Reviews of The Business Turnaround Books

The full title of this book by Arnold Goldstein is

Turnaround: How To Turn Your Business Into A Debt-Free Money Machine

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a 4 Stars rating. This means it is Good To Very Good.

Here is my book review.

An excellent American turnaround book

First a warning about the book, it is written by an American lawyer so references to legal issues apply to the USA and not the UK.

Just be aware of anything in here that touches on legislation. Be ready to ask your lawyers whether there is any equivalent in UK law, and if there are other UK specific requirements. If the survival of your business is under threat, you need to understand the legal situation. There are ideas in here that will sound very helpful but you must make sure they are legal or you could get yourself into serious trouble.

After that legal health warning, this is a terrific book that is absolutely stacked from top to bottom with ideas and issues for you to consider in turning around your business.

Of course it focuses on what you can do in these difficult situations but first it asks you to consider what you should do.

It’s very easy to assume that any business owner will want to save the business but it might not be true.

Right from the start the book forces you to answer whether
1) You enjoy running the business. Is it something you’re passionate about?
2) Does the business suit your skills?

If either of those is a No, the chances of turnaround are low and prospects going forward aren’t good.

I’m wary of recommending too many books on turnaround because there is so much thinking and planning you need to do and you need to get into action in what can be a very limited time before the money runs out. I really like the Mark Blayney book, Turning Around Your Business which is British and is shorter than this one. You should probably read that first.

I see this very much as a book of ideas. You might not be able to do what it says, the way it says to do it because of differences in the legal system but there might be other ways to achieve the same objective. I’m not an insolvency expert and whenever a business owner contacts me who is in serious trouble, I always advise talking to someone who is.

Turnaround is an area of keen interest but my target clients haven’t dipped deeply into the red but they need some aspects of turnaround thinking. The bigger companies where I’ve been involved in debt workouts have always had professional advisors in place. The ideas in the book show the value of talking to experienced professionals because their ideas can make a huge difference to the future of your business.

If I was writing this review for an American audience, and assuming what it says is legally correct, I’d give it a five star rating. As I’m writing mainly for a British audience on Amazon and my blog, I’ve deducted one star because of the legal uncertainties. There is too much that either does not apply or may not apply.

You can buy the book from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com

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The full title of this book by Brain Tracy is

Crunch Point: The Secret to Succeeding When It Matters Most

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book a 5 Stars rating. This means it is Excellent.

Here is my book review.

An excellent book to help business owners and managers through difficult times

I’m a fan of the author. He’s a great synthesiser of ideas and advice across a wide range of subjects. He and his team clearly research very carefully before they put together his books and audio recordings. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Sandy Steinman is

The Small Business Turnaround Guide: Take Your Business from Troubled to Triumphant

In my review of posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it Five Stars. This means it is Very Highly Recommended.

Here is my review.

A very good book for helping under performing businesses

I feel this book gets off to a bad start by trying to be funny about a bad situation. It doesn’t create the right impression. It immediately corrects itself by saying there is nothing funny about a failing business.

Many turnaround books are written about big businesses but this one is aimed at owner managed businesses. It starts by giving you a pep talk. It’s going to be tough to turnaround your business but you can do it. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Michael Teng is

Corporate Turnaround: Nursing a sick company back to health

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave it 4 Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my review.

A proper book about business turnarounds

This is a proper book about business turnarounds.

It compares business health to personal health and shows how the turnaround process is similar to the medical process of diagnosis, prescription of a treatment plan and cure. This is a useful analogy but the author pushes it too far and it becomes tiresome. The three stages used in the book are surgery, resuscitation and nursing. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Dr Andre Larabie is

How to Turn Your Failing Business Into a Success Story in 120 Days or Less!

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars. This means I think it is Worthwhile.

Here is my book review.

A nice idea but skimpy on important details

I read quite a few books about business turnaround and several books by this author have appeared regularly in my searches but, until recently, I didn’t buy.

Now I have and I’m left with mixed feelings. It wasn’t as good as I’d hoped but it is certainly better than some. [continue reading…]

In my review of

Top 100 Tips for Business Turnaround by Paul Davis

posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Three Stars. This means it is Worthwhile.

Here is my book review.

I don’t think this works

It starts with a series of short tips and questions about how to manage a business better.

At that stage, I was thinking this isn’t a book about business turnaround. Fortunately it eventually got more focused. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Jesse Mecham is

PACE: A Small Business Owner’s Guide to Complete Cash Flow Clarity

In my review posted on Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Four Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

Interesting way to think through cash flow management.

A young CPA (accountant) with a software business selling budgeting software has developed a way of managing his cash flow.

As he tells his story about his uncertainties regarding cash flow, he seems remarkably absent minded ideas like a short term cash flow forecast let alone a longer term one. Yes you have to make assumptions and they can be wrong but it’s the way people normally work in bigger organisations as well as startups requiring funding. [continue reading…]

The full title of this book by Stacy Tuschl is

Is Your Business Worth Saving?: A Step-by-Step Guide to Rescuing Your Business and Your Sanity

In my review posted to Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Four Stars. This means it is Good and Well Worth Reading.

Here is my book review.

A female view on managing a business

The book starts with a charming story of how the author accidentally found herself in business.

After reading a few badly written books recently, it’s a pleasure to find one that is well organised and flows, making it easy to read. [continue reading…]

I only gave

Jeffrey S. Davis and Mark Cohen on The 24-Hour Turnaround: How Amazing Entrepreneurs Succeed In Tough Times: A THINKAha Book

One Star in  my review posted on Amazon.co,uk.

Here is my book review.

Horrible format

This Think aha book is one of a series of meant to give you quick, actionable advice.

It’s the first one I’ve read in the series. It will also be the last. [continue reading…]