Enterprise Books

Steve Fishman's "Karaoke Nation" is an underrated and relatively undiscovered gem. It covers Fishman's attempted transition from journalist to entrepreneur, intermingled with essay-like takes by Fishman on business today. Those pieces feature some trenchant (and funny) observations on the likes of Fast Company, Tom (the spitter) Peters, The Brand Called You and other late-90s business phenomena.

Where the book really excels is in Fishman's recounting of his attempts to breathe life into Karaoke Nation concept. What I love is his recounting of the interactions between himself and advisors/partners-to-be Steve Reynolds (aptly called "Consigliere" thoughout the book by Fishman), web guru Peter Clemente and Oddcast CEO Adi Sideman. It's really fabulous writing. Hopefully, these three are happy with the way they've been depicted. I think Fishman has drawn each of them in a very positive light.

Other high points include meetings with hip hop entrepreneurs Russell Simmons and Chuck D. Fishman has a real ear and eye for what his readers want to hear out of those interactions.

I do take exception to the comment by another reviewer saying "of course the business failed." Not true. What did happen is that the entire Internet craze got pulled out from under Fishman and his circle (they tried to bring this live in the 1999 - 2000 timeframe). And, Fishman does have a completed product he can point to...see karaoke.oddcast.com for a licensed version of the technology. You can actually go there and record a karaoked version of 'The Tide Is High' and a small number of other tunes. It's pretty slick technology. Fishman got his vision into a product. He can hold his head pretty high.

I loved this book. Steve Fishman offers the reader two great stories in one: his own sometimes hysterical, sometimes bittersweet story of trying to become an internet entrepreneur and all the characters he meets along the way; and the story, the history, really, of American business ethic and practices - from Ben Franklin's principles through the dotcom dreamers and schemers.
Fishman has a wry sense of humor and you will laugh out loud at his encounters with all those who participate in the e-business romp, from his dry cleaner who also sells missiles online, to his colorful partners, to the distractible Israeli commando in pink bathrobe and wooly slippers.
It's no secret or surprise that journalist Fishman fails at business; but, lucky for us, he took lots of notes and turned the experience into a great read!

I was in a friends house yesterday and picked up his copy of kareoke nation. It took me thirty minutes to put it down and we missed our lunch reservation but it was worth it. I can't wait till my copy comes and I can go back to reading it.

Definately a must for people who are interested in wit, modern culture, and a whimsical look at fortunes folly.

I f you love adventure this is the book for you. Steve Fishman has the ability to turn a conversation at a cocktail party into a high wire act of observation. His meeting with Russell Simmons as well as his encounter with his missile selling dry cleaner are hilarious and deeply revealing about the nature of the business culture in this country. I've long been a fan of Mr. Fishman's writing in NY magazine and this book confirms his status as one of the leading reporters on our time.

The most redeeming factor about "Karaoke Nation" is that the concept, which reads like something Bill & Ted would have thought up, fails so miserably. Instead of another IPO story, what we get is a nonevent that proves that even during the nutty Internet boom VC's could occasionally be trusted to filter out unworthy projects.

Fishman, who spends almost a quarter of the book glorifying the 70's granola-flaky ideals that defined his sense of self at Brown University, makes a connection that the weird turned pro sometime during the 90's and things like research, development and execution just didn't matter to business anymore - all it took was an Idea, and Passion.

Unfortunately, Fishman has trouble even on these two counts. The Idea, after throwing away some amusingly low-caliber concepts like a "Hi-Five" dummy arm for lonely sports enthusiasts (don't ask) stumbles out of a bar with a vague concept having something to do with Karaoke (duh) and the Internet (because there's no manufacturing involved, so it sounds easy.) Through his journalistic connections, he ends up partnering with a couple folks who have enough experience to at least fake their way through their Power Point presentations and hype things up to some interesting audiences along the way.

The Passion part proves to be hard as well, partly because Fishman's exercising some truly new mental muscles here, and partly because it becomes increasingly obvious that he's the weak link in the chain. Ultimately, being the "Idea Man" isn't enough to keep his partners from deserting him, and Edison's "1% inspiration, 99% perspiration" success ratio holds true.

The downer for me is that Fishman should have read Tracey Kidder's "The Soul of a New Machine" before writing this book. As I mentioned, while 25% of the book is spent glorifying the marvels of EST, he totally missed out on the fact that the foosball-in-the-office sleep-on-the-floor cult of New Technology office life didn't spring from this; it evolved out of mid-1970's microcomputer engineering culture run amok. Fishman has nothing but disdain for programmers, tech workers, and anybody who actually has to develop things; he is, after all, an Idea Man and seems them as the logical extension of 1950's Organization Man. Even when OddCast provides Karaoke Nation's only saving grace in hacking up a quick demo, Fishman seems ungrateful; the fact that his shred of a non-idea ends up being bought out by his tech partner for a pittance seems poetic justice indeed.

And just in case you're wondering, the Million Dollars didn't happen, although Fishman did mange to find find a little bit of Glamour and Fulfillment along the way.

Want to start your own successful business? Buy this book! In fact, buy 2 copies! I've nearly worn out my first copy from regular use. From a self-assessment review, all the way through growing your business and eventually selling it. Everything you need to do it right the first time is here. This book is overflowing with practical details of what to do, and humorous examples of what NOT to do in business from someone who has been there every step of the way. You cannot afford to be without this resource in your business toolkit.

I have started several businesses and how I wish I had the opportunity to read Jay Hearst's book first. I think if the local business license group required this to be read before getting the license, there would be considerably less failures for new businesses. Just having knowledge of the prospective new business and a big ego will not get the job done. Not only does it contain "must have" information, it is easily read and understood. I commend Mr. Hearst for his service to the business community.

For the beginning entrepreneur or seasoned business person this paperback will give you plenty to think about. The writer candidly describes his mistakes as well as his successes, which I found refreshing. He showed me the common pitfalls facing businesses from their beginnings to their maturities in an organized fashion. I believe that the book will be a resource for me to be kept within arms reach in the office.

Found this book to be informative, comprehensive, and easy to read. Recommended for anyone thinking of starting their own business. Congratulations to Mr. Hearst for all his success.

Want to start your own successful business? Buy this book! In fact, buy 2 copies! I've nearly worn out my first copy from regular use. From a self-assessment review, all the way through growing your business and eventually selling it. Everything you need to do it right the first time is here. This book is overflowing with practical details of what to do, and humorous examples of what NOT to do in business from someone who has been there every step of the way. You cannot afford to be without this resource in your business toolkit.

This little book was fun to read. The author, himself very successful in a few businesses, has been able to boil the concepts into some simple and easy to digest steps. For any small business owner there are pearls here, even when you have been going for some time. I learned to start to appreciate the daily accomplishments that we could tend to take for granted, e.g. the unsolicited referral, the callback from a customer of long ago, the dedication of those around you. A pragmatic useful book that goes beyond "just starting a business". Great line in the book, "Selling is a one-time experience, marketing is the ongoing cultivation of a relationship to satisfy the customers needs on an ongoing basis". If you see it on the airport newsstand, its worth a read.

Victor Benoun's latest book is a perfect TEN!

In a time when most of the country is fearing job security and banks are crashing around us, Victor delivers The Lemonade Stand on the Corner at the perfect time to rave reviews.

In this book Benoun spells everything out for us while retraining us to think outside the box. His perspective is heart felt, genuine, and actionable. This is a must have book for anyone wanting to dream beyond the current economic crisis, start fresh and take control of your life.

Thank you Victor - I rate your book a perfect TEN and give it Five Stars!

Eddie Conner

Wow, this book is truly amazing. I retired at an early age, I am in a position that does not require me going back to work, but after reading this book I WANT TO START A BUSINESS!

The author is funny, informative, gives you all the steps you could ever need to get a business up and running and become successful.

I read the entire book on an airplane ride from the East Coast to the West Coast, so it is a quick read-another great feature!

I believe this book is imperative for any age, anyone who is dreaming of someday starting their own business!

Well done/Write more!

Considering the state of our current economy, more of us should start a business to help make ends meet. Everyone has skills, talents, abilities and interests that could translate into a business. Victor Benoun writes as if he is having a personal conversation with the reader, warm, friendly and helpful. This book is a wonderful resource for anyone who's been thinking of going into business for themself.

I liked this book a lot. It's second title sums up what the book is all about: How to Start a Successful Business after Age 50. The whole book is written with the old person in mind who is either let go or bored with being a W-2er, and can't quite get his/her act together to start their own gig. The book is well written and outlined. It has the following 12 chapters:

0. Introduction
1. Back to basics: The lemonade stand for adults
2. Dreaming big: Rediscovering your lemonade stand
3. Personal inventory: The foundation of your lemonade stand
4. All shapes and sizes: Customizing your lemonade stand
5. The master plan: The blueprint for your lemonade stand
6. The kindness of strangers: Marketing your lemonade stand
7. Branding your personal business: The best lemonade on the block
8. Marketing yourself: Lemonade to go
9. Up close and personal: Manning your lemonade stand
10. Honest business: Selling lemonade without being a salesman
11. Flexible but firm: Managing your lemonade stand
12. Balancing act: Life beyond the lemonade stand

My favorite chapter was Chapter 5. That's where the author stresses the importance of putting together a sound written business plan. That's also where the author gives SCORE (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) a plug. I'm a SCORE volunteer and that's why I post book reviews for business books on Amazon.

The author is a business coach himself. Since he does his coaching for a fee I am kind of surprised he even mentioned SCORE. We no doubt compete with the author for clients. But the message delivered in this book is one I present to my SCORE clients over and over again. It doesn't matter if they are age 50+ or just 20 or 30. If they want to quit being a W-2er, then they have to take the bull by the horns and put together a written business plan to be used as a roadmap or blueprint to follow when starting their business. This is a good book whether you are over 50 or not. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to start his or her own business. 5 stars!

My pediatrician recommended this book to me when my son was one and we started having power struggle issues. It has been a great resource and I have referred to it often over the last few years.

I was delighted to find this book after being disappointed in the child rearing books I'd read. Little people provides both simple explanations and detailed instructions for specific difficulties (e.g., problems with sleeping, toilet training, and shopping). Best of all, it gives an overall parenting strategy that can be adapted to essentially any situation from infancy through adolescence. I will forever be grateful to Dr. C. for his invaluable advice.

Having bought this book after seeing Dr. Chstopherson on TV and speaking with him about his discipline methods, I couldn't wait to buy this book. What a gift. His techniques repect the child as well as the parents need to discipline their children. All information in the book is concrete and to the point making perfect sense of how we should discipline our children. My son is now 5 years old and I refer back to it regularly. I also teach disciplilne techniques to parents and reccommend this book always.

Christophersen provides a simple perspective for parents to apply to in raising their children - you are a full-time, non-stop teacher. Based on this perspective, the best way to be the best teacher is to spend time with your children. Christophersen's guidelines are easy to follow and produce immediate results. An easy and indispensible read for every parent, even if your children are beyond the toddler age. The best child-raising book I've ever read.

I'm SO glad Amazon.com now carries Little People! I like to give it as a baby shower gift, but it's been hard to get outside of the Kansas City area.

Dr. C. is great at explaining simple ways of bringing up and disciplining kids. For instance, he says "catch 'em being good." My heart just breaks when I see a child trying to please a parent who doesn't notice or reward the child with a few kind words or a moment's attention. Dr. C. also explains how to adjust your methods to the age of the child--for example, don't lecture a 2 year old about the benefits of not crossing streets, because she's not old enough yet to understand the lecture. But best of all, his methods make sense. There's no psychobable. There's no guilt. His techniques are easy to remember, don't hurt children, and they work like magic. I just wish more parents used them (especially when I'm in a busy grocery store or on a crowded airplane).

The authors have put a lot of material together to support the main message that entrepreneurs like myself seem to overlook - it's all about messaging your brand and core values to not just one audience (customers), but to many audiences (investors, operators, suppliers).

For my startup Pay Parade ([...]), this book takes the cake for wringing the most intelligence out of pricing sensitivity testing.

Keep it up and keep on turning us serial entrepreneurs into better marketers!

The tangible value of marketing is well illustrated for both the aspiring and established entrepreneur in this perceptive, well-organized textbook by Len Lodish, a Wharton marketing professor; Howard Morgan, former vice chairman of leading internet incubator Idealab, and Shellye Archambeau, chief executive of MetricStream, a company focused on compliance and governance solutions. The co-authors succinctly show how the days of marketing as a discretionary expense are obsolete, that it is as much a business driver as operational efficiency and innovative product development. Moreover, they bring to light how marketing can shape the success of not only actual products but also a company's stock and corporate image.

The book revolves around a straightforward, cross-selling matrix, which shows that every venture has three key things to sell - products/services, shares and image - to five different constituents. These constituents include customers, the one who give money in exchange for something they want, but there are separate targets identified as users who may or may not pay, investors, employees and others such as suppliers and strategic partners. Only when there is a conscious effort to address every type of constituent across the three dimensions does a company have a probable chance toward sustaining success. More often, companies focus so much on marketing the product that little effort is made in marketing, for example, the stock to the investor. Toward that end, the co-authors delve into critical questions regarding pricing and the importance of knowing why customers will pay you for a product.

They point to smart marketers like Victoria's Secret, who investigate and experiment, learning not only what competitors charge but also precisely why customers value a particular product or service. When possible, these companies try different prices and strive to charge more if their offerings have distinctive qualities valued by customers. That's how Victoria's Secret took a simple product and repositioned it as desirable, naughty female apparel and elevated the brand into a $3.2 billion-a-year business. Through adaptive experimentation, the company has significantly changed the perception people have of an already established commodity into a relatively inexpensive way for women to feel good about themselves. Looking at price by itself, according to the co-authors, is a precarious exercise, especially when the price point is well known by the public.

The natural urge to match a competitor's price has to be counterbalanced by a heightened attention to the brand and measuring its value within a marketplace that could be changing in value itself. A company that epitomizes this broader approach is Apple, which under Steve Jobs' leadership, has figured out how to build products that transcend their functionality into a direct tie-in to people's enjoyment and sense of empowerment. Renowned examples like Victoria's Secret and Apple bring home the co-authors' points about maintaining differentiation in an evolving marketplace that encompasses globalization, corporate mergers, stricter government regulations, increasing interests for "green" issues, sensitivity around privacy and security. Lodish, Morgan and Archambeau have put together a helpful marketing primer for the future.

"Marketing that Works" is a quick read that provides very valuable insight into how to properly position your company, product, services, etc... The examples that are used are both personal triumphs (and failures) of the authors as well as companies that you've probably heard of (or should have, had the companies heeded the advice in this book).

If you are thinking big, then even one small kernel of guidance from this book will pay you back in spades and more than cover the cost of the book. I am already applying some of the wisdom the book imparts to my current entrepreneurial enterprise and can see a significant difference in how I will successfully sell my product. And when I do, I expect my company to be mentioned in the Second Printing of this book.

Marketing "works" if it creates or increases demand for whatever is offered for sale, be it a product, a service, or both. Hence the importance of Peter Drucker's widely quoted observation, "If you don't have a customer, you don't have a business." In fact, you don't have (or won't have for long) a business if you don't have enough customers who purchase enough of what you offer, for a sufficient profit. In this volume, the co-authors (Leonard M. Lodish, Howard L. Morgan, and Shellye Archambeau) explain how entrepreneurial marketing can add sustainable value to any sized company. The term "entrepreneurial" refers to a mindset that stresses speed, agility, resilience, independence, unorthodox, etc. In other words, what Jay Conrad Levinson characterizes as "guerilla marketing."

The authors carefully organize and then present their material within 14 chapters whose subjects range from "Marketing-Driven Strategy to Make Extraordinary Money" to "Building Strong Brands and Strong Companies." Along the way, they help their reader to answer questions such as these:

1. Does the market segment want the perceived value that my positioning is trying to deliver more than other segments?

2. How can the segment be reached? And how quickly?

3. How big is the segment?

4. What are likely impacts of changes in relevant environmental conditions (e.g. economic conditions, lifestyle, legal regulations) on the potential response of the target segment?

5. What are current and likely competitive activities directed at the segment?

I agree with the authors that each marketing venture must answer the "what am I selling to whom, and why will they buy?" question before it can create a successful marketing strategy and plan. With regard to the term "customer-oriented marketing," the stakeholders may also include investors, supply chain/channel partners, and employees. "Each stakeholder needs a relevant value proposition on why to stay engaged with the firm. So the same concepts of segmentation and positioning apply to them."

In Chapter 9, Lodish, Morgan, and Archambeau shift their attention to an important but often neglected element of sales: marketing initiatives that help to shorten the sales cycle, increase win rates, and protect margins. Salespeople are not marketing people. They need marketing tools to support the process of selling. For example, lead generation, target customer description, product collateral (i.e. datasheets and brochures), customized presentation materials, product demonstrations, and competitive intelligence data. Lodish, Morgan, and Archambeau offer a number of practical, cost-efffective suggestions insofar as marketing tools to support the sales process are concerned.

When concluding this valuable chapter, they observe that marketing plays a crucial, but often overlooked, role in properly enabling sales success. "From identifying prospective customers through lead generation, to providing sales tools to the sales force to handle prospect objections and close deals, marketing needs to be in lock-step with sales. Marketing needs to understand the sales process to close as well as sales does. Ensuring that the right tools are created to assist sales at each step is a critical responsibility of marketing." I could not agree more.

Presumably Lodish, Morgan, and Archambeau would be among the first to agree that it would be a fool's errand to attempt to execute all of the strategies and tactics examined in their book. It remains for each reader to absorb and digest the material with meticulous care, then select those concepts that are most appropriate to the needs and objectives of her or his own organization. When completing that selection process, I consider it imperative to keep in mind that the sales mindset and the marketing mindset are quite different, and those differences must be fully understood and (yes) respected. That said, it is also imperative that - as the authors correctly insist - "marketing needs to be in lock-step with sales" to sustain effective and productive communication, cooperation, and most important of all, collaboration if both marketing and sales are to be successful.

I must confess that I have historically had a low opinion of the marketing people that I have firsthand knowledge of. They always seemed to be overstating glad-handers, over-promising to land potential customers and not really interested in learning how difficult it is to implement their promises. When I was writing code full-time, we referred to it as the "couldn't you just" condition. As in "couldn't you just put in this feature" and ignoring any rational response explaining that while the feature appears simple, it could take weeks to add it to the software. I was personally the recipient of a marketing person telling everyone how I was negatively cynical and not a team player when I strongly voiced my objections to an absurd promise that the marketer had made to a potential customer.
Therefore, it was with a great deal of skepticism that I opened this book and began reading. It did not take long before I was sold on the ideas of the authors. They reject the over-promising and blast the world nonsense that so many marketers consider the way to sell their products. Their approach is that of the entrepreneur that lacks a great deal of money for marketing, and that you must avoid an overstatement at all costs. It is better to understate and be proven wrong than overstate and be considered (or proven to be) an unreliable fool. They consider marketing to be a way to add sustainable value to the company, much like the delivery of a quality product.
If I am ever again in the situation where I am confronting a marketing person who values unjustified hype over honest accuracy, I will give them a copy of this book, ask that they read it and then offer to discuss it with them.

This is one of the most beautiful combinations of poetry and art. The poem is really quite beautiful. The art is inspirational. I don't knwo that I'd give it to a couple for their wedding though, cause the poem is about a man who is cheating on his wife....So don't take the advice of the other reviewer, the couple might look at you funny!

It's a book filled with Chagall's thought provoking art and E.E. Cumming's whimsical and witty poetry. They are the perfect match for such a book. And if you have never read Cumming's "May I Feel Said He," you'll fall in love with its surprising and funny subject.

If you are a Chagall or e.e. cummings lover, this book is not to be missed. It is an absolute treasure and such a beautiful marriage of words and art! The images perfectly complement the text. Highly recommended, even as an introduction to either of these two artists.

Just got this book and I love it. I purchased it based on reviews that I read and they are 100% correct. Beautiful pictures and a touching poem. Great as a wedding gift.

A terrific combination of art appreciation classes and literature for reading outdoors--took me back some 35 years to college days in its content, and then back up to the present in its pervasive wisdom. A joy for the ear and eye, just like its message--lovemaking is for lots of ages and stages and a delight to the senses. Should be on every bookstore's front tables.

Carolyn touches upon the most sacred part of medicine, the mystery of miraculous cures. The book takes the reader through a personal journey of the healer. You begin reading and in a few hours find yourself at the last page of the book, feeling rejuvenated, filled with the energy of powerful transformation that Dr Ross experienced. This book is an eye opener for many, and a reminder for the rest of us. I would highly recommend this book if you are patient with a chronic condition, healer, or simply interested in miracles.

As I read the book, I could not believe that I was not reading a book about me! I will investigate healers in my area, and look forward to challenging and learning more about my dreams and sensations/fears during yogi sessions. I believe, and I know I have the energy that needs to be balanced and rechanelled.

Thank you for providing this inspiration and opportunity to play a role in self-healing with relying strictly in physicians.....

It was upbuilding and refreshing to travel with Dr. Ross through her own journey in discovering what is at the root of miracles while experiencing healing at the same time. Dr. Ross is honest in her appraisal of such healing modalities as meditation, prayer, Reiki, yoga and more. Some of these she has tried in dealing with her own health challenges and others she evaluates through following patients.

Throughout the book, Dr. Ross provides resources for any information she has shared. These include books, websites, programs and practitioners.

Highly recommended.

I read this book with great interest and total fascination. It's a must read for all of us who are questioning of many standard medcal practices today.

When I first picked up the book, "Miracles in Healing" I was a little wary as I assumed it would be a book of secular miracle healing like cover yourself up with mud and lay there for a while and all your illnesses will go away.

Although it is a book explaining the art of healing, Dr. Ross methodically takes us with her on her journey of healing when she is suddenly diagnosed with an illness that causes her to give up her medical practice. The book reveals to us similar or familiar journeys by others facing their worst fears. It explains to us not to succumb to those fears, but rely on faith which "Miracles in Healing" by Carolyn Coker Ross, M.D., M.P.H. does just that in a very articulateness and thought out text giving way to spiritual and physical healing.

She explains having faith and believing in God, along with conventional treatment, can miraculously bring about unyielding miracles to one's body and soul in the mental and physical sense. I particularly enjoyed the stories of people that were interviewed and how they coped with, and eventually prescribed themselves their art of healing, which eventually became their miracles. The book contains in each chapter, a listing of resources for you to refer to and read; plus there is space
after each listing for you to detail or jot down any particular notes, which makes it very convenient to the reader.

It is a very uplifting read and should appeal to anyone who feels defeated, but still looking for a ray of hope. Thank you, Dr. Ross, for sharing portions of your life and the life of thers with readers who may have had family members, or have themselves been on the receiving end of sudden illnesses and
struggling to cope. I recommend you read "Miracles in Healing" and you will appreciate one woman's determination to stand up and not fall down.

Reviewed by Kalaani

This book has something for every age group imaginable. It's about a single mom facing cancer for the second time, and this time if might kill her. She's still a career woman, but raising her 12-year-old daughter alone while facing what looks like a terminal cancer. She lives, and now is cancer-free 5 years later), and her daughter is graduating fron high school this spring...and her mom will be there to watch. The patient's father put his diary next to his daughter's in this book, and it shows what the people taking care of the patient have to go through too...ways to help anyone connected to the patient, and for the patient to deal with things, too. It's not too scary for kids, particularly pre-teens and teenagers (and above), and is a great way to read about the subect, not just if you're a patient. My friends though it was great and I've given it to my friends whose parents and/or kids are facing it. It needs to be on Oprah as inspiration for how families stick together to find the outcome...and you never know where angels are waiting for us to take over and make those miracles come true. Buy it for someone before it's too late. !!!

A friend at school gave this to me to give to my own grandmother who is facing cancer. OUr family agreed that we should try and take a lot of what they say in the book, Mirror Journals, and put it to our own life in dealing with this. I like that this lady's entire family, including her daughter (who was the same age as I am now) when she thought her mom was going to die. So I can relate and think it's special for people of all ages. Please get it for someone you love.

What a fantastic book, written by obviously two relatives who shared the experience together...one as the patient; the other as a caregiver and representing the rest of her family. You see two sides to the story that way, and there's something good to take from each lesson.

She raised her 12-year-old daughter alone during this likely-terminal cancer, going through a divorce, hanging onto a career, building a house, and then CANCER number 2 crept in. But 5 years later, she has a book out that shows the ways to deal with each day at a time, and to embrace the family and friends who get you down the path...though she had a miracle and found a cure, the "true miracle" is found in the renewed relationships that cancer brought to her family. This is a must-read of all time for anyone facing a crossroads in their life, health, family, or otherwise.

I thought it was awesome because it has helped one of my friends (who has bone cancer at the age of 18) and he has a single mom. They loved the book and it is helping them a lot. I've heard from other people that this is THE BOOK to get if you have someone in your family (a parent, a brother or sister, a grandparent, etc.) who is facing cancer and you want to know what they're feeling without getting too in-their-face about it. It also helps people who need to help the patient, but don't know what to say. That's why the ook is special: you see it from the patient and the person taking care of that person. And it has a happy ending. Yea!! Pleaes get it for anyone you know facing this in thier life.

This is a fantastic book that has long-reaching applications...there is something in there for everyone. You don't have to be a supposedly-terminal cancer patient, like the writer was, but you'll pick up something from it anyway. But the best part is that her diary is matched up to her father's, from the same time period...and so you see both sides of a cancer story: the patient's, and the caregiver's, and how neither gave up because of the support of family and friends. It's inspirational, honest, candid, somewhat bitter, but with enough humor and real-day occurrences that keep it from being too dark. There is literally something for everyone...make this on the list to give to anyone you know who is facing cancer, or taking care of someone facing cancer. It's a "coping and Hoping" book.

MoneyHunt

According to the subtitle, the authors provide "27 New Rules for Creating and Growing a Breakaway Business." How "new" these rules are is subject to honest disagreement but all are sound and can be of great value to anyone who is either preparing to launch a new company or who has launched one which is now experiencing serious problems. Either way, I rate this book highly. It is well-written. The material is anchored in a wealth of real-world experience. For each reader, some rules are probably more relevant than are others...at least today. However, having had extensive recent experience with several start-ups, I can attest that each of the 27 will become relevant at one time or another. I also think this book can be of substantial value to senior-level executives of so-called "mature" companies. Why? Because every company needs what I call a semi-annual or quarterly (if not monthly) "gut check" -- or "reality check" -- which challenges all basic assumptions and premises concerning its vision, mission, priorities, allocation of resources, positioning, core competencies, customer relationships, competition, etc.

The authors devote a separate chapter to each of the "Rules", with the 27 chapters organized within seven Parts:

Part One: Do You Have What It Takes?

Part Two: The Right Idea at the Right Time

Part Three: Markets and Competition

Part Four: People

Part Five: Show Me the Money!

Part Six: The Legal Side of Business

Part Seven: Getting Out -- and Moving On

The book concludes with five Appendices: The MoneyHunt Story, Business Plan Template, Online Audition for MoneyHunt, Legal Dos and Don'ts of Raising Capital, and Demystifying the Business Organization. Although all of the material provided is solid and well-presented, I was especially interested in Appendix A which explains the origin and development of a television program on which entrepreneurs (hunting for money, of course) appear.

Who will derive the greatest benefit from this book? As previously suggested, those who are merely thinking about launching a new company; also those who are preparing to launch a new company; also those who have launched a company now encountering serious problems; also those in a well-established company which may be losing its competitive edge. Here's another category of reader which I also want to include: Those involved in a large organization who must compete aggressively each day for a share of that organization's resources. For them, effective application of the 27 "Rules" will of course require strategies and tactics which are substantially different from those required when "creating and growing" a new enterprise.

The hunt for money never ends because the need for money never ends. Unless you have everything required to achieve your specific objectives, read and then re-read the book. If and when circumstances tempt you to think that you can relax a bit, read it again.

This is the book ALL entreprenuers need. If you're starting your own business, get your hands on this detailed and helpful book! Cliff and Miles know their stuff, and let you understand what and what NOT to do when starting a business. A truly great book.

In the typical Moneyhunt "pull no punches" style, the is a candid look at mistakes made in small businesses...and how to avoid them. I especially liked the chapter "During a Gold Rush, Sell Shovels." Wish I'd read this when I started by biz...I'd be a lot richer AND have more hair!

In the process of building my company, I came across this amazing book. Like a map on the business highway, it showed me which roads to travel down, and which to steer clear of. I recommend this book to anyone who has, or is thinking about starting a business.

I went to Crown looking for The New New Thing but bought this book instead. After reading the first rule, I knew I have to buy it but couldn't wait to order from Amazon. Rushed to my car and finished the whole book. The rule on ruthless validates a few plans I had in mind....I never watched the show but extremely grateful that the two gentlemen wrote this book. I know I can never find a great business book like this written in any other language, not in this century.

I read all of these "Mr." books to my 5 year old son and he loves them. He likes this one alot but really loves Mr. Funny the best. These are great bedtime books for kids!

Mr. Mischief loves to play pranks on the other Mr. Men characters. In this book, he does sneaky things to Mr. Happy, Mr. Greedy, and Mr. Funny. But of course, Mr. Mischief gets a taste of his own medicine! A hilarious story! I had this book as a child and rebought it as an adult. I still laugh when reading it today at age 27. All of the Mr. Men books are superb, and Mr. Mischief is one of Roger Hargreaves' best works.

I have used the Mr. Men series for many years in the classroom. It was always a highlight for the children. I would read one each week, and they always looked forward to it.

I had this book when I was a child and I still enjoy reading it. I purchased it so my daughters can enjoy it as well.

Back in college I got a job as a summer janitor at the local elementary school. One of the things I had to do was clean up in the library. I took this time as an opportunity to catch up on some reading... in the form of the Mr. Men series. Mr. Mischief is about a guy who enjoys causing trouble. It makes him laugh. It will make you laugh. But then something happens to him, and he learns a lesson.