by Paul Simister
on June 5, 2013
Profits Aren’t Everything, They’re the Only Thing: No-Nonsense Rules from the Ultimate Contrarian and Small Business Guru by George Cloutier
Business Book Review Rating – 5 Stars
There is nothing in this book that makes me think that author George Cloutier is a nice, warm, cuddly sort of man who I’d want to have a few drinks with one night for light-hearted, amusing company.
To be blunt, he’ comes across as a hard-nosed, business b*stard with ideas from 100 years ago.
He also might just be one of the few people who could rescue and restore your business to profitability if your life depended on it.
I loved the book, even if I didn’t agree with everything. It grabs you by the shoulders and gives you a good hard shake.
His views are so strident that they force you to think about why you are right and he is wrong. In doing so, you might discover that he is right and you are wrong.
I consider it as essential reading for all small business owners and entrepreneurs who are finding business success a struggle to achieve.
The Basic Message Of Profits Aren’t Everything [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 11, 2013
The Chic Entrepreneur by Elizabeth Gordon and Leanna Adams
Book Review Rating – 5 Stars
I don’t realise how much we live in a male dominated our society until someone (usually a woman) hits me over the head and makes me challenge my views of the accepted norm.
Elizabeth Gordon and Leanna Adams have done that with their excellent book “The Chic Entrepreneur“.
Who Are Elizabeth Gordon and Leanna Adams?
Elizabeth is American, a bit of a flirt, writes a lovely email and has the good sense to be engaged to an Englishman.
Elizabeth also has a passion for helping others to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. She is the founder of Flourishing Business, a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Wake Forest University in North Carolina and has a Masters in Marketing from Georgia State University. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on May 8, 2013
The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes
Book Review Rating – 5 Stars
This is the long-awaited book from Chet Holmes. The full title is “The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business With Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies.”
The Big Idea in The Ultimate Sales Machine
People over-complicate what is needed for business success.
Chet Holmes believes you just have to:
Focus on 12 key strategies rather than trying to master hundreds of different ideas and techniques.
You implement these 12 strategies with pigheaded discipline and determination.
I fully commend the last point. Too often people try something that looks a great idea in a half-hearted way. They are then disappointed with the results, decide that the idea wasn’t so good after all and move on to the next big thing. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on March 4, 2013
Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You’ve Got
by Jay Abraham
Book Review 5 Stars
The full title of this book is “Getting Everything You Can Out Of All You’ve Got – 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition”
I Didn’t Like It At First
Strangely “Getting Everything You Can” was a book that when I first bought and tried to read it, I didn’t like it at all.
Just as with “The E Myth Revisited“, this Jay Abraham book is written from the practical, real world side rather than theory but unlike its title suggests, it is not a “21 steps to take” style book.
My advice is to stick with this Jay Abraham book or make sure you come back to it.
The key messages are profound. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on March 3, 2013
The E Myth Revisited by Michael E Gerber
Book Review – 5 Stars
I believe this book, “The E Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work And What To Do About It” is a must read for every business owner and entrepreneur.
I don’t think you’ll enjoy it but there are some key lessons.
What Is All The Fuss About With The E Myth Revisited?
Several people recommended this book by Michael Gerber to me and when I first read it I didn’t get it.
The style of writing didn’t suit me.
I couldn’t empathise with the story of Sarah and her business All About Pies.
I didn’t want to help turn a client’s business into the McDonald’s of their industry. And I don’t think they want that either.
The writing is soppy and sentimental when I prefer hard nosed, content rich, practical business books.
The E Myth Revisited didn’t tell me “how” to change a business for the better. [continue reading…]
by Paul Simister
on April 2, 2012
The full title of this book by Lee Duncan is
“Double Your Business: How to break through the barriers to higher growth, turnover and profit“.
In my review posted to Amazon.co.uk, I gave the book Five Stars. This means I think iy=t is Excellent and is Very Highly Recommended.
Here is my book review.
Fix your constraints or growth barriers and grow your business to the size you want.
In his book “Double Your Business”, the author, Lee Duncan has revealed how any business owner can grow their business to the size that suits them.
He takes what some may find a counter-intuitive approach although it’s one I entirely agree with.
Some business owners may think that growing a business is easy. You just spend more money on marketing. This should mean you attract more leads, convert a fair share of them to customers and then the business automatically grows. While that might work, it might not if you don’t take into account your constraints, the very things that are holding you and your business back. [continue reading…]
