Profit The Books

Madeline Bailey's approach to accounting in this excellent book is practical, understandable and easy to read. What more do you need?

Genre: Business

Title: Radical Accounting- A Way out of the Dark and Into the Profit

Author: Madeline Bailey

A beginner's guide to business accounting and computer accounting software, Radical Accounting is an excellent reference tool. It is a step- by- step guide to take the business owner from being frustrated and confused by business reports to understanding financial statements and profit margins. The book explains the process extensively, but in layman's terms.
Whether you intend to do your own bookkeeping or simply want to understand the reports that your bookkeeper and/or accountant produce, this book will assist you. Chapter nine "Your Filing System" will greatly assist the organizationally challenged.
Chapter by chapter, the author explains the language of accounting and how it applies to your day-to-day business transactions. You will begin to understand and request more and more information about your business in order to increase your profit margin. You will no longer be confused and frustrated by reports that are foreign to you, now you will be an educated businessperson who has the facts that you will need to succeed.
Several Quickbooks software tips are included throughout, however the book is not limited to this software program. This book is not associated with nor does it recommend one software program over another. The Quickbooks program is simply used as reference for some of the chapters. The book uses United States tax references but is still useful in Canada and other countries as an accounting guide.
Author Madeline Bailey is a software developer, a consultant and a business analyst.

Recommended by Reviewer: Shirley Roe, Allbooks Reviews.

I recently started a pedicab company down in Austin Texas. I started mainly focusing on getting the business up and running, without much thought to accounting, while looking around the local bookstore I noticed this book and started reading. Its a book to read start to finish. Once your done you will know exactly what you need to do in a straight and easy to understand way. The only downfall of the book is that I wish there were more Quickbook tips. If you are wondering how to get your business into a situation where you can easily understand and communicate what is happening with all aspects of your company finances then GET THIS BOOK.
I also recommend this book to anyone in school taking accounting classes. I gave it to an employee who is taking classes here at the University of Texas in Austin and it helped him out a bunch, he is getting much better scores, because the knowledge gained from this book is tremendous and in just a nice short package, its convenient for even the busiest of people.

Go get it and read it, it WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER!!!!

I found this book very useful. It is easy to understand. There is not a lot written for small business people that has so much good information that is so easy to make sense of. I used the book to change our accounting structure and it all makes much more sense to me now than it did.

I used QuickBooks at my previous job but it was all setup for me. That owner retired so I got a new, better paying job, but I thought I might be in over my head. The owner was disorganized with papers everywhere. He didn't seem ready to want to get rid of all that paper.

I thought I'd give this book a try. I went directly to the section titled, "From Disaster to Organization in One Day Straight," in the chapter on "Filing Systems".

What a big help this was to me! The whole book is great! Spending $20 to keep my job-the author would call that profitable! I call it wonderful.

This book has not given me any new information, everything I read was something I already knew.

It may be helpful to someone who doesn't have the time to go on the internet and gather free information.

Robert E. Fleury's The Small Business Survival Guide presents a system for organizing your paperwork and staying on top of the financial condition of your company. The system is at once simple, convenient, and perpetually audit-ready. Best of all, it allows you to accurately understand your cash flow so that you're able to make sound business decisions.

Think you can delegate all this to your accountant? Not so. Standard reports don't forecast actual cash requirements, so you see only half the picture. Example: paying down debt doesn't show on a Profit and Loss statement; the statement may show a healthy profit, but the profit may have all gone toward paying off a bank note, so you can't assume that the money is available to spend.

Though the system is great, the writing is in places terribly obscure. The book also appears to be victim to a major, half-finished revision. One symptom is that the reader is asked to do a cash analysis for a case study in chapter 10, but cash analysis is not introduced until chapter 13. Revision errors abound, such as several discrepancies between dollar amounts shown in the case study's cancelled checks and those shown in the finished reports and the text explanation. It's extra work for the reader to figure out what the author meant, versus what he said. Ironically, though, arguing with the author can increase the depth of your understanding of the material, so it's not all bad. Nevertheless, let's hope that a future edition will correct these faults.

In spite of the writing, the system is so powerful that I'll only deduct one star. Yes, it's that good.

(I reviewed the third edition.)

Of the many books that profess to help one start and run a business, this book provides eye-opening and thought provoking content that will give the budding entrepreneur a solid grasp on cash management and the realities of traditional accounting. An absolute 'must-read'!

This book is the single most important book I've read concerning creation and operation of a business. When Robert pointed out the difference between "owning a job" and "owning a business" I realized I only owned a job. I now own a business. I've made this work required reading for everyone involved in the management of my company, including the CPA. I've ordered dozens of copies over the last 3 years and give them away to people who I care to see succeed.

. . yikes. The "Cycle of Demise" is a phrase that will ring in my ears every time I make a mistake but this book is the first one I have read on the subject that ended up empowering me to write my business proposal . . after reading the whole thing I am anxious to begin and not afraid of the accounting.

well written easy to understand for anyone who is interested in options
Author provides with a logical way of looking at options.
Book which every trader should have

This is an excellent book on a topic that a lot of traders, have no deep understanding. It explains the Greeks in a layman and a trader language, and provides a clear view how to trade and profit using the information, given by these indicators. I like the examples given, especially those on Delta Neutral Trading, which other books hardly mention. Of special interest, was the clear perspective of Market Makers, and how they view trading from their end. This helps a lot, us retail traders,to place our orders in a more efficient way, for faster execution. My congratulations on this book, which was long due.

If options are Greek to you, I strongly suggest that you read this book. Dan Passarelli succinctly shares his knowledge of options trading strategies and the components that comprise an option's price. Expert and novice options traders will glean valuable information, which increases both their knowledge of options and the value of their trading accounts.

As a former Market Maker and Floor Trader, Dan has written a very thorough, easy-to-understand book explaining complex ideas. If, for example, you have only bought Calls and Puts and/or sold Covered Calls, his book will give you the understanding of pricing and strategies from the professional's perspective -- and will aid you in advancing your options trading to a different level. It covers many areas beyond just "The Greeks".

Moby Waller, Portfolio Manager, Advanced Options Strategies service, BigTrends.com

When I bought this book, I was expecting really in-depth analysis of various Greeks and their effects on basic option positions as well as complex spreads. However, I was bit disappointed.

If you have read any decent preliminary option trading books (Natenberg, McMillan et al) or if you have been trading option spreads for say 1+ year, this book would be useless. In aggregate there would be about 10-12 page material which may useful for such people. Last chapter on relationships between implied and realized volatility is OK.

For some reason the author has morbid fear for graphs of positions and greeks. He ends up giving tables after tables to illustrate effect of various greeks on option position.

If you are at a stage where you think I buy call option when I am bullish and I buy put option when I am bearish, this book will help you understand the effects of other equally important variables in pricing and trading, but then there are so many other which give this information in a better fashion in my opinion.

Public relations expertise is helping the booming nonprofit business, and provides a variety of basic business approaches to nonprofit organization and management, from showing how to adopt a business strategy and how to market a speaker's bureau to using communication in speeches, selecting a board of directors, and marketing a nonprofit. An excellent set of basics tailored to nonprofit structure and experience.

Well written. Easy to read, understand and follow; it moves right along. Clearly illustrated. Covers all areas of public relations that can be used. Great glossary. A very useful tool for any one interested and/or involved in nonprofit organizations. A must in any nonprofit organization's library!

Public relations is the key to success in society today. As an educator in a respected private school where public relations are vital, and a presenter in various local, state, and national forums, Kinzey's book has been pointedly valuable to me. Undercscoring, clarifying, and extending my knowledge, this book addresses both my personal effectiveness as a communicator and specific concerns I must emphasize to my expressive writing students who are concerned with improving their writing skills, as well as their adolescent interpersonal skills. Because the book is global in its applications, readership should extend beyond nonprofit organizations to anyone concerned with any facet of public relations.

I have worked in the PR field for many years, but am new to nonprofits and found some interesting information in this book. However, the author does not even cover the aspects of PR that I consider essential to any PR program: working with the press, writing press releases, media events, getting the media to cover your events, etc. It discusses annual reports, newsletters, speakers bureaus and developing a board of directors (PR?), but nothing about traditional PR as it relates to nonprofits. It's almost like there is a missing chapter or maybe two.

Kinzey's analysis of effective public relations strategies for nonprofit organizations is a must read for anyone working in the nonprofit sector. The reader is guided through the necessary steps to engage public relations tactics and strategies to promote his/her organization. From chapters dealing with annual reports and company newsletters to the creation of a speaker's bureau, Kinzey effectively articulates the need for public relations in nonprofits. This book can be used as a reference tool for individuals responsible for public relations within their nonprofit organizations.

Bill provides great insight into the challenges and opportunities for competing in the 21st century. I appreciate the easy-to-read style and practical examples. I recommend the book to all.

Bill's brilliantly written book, WAL-SMART, sheds new light on Wal-Mart's business culture DNA and how companies can profit in the Wal-Mart world we live in.

Marquard reasons Wal-Mart has changed the business landscape not just now -- but forever. And if competing businesses fail to recognize how Wal-Mart has changed the rules of doing business, then Marquard says these businesses are choosing to lose. Businesses choose to lose because they fail to address how Wal-Mart has conditioned new expectations from competing businesses, suppliers/distributors, employees, and local communities.

If you are responsible for managing business activities of any retailer or any supplier/distributor, I implore you to read WAL-SMART. It's chock-full of smart strategy musings which will help you better compete against any big dog dominant company in your competitive set. WAL-SMART is a worthwhile read!

If you `play' in the consumer products/retail market - the sandbox of the `big boxes' - this book is for you. In this informative, enjoyable, well written, easy to read and exceptionally well structured (easy to read in numerous sittings without losing the context or flow) book, consultant Bill Marquard offers advice on numerous strategic fronts.

1. He provides advice on strategic decision making - chose what not to do, chose what to do, and chose with intentionality (means commitment to me).
2. He tells us how Wal-Mart transformed our world thru its; pervasive nature, pioneering new rules of the game, redefining customer expectations, and its ability to set the agenda for suppliers.
3. He restates the keys to success for Wal-Mart - focus (the business is running one store at a time), correction of errors (how to do it better tomorrow), constructive paranoia (who is ahead of us), thrift, and a `we can make it better' attitude (reuse others ideas, better)
4. And in Part II he advises on strategic thinking in this new consumer products world. This part is a particularly well constructed discussion, where he links competitor strategy and vendor strategy and employer strategy and community strategy, suggesting what key questions must be answered correctly to win:
* A Big Box competitor strategy requires winning decisions on: How to differentiate, What to emulate, Where to dominate.
* A Big Box vendor strategy must address: What to leverage, How to invest, Where to diversify.
* A Big Box employer strategy should consider: How to reward, How to impassion, How to help them grow.
* A Big Box community strategy must include: Where to belong, How to align, How to engage.

Because the consumer marketing world - any business sector world, for that matter - moves at such a rapid pace, specific strategic ideas found in a book, any book, are outdated before the ink is dry. While Marquard does provide specifics, it is the conceptual thinking and his clarity that make this book worth the time to read.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"

When I began to read this book, I incorrectly assumed that William H. Marquard would focus his attention almost entirely on Wal-Mart when, in fact, his objective is to suggest what lessons can be learned from this extraordinary successful company, lessons that could be of substantial value to almost all other companies, regardless of size or nature. As Marquand observes, the primary message of Wal-Smart is that "we all must make smart choices - intentionally and explicitly - to profit in a global marketplace that is dominated not only by Wal-Mart but also by many [other] giants of industry. The message in short is: Choose or lose."

He carefully organizes his material as follows: Within the first half of the book, he suggests "why we ended up in a Wal-Mart world by explaining the elements of Wal-Mart's success that few people see...it is what's behind the scenes that really makes the difference in creating [various] visible advantages" such as its efficient logistics, low cost structure, and everyday-low-price perception. Then in the second half, Marquard responds to a challenge which all business leaders face: "Now that we are enmeshed in the Wal-Mart world, what are we going to do about it?" he prescribes a number of "compelling strategies" that can guide and inform "smart choices" as competitors, suppliers, employers, and community members. More specifically, Jacquard suggests how to examine options, how to choose the right ones, and how to "win" (if necessary) a second chance to succeed. "Smart choices" must be (as they continue to be within the Wal-Mart organization) explicit and intentional, then executed them consistently to increase the chances of success.

Marquard asserts that the first step in the decision-making process is to choose what not to do -- and that includes (for nearly all organizations) not competing directly with Wal-Mart - before choosing what to do. Once these decisions are made, it is imperative to sustain their implementation throughout the given enterprise with a firm commitment and sufficient resources. Long ago, I decided that strategies are analogous with hammers and that tactics are analogous with nails. The former drive the latter and, if (huge "if") well-chosen, should remain constant whereas the latter may need to be modified or even replaced to accommodate changes within the competitive marketplace.

With all due respect to the importance of what Marquard calls "intentionality" of purpose, decision-makers must also be both willing and able to piece together wisdom from diverse and often disparate places. "Effective strategies come from making connections, from synthesizing, from melding choices in ways that no other company has - or can. When make one choice [begin italics] and [end italics] link it to another [begin italics] and [end italics] link it to another, we eventually craft a mosaic that evokes a more compelling, more complete image than any strategic piece taken individually ever could." When making explicit, intentional choices, therefore, find the "and" which connects all strategies so that they can work effectively together.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check our Ram Charan's Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't, Lynda Gratton's Hot Spots: Why Some Teams, Workplaces, and Organizations Buzz with Energy - And Others Don't, Robert J. Herbold's Seduced by Success: How the Best Companies Survive the 9 Traps of Winning, Jagdish N. Sheth's The Self-Destructive Habits of Good Companies...and How to Break Them, Charles G. Koch's The Science of Success: How Market-Based Management Built the World's Largest Private Company, Jack Alexander's Performance Dashboards and Analysis for Value Creation, Michael Useem's The Go Point: When It's Time to Decide--Knowing What to Do and When to Do It, and Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.

Overall a good book that establishes the groundwork by examining how the world that we live in (the "Wal-Mart world) actually got created. The author attempts to explain that the much talked about stuff like an efficient logistics system, low costs etc. may be "perceived" to be the drivers of success but that the true drivers are behind these factors. These are simply "visible" competitive advantages which are being driven by "hidden" management DNA. Having established that groundwork, the author then attempts to make us understand what the smart choices are in various dimensions of the business world as suppliers, employers, competitors and community members. Each of these four dimensions is explained through stories of winners and losers. An excellent book that attempts to dig beneath the apparent veneer of the organization.

If you want to start analyzing charts then this book if for you. It gives you an overview of charts, volume and their correlation by touching on support and resistance levels. If you are looking for an in depth book on analysis this is not for you, try Technical Analysis of Stock Trends by Robert D. Edwards and John F. Magee.

This is one of the best books ever written on classical technical analysis of chart patterns. Simple, concise, together with measurement formulae. A must have for every trader.

John Magee also wrote another book in 1958 named The General Semantics of Wall Street, which is out of print, but can be purchased secondhand. The book has nothing to do with actual trading, and deals with the most important subject: the mental aspect of trading, thinking and perceiving the world in an accurate fashion. After 13 years of trading, this old book has earned a place on my recommended reading list.

In short this book shows some of the best ways in which an amateur analyst can trade and be successful. It will not make the money for you but it does provide the basic techniques by which you can do so!

This is one of the best books ever written on classical technical analysis of chart patterns. Simple, concise, together with measurement formulae. A must have for every trader.

John Magee also wrote another book in 1958 named The General Semantics of Wall Street, which is out of print, but can be purchased secondhand at places like www.biliofind.com. The book has nothing to do with actual trading, and deals with the most important subject: the mental aspect of trading, thinking and perceiving the world in an accurate fashion. After 13 years of trading, this old book has earned a place on my recommended reading list.

Good book for someone getting started in major gift fundraising. Also a good refresher for the old pro, but same information is availabe in other books at a significantly lower price.

I loved this book. It came highly recommended from another development director and I checked it out from the library. But I see that Amazon does not carry it. Where can I purchase a copy of this book?

This book was loaned to me and now I have got to have a copy for my own library! Sturtevant not only tells what he is doing he tells us why and starts at the very beginning. He draws extensively on other heavyweight fundraising authors so reading this book is really giving you the info from 3 or 4 of the top fundraisers in the country. A "must have" in any development office.

If you believe that the best fundraising comes from personalized stewardship, you should read this book. Sturtevant takes his years of experience in the higher education fundraising circle, and translates many of the best practices into a format that anyone can use. He offers a great understanding to the novice fundraiser (be they board, staff or volunteer) and really helps humanize an otherwise scary endeavor.

Even the seasoned fundraiser will learn much from his experience, though you may notice redundancy toward the beginning of the last half of the book. Skip over the stuff you know, and you will still be pleased with the outcome.

I've successfully used this book to help train members of my board and to aid in the development of a pro-fundraising philosophy around the office.

No matter when you plan to sell your home, there are remodeling and home improvement projects which can enhance its value, and TLC's 'Property Ladder' show offers up case histories of such improvements, detailing why they boosted sales. From frown molding and granite kitchen counters to spacious-seeming rooms, chapters cover the most cost-effective, high-profit remodel jobs, pros and cons, and when to choose a pro over doing it yourself. It's a clear blueprint to financial success and you can't fail with step-by-step directions and color-coded sidebars of tips.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Purchased the book because of the ideas it had for updating a dated home.
Fit our needs and we got several ideas from it that we have used.

This book was not very good. It was boring.. plain and simple. The only reason I rated this book with 2 stars is because it seems that it will come in handy for the future. The book does not really mention to much about flipping homes, but more about repairs. It goes into light detail about how to make repairs and installations. It should come in handy when I'm actually in the midst of a project. But as for research about the housing market and profitable ways to flip a house, forget about it. It list a ton of measurements and numbers that no one could possibly remember. The book is also poorly written so its hard to hold your interest and keep on reading.

Hello, my name is Scott and I really like this book. I am one who is tired of the thought of working hard for money all my life. So I have been studying ways to get ahead financially in a short period of time. I have read a few books on real-estate and flipping properties, most of them have a lot of good advice, but sometimes you want to see what they're talking about in a picture or two. "Buying For Profit" does just that. It not only has a lot of good advice, but pictures to see just what they're talking about. I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to get started on the subject of flipping homes.

For 35 years I have presented seminars and written material in the not-for-profit area. This book has been my standard recomendation, since the first edition. Follow every instruction you can't go wrong. Lionel Mayrand

When I purchased this kit, I didn't know anything about the how to file for nonprofit status. This kit took me through the process step by step and I have now sucessfully received my 501 C3 status! Thanks!

Don't buy both "How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation in California, 10th edition" and "The California Nonprofit Corporation Kit, 4th ed." expecting two different books--they contain exactly the same contents, the only difference is the "Kit" comes in a three ring binder.

I am using this for understanding the non-profit corporate requirements in California. I was made the secretary for our corporation for our church. This book is very clear and helpful. The CD rom is a plus with great examples and help.

Issue of non profit organizations and business partnership is discussed from perspective of what strategies and knowledge is necessary to achieve effective collaboration. Author leads through stages of developing this collaborative partnership and provides tools to measure both success and its potential.

I wish author would include more material on collaboration for companies from similar industry. In order to get a broader understanding of other type of partnerships, one chapter about that would have been a good idea to include in the next book revisions.

This is timely management book should be read by all those interested in leading, or advocating, a strategic alliance between a business and a non-profit, or by those who are already involved in such an alliance.

The issues covered by the book are very topical. Strategic alliances have become increasingly important to organizational survival. In addition, some organizations, including businesses, recognize that, for the long haul, they need to be in closer harmony with deeper aspirations of their customers, employees and shareholders. Others oppose such approaches as a dangerous temptation to fuzzy thinking and conflicted agendas. Yet others view the non-economic motives of their constituents as only relevant to marketing campaigns or high-minded mission statements.

This practical book addresses these opportunities and challenges systematically and with insight. It doesn't push quick fixes or high-risk strategies, but rather presents processes and analytical frameworks that support sequential acts of collaboration.

The author is a good teacher and effectively uses case studies to support his recommendations. His approach is practical and recognizes the reality that every relationship involves an exchange of value. His emphasis is on having clear agendas and then searching together for common outcomes built around relative strengths.

Foundation News and Commentary
July/August 2001
Vol. 42, No. 4

Review by Beth Brown

We all want to partner. We all speak of collaborative spirit. But when the rubber meets the road, what does collaboration really entail, and what's the difference between a deal and an alliance?

James Austin breaks down the notion of collaboration into a must-read users guide for any organizational leader embarking on a collaboration. And although the book is geared toward corporations and their nonprofit partners, many of the lessons are universal and can be applied to any individual or organization considering a joint venture, be it a marriage or cross-sector alliance.

Austin notes the role serendipity and personal relationships plays in introducing partnerships-a conversation in a coffee shop or during a long plane ride-often sparking the "ah-ha" moment leading to the realization that a corporation and a nonprofit have what Austin calls mission mesh. The organizations' leaders can see how their visions' core competencies can make a whole greater than the sum of its parts. Through in-depth and candid examples from partnerships, including those between Starbucks and CARE, Timberland and City Year, and American Eagle Outfitters and Jumpstart, Austin chronicles the necessary, and often awkward, stages businesses and nonprofits pass through in order to become strategic partners.

Austin has a healthy skepticism for the ease of collaboration. He often likens it to dating, and as with a courting pair from different countries, he sees the cultural and values barriers between the sectors as the greatest obstacle to collaboration. The corporate leaders he interviews are open about the fact that their bottom line is to make a profit and a partnership can often assist their public relations efforts.

For the nonprofits, there is greater accountability held when working with corporations, and sometimes the social value nonprofits generate is not easily quantifiable. In addition, each can be associated with the mistakes of the other. However, the payoff is that one can also be associated with the success of the other and be exposed to new audiences-potential customers for the business, future partners for the nonprofit.

One interesting observation Austin makes is the inherent noncollaborative nature of a philanthropic relationship (it is the lowest on the collaborative totem poll). Although he does not single out foundations, he characterizes the giving of money by one organization to another as an exchange of resources for warm fuzzy feelings. Among philanthropic relationships, the venture philanthropy approach seems to offer a model of partnership similar in the level of engagement to the examples mentioned in Austin's book.

The details from the examples and extensive quotes of philanthropic and business leaders, such as Aaron Lieberman of Jumpstart and Jeff Swartz of Timberland, give the reader an insider's view of what went into the partnership. At the same time, the book is filled with simple big-picture truths such as "serious relationships, organizational and interpersonal, should not be rushed." That's a helpful notion to remember with everyone so eager to jump on the partnership bandwagon. Austin reminds us that having and keeping a partnership is not the end all-adding value is the goal and sustainability does not necessarily equal effectiveness.

Austin's greatest contributions to fostering collaboration are the tools the book includes: questions, checklists, continuums-cheat sheets for collaboration-that would be an asset to any leader considering partnership. In addressing the questions he poses, Austin leads potential collaborators through the development of a partnership purpose.

The final chapter of the book contains a complete conceptual framework for collaboration that seems universally applicable to any partnership. These "Seven C's of Collaboration" include Connection with Purpose and People, Clarity of Purpose, Congruency of Mission, Creation of Value, Communication Between Partners, Continual Learning, and Commitment to the Partnership.

So let's all take a cross-sector breath before claiming our next partner and take the messages of James Austin's book to heart and practice.

---------
Beth Brown is the director of Public Policy and Emerging Issues at the Council on Foundations.

At the Independent Sector's annual meeting in Atlanta on November 6, Professor James Austin of the Harvard Business School's Initiative on Social Enterprise was awarded one of The Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Prizes for 2001for his book The Collaboration Challenge: How Nonprofits and Businesses Succeed Through Strategic Alliances. The two Prizes recognize outstanding published research that furthers understanding of philanthropy, voluntary action, nonprofits, and civil society in the United States and abroad. The Prize Selection Committee is comprised of five senior academic researchers and practitioners and is chaired by Professor Howard Tuckman, Dean of the Business School at Rutgers University. The prize is named in honor of Virginia Ann Hodgkinson, who is renowned worldwide as a driving force behind the development of research on the nonprofit sector and voluntary action.