Profit The Books

This is a nifty book. It givesa wide view of ways that a small business entrepreneur can use the Internet to market successfully. The dot.com craze may be over, but that doesn't mean that the Internet won't continue to be a long-term vital tool in marketing for small business. With this book, any budding or seasoned entrepreneur will gain a learn of get many wokrable strategies.

Get this book if you intend to use the Internet to market your business in
any way. It is loaded with marketing ideas and there are enough of them so
that any small business entrepreneur can benefit in some way. There are
lots of examples of people and businesses that have actually done what the
author recommends, and lots of web sites to visit as a follow up. I got
about 6 great ideas out of this book. Two or three would have made it
worthwhile.

I would love to read this book because I heard it was amazing, BUT Elephant Books sent me the wrong book. Now they will not return my phone calls or numerous emails, and they were done in good taste so I do not understand why they would not return my messages. Just wanted you all to know so you do not get shafted like I did. Have a great day!

I spent months researching information at a law library on IP before I purchased Advantage IP. The book is a practical, understandable and invaluable resource. If I had the book before I began my research, it would have saved me a lot of time learning about IP advantages.

Advantage "IP" is a must read for any business owner. Jean Sifleet does a phenominal job defining intellectual property and describing how to protect it. She also delves into other business issues like employee noncompete agreements. All this is done in an environment that is easy to read for anyone. The examples she cites are excellent. We will be recommending this to our clients.

Finally, a resource that tells you how, where, why, what, and when to protect that which you should hold most dear: the work of your mind and the assets your probably don't even realize are assets. This wonderful resource tells you all you need to know to ensure that you are not ripped-off and have no recourse.

Fail to read this book...don't complain when your stuff is no longer yours. Read it and profit... over and over again.

The Art of Supportive Leadership is a guide to be a better leader. This book shows, not tells, how to become a better leader through others. Leadership is the toughest attribute to perfect and the toughest to come by when it is being used correctly. To be able to work with others where everyone feels equal in power and involved while one is delegating is what a true leader is made of and what this book conveys.

This book brings humility to the leadership ranks. It contains common sense insight that is rare to this topic. A quick and poignant read.

Donald Walters presents a very short, practical guide to being an effective manager.

This guide is drawn from the psychological/spiritual laws that underpin human relations. This is in sharp contrast to the current fad for down home, concocted anecdotes and repackings of the obvious that lure the unwary traveler in airport books stores.

The end-of-chapter check lists are particularly practical and useful.

If you want to make yourself and your team more effective, this is the book to have.

As a member of Generation-X (that means in 1998 I'm 35...)I find this book puts many things about life today in perspective. An excellent and easy read, I would recommend this to anyone who is fascinated by social and demographical characteristics of our society. A word of warning though, for all you Gen-Xers out there... You may develop a new found hatred of people in their late 40s and early 50s... It's a fun book. Read it.

As a member of Generation-X (that means in 1998 I'm 35...)I find this book puts many things about life today in perspective. An excellent and easy read, I would recommend this to anyone who is fascinated by social and demographical characteristics of our society. A word of warning though, for all you Gen-Xers out there... You may develop a new found hatred of people in their late 40s and early 50s... It's a fun book. Read it.

I read this book in the summer of 1996, and found it to be an excellent tool. It takes a very organized approach to presenting the history of demographics and applying demographics to trends that we have observed over the past. It is highly relevant to life in rural Ontario which is where i was living at the time. Issues like the future importance of hospital closings, school development, and social programs should all be viewed in the context of demographics.

After reading this I went on to read Faith Popcorn's books, and found them to be rather flat predictions that demographics could easily fortell. Boom Bust & Echo is a useful toolkit for business people with lots of examples to draw from. My wife and I had our own company at the time, and I had to make her read the book so we could re-assess our strategy in light of this under-used tool, and it allowed us to reposition our company without straying from our original mission.

Finally, a book on understanding the markets and investing that doesn't put you to sleep!! What a great book, full of anecdotes that make the topic of investing, accessible and at times, funny. After having read other books on the same topic, this one clearly will keep you awake and well informed. Definitely worth a read.

This was a very informative book. It was easy and fun reading. Tracy Byrnes helps you to understand how to invest and know what you are doing.
This should be required reading for all high school & college students!!
Well done !!!

This is the best financial book I have ever read. I never imagined that learning about the stock market and investing in it can be fun. Tracy Byrnes makes it just that. Her book is easy to read, funny and so informative. It is like sitting and chatting over coffee with your best friend. That is how you feel after reading her book. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in understanding the market. It would also be an excellent educational book to be used in universities. It is that good and more. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. Thank You Ms. Byrnes.

The market fundamentals described by Conerly are made easier to understand. Managing isn't necesarily easier - just should be more relaxing. Best take home advice is to hoard cash during recesion activity and/or buy shares are other capital investments cheap! The cycle will be short-lived according to Connerly - perhaps only 11-14 months - which coincides with the average duration of historial recessions.

Nathan Arnold
Kansas City, MO

Businomics was pragmatic, insightful and offered a genuinely unique viewpoint on managing strategy expectations and organization execution in business. I highly recommend this book as part of any strategic review process in particular.

"Businomics" is one of the few books on business that may actually help someone other than the book author. Unlike celebrity books from Jack Welch or Lee Iacocca, or jargon-filled tomes from academics,this relatively short reading promises to help you make more profitable business decisions through a better understanding of the economy. It delivers. The author cleverly educates you on basic economic principles without you even realizing what is going on. This book is not full of hyped-up prescriptions or motivational hee-haw. Rather, it renders an understanding of how you can assess the economic forces pummeling your business: recessions, cycles, inflation, interest rates, market disasters and opportunities. It arms you to make an analysis with your own best understanding of the peculiarities of your own business. In a sense, it doesn't give you a fish, it trains you to go fishing. The author, with some humility, says his book is neither mathematical nor elegant. I would argue that for most business owners, this helpful reading is elegant in its simplicity.

Book Review:

Capital Campaigns: Strategies That Work
By: Andrea Kihlstedt and Catherine P. Schwartz
Edited by: James P. Gelatt
Aspen Publishers, Inc. Gaithersburg, Maryland 1997

Reviewed by: Norman Olshansky: President
NFP Consulting Resources, Inc.
...

What a surprise! With over 30 years of non profit fundraising, leadership and capital campaign consulting experience, I expected to gain little from this "how to" book which I was given to review. Boy, was I wrong.

Step by step, the authors outline and expand upon the key elements of a capital campaign; from determining whether or not your organization is ready for a campaign, to the best ways to celebrate and evaluate its conclusion.

I appreciated the amount of detail the authors included and their emphasis on organization, planning, leadership involvement and communications. They explore the basic process and then give in depth coverage of each step. In addition to sharing their own personal knowledge and expertise, they gathered much of their material by interviewing friends and clients who also had extensive capital campaign experience. They made the book more interesting, and dramatized the points they wanted to make, by the inclusion of short vignettes and quotes by volunteer and professionals, from actual campaign experiences.

Among the important subjects covered by the book are: how to select and use consultants, building the case for support, conducting a feasibility study, creating a campaign management plan, prospecting and prospect research, team building and leadership development, techniques of solicitation, campaign materials and public relations, events, thank yous, recognition, and much more. They even have a trouble shooting guide which focuses on what to do when things go wrong.

I highly recommend this handbook for volunteer leadership and staff alike (whatever their level of previous experience) who are considering a capital campaign. It is a book that should also be part of the libraries of campaign consultants. I have to admit that I picked up several great new ideas and techniques from reading the book.

Keep in mind that this is a "how to" book and will continue to be of value as a reference tool. The table of contents and index are complete and excellent in their detail.

I felt the authors could have put more emphasis on and expand the section on feasibility studies, or as I like to call them, pre-campaign assessments. Too many organizations try to avoid this important process thinking that they already know they need to know. They feel the pre-campaign study will take unnecessary time and resources. A good study not only sets the stage for a successful capital campaign and determines a realistic goal, but also provides invaluable information about the way the organization is perceived in the community, potential for major support, and extent to which leadership and staff are ready or capable to do what is necessary for success.

Organizational culture, leadership styles, personality management and what is often referred to as organizational politics are other areas which I felt deserved expanded coverage by the authors. Human factors, organizational history, and communication styles are all addressed in the book but are not given as extensive or in depth presentation as is warranted.

In summary, this book not only meets, but exceeds its very appropriate title: Capital Campaigns-Strategies that Work.

I loved this book! It does an excellent job of covering A to Z about capital campaigns. The book is large. It's pages are 8.5xll. The type is somewhat small. And the pages are formatted so as to include two columns of text. I read the paperback edition and it's definitely not a light book at 253 pages.

Probably my only complaint about this book is that a good amount of the terminology used between its covers was not defined in the Glossary of Common Campaign Terms (Appendix B). Nor were the terms I wanted defined included in the book's index. For example, Exhibit 1-2 makes reference to a "kitchen cabinet." That term is not defined anywhere that I could see in Chapter 1. But later in the book at page 82 the kitchen cabinet is defined as being the "core committee." Great! But the definition of kitchen cabinet is not included in either Appendix B nor is the term included in the book's index.

The book is so rich in content that having an incomplete Appendix B and less than book index hurts it. One other shortcoming I found (and I didn't find many) was when the number of interviews for a feasibility study was capped at 25-35. I'm used to many more people being interviewed during a feasibility study. And the cost for having a consultant do the study is a bit higher than this book indicates. Such studies usually last between 6 to 8 weeks. At least the ones I am used to.

But what a book. I worked for two years as an associate consultant to nonprofits that provided campaign direction. I would have loved to have had this book at my fingertips when learning the ropes of the trade. Just about everything I learned through observation and experience is written about eloquently in this book.

There are a number of people who can benefit greatly from getting a copy of this book. The first that comes to mind is any executive director of a nonprofit that is considering a capital campaign. If she doesn't know the ins and outs of embarking on a capital campaign, then she better get a copy of this book and study it. By getting this book she will know what she has to do to prepare her organization to be able to successfully have a capital campaign. And she will be an educated consumer when she has to hire a consultant that will provide her organization with campaign direction.

The second person that comes to mind is a successful development director who wants to become self employed as a consultant to nonprofits that provides capital campaign direction. When writing his business plan for his startup consulting practice this book will be instrumental in what and how he will provide his services. This book is truly a goldmine of information regarding capital campaigns in the nonprofit sector.

Other people who should read this book are members of nonprofit Boards. And the campaign chairman of a capital campaign will get a lot out of this book. 5 stars!

PS. Two other books that closely relate to the subject matter of this book are: The Ask (ISBN: 0787978566), and Major Gifts (ISBN: 0471738379). I have written book reviews for both these books and posted them on Amazon.

What a surprise! With over 30 years of non profit fundraising, leadership and capital campaign consulting experience, I expected to gain little from this how to book which I was given to review. Boy, was I wrong.

Step by step, the authors outline and expand upon the key elements of a capital campaign; from determining whether or not your organization is ready for a campaign, to the best ways to celebrate and evaluate its conclusion.

I appreciated the amount of detail the authors included and their emphasis on organization, planning, leadership involvement and communications. They explore the basic process and then give in depth coverage of each step. In addition to sharing their own personal knowledge and expertise, they gathered much of their material by interviewing friends and clients who also had extensive capital campaign experience. They made the book more interesting, and dramatized the points they wanted to make, by the inclusion of short vignettes and quotes by volunteer and professionals, from actual campaign experiences.

Among the important subjects covered by the book are: how to select and use consultants, building the case for support, conducting a feasibility study, creating a campaign management plan, prospecting and prospect research, team building and leadership development, techniques of solicitation, campaign materials and public relations, events, thank yous, recognition, and much more. They even have a trouble shooting guide which focuses on what to do when things go wrong.

I highly recommend this handbook for volunteer leadership and staff alike (whatever their level of previous experience) who are considering a capital campaign. It is a book that should also be part of the libraries of campaign consultants. I have to admit that I picked up several great new ideas and techniques from reading the book.

Keep in mind that this is a how to book and will continue to be of value as a reference tool. The table of contents and index are complete and excellent in their detail.

I felt the authors could have put more emphasis on and expand the section on feasibility studies, or as I like to call them, pre-campaign assessments. Too many organizations try to avoid this important process thinking that they already know they need to know. They feel the pre-campaign study will take unnecessary time and resources. A good study not only sets the stage for a successful capital campaign and determines a realistic goal, but also provides invaluable information about the way the organization is perceived in the community, potential for major support, and extent to which leadership and staff are ready or capable to do what is necessary for success.

Organizational culture, leadership styles, personality management and what is often referred to as organizational politics are other areas which I felt deserved expanded coverage by the authors. Human factors, organizational history, and communication styles are all addressed in the book but are not given as extensive or in depth presentation as is warranted.

In summary, this book not only meets, but exceeds its very appropriate title: Capital Campaigns-Strategies that Work.

Dr. Crowder's earlier edition of this book was the first book on gambling that I purchased when I became interested in playing video poker. That was several years ago and several royal flushes later I can attest that his approach to gaming is "right on the money." Crowder not only gives sensible, direct advice to new gamblers, but his views on money management and making the most of comps, coupons, and special offers are of interest to even those of us who have gambled for years. He also has a unique way of spinning a yarn, which makes his personal anecdotes pleasurable to read. A must buy for any gambler or anyone thinking about some casino fun.

I read Dr. Crowder's previous book; "Casino Gambling for Fun and Profit" and I thought that book was well written, easy to understand and very usefull. I do enjoy gambling, however I am not a professional gambler. This 2nd Edition is a perfect addition to the 1st. Included in this edition, that was not in the 1st, were a few other very popular video poker games; Bonus Jacks or Better, Double-Double Bonus Poker and Bonus Poker Deluxe. Dr. Crowder does a great job at explaining the play and the strategy of these games.

This book is a must have for all gamblers be they professional or recreational.

Reviewed by Kirkus Discoveries: "A clinical psychologist turned professional casino gambler reveals the secrets of his success.

For some, gambling is an obsession; for others, it's a recreational hobby. For those, like the author, who fall somewhere in between, there are ways to minimize losses and maximize success while enjoying the simple act of playing different games. Crowder focuses his advice on casino games such as blackjack and video poker, games that allow smart, controlled gamblers to make gains in the long run. He walks would-be gamblers step-by-step through basic strategy, which he defines as "the best possible play of any given dealt hand based on the player's hand and dealer's up-card in blackjack, and the cards dealt in video poker." He also presents his personal "cycle strategy," a method of gambling that helps curtail losses while still allowing players to take advantage of hot streaks. In addition to a few math lessons and some number crunching that provides evidentiary support for his advice, the author also provides particularly helpful sections that discuss the fringe benefits of gambling, such as player's clubs, cash back, coupons, comped rooms and meals, drawings and more. He contends that even on unlucky gambling trips, taking advantage of these offers can offset losses and even turn net losses into gains. The author's enthusiasm for the subject matter is palpable, though his lengthy descriptions of his own gambling trips, while occasionally enlightening and entertaining, generally detract from the otherwise direct flow of the book. While casual gamers aren't likely to be as interested in reading the book as they are in getting to the craps table and taking advantage of the free drinks, the tips and strategies presented here will prove highly useful for those looking to profit from trips to the casino.

Indispensable for serious recreational gamblers."

This is a very practical guide for consulting work. There are some usual forms that are free to be used by individuals but unfortunately there was no accompanying CD so they need to be copied or re-typed.

I loved this book. It was written for consultants who provide (or will provide) various kinds of help to nonprofits. More specifically, the help provided falls into two broad categories: help for nonprofit programs, and help with organizational issues like management structure, finances, fundraising, etc. And the help one can get from reading this book will definitely help strengthen the quality of their consulting to nonprofits.

The book was split into just four chapters. I would have liked it better if it had been split into the following nine chapters (each of which received a summary in the book):

1. Consulting roles, dynamics, and ethics
2. Consultation and the nonprofit sector
3. Contracting
4. Gathering and analyzing data
5. Planning the work
6. Implementing and monitoring
7. Sustaining change and evaluating impact
8. Terminating the consulting project
9. Managing your consulting practice

For two years I worked as a consultant to nonprofits. I worked for a firm that provided capital campaign direction to nonprofits involved in multi-million dollar capital campaigns. So much of what I lived and experienced during those two years I found written about in the pages of this book. I found the blurbs interspersed througout the book covering quotes from 30+ consultants from across the US made the book special. Without them I think the book might have gotten a 3-star rating from me.

Since the 1970's the hiring of consultants by nonprofits has become part of doing business in the US. And this book does a wonderful job answering what the most common kinds of consulting are. I can say that when I made the move to nonprofit consulting for two years I was not prepared for the culture shock. For-profit consulting is all about getting the job done quickly and competently. Little sugar coating of the services is required. But in nonprofit consulting people skills exuded by the consultant are so critical and important. And this book explains the difference in the consulting styles. The writing of this book was necessary because of the people skill factor in nonprofit consulting.

Dealing with a nonprofit executive director is not equivalent to dealing with a for-profit CEO. In the nonprofit sector the real power is usually held by the nonprofit Board. A savvy consultant will always keep this in mind. And after reading this book they won't forget it. Deal with the Board! And at page 29, Diane Brown is quoted as saying that if she bid on a whole project with a nonprofit that she usually took a bath. Why a bath? I say because she was dealing with a nonprofit. You have to approach nonprofits differently as a consultant than you would a for-profit.

I would have liked the book better if the title of the book had been "Consulting to Nonprofits." Consulting "with" a nonprofit makes me think of someone going to a nonprofit for advice. And the instant book is about consultants providing advice to nonprofits. 5 stars!

Not only is Lukas's book easy to read and engaging, it has gotten me very excited about my career. Lukas draws not only on her own wealth of experience, but also on the experience of countless other consultants. This adds a depth to the book that I never expected. Instead of reading about one person's style of consulting, I am privy to expertise and stories from the trenches of the pioneers in the field. The worksheets, examples, appendices and bibliography will serve me well in my career. I anticipate that this book will be a constant resource for me - it will look dog-eared and well-used in no time at all!

By Stephen Corrick Reprinted with permission...Joseph J. Romm was an Assistant Secretary of theUS Department of Energy. He obviously learned his lessons well. Hisbook, Cool Companies, makes an overwhelming case: Not only willreducing greenhouse gases not hurt companies' ability to compete, the action of reducing greenhouse gases (and industrial energy waste generally) offers the single easiest productivity booster, and among the shortest payback periods of any available to American industry today.

Cool Companies offers insights into the detailed processes by which all company sites-from industrial giants like DuPont and 3M all the way down to individual apartment owners-have used greenhouse gas emission reduction to drive many more dollars to their bottom line.

The only question one is left with after Romm so effectively makes his case is why the coal and oil companies are playing Chicken Little and screaming that reducing greenhouse gases will hurt American business. Obviously, the only American businesses they are referring to must be their own. The Wall Street Journal and the American Chamber of Commerce would be well served to get the true picture and start representing the needs and interests of the majority of their customers-whose interests, at this point, are often diametrically opposed to those of the fossil fuel industry.

Romm has done a great service with this book. There are a lot of people telling us we must act on climate, and a lot of theory on how. Too often, it is abstract and esoteric -- Romm gives practical, easy to follow examples of how the best in class cut costs; cut carbon; and boosted productivity.

If you work anywhere in corporate management -- Whether you are the Chief Operating Officer, The Chief Financial Officer, the Plant Manager, or the Environmental Manager, you need to run out and buy this book, and then read it, before your competitors do.

You'll find case study after case study of how the best companies cut carbon. From building design, to the office environment, to industrial processes on the plant floor, this book tells -- often in the words of the managers themselves -- how they did what they did. Not only the technologies they chose, but how they sold other managers, developed creative financing strategies(often getting projects financed off ledger, out of future savings for example), and obtained credit for cutting other emissions.

If you are an environmentalist or a regulator facing the prospect of a climate treaty, the examples Romm outlines show why the arcane debate about the cost of cutting greenhouse gasses is flat out irrelevant. Cool Companies save money by becoming more efficent.

Bottom line? If you read only one book on cutting greenhouse gasses -- make it this one.

The book should enlighten those equating the green movement with adverse economic impact. It simply doesnt have to be the case. Companies like Shell and Dow are realizing, the early birds will gain serious competitive advantages when adopting "cooler" operating philosophies including: lower operating costs in general, increased productivity, and lower carbon costs when they ultimately get implemented. Numerous verified examples are provided that cement what should be a common sense belief that reduction of waste (all types) lead to leaner more competitive companies.

I approached my own boss with these ideas and received a chuckle in response. Its an uphill fight out there, hopefully the more people become informed, the easier it will be. This book is a great one to hand to a nay sayer. (I plan on sending a copy to both my boss and President Bush for Christmas)