, I submit that their management is probably not discontented enough to justify their salaries. Xerox was not discontented in any way. They were very, very comfortable, and, as I've noted, when you're comfortable, the temptation to quit taking risks is so great, it'd almost irresistible. And failure is almost inevitable."(Page 23)
Excerpt: "Charles Kettering, the great engineering genius who helped steer General Motors during its glory years, said `Don't bring me anything but trouble. Good news weakens me.' It is instructive that during World War II, Winston Churchill created a special office whose sole duty was to bring him bad news. He wanted the unvarnished truth, no matter what it was...Isolation [from painful realities], carried to its most extreme form, tends to breed a sense of almost divine right."(Pages 51 & 57)
Excerpt: "Watch out for bright lights that surround themselves with dim bulbs!" (Page 55)
Excerpt: "The Jesuit priest and distinguished paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin noted that `no evolutionary future awaits man except in association with all other men.' Therefore, it not only behooves us to treat our fellow human beings with compassion and respect, it is essential for our collective survival. Unethical men and women can flourish for periods, sometimes very long periods, but ultimately their lack of morality - and their lack of humility - destroys them. You cannot build a strong and lasting business on a rotten foundation." (Page 77)
Excerpt: "If you want to get nothing done, make sure that administrative concerns take precedence over all others! Love your bureaucracy!...There are layers upon layers of people, yet when a customer calls, nobody's home. They are all in meetings. These meetings generate more paperwork, more e-mails, more calls, more meetings. In fact, most often there are meetings to plan meetings. Meetings are the religious service of a great bureaucracy and the bureaucrats are fervently religious."(Pages 116 & 120)
With regard to this last excerpt, I am again reminded of James O'Toole's observation that many of the barriers to change initiatives are cultural, resulting from what he aptly describes as "the ideology of comfort and the tyranny of custom." Bureaucrats tend to be the most vigorous defenders of the status quo until convinced that any proposed change will not threaten their own subculture. It should also br noted that waste is one of the most important themes in Keough's book, one that is directly relevant to most (if not all) of his commandments. Drill down to determine the root causes of a business failure and you'll probably find extensive waste of resources and opportunities. In 1963, Peter Drucker shared this insight that remains true today: "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all."
Although most of the real-world examples that Keough cites involve major corporations such as Coca-Cola, IBM, Montgomery Ward, Republic Steel, and Xerox, I think that his observations and recommendations are relevant to just about any organization, whatever its size and nature may be. Although he places Commandment One, "Quit Taking Risks," at the top of his list of ten, my own opinion is that the last, "Lose Your Passion for Work - for Life," should be there. Among the most common causes of failure, not only in business but in life, I agree with Friedrich Hegel: "Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion." One man's opinion....
Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out these books written by other fantasy dinner guests: Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography, Peter Drucker's Adventures of a Bystander and On the Profession of Management, Jack Welch's Winning (with Suzy Welch), and James M. Kilts's Doing What Matters: How to Get Results That Make a Difference - The Revolutionary Old-School Approach (with John F. Manfredi and Robert Lorber). Also Bill George's Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value and his more recent True Blood: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, John C. Whitehead's A Life In Leadership: From D-Day to Ground Zero: An Autobiography, and Sydney Finkelstein's Why Smart Executives Fail: And What You Can Learn from Their Mistakes.

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