Most inspiring

Not great at reviewing books but I had to write something about this one - truly and madly inspiring book.

Could've been written in about 10 pages...

I bought this on a recommendation. I opened a fresh food takeaway & cake makers about 6 weeks before the recession was made official.<br />Obviously, it's been hard work, but I expected that and knew that I had it in me to succeed. Which I have done.<br />However, with the opinion that 'you should never pass up an opportuntiy to learn' and the need for a bit of a boost, I ordered the book.<br /><br />What a pile of twaddle.<br /><br />The general idea is, 1. You should wear navy blue. 2. Every time a customer walks through the door, you should give them a sales pitch. 3. You should pay unqualified people to do the work you can do better yourself, while you sit and dream up new ideas for the future of the business.<br /><br />The example of the pie shop was at best slightly irritating, at worst downright offensive to such as myself who has a similar business. It didn't even give an example of what the pie lady should do next!?<br /><br />Everything is said at least twice, in a condescending manner, and gives you no idea of how to apply the ideas to your own business, if you wanted to. <br /><br />And it is very outdated.<br /><br />

Truly Inspiring!

An absolute must read for any budding entrepreneur full of sensible advice. This book is really well written and an enjoyable read. You'll feel quite motivated after you've finished reading it. It really is truly inspiring.

Does what is says on the tin.

Superb book recommended to me. Would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone setting out to write a dissertation. Leads you through the process with little or no fuss.

All you need to know

I was self employed for 15 years, and now teach a 'Start Your Own Business' course at evening classes. This is my recommended course book, as it contains everything you're likely to need to know. It's the only book I know that is updated and reprinted every year, with revised financial information and phone numbers etc. Practical down-to-earth advice written in an easy to understand way. Thoroughly recommended.

The real dragon

A fine book, full of genuinely useful business advice and tips, combined with the pleasant wit we have come to expect from this great man.<br /><br />A wonderful read, highly recommended.

Don't trade until you read this book!!!!!!

Eye opener, brilliant book, consise and to the point, totally changed the way I trade (far more profitable) I use the book with Barclays Barx level 2 trading platform, particularly the info in the book on technical analysis, basicly when to buy and when to get out. As Mr T might say"BUY IT NOW FOOL !!!!!"

Kotter's 8-step change model

There are many change models out there and this book, by John Kotter, details his 8-change model which many companies globally have adopted. The book is well laid out and his model is a good framework to use, with useful illustrations.

Great Small Business Advice ....

Thorough and comprehensive and just right for people committed in going into their own business. Only comment is that it's one of those books that is so intensive, you really need to read it twice to maximise the benefit of the information. Recommended!

An excellent book for new businesses

This is a brilliant book for any new business start up. Clear guidance, good case studies and loads of useful contacts. Read it as soon as it arrived!

You must buy this book if...

... you are thinking of setting up a business/have a business idea, in the process of a start-up, looking for new direction/advice... This is a MUST read! I bought this book purely down to my appreciation of Jones' character and attitude to business. I was left inspired by his insightful and honest approach in sharing his thoughts, experiences and methods. Whilst some might find Jones' style a little patronising, if you are open-minded enough you will see that the no-nonsense stance"Tycoon" takes will put you in good stead, whether you are new to business or not. With a proven track record, Jones is not a person that can be so easily ignored.

A Great Story... But Is It The Whole Story?

This book is excellent. The narrative is clearly structured, relatively balanced in its tone and seems well researched. The book is well organized with chapters corresponding to each significant period or development in Rich's career. The access afforded to the author is clearly extensive; the quality and quantity of original sources, including interviews with Rich himself is impressive.<br /><br />The central narrative is a classic American immigrant success story. Rich joins Phibro in the mail room, works his way up to run an office, becomes frustrated with the conservatism and short-termism of the firm, then leaves with a few partners to set up the firm (Marc Rich & Co. AG, latterly Glencore International AG) that will come to dominate the industry. The essential story is that of success of enormous proportions created by talent, hard work and a willingness to deal outside the usual channels of trade. Rich's long term perspective, and skill in building and maintaining relationships are identified as key factors in his success.<br /><br />An under-current of amorality, rather than immorality, is acknowledged throughout the book. In interviews Rich appeals to the neutrality of commerce, leaving political judgments, such as which nation to trade with, outside his domain. Rich's personality never dominates, but comes through consistently. Over the course of the book you get a reasonably complete impression of the outer man. Rich's inner doubts and motivations emerge only fleetingly at key moments in his career; a probable consequence both of his reserved nature, and the time that had passed between the key events of his life and the interviews with him.<br /><br />The tax evasion case brought by the US authorities occupies a large chunk of the book. The detail is well presented, and the arguments explored in a reasonably balanced way. The author does eventually reach a conclusion: That the prosecution was highly disproportionate, and the offense committed, if any relatively minor. Rich's alleged involvement with Mossad, and the campaign finance allegations raised in relation to his presidential pardon are also addressed in this section. The book concludes with an account of Rich's unfortunate second marriage, the 'coup' that ousted him and created Glencore, and his relatively(!) quiet life since then.<br /><br />So far, so satisfying. The story is essentially positive, and the major questions over Rich's conduct seem to have been addressed. But... Having finished this book, I met by chance a friend who had dealt with some Rich-controlled companies in the metals business. The picture he painted of the business conduct of Rich's organisation could not be more different from the cute and cuddly, long term value orientated picture painted by this book. Which is the more true I do not know, but that conversation crystalised the doubts I had felt about the author's rosy view, and particularly his very heavy reliance on sources within the Rich / Glencore axis. When one looks at the extremely questionable business practices of some of Rich's disciples at Trafigura, it is hard to believe that his organisation shared none of their vices.<br /><br />In summary, this is a good book, it is also an interesting story, but I don't think that it is the whole story.

Easy read book, but it tells sooo much! Read it please

I Can definely recommend this book. <br /><br />I work in a large organization, which is based on teams. All of these dysfunctions definitly apply to wha i have experienced. <br /><br />This book helps to bring it to your attention. <br /><br />Read it ;)

A Practical Manual of Beekeeping; David Cramp: Novice Beekeeper tries patience of local library.

Along with about five other beekeeping titles, I requested David Cramp's book from my local library; I found it so much more readable and informative than the others that I renewed it over and over and finally (from embarrassment as much as anything) decided that I must have it to hand at all times so it was time to purchase my own copy. Even though I have read it all through, (and being of a certain age with slight memory impairment problems), it is a joy to dip into whenever I need to check on something. Highly recommended.

Must Have

Great book with everything you need to know but were afraid to ask.<br />A must have.

Very useful...

Useful and practical advice by a man who knows his business inside out. Well written and a pleasure to read, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in retailing.

An interesting account of how Facebook was born and some of the battles during its infancy

Ban Mezrich has written an enjoyable and easy to read account of how Facebook was started by an IT geek Mark Zuckerburg who was a student at Harvard. <br /><br />The book chronicles the early growth and how the web site grows from being just for Harvard students through its expansion to having several million users.<br /><br />Most of the book concentrates on the battles that Mark has with one of his co founders Eduardo Saverin, and a pair of other students who asked Mark to work on their web site who end up as Olympic rowers. <br /><br />The main problem with the book is that Mark Zuckerburg declined to speak to the author about the book. So most of the material is going to have come from the people who are suing or who have sued Mark for what happened after the web site become ultra successful. There are large gaps after Mark leaves Harvard to live in California leaving his fellow co founder in Boston and then New York. The detailed narrative stops in 2005. The author acknowledges that he could not have written the book without Eduardo's help and when the main contributing source is a bitter as Eduardo is after his shareholding is diluted and he is shut out of the business, you have to be slightly sceptical. <br /><br />The book ignores most of the reasons why Facebook became so successful and all of its recent history. There are a brief couple of pages on the outcome of some of the disputes but to me that's not really enough to give them justice. <br /><br />The book is written in the same racy style as all of Ben Mezrich's former books, most of which are about gambling or finance. The author has admitted in the introduction that he has adapted some of the situations to make them more readable. <br /><br />If you are looking for a serious financial history of Facebook, this probably won't be for you. If you are looking something less serious, more exciting and easy to read, this is probably for you

Absolutely recommended

Wonderful book.<br />This book was not only an eye opener to things I'd really never thought of as issues concerning a sandwich/coffee but also a real inspiration to just go and do it!<br />This book helps you from the very first dream through to research right through to your first Environmental Health Officer visit and beyond.<br />It reads well, is easy to follow and isn't boring and full of jargon.<br />I suggest reading it throughly from cover to cover and then picking it up as and when you need it to refer back to through the start up stage onwards as the business becomes a reality.<br />I'd say all that's missing are maybe a few well placed pictures to liven it all up and break up the key themes throughout the book. It would be lovely to see some of the ideas as they became reality for Jill and her husband in the form of images to give a sense of what they achieved visually too.

Excellent insight.

Excellent insight into how he did it and inspires to make you think how you can too. A quick read and well worth it.

Just what we needed

We found this book very useful, it gave us simple guidance where we were unsure and even answered questions we had not yet thought about. <br /><br />We had wanted to start a B&B but had always been put-off, as it seemed a bit too daunting and complicated. Now, having worked through this thoughtful book, we feel ready to take the first steps.