5 comments about The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything.

1. The Art of the Start is an excellent book. I work for a start-up and I wish I had this book years ago.



2. My first start-up has taken me over a year to get off the ground. It's a huge and ambitious project and has put my entrepreneurial skills to a test. I truly believe in learning from others so I'm a member of virtually every entrepreneurial blog, magazine and forum. I have also purchased about 8 different books on the subject, all varying in context slightly. The problem with this is that the time spent on blogs, magazines, forums and books is time you can very well spend actually building your company.
   
   If the Art of the Start would have been the first book I bought, I would have saved a lot of time. All the answers I had looked for previously were in there, and they were all explained in that typical Kawasaki way; to the point and no B.S.
   
   This book is by far one of the best pieces of literature on the entrepreneurial start-up process I have yet to get my hands on. If you are planning to start a company, NGO or just a project within your already existing organization, I recommend you read this book FIRST. There will surely be other books that will guide you or help you with the specific details of the area you are working on but try to start out by getting the basic "how to..." of a start-up out of this book.



3. From page one through out the entire book, you can't put it down. Almost every page of my book is highlighted and notes taken. Packed FULL of necessary information to start up your own business. Very well written and easy to comprehend. A definate must for anyone considering and planning a healthy start up business.



4. The Art of the Start is a great motivator for those who are interested in starting just about anything. Yes, Guy dives into a lot of topics pertaining to venture capitalism, but if you are starting a small business, this book will still give you to motivation to go out and get things done. This book is like a match lit up under your seat. Read it. You'll enjoy it and be driven by it.



5. "The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything."
   
   A simple yet profound guide for how anyone can achieve anything. The more we grow, the more we can help people, do what is right, and pay back society.
   
   Everyone in the world should read Guy's strategies and techniques on presentations, pitching, business plans, marketing, and communicating.
   
   I use his 10-20-30 presentation rule and his 10 step business plan guide for all my prototypes in business school and all my current companies.
   
   Visit his blog on How to Change the World, and read the "10 Things to Learn This School Year," "VC Aptitude Test," and "Reality Check Checklist."
   
   It's free on his blog. Buy this book and his new one as well.

5 comments about The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America, Second Edition.

1. Without a doubt, The Essays of Warren Buffett : Lessons for Corporate America was a definitive and clear insight into the mind of a genius - just see my review for this first edition. The Second Edition, however, adds another dimension reflective of today's business and investing environment.
   
   Specifically:
   
   Corporate Governance
   - addition of "Audit Committees" section. As usual, a frank and down-to-earth assessment of just how honest an "audit committee" can be (it can't) - great addition, brings investors back to reality for believing these jokers.
   
   Corporate Finance and Investing
   - addition of "Debt" section, and in particular how Berkshire views debt, a section just about every business owner (home-owner too!) and profit/loss manager should read.
   
   Alternatives to Common Stock:
   - addition of "Foreign Currencies and Equities" section. Frankly, the decline of the dollar has made this topic of relevance to all investors - but Berkshire still loves America's "dynamism and resiliency." Yet another great, topical addition.
   - addition of "derivatives" section. Hedge funds have made this a household term, yet don't be fooled. Not surprisingly, Charlie Munger and Warren call them "time bombs."
   
   Accounting and Valuation:
   - addition of "Accounting for Mergers" section. Here, Charlie and Warren put forth their idea for dealing with accounting for acquisitions, whether it be "purchase" or "pooling."
   - addition of "Some Insurance History and Accounting" section. True to its name, Warren guides the reader from the birth of Lloyd's, through the asbestos crisis to Berkshire issuing a massive retroactive reinsurance contract. If you invest in Berkshire, you'll want to read this section too.
   
   In all, this updated version provides investors with a timely resource for investing in today's world. Additionally, all managers (and professionals who want to grow) should read this book because here, Cunningham neatly organizes selections from Warren Buffet's annual essays and guides them through a tough-minded, down-to-earth and common sensical manual for reference in today's (sometimes exceedingly) complex business environment.
   
   For these reasons, this reviewer highly recommends "The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America" - Second Edition.



2. The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America, Second Editionmade its debut at BRK 2008 annual meeting. It is a definitive and clear source on Buffett's views, and an excellent summary/interpretation of his letters to the shareholders. I believe this is the best work on Buffett written to date (I read all of them). If you want to read only one book on Buffett, this should be it. It is also Buffett's favorite book about himself.
   
   Why buy the 2nd addition instead of, or in addition to the first? Invaluable new additions (among the new gems are sections on audit committees, Buffett's views on debt, and mergers) make this book ever more pertinent to the current corporate environment and today's investment practices. This is a must-read.



3. This book is a compilation of writings from Warren Buffet's annual shareholder letters to his Berkshire investors. These letters are available for free download at http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html, but this book is well worth the money because it compresses the writings in these letters and organizes them into principles Buffet uses.



4. A wonderful collection of the wisdom of Buffett. Timely publication. It's refreshing to read his views of the S&L crisis of the later 1980's, and to see the resemblance of the situations then and now. Some people never change!



5. 
   Over the years, I have read several of the essays that Warren Buffett included in Berkshire Hathaway's annual reports. After reading two biographies of him (Alice Schroeder's The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life and Roger Lowenstein's Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist), I purchased a copy of this volume and began to work my way through the contents selected, arranged, and introduced by Lawrence A. Cunningham. I began with Cunningham's Introduction (all by itself, worth much more than the cost of the book) in which he reviews what he considers to be key points about Buffett and his leadership of Berkshire Hathaway.
   
   For example, "The CEOs of Berkshire's various operating companies enjoy a unique position in corporate America. They are given a simple set of commands: to run their business as if (1) they are its sole owner, (2) it is the only asset they hold, and (3) they can never sell or merge it for a hundred years." With regard to investment thinking, "one must guard against what Buffett calls the `institutional imperative.' It is a pervasive force in which institutional dynamics produce resistance to change, absorption of available corporate funds, and reflexive approval of suboptimal CEO strategies by subordinates. Contrary to what is often taught in business and law schools, this powerful force often interferes with rational business decision-making. The ultimate result of the institutional imperative is a follow-the-pack mentality producing industry imitators, rather than industry leaders - what Buffett calls a lemming-like approach to business."
   
   Cunningham organizes the essays within seven sections between Buffett's Prologue (Pages 27-28) and his Epilogue (Pages 273-282):
   
   I Corporate Governance
   II Corporate Finance and Investing
   III Alternatives to Common Stock
   IV Common Stock
   V Mergers and Acquisitions
   VI Accounting and Valuation
   VII Accounting Policy and Tax Matters
   
   As Buffett explains in his Prologue, members of Berkshire Hathaway's shareholder group receive communications directly "from the fellow you are paying to run the business. Your Chairman has a firm belief that owners are entitled to hear directly from the CEO as to what is going on and how he evaluates the business, currently and prospectively. You should demand that in a private company; you should expect no less in a public company. A once-a-year report of stewardship should not be turned over to a staff specialist or public relations consultant who is unlikely to be in a position to talk frankly on a manager-to-owner basis."
   
   Those who share my own keen interest in Warren Buffett's leadership and management principles will learn a great deal from a careful reading of these essays. They are quite literally "from the horse's mouth." The substantial value-added benefits include the fact that Buffett thinks and writes so clearly, duly acknowledges bad decisions and personal regrets (yes, there were several), explains what he learned from them, and meanwhile reveals a playful (albeit dry) sense of humor. He also includes a number of personal observations about America, especially about its culture and economy, at various times throughout the last 25-30 years. The two aforementioned biographies indicate that throughout his life, Buffett thoroughly enjoyed each and every opportunity to increase others' understanding of sound business principles that include but are by no means limited to investments.
   
   Readers who are not among Berkshire Hathaway's shareholders will especially appreciate the fact that, in each of these essays, Buffett establishes and then sustains a direct and personal rapport. The tone is conversational and, better yet, inclusive. He never talks down to his reader. He never "dumbs down" the material. Inevitably and appropriately, he cites Berkshire Hathaway situations when illustrating certain key points but, really, most of the material in this book will have wide and deep general interest to executives as well as to shareholders who otherwise have no association with either Buffett or his company. I highly recommend this book without hesitation or qualification.

5 comments about Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth.

1. Addressing any rational ADULTS who may be reading these reviews; I would like to point out a few obvious facts so that you don't lapse into making a poor purchase.
   Each human being is an individual and leads a unique life comprised of a flowing series of unique opportunities. Each human being makes decisions about these opportunities based upon many, many factors revolving around "self" and also around external elements/circumstances. THEREFORE, it is utterly impossible ( and completely insanely ridiculous ) to try and achieve "success" by studying others. Your life is YOUR LIFE. The circumstances and ongoing flow of opportunities which make it up are not the same as the circumstances or opportunities or people or places making up the life of a Donald Trump. Obviously you cannot pattern your advance toward "success" or wealth by looking at Trump's decisions or behavior.
   This book is absurd in the extreme. Who can get inside ANYONE'S MIND at any time for any reason? Are human beings robots manufactured on a factory assembly line....with the same software installed for functioning? Of course not!!! The only person who REALLY knows what Donald Trump ( or any other person - wealthy or not ) thinks, it is Trump himself....not his parents, not his kids, not any of his trophy wives, and certainly NOT THIS AUTHOR...only Trump REALLY knows Trump's thinking and reasoning!
   And remember, the unique opportunities in each individual's life hang on their time in history, their location on the planet, the other people they've associated with, and so on. And in every case, all of this is totally different from one individual to the next. So, THERE IS NO "MILLIONAIRE MIND"....THERE IS NOTHING STANDARD IN HOW MILLIONAIRES THINK. In other words, don't fall for this sort of sucker bait.
   If you want to get wealthy, spend a lot less money than you make and put what you save to work making more money for you. That's all that anyone can really do that is "standard procedure" to gain wealth. Everything else is a matter of what sort of opportunities come your way and what times in your life and how you do or don't uniquely deal with them.



2. Who spilled the beans??? Well the one and only author of "The Secret of the Millionaire Mind" spilled the beans, that's who! Once you read this book you'll discover once and for all what The Secret of a Millionaire Mind really is!!! Most significant information for transforming your life, and taking the next step to move forward into manifesting your prosperity!
   
   Judging by the high numbers of people that are purchasing this book I would have to say that "The Secret of the Millionaire Mind" is not a secret anymore.
   
   I'm most certainly thankful that I heard about this book!!!
   
   Another great book is:
   
   Nexus: A Neo Novel, an enlightening novel by Morrison & Singh
   
   Nexus: A Neo Novel



3. This book is a common sense and user-friendly approach to identifying and changing self-sabotaging behaviors at their core. I suggest it whole heartedly and I will be having all employees read it as mandatory reading.



4. 
   
   After reading a couple pages of this book I realized I made a mistake and this guy wasn't the real deal...
   More and more I read through it I realized he is just trying to milk the self motivation business and come out with a book to generate some cash, and advertise his seminars like every few pages! Talk about over kill!
   To sum up his book can be done in a couple sentences!
   1: surround yourself my millionaires and hopefully some of their energy will brush off on you...
   2: only you can make your dreams come true!
   3: change your frame of mind to think rich...
   
   Wow! Took 200 pages to tell us that...
   
   I think this book just shows how he has been milking this business.
   He goes around the country and gives speeches to people who are weak and desperate for change! He has found a niche market which pays him money!
   He comes out with books, and tries to relate with stories of hardship etc... But frankly he really doesn't have a clue! the prices he charges just goes to show you he is ONLY OUT TO MAKE MONEY! the way he makes it is off peoples hopes! I'd rather give my money to Deepak Chopra than this guy!
   He is marketing himself throughout the book so that's very ugly at times also...
   The book goes on and on and on about nothing, he repeats himself over and over again! The book is nothing more than a business venture for the author to make some more money!
   Smart move on to generate more wealth, but unfortunately the book is full of hopes and dreams, but doesn't give anyone any advice on how to generate wealth!
   I felt the author wanted to jump into this market so he needed a book!
   He came up with a premise of mindsets! Frankly speaking false hope.
   Pass on this book if you have already read a self-help book, because this book just regurgitates the same as every other book...
   "You have to make it happen, you can do it! The power is within you blar blar blar"
   
   If you are looking at a book to help generate wealth and help with investing money, look elsewhere...



5. Thanks Thanks T Harv Eker and Thanks God i found it... his book and seminar changed my life..
   yes the book is awesome... Seminar is excellent... it changed my life and helped alot to become wealthy... if you want to become wealthy read his book and attend his seminar and act on it... if i would price this book and seminar its worth is more than $10,000 .... the people who gave negative reviews are blind i think they didn't read the book properly or didn't attend the seminar with proper attention...
   Thanks
   Sunny

5 comments about Leading Change.

1. Very well written book and easy to read and follow. Since change is a modern requirement for any business, it simply makes sense to focus in on what it takes to provide the necessary leadership to do so.



2. John Kotter is a business professor at Harvard University who writes "Leading Change" as a guide to business leaders, helping them to transform their stagnant, ineffective, hierarchical companies into more effective, responsive, team-oriented ones. To help companies and leaders make this transition, he presents eight sequential steps that must be followed in order and done well.
   
   These eight steps are:
   
   1. Establish a sense of urgency (fight complacency)
   
   2. Create a guiding coalition (both influential leaders and effective managers)
   
   3. Develop a widely inspiring vision and strategy for achieving it
   
   4. Communicate the vision, communicate the vision, and communicate the vision even more.
   
   5. Give the employees authority to creatively experiment concerning how to best make the vision a reality
   
   6. Make sure you point out things to celebrate as you make progress toward your goals; it rewards appropriate behavior and, besides, people need to celebrate once in a while.
   
   7. Understand Bowen Family Systems Theory--that when you change one thing, everything else changes with it. Systemic change is difficult work that produces a whole lot of anxiety and unintended consequences.
   
   8. Make sure that, once the changes are made, they become engrained in the new culture of he company; make them "the way we do things around here."
   
   Kotter does get credit for being comprehensive and for being among the first to write a leadership book of this sort (copyright 1996). He appears correct in all of his arguments and this reader has difficulty finding flaws in his eight steps. He appropriately balances task-orientation and relationship-orientation and distinguishes between leading and managing. Furthermore, he is the only author I've come across that understands how Family Systems Theory plays out in an organization undergoing change.
   
   However, the book is outdated. Newer authors like Jim Collins, John Maxwell, and Kouzes & Posner have refined Kotter's ideas and presented them in a more readable, more applicable, and more modern way (again, 1996 copyright).
   
   Kotter limits his ideas and examples to the large, highly structured business world; other authors deliberately address leadership within smaller businesses, schools, non-profits, and other environments. Kotter writes before the internet was widely used; other books keep rapid communication advancements in mind. The obligatory quotes from people I've never heard of who praise the book say over and over again how highly readable Kotter's prose is; I found the prose dry and could cite many examples from this genre which are much more readable.
   
   The ideas Kotter presents are not bad; in fact they're quite good and have blazed the trail for other leadership books. However, "Leading Change" could certainly use an updated edition. Other authors have taken many of Kotter's ideas, refined them, re-worked them, and present them in a manner much more helpful to a wider audience.
   
   I neither recommend this book nor do I contest it. You would do well to read "Leading Change," but you would do better to read some of the authors listed above.



3. This is one of the founding titles in the field of Organizational Change Management. For those who are just entering the field, I recommend reading this book to gain a sense of what the field used to be like in the mid 1990s. It will help you to baseline your current insights and understanding about Organizational Change Management today. The book below is another must read, must understand for those just entering the field. Happy reading!
   
   Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change



4. This book is what I needed and I enjoy the book. I received fast service.



5. BUY THE BOOK! If your organizaiton is failing in its re-organization then read his book. He will describe in infinte deatil the correct steps that your organizational leaders must perform. He provides real life examples of success and failure.
   
   Louis

5 comments about QBQ! The Question Behind the Question: Practicing Personal Accountability in Work and in Life.

1. I found QBQ through Dave Ramsey's radio program. Dave is the Financial Peace guru and author of The Total Money Makeover. I am a big Ramsey fan and I figured if QBQ was mandatory reading for his staff then it should be for me and my team as well. QBQ is a quick read and when actually put into practice can have a dramatic impact on one's personal and professional life. Unfortunately, many people will miss its profound implications because of its simplicity. The fact is, if you're like me, you have very little time to learn new concepts much less put them into practice. If so, you're going to love QBQ. This is something that is simple enough to absorb quickly and practical enough to use every day! As a VP for a large organization I cannot think of a better culture to develop than one of Personal Accountability. It's the one concept that brings everything else to life. QBQ is the real deal when it comes to making Personal Accountability a core value in your life. I would also recommend Flipping the Switch by Miller which takes QBQ even further.



2. This book was required reading one night during my recent interim pastor training. It took me about 40 minutes to read it and I found the book to be inspirational and helpful in asking questions the 'right' questions in a world that is no longer linear and predictable. In a world where change is the only constant, this book was helpful to begin to re-frame the kind of questions to ask and how to approach situations so as not be reacting to change but to be part of the solution to problems that come up in a constantly changing world. I'd recommend this book to any professional who is seeking to understand how to be effective in a constantly changing environment.



3. I read this book for the first time a little over a year ago. At the time, I tried to soak in the message, but since I thought it didn't really apply to me, I think it went in one ear and out the other, so to speak.
   
   Fast forward to today. This book is required reading for my work, and I read it a little more closely this time around. As it turns out, this little book is jam-packed with morsels of good advice. It's all about using a JFK-esque philosophy: ask not what your company can do you for you but what you can do for your company. You can insert almost any words you'd like to replace "company": team, client, etc. The whole point of the book is encouraging people to take a moment to think before placing blame. Instead, look in the mirror first and see if YOU can resolve the issue instead of passing the buck as we are so wont to do in this society.



4. One of the test readers of my book and audio book, Managing Thought: How Do Your Thoughts Rule Your World?, showed me this book after reading my chapter: Shaping Thought-Asking Powerful Questions. I absolutely love this book. It's all about taking responsibility for the quality and quantity of our lives and circumstances and offers great suggestions on how to ask questions that lead us in a direction that truly serves our purpose. QBQ: The Question Behind the Question is a quick, enjoyable read and a powerful guide and reference tool for choosing powerful thoughts.



5. Great book and it helps you learn how to be a great person and excell in all aspects of life.

5 comments about The One Minute Manager.

1. This book is perfect for the new leader that needs the basics, as well as the seasoned manager just looking to freshen up their skills. It is a must have in any learning library!



2. The One Minute Manager is an oldie and a goodie. It's been a fun book to watch over the years as new generations of managers entering the workforce are exposed to it. I recently bought a copy for a new manager that reports to me, and bought the Amazon recommended title Squawk!: How to Stop Making Noise and Start Getting Results along with it.
   
   It turns out Squawk! is a new book that's also for managers, and let's just say I read it while my subordinate was reading The One Minute Manager. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. Both are great books and they're short enough that I suggest following Amazon's recommendation and getting them together at a discount.



3. The OMM presents a set of tools that a manager needs to use to do his or her job well. The book is short and sweet. It gets to the point without wasting time.



4. I'm a human resources manager and use this book and CD to help first-time supervisors understand the power of managing people properly. Not an intimidating, theoretical book that they will never read, but a real world "how-to" manage people. It's a great first step as they make their foray into management. Plenty of time for the heavier stuff later in their careers.



5. Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson birthed a monster writing style when they published THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER, "The Runaway #1 National Bestseller!" -- and that style is surrounding a hideously boring topic with clichés, adverbs, adjectives, redundancies, dull characters, and exclamation points. The book is then called a nonfiction fable. Hunh?
   
   When this book came out in 1981 it used a new, perhaps fresh, approach to teaching management skills, but since then it has been copied and copied and copied ... when it should be put in a cage. It's time to stop dumbing down and start smartening up books for managers. Enough already!
   
   Note: You'll only need 1 minute to get what's useful out of this book.

5 comments about The Ten Roads to Riches: The Ways the Wealthy Got There (And How You Can Too!) (Fisher Investments Press).

1. A fun, fast (read it in one day) and eye-opening read on the real roads to real wealth. This was very different from Fisher's last book, the Only Three Questions that Count, which I also liked, but did not disappoint. This book is not about stocks per se (although Fisher does cover stock investing in one of the chapters as a path to wealth) but rather is a sort of frank public service announcement about the most realistic paths to wealth. And, it helps you figure out how to improve your odds of getting down the path you choose more successfully.
   
   The book uses real life, and often very funny examples to show what to do and what to avoid doing if you want to build real wealth. Highly recommended.



2. Everyone knows its best to save your money and invest wisely, but here's the straight scoop on how the really rich got that way. This book was part no-nonsense career coach, part cheerleader, part cautionary tale. There's something for everyone here. And yes, it was a fast, inspiring, funny read.



3. This is a fun, breezy read, as investment advisor and long-time Forbes columnist Ken Fisher has written a serious, but humorous book about how to build wealth. And at 216 pages a quick read.
   
   Fisher's last book, "The Only Three Questions that Count", was superb. This latest book is very different from "The Only Three Questions...", which is all about personal investing but which also has application to other areas of a person's life.
   
   "The Ten Roads to Riches" is about the varied ways a person can build personal wealth. Fisher draws from his own experience of meeting many successful people, as he charts the paths. The chapters are insightful and written in a tongue-in-cheek style with ideas that can be easily visualized.
   
   Some examples: The first chapter "The Richest Road", which is founding your own business and building it into the next Microsoft, Nike, or Charles Schwab. The third chapter, about the "Ride-alongs", people who hitch theirselves to the Bill Gates's or Warren Buffett's of the world and rise as they and their firm rise. If you are Warren Buffett's longtime sidekick, there's got to be wealth in that, right? (Yup. Charlie Munger is his name and his net worth is $2 billion.)
   
   Chapter four is "Rich ... and Famous". Some tips: compose songs, don't sing them, and star high school baseball players have slightly better odds of making the big leagues then star football players.
   
   Chapter five is "Marry Well, Really Well", which is very amusing, but also serious. Hey, if you want to get married, hang around with rich people and fall in love with one of them! Plenty of examples including John Kerry (twice) and John McCain.
   
   Chapter six is "Steal It - Like a Pirate, But Legally", making a career as a plaintiff's lawyer and suing companies. Enough said.... And chapter nine is "Trumping the Land Barons" - all about real estate.
   
   The last chapter is "The Road Most Travelled", about doing it the old-fashioned way - get a good job, work hard, save and invest wisely.
   
   Each chapter is a survey, giving multiple examples of people who took the particular road, and offering ideas, but no detailed plan. At the end of each are brief reviews of suggested additional readings for anyone who might be inclined to follow that particular path. I was surprised that there are actually serious books about how to "Marry Well", but maybe I shouldn't have been?
   
   An enjoyable, quick read about one aspect of the business of life.



4. I wish I had read this book in high school; it honestly would have made a great impact on my life going forward and the choices I made in college regarding my career. Fisher doesn't pull any punches here. He lays out the pro's and con's for 10 wealth building occupations in an easy to read manner. Highly recommended.
   
   One caveat is that I wish Fisher had written more on the pro's and con's of the professions (doctor, lawyer, investment banker) instead of lumping them in to the final road to wealth ("the road more traveled").



5. Most of us have dreams of getting rich. Right now, times are hard and most of us are feeling more insecure than we have in a long time. Yet, it is in these downturns that the foundations of wealth are best set down. Ken Fisher with Lara Hoffmans have give us a book that lays out the ten paths that can lead to the riches you think you want. You don't have to take all ten. In fact, some of the ten may revolt you and others will be of no interest. However, if you find one or a few that you can work on, you just might find you way to that pot `o gold.
   
   What are the ten roads the authors show us?
   1) Founding and leading your own visionary company.
   2) Becoming a top CEO at someone else's successful company.
   3) Investing in a successful company.
   4) Becoming a highly paid celebrity, athlete, artist, or other famous person.
   5) Marrying a very rich person.
   6) Learn to prey on other's vulnerability by looking for steals.
   7) Use your ideas (or marry other's ideas) and OPM (other people's money).
   8) Create multiple incomes and maybe pensions.
   9) Real Estate (of course, now the bubble has popped)
   10) Saving and investing prudently while living modestly.
   
   I really appreciate the way the Fisher compares the fantasies of each of these paths with the realities you will face if you decide to travel them. While none of the articles will give you more than an introduction of what you will have to know, do, and accomplish to succeed, you will have more honest information than you are likely to have now.
   
   This is an interesting read even in these uncertain times.
   
   Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

5 comments about The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It.

1. If you are going to start a business or already have a business, you have to read this book or at least get the audio version. This book is definitely a great choice. Instead of learning from your mistakes, take the short cut and get this book and learn from someone else's mistakes.
   
   You'll be happy you did.



2. The single most important book to read BEFORE starting your own business. The e-Myth is that most people think they've created a business when all they've really done is created a job. Please don't start a business before reading this book because it will help you avoid the pitfalls (most new ventures fail) but because it helps you evaluate the why and the costs of venturing out on your own.
   
   Much has been said about this book so I won't rehash it. The success of this book and its long history of being a best seller (let alone in print) speaks for itself. There is real gold in this book. Gerber divides the many hats an entrepreneur wears into three categories: the leader, the manager, and the technician. Gerber outlines a good business model. I wish I had read this 20 years ago.
   
   A business is created to be an asset and possibly be sold - not to create a job for yourself. Not understanding that principle (and the how to do it) will cause you to work very very hard and not make much money, or even go bankrupt. Read this book and proactively prevent many problems and heartache - especially in your bank account.



3. The E-Myth Revisited served as my introduction into the entrepreneur world. Raised in an entrepreneur family, this book hit home. It also helped create a niche within my own medical career more than a decade ago. The E-Myth is my favorite business book.
   
   Michael Gerber tells the story of Sarah, who went from making pies for fun to managing a store that delivered pies as a business. She soon became enslaved to her business, dreading the love she once had. But more so, unable to grow the business to achieve her vision.
   
   Gerber's ability to simplify complex concepts into practical ones is masterful. I would recommend this book to any person who is considering to launch his or her own business and to any executive who would like to run his or her group as if managing their own business.



4. This is the worst book ever that I read on any subject. Why did this book sold over million copies was the biggest question I had after attempting to read this book. I did not find single page in the book that really useful to me.
   
   I am sure this book sold 1 million copies only because of its title and not the content.
   
   Reasons:
   1. Authors language and narration is the worst ever.
   2. It is written for those who don't understand business (example one who bakes pie is not necessarily educated or has business degree)
   3. The book is very misleading for entrepreneurs and the most de-motivating book ever.
   4. This book is written from negative standpoint, people generally need encouragement which is hard to find in this book unless you really want to believe this author and fail in your business.
   5. I am okay with franchisee business model, however the the way author presented this case makes be do the opposite i.e to never ever own a franchisee.
   
   Let me say this: Don't ever buy this book, I got this one free from person trying to sell me franchise business and now I hate them for giving me this stupid book.
   
   Why would you trust this review: I have studied Masters in Business Administration and I understand right and wrong approach to small and large business. There are thousands of good books on business and this is the worst ever.



5. "Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It"
   
   The problem with small businesses is that most people work in it, rather than on it. People turn what was once a labor of love into a love of labor. They focus so much on trying to capture the moment that they stop being in the moment.
   
   Gerber, the world's number one small business guru, points out that there are three key roles one must master to create a successful system: the entrepreneur (the visionary), the manager (the planner), and the technician (the doer). He shows us how to create a step-by-step turn-key franchise that leverages the power of a strategic system to make a world of our own.
   
   This book transformed my life and my businesses to create replicable, scalable models that would succeed on their own. In the past, I wanted to do everything on my own. Because the companies relied on me to succeed, they could not function without me.
   
   This book shows you how to build lasting legacies that allows others to experience your version of the world.
   
   My life transformed with martial arts, philosophy, and psychology at 12. The next revolution happened when I was 20.
   
   I never realized how businesses and martial arts are exactly alike until I read this quote in The E-Myth, which was taken from Joe Hyams, who wrote the book Zen in the Martial Arts.
   
   "A dojo is miniature cosmos where we make contact with ourselves -- our fears, anxieties, reactions, and habits. It is an arena of confined conflict where we confront an opponent who is not an opponent but rather a partner engaged in helping us understand ourselves more fully. It is a place where we can learn a great deal in a short time about who we are and how we react in the world. The conflicts that take place inside the dojo help us handle conflicts that take place outside. The total concentration and discipline required to study martial arts carries over to daily life. The activity in the dojo calls on us to constantly attempt new things, so it is also a source of learning -- in Zen terminology, a source of self-enlightenment."
   
   Gerber says, "That is exactly what a small business is!"

5 comments about Reality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition.

1. In the world of business books there are just a few that stand out as premier resources that should be re-read again and again. Reality Check is the newcomer to that category. I'm currently reading through it for the third time so by now the pages in my copy have been dog-eared, written on and so forth. There are a lot of excellent books out there but most will serve you well by finding them at your local library, read once, and return. Not Reality Check - this one must be owned. I hope it will be as helpful to you as it has been to me.



2. If you consider "Art of the Start", this book has twice the thickness, and includes (almost) all topics of the fore mentioned book. Reality check is a bit less easy to read and the expectations in Europe have been high, but may not be met this time due to so much similarities.
   Still a good read anyway as Guy is highly motivational writer.



3. 
   Having read all and then reviewed most of Guy Kawasaki's eight previously published books, I was especially eager to read this one because it was rumored to provide everything he wishes he had known (but most of which he didn't) when he embarked on his career in business (counting diamonds a fine-jewelry manufacturer called Nova Stylings) while at work on an MBA degree at UCLA. (He had already earned an undergraduate degree at Stanford.) Kawasaki later went to work for an educational software company called EduWare Services. However, Peachtree Software acquired the company and wanted him to move to Atlanta. "I don't think so. I can't live in a city where people call sushi `bait.' Luckily, my Stanford roommate, Mike Boich, got me a job at Apple. When I saw what a Macintosh could do, the clouds parted and the angels started singing. For four years I evangelized Macintosh to software and hardware developers and led the charge against world-wide domination by IBM." By now, presumably, he was accumulating a wealth of real-world experience in leadership and management and well as knowledge about marketing, sales, finance, strategic planning, problem-solving, resource allocation, and customer relations.
   
   I have just read Reality Check and it exceeded my expectations. The twelve (12) "realities" that Kawasaki rigorously examines, in several chapters devoted to each, include Starting Chapters 1-5), Raising Money Raising Money (Chapters 6-15), Planning and Executing (Chapters 16-24), Innovating (Chapters 25-31), Marketing (Chapters 32-37), Selling and Evangelizing (Chapters 38-43), Communicating (Chapters 44-52), Beguiling (Chapters 53-63), Competing (Chapters 64-67), Hiring and Firing (Chapters 68-78), Working (Chapters 79-89 followed by a "Timeout"), and Doing Good (Chapters 90-94 followed by a "Conclusion." Yes, that is correct: This book has 94 chapters plus a "Timeout" and a "Conclusion" provided within (count `em) 461 pages plus (thankfully) a comprehensive Index. As is also true of Kawasaki's eight other books, the tone is informal, conversational, and at times confrontational; also, the pace is frenetic and the writing style has Snap! Crackle! and Pop! Most important to me, the content is more abundant and of a higher quality than in any other of his previously published books.
   
   Readers will welcome the use of bold face to highlight key points. This device will facilitate, indeed expedite frequent review of those key points later. I especially appreciate the inclusion of several interviews throughout the lively narrative. They include those of Fred Greguras on key legal issues in raising funds (Pages 51-59), Chip and Dan Heath on why only a few innovations "stick" and most don't (Pages 130-138), Kathleen Gasperini on marketing to young people (Pages 168-175), Garr Reynolds on mastering the "Presentation Zen" approach (Pages 209-214), Robert Cialdini on the art and science of effective persuasion (Pages 243-250, Libby Sartain shares her perspectives on the recruiting process (Pages 314-317), Penelope Trunk offers "radically different" advice on career planning and management (Pages 318-325), Philip Zimbardo explains the factors that shape human behavior (e.g. how people adopt and adapt to given roles (Pages 359-365), David Marcum and Steven Smith explain why the ego can be one's greatest asset...or most expensive liability (Pages 393-400), David Bornstein explains what social entrepreneurship is and how it can change the world (Pages 428-435), Richard Stearns provides insights into the transition from the corporate to the non-profit world and shares lessons to be learned from an association that raises billions of dollars every year (Pages 36-441), and Jerry White explains how to overcome a "life crisis" (Pages 442-448). Note the variety of subjects covered during Kawasaki's interviews. They correctly suggest the scope and diversity of his interests.
   
   Opinions will vary as to how to read this book. Some will read it cover-to-cover. Others will select several of the 12 "realities" and then read the chapters in which each is discussed. Still others will check out the Contents (Pages vii-xi) and then read whatever is of greatest interest. What sets this business book apart from almost others I have read in recent years is the extent to which it provides (quoting Kawasaki in the Introduction) "hardcore information to hardcore people who want to kick ass." The focus is almost entirely on how to create and then sustain an organization whose people "make the world a better place because of it." Presumably Kawasaki agrees with Thomas Edison: "Vision without execution is hallucination." If not you, who? If not now, when?



4. Even though this book is aimed at those who are "starting and operating great organizations," it's also full of great advice for marketers.
   
   The thing I liked best about the book was Guy's "voice." He tells it like it is, whether you want to hear it or not. But he does it with a sense of humor and a sense of humility (which is often sorely missing in today's business books.)
   
   In one chapter, he cops to leaving out one of his guest authors in the index. While Guy could have blamed that on someone else, he said it was his responsibility to check it. It was an unusual move - to publicly cop to a mistake that almost no-one would have noticed, but because he included it, it made me like him that much more.
   
   Plus, If you're willing to share your mistakes, I'm more likely to believe your success stories.
   
   So, read it for the raw honesty, read it for the terrific advice, and read it for the laughs (there are plenty of them).
   
   The Reality of Communicating is a must read section for speakers. Chapter 35 - Frame or Be Framed is a must for anyone in branding. And The Reality of Beguiling section is a must read for everyone. Chapter 58 - The Art of Sucking Down is worth the whole price of the book.



5. Guy Kawasaki is so awesome that I own one of his books that's written in Yiddish. And I can't even read Yiddish. It's *that* good. I mean, I got it for free *from* Guy Kawasaki but still I would totally have bought it. And technically I didn't so much "get it from Guy Kawasaki" as it is that I stole it out of his garage. Which was enormous. I mean, really it was shocking. Who needs a garage that big? Apparently people who need to keep Yiddish versions of their book.
   
   In closing I hope one day I'm successful enough that people want to steal Yiddish copies of my book out of my enormous garage.
   
   Love, The Bloggess
   
   PS. This book is good too.

5 comments about Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't.

1. Stock findings aside, this book has good talent management strategies, including getting the right people on the bus and making sure everyone is going towards the same goal. Nothing revolutionary, but still helpful. I also found the monograph Good to Great and the Social Sectors: A Monograph to Accompany Good to Great helpful in the non profit arena.



2. "Good to Great" is an exceptional analytical review, focused on leadership, documenting the attributes of leaders of enduring great companies. The text effectively differentiates the leadership attributes of great companies from enduring great companies.



3. Jim Collins and his team of researchers have surveyed over 1,400 companies, systematically analysed 6,000 publicly available articles, and carried out numerous face to face interviews with senior managers. The finding, the single most important factor to the health of a company - Leadership. The author asserted that they purposely steer away from such attribute as there are no shortage of business books paying the same platitude.
   
   Every company vision statement reads like the next one. When did anyone last read a company which doesn't claim its employee is its greatest asset ? Yet, most see it fit to outsource its most critical function - finding the "right people". If every great company gets it right, there wouldn't be much of a recruitment industry. Recruitment agents will becomes redundant. It is the responsibility of every employee to find the right co-workers. Wait, isn't Google doing exactly that ? Jack Welch, John Chambers, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have all said their main job was to find the right people. Hire the right people first, then create a position to suit the person. Find passionate people, find people with integrity, find someone who would run the company like he/she owns it, hire this person straight away. This is how the author puts it,
   
   "Widen your definition of "right people" to focus more on the character attributes of the person and less on specialised knowledge. People can learn skills and acquire knowledge, but they can not learn the essential characters traits that make them right for your organisation."
   
   Since the publication of Good to Great it has attracted some criticism, primarily for its selection of what's on the Great company list. Much of the companies have since fallen on hard time, a few short years after its publication. Those views are some what misplaced. Good to Great doesn't give investment advice. It study the companies and the people that runs them, and dismissed a few myths along the way. Great leaders are often media shy, less worry about management "buy in" and much prefer hearing the truth, and definitely less charismatic than the media like to portray. A CEO should be working for the good of the company, and less about building his/her own personal profile. The big personality, the management superstar, the hyper arrogant (often misunderstood as self confidence) work against an environment in which employee are encouraged to take calculated risks, and find innovative solutions.



4. Jim Collins' classic book on creating a great company contains success principles that apply to big corporations, small clubs, and even families.
   
   * Level 5 Leadership (Leaders with humility and strength, but no ego)
   * First Who, Then What (Get the right people first before deciding the direction)
   * Confront the Brutal Facts (Create systems to face reality)
   * Hedgehog Concept (Focus on One Big Thing that Unites Everything Else)
   * Building Your Company's Vision (Focus on the Core Ideology and Envisioned Future)
   
   There are so many profound truths in this simple, yet well-researched, book. Two insights that changed my life are those of "Level 5 Leadership," and "First Who, Then What."
   
   We tend to get caught up in the charismatic, egotistical leaders that seem larger than life. Yet, these leaders' success often starts and ends with their involvement. Their legacies do not continue without them since everything depended on them. This was a big shift in the way I thought and acted. In the past, I was focused on doing everything my way. Now, I'm focused on scalable systems and replicable recipes that can grow my dreams, even without me. While you will always influence your company's culture, it is vital to create an organization that will always thrive, with or without you.
   
   There's a saying in venture capital that we should bet on the jockey, not on the horse. All the best laid plans are doomed to failure without the proper people who can execute on them. Everything in our lives depends on our relationships and networks. We should build those first before we build the imaginary theories and plans. You must have a sense of the direction and the strategy BEFORE you go out and make your team, but your team ultimately matters even more than your plans. Your team decides how those dreams become reality.



5. The research behind this book is impressive and the theories are engaging. On the whole, it's well written and it all makes good sense. Most of these firms have done well over time, while some have not (e.g., Fannie May, Circuit City). What Good to Great does not cover is the role of serendipity and changing market conditions. Nor does it focus on customers. You may want to check out Firms of Endearment for another perceptive.