Consultants Books

Stacie Stoelting has a ministry to families suffering from Alzheimer's disease. She spreads hope, love, and joy through dramatic programs full of speaking and singing which she presents... If you know of people suffering from Alzheimer's or are suffering from it in your very own family, you've got to check out her ministry. She'll even pray for you.

Here's her ministry's web site: www.stillholdinghands.org. Lots of pictures and info. Still Holding Hands is HIGHLY recommended!

Still holding hands, a true story, tells of the lives of Ray and Hilda Beamer. Stacie's grandparents, a close Christian couple, capture love and triumph over Alzheimer's disease. Before anyone can fully understand another's problems, you must climb into their shoes to experience the situations. This book informs people about the affects Alzheimer's disease has on families of victims. The book also includes humorus, adventurous, and Christian romance stories. If you want to read a hear-warming, page-turning book, read "Still Holding Hands".

"Still Holding Hands" is a remarkable piece of reading material! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this incredible book. I am impressed that Pat Robertson of "The 700 Club," Randy Travis, and Senator Chuck Grassley all recommend this book! It is amazing that such a young girl was able to write her grandparent's story (dealing with Alheimer's disease) like an educated adult. I felt like I was a part of the Beamer family - it touched my heart. This book educats people about the affects Alzheimer's disease has on families of victims. Not only does "Still Holding Hands" inform people about Alheimer's (through real life stories lived by her grandparent's) it also includes humorus, adventurous, and Christian romantic stories. I urge all to buy and read this page turning book. I could hardly put it down when I read it. I will definately read it again in the near future!

"Still Holding Hands" is a spectacular piece of literature. I recommend it to everyone! Stacie Stoelting is an amazing young author who indeed has a gift of displaying her feelings on paper. There are in-depth descriptions about her grandfather's mental decline, his childhood stories, and the Christian romance between him and his wife. It is a very well-rounded book. I felt as though I was part of the Beamer family dealing with an Alzheimer's stricken victim. It nearly brought me to tears during some areas of the book. However, "Still Holding Hands" is humorous in other areas. It is amazing that the book has been recommended by Randy Travis, Senator Chuck Grassley, and Pat Robertson of The 700 Club. If you want want to read a heart-warming, page-turning book, read "Still Holding Hands". I could hardly stop reading it.....I may even read it again!

This is a great book in so many ways. If you need a good summer read, get this one. As far as my advice, buy this book for anyone in your family touched by Alzheimer's or another serious disease. It'll touch your heart. It did mine.

I have been recommending this book to my friends,but they will have to get their own copy.I'm keeping mine for inspiration when setting goals or facing change.This is a practical guide for change.

Turning Change into a Payday is a genuine guide on how to unleash the power from within. The formats for change backed by examples are applicable to everyone no matter what your profession, position, or income. It's about realizing dreams, overcoming obstacles and making the most of life on every level. Consider this book a must read.

Profound and powerful, Turning Change into a Payday provides brilliant, timely directions that make us look past the drama in our lives.....at ourselves; it steers us back toward the spiritual principles of self-examination, integrity, courage, and contribution. Ralph Bruksos is right....in this ever-changing world, the only thing we really control are the choices we make. Bruksos pulls the covers on the dead-end paradigm --"Happiness is knowing who to blame".

Our bookstores are filled with titles offering a look at change - the cause, need for, and how to. Closer examination has revealed to me that there are an abundance of prophets and very few practitioners. Bruksos' writing style actually shows me through his experiences how he has practiced what he preaches. Read Turning Change into a Payday and join me on the high road to freedom.

If you read this volume, you will know how to accept and benefit from any change in your life, and how to help others do the same. In this book, Ralph writes that when we are ready to learn, the teacher will appear. That is certainly true in my case. I want to share with you how - as student of Ralph Bruksos, I have benefited from applying his teachings to my life.

One day in March 2000, I received a phone call from Ralph, who was looking for someone to create a brochure for him. We met and, after just one hour in his presence, I understood that I needed to visit his book-lined office on a regular basis -- not only as a creative consultant, but as a client! Ralph was kind enough to take me on, and I -- the owner of a business with one employee (me), joined the company of CEOs, VPs, executives, salespeople, and business owners who have improved their businesses and their lives by working with Ralph Bruksos.

In his work with me, Ralph gently began to help me understand the many ways I was, in effect, missing out on the extremely positive opportunities that lay at my feet. Gradually, I became aware of the root causes of why I was feeling so stalled out in my life, relationships and career.

About two years later, Ralph honored me with an invitation to edit his book. It proved to be one of the most valuable experiences of my life. As I worked on the book, I began to apply the lessons contained in Turning Change Into A Payday to my life. I delivered the body, stopped blaming others , wrote down my goals , sought ways to close the loop for myself, stopped getting my story straight, and recovered my empathy for others.

As the book consuls, I saw every day as a choice I could make to do better. I was surprised to learn that life of a man whom I only knew as happy, prosperous, and sucessful had in fact been much harder and more challenging than mine. This was a teacher, I realized, who really understood change because he had mastered it in his own life.

Suddenly, my phone began to ring again with new jobs and wonderful opportunities. New friends appeared. I started moving through the changes I had put off, and felt much better.

Ralph is a modest and humble man. He has never bragged to me about what he's done to help others, but I am certain that I am only one of many he has reached out to and - with his characteristic love, compassion, and wisdom - guided to the path of happiness and prosperity. I think of this book, Turning Change Into A Payday as a natural extension of Ralph's mission to help others. By writing his lessons down, he can spread the word to far more people than he could consult with one-on-one.

You, dear reader, may not have the benefit of such powerful personal interactions with the author of this book. However, you do have the opportunity to buy and read this book, which contains the same lessons, stories and original thinking that Ralph uses as the basis for his consulting that has positively impacted countless numbers of people.

As Ralph would probably say, it's your choice.

Paul C. Tumey, editor

In my career I have read many books on change management, goal setting, leadership and human relations. I must admit that I have enjoyed most of them. However, many don't stick and really cause me to take action. Well, this book has been the sometimes needed "kick in the butt". If you are looking for inspiration it's a good read.

This novel worked for me on several levels. First there's the mystery, then there's the comedy and finally there's the insight into celebrities and our celebrity obsessed culture. The mystery is first rate; I didn't figure it out until the characters did and I like that in a novel. Since I am not one for a straight-up crime novel, I loved that this was laced with truly comedic moments. I laughed out loud and even snorted. Don't read this on the train 'cause people will stare at you while you chortle. Finally, this novel made me think about the culture of celebrity. Why is this culture so obsessed with celebrity?
The author offers insight and answers that must have been gained in his daytime career as a Crisis Management Expert. Since the other reviewers have covered plot, I won't do that here except to say that "Turnpike Bobby Chin" could've easily been named "Train-wreck Bobby Chin." I was similtaneously repelled and fascinated by him. Have you seen "Breaking Bonaduce?" Can't change the channel but you feel so gross after watching it...
Any-who, I highly recommend "Turnpike Flameout." Order it soon and enjoy-just not on a crowded train!

Dezenhall's latest is a laugh-out-loud comedy about a cry-out-loud tragedy. The tragedy is the career and personal flameout of indecipherable Jersey-born rocker, Turnpike Bobby Chin, who fakes his own fatal plane crash in the South Jersey Pine Barrens. Turnpike Bobby once had a "moment" when one of his songs ranked higher on a billboard chart than one of Springsteen's lesser ditties in the early 1980s -- a moment Bobby pathetically clings to a quarter century later. Bobby, you see, is in desperate competition with Springsteen, but Springsteen doesn't know who Bobby is.



On one hand, Dezenhall's ear for comedy left me in hysterics -- especially Turnpike Bobby's misheard lyrics -- but his mastery of how the media can be manipulated on behalf of a well-paying reprobate like Turnpike Bobby got me thinking. The story line about the conveniently missing au pair could have been snatched right out of the Natalee Holloway/Aruba mystery headlines. Whether you want to laugh or ruminate on the state of our star-struck civilization, Turnpike Flameout will get you there.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. My kids kept asking me what was so funny because normally I don't laugh out loud when reading mysteries. The plot moved along at a good pace and the characters were amusing but also interesting in the context of our celebrity-obsessed culture. On my next flip through the pages of People magazine I'll have a much better idea of what motivates a lot of these folks AND what motivates me to keep reading about them!

Dezenhall's real-life expertise on how spin doctors can manipulate public opinion give this fabulous novel a unique twist. The story is loaded with wit and humor. It is also filled with wisdom that causes the reader to think - something that is a rare experience in the world of fiction.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. You will, too.

Jonah Eastman is a special kind of pollster. He does not just collect data and report ad nauseam as to what average American believes. Instead his job is to impact the polls in favor of his client whether it means obtaining support to place a hazardous waste dump inside a child care facility or insuring the election of an idiot to the senate (obviously will fit in nicely with the standards of that club) by painting an even more moronic portrait of the opposition. Truth or ethics are not factors; only wins are important regardless of the means count; if you need a reference just ask the Reagan White House.

Public relations "Practitioner" Cindi Handler hires Jonah to help her client; former TV child star turned into New Jersey's number two rock star after the Boss, Turnpike Bobby Chin. Recently his private plane crashed nearby, but he walked away. Now, he is the prime suspect in what is considered a kidnapping and probably a murder of a vanished sculptor Christian Josi, who was creating an unflattering statue of the former star. Trying to help an egotistical jerk surrounded by has-beens and never-beens and chased by music journalistic vultures makes working the Reagan White House seem simple.

The fourth Jonah pollster tale is an exciting thriller starring an intriguing individual whose expertise is an interesting spin. The story line is owned by Jonah as he reflects on life while trying to turn opinion in favor of pathetic Turnpike Bobby who instead thinks he needs an upholsterer and a lawyer more than an impact pollster. Though the support cast including the Turnpike behaves like aging garage band members seeking the Fountain of Youth (except for Jonah's intelligent wife and Cindi), Jonah's endeavors make for an intriguing look at how images and icons are created.

Harriet Klausner

This book is a joy to read. George Elsey has told the story of his experiences with clarity and continuity that makes history reading fun. The word serendipity came to mind numerous times while George relates the fortuitous events in his life. He does not belabor the reader with oft-told events that are common knowledge. His narrative style paints a vivid picture of how important and significant world affairs melded together through the 40s, 50s and 60s. Persons who also grew up in this time-frame will immediately relate to the events. George Mckee Elsey still exhibited his sharpness of mind during a recent radio program on NPR called, The Book Guys.

George Elsey was one of the architects of Truman's upset of 1948. Truman even predicted the outcome some weeks before the election to Elsey and Elsey put the prediction in a safe place. Truman was a little optimistic, but he really defied the odds and the bookmakers in Nevada by beating Tom Dewey.
This is a must for any fan of Harry S Truman. Bet they sell lots of this book at the Truman Library in Independence, MO. There were no two people like Bess and Harry Truman.

From National Review Online:
An Unplanned Life, by George M. Elsey. The newly published reminiscences of the author's days as a Naval aide to FDR and speechwriter and advisor to President Truman. Now 87, Mr. Elsey spent many hours with Roosevelt in the White House Map Room, served as the president's personal witness to the invasion of Normandy, and decoded and delivered to Truman the first report of the mission over Hiroshima. The stories are fascinating and engagingly told - the product of careful note-taking, an undimmed memory, and a modest, gentlemanly character. --Matthew Scully

George Elsey was a Harvard graduate student in history who wound up as a 23 year old Naval Aide to FDR in the midst of World War II. Thus began an unplanned career as a key witness, participant, and recorder of one of the most important chapters in our nation's history.

Working in the Map Room, he coded, decoded, read, and transmitted the most top secrets of the war, including:

-Handing Churchill the news that the Allies had sunk three German U-Boats, which Churchill knew meant that we'd broken the top secret German Enigma code. Churchill jumped up and down and shouted "We got them! We got them! We got them!" This was in May, 1943, regarded by many as the turning point of the war.
-Handing FDR the news that Mussolini's government had collapsed in July, 1943.
-Handing Truman the news of the atomic bomb.

But he didn't just pass along news, he made news. He was a key architect of Truman's foreign policy, and also nudged him to proceed with civil rights speeches. And then during the "greatest political upset of the century," George Elsey wrote Truman's speeches during his famous Whistle Stop Campaign, sometimes as many as 15 speeches a day.

He had many more accomplishments in government life as well.

He worked at the Red Cross for over 20 years, 13 as President, and was personally responsible for many of the core tenets that live on to this day.

George Elsey is the kind of man we all want to be, and his story, written with great candor, modesty, and precision, reminds us that giants used to roam the halls of the White House.

While the title of this book could fit most of our lives, most of us do not get to go to Princeton, and then assigned to work in the White House through World War II and beyond.

Mr. Elsey did this and more. He was assigned to the White House early in the war. He was to remain, first with Roosevelt and then with Truman for many years. Later, during the Viet Nam war he worked with Clark Clifford looking for ways to get out of the war. Finally he spent a long career with the Red Cross.

This career placed him near the center of power for many of the critical years of the 20th century. Now at 88 years old, it is clear that his memory is still sharp. And as his attitude towards life comes through it is easy to see how he would have fit into many different assignments.

The photograph section of the book is fascinating as it shows him off to the side or behind the president, but often with people very powerful in their own right.

If you are interested in the Consulting Industry....it doesn't get better than this! This is a great comprehensive guide to the various companies and their focus areas. Great jump start on finding where you belong in the world of consulting.

I found this guide to be immensely helpful in getting the real story - good, bad and ugly - about the consulting industry and the leading consulting firms. I would highly recommend reading this guide.

For individuals exploring consulting positions, this is a must read book. You will learn about corporate culture for the most prestigeous consulting forms in the US. Not all consulting is the same, nor are the firms that employ the top talent. Before you make a move, check the Vault Guide and you will know what to expect. Exellent reference, to the point and worth every penny.

I found this guide to be immensely helpful in getting the real story - good, bad and ugly - about the leading consulting firms. The book also has a fascinating new poll/ranking of the 50 most prestigious management consulting firms to work for. (As might be expected, the consultants surveyed rated McKinsey as the #1 most prestigious and BCG as #2). I would highly recommend reading this guide.

I don't normally write reviews, but I just got this book and had to write. The book has detailed insider accounts of life inside every major consulting firm, including its history, areas of specialization, and tips on the hiring and interviewing process. Highly recommended for job seekers and consultants alike.

I liked this book a lot. It reminded me so much of some projects I have worked on in terms of the happenstance and there you are. Seaborg was a kind, sane and good person, and it really comes across in this book.

Such a contrast to so many today, and the politics have become so impenetrable these days. The UC system was nearly new then, it made me really feel how California was bubbling with new and great possibilities 70-50 years ago.

I wish I had met the man. I hope I can be somewhere near as good a man as he was.

This was a very interesting book. You got to learn about the guy who was first able to separate plutonium not just a small bit at a time but on an industrial scale at Hanford. The story got me interested in Lawerence and the cyclotron and how some of the newer elements were used like the one they use in smoke detectors. He was an interesting character who tried to work within the system. By the end of the story you can see his democratic leanings because none of the Republican seem to know what they were doing but aside from that it is an interesting story which made me want to know more about nuclear power. I never knew about all the peaceful uses they tried that were explained in this book. This book made me want to know more of what actually happened which is why I read the new Rickover book by Frances Ducan. In his book he mentions Seaborg several times. The book has it's funny parts like when he was chancellor of Berkley how the male students council came to him and ask him to turn one of the dorms into a brothel so the guys could stay on campus and still relief some stress. Seaborg wore a lot of hats and his story coinsides with the times that he lived. This is shown by how he felt about working on the bomb during World War II. At the time Germany had taken most of Europe and Japan was all over China and the Pacific and if he didn't do something to stop them, they would rule the world. It made it seem less of a moral choice than one of survival.

Adventures in the Atomic Age is a remarkably friendly book. It is Glenn Seaborg's autobiography (completed after his death by his son). He helped develop the atom bomb, won the Nobel Prize and had an element named after him and those are only a few of his many achievements. He also chaired the Atomic Energy Commission, was chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley and was a professor whenever there was a lull in his career. He worked to make science interesting and accessible to the public, especially to students. An idea of how well he succeeded is shown by the fact that this book actually makes the science of the atom bomb intelligible. This is a book that can be read on many levels. It can be simply a history of the atomic age for he was there at the very beginning. It can be a history of the changing political scene during his life. It can also be read simply as the history of a thoroughly decent person. Glenn Seaborg comes across as a nice guy, the sort of person you would want as a next door neighbor, and would definitely want as a teacher.

To have an element named for you while you are still alive is the rarest of honors and Adventures In The Atomic Age: From Watts To Washington by Glenn T. Seaborg is the story of a life worthy of that honor. Glenn T. Seaborg takes you on a trip through his life, starting with his boyhood in Michigan and his teen years in South Gate, California. Hard work gets Seaborg to UCLA and continued hard work gets him to UC Berkeley, the place where most of his academic life will take place. Seaborg was student, teacher, researcher, the Golden Bear's biggest fan, and chancellor. Seaborg quietly affected all of our lives as the head of the AEC, and, for the most part, we are better off for his rational leadership of that organization. He served on the committee that wrote the educational report 'A Nation At Risk' and served on the committee that recently reformed California's science curriculum. He is proof that a public education can be excellent and that you get out of your education what you put into it. The people who have heard of Professor Seaborg usually know him as one of the co-discoverers of the element plutonium, but this book should give anyone who reads it a wider view of a rich life. Glenn T. Seaborg is not the household name like J. Robert Oppenheimer or Edward Teller, but hopefully this excellent autobiography will be a step towards making this wonderful scientist and human being more widely known.

It was great. She needs to write faster. I can't wait for the next one to come out. I love her ebooks as well.

I really enjoyed this book. It moved along well. The story was interesting. It was nice to see good triumph over evil. The story was not preachy (like some Christian romances). A good read. I hope she writes more books.

Marnie Pehrson does a great job telling a great story! I love being able to read a good clean romance - pure pleasure with no guilt! I really enjoyed the characters in this novel; it was fun to read a second time! Great job, Marnie! I look forward to a lot more clean romance novels...

Having never read a piece of work specifically categorised as `clean-romance' I was curious about this novel. I must admit that there was a part of me that thought that 'clean-romance' translated into 'boring'. Truth could not be further from reality. I was pleasantly surprised by how this story was not only deeply entertaining, it contained all of the ingredients for a great story which are suspense, drama and action.

Briefly, the story begins sometime during the Civil War between the States in America. Angelina Stone's world is falling apart. Her beloved father lies rotting in a Union prison when her Georgia home is invaded by Yankee soldiers. She is traumatised by a particular experience and her saviour is one Elijah Willoughby. It is a long time before Angelina comes to terms with what happened. After the War ends and when her father returns, he convinces her to take up a teaching position in another town. There, she comes face to face with none other than Elijah. Their romance begins but it is not a journey without many obstacles; it reaches a satisfactory conclusion, nevertheless.

Certainly, I was hooked from the first page and I wanted to know more. Classified as a romance, it was easy to follow the plot and I could hazard a guess as to what would happen next. This by no means indicates that the story is without suspense for there were times when I was stunned by revelations made; for instance, I enjoyed discovering just who the man who stumbled along on one leg really was.

Living in the Far East and not having a clue how the land Ms. Pehrson wrote about looks like, I was still able to picture in my mind's eye the scenes she painted with her words. The landscape came alive and the various scenes were splendidly depicted. I can all but picture the homes of Angelina, Bonnie, Elijah, the school room and other locations mentioned therein. The conversation is dramatic and rather quaint. Care has clearly been taken to picture each and every portion of this book and an example of this is the way in which the `ladies of the night' speak when Elijah happens to visit a place of ill repute. Their manner of speech and description of the place is apt and precise. A scene that requires special mention is the one where Angelina does some shopping in the General Store - the description of the items for sale added to the element of authenticity of the time period in question.

The main characters are developed and easily recognisable. The fear Angelina feels after her traumatic experience comes across as very real and palpable. Her strength of character and yet, that secret desire to have a knight in shining armour come rescue her is certainly something a lot of women would identify with. Certainly, I feel for her and I found myself genuinely wanting the two main characters to fall for each other. Elijah Willoughby is depicted with all of the normal human anxieties and clumsiness of a man in love; the sensitivity with which he handles the situations before him and his acts of kindness all but strengthens the reader's perception of him.

If there is to be criticism of the book, then I would say that Angelina's younger siblings somewhat fade into the background soon after the introduction and seem superfluous. Nevertheless, I would highly recommend Angel and the Enemy to anyone who has a soft spot for romance and wishes to pass a few hours in a most pleasurable manner. It will leave a reader feeling all warm and happy with the knowledge that there is still some chivalry left in this world.

Review by Aneeta (a.k.a. Asian Storyteller)

Mr. Erikson wrote a thought-provoking book, but it is certainly a product of his times. Such notions as homosexuality being deviant (his word, not mine) behavior and was more of a symptom of a psychologically damaged individual has not held up to present scientific evidence. Overall, the book is a fascinating dissection of childhood development and how it possibly manifests itself in adulthood. But reading this material wasn't exactly a cake walk. I doubt many casual readers could wade through Mr. Erikson's book without developing MEGO (My Eyes Glaze Over) Syndrome. For what it's worth, I enjoyed most of it.

An Uber-Classic--Required reading for anyone in psychology. No! make that anyone, period.

This book published in 1950 was Erikson's breakthrough book, the first one by which he became known to a wide popular audience. Certain of the ideas formulated in this book have become part of the language of our general culture, most notably the concept of 'identity- crisis'.
At the heart of the theoretical framework of this work is Erikson's conception of eight- stages of life.
The first of these stages he calls the 'oral- sensory'.It involves the conflict between basic trust and mistrust.
The second is called the muscular- anal involving the confluct between Autonomy and Shame and Doubt.
The third is the Locomotor Genital involving the conflict between Initiative and Guilt.
The fourth is the Latent involving the conflict between Industry and Inferiority.
The fifth is Adolescence where the Identity- Crisis comes into play at a time of Role- confusion.
The sixth is Young Adulthood in which Intimacy is in conflict with Isolation.
The seventh is Adulthood where Generativity conflicts with Stagnation.
The final is 'Maturity' or "Old Age' where Despair threatens Ego Integrity.
In this work Erikson brings case - history, comparitive anthropological data in showing how the human personality is transformed during the person's lifetime also through its encounters with Society . A pioneering work of great importance.

Read it just because it's a classic or read it because it has interesting things to say for today. Read it because it's so well written. The narrative just flows, and before you know it you've absorbed some pretty important concepts.

Erikson addresses nothing less than the role of psychology in the world, and the role of childhood in our social worlds. It's a combination of the clinical, the social, and the developmental, a combination of psychology and history. Case studies are presented and large themes are addressed.

"...we are also forced to recognize a universal blind spot in the makers and interpreters of history," writes Erikson, "... they ignore the fateful function of childhood in the fabric of society" (p. 404).

Whether or not you agree with all Erikson says, you will find it food for thought.

There are plenty of casual guides on the market on how to coach various sports; but few take the more detailed approach of showing how to build a thriving coaching business, even though some 30,000 coaches have entered the profession in the past five years. There's lots of competition in coaching and so few find themselves able to earn a living wage: that's where The Business And Practice Of Coaching: Finding Your Niche, Making Money, And Attracting Ideal Clients comes in. Chapters are written by two veteran business coaches which provide exercises, tips, and plans to help coaches succeed, from drawing links between community needs and coaching to refining skills to attract public attention and targeting a profitable niche market. Any who desire to coach professionally must have The Business And Practice Of Coaching at hand.

There are plenty of casual guides on the market on how to coach various sports; but few take the more detailed approach of showing how to build a thriving coaching business, even though some 30,000 coaches have entered the profession in the past five years. There's lots of competition in coaching and so few find themselves able to earn a living wage: that's where The Business And Practice Of Coaching: Finding Your Niche, Making Money, And Attracting Ideal Clients comes in. Chapters are written by two veteran business coaches which provide exercises, tips, and plans to help coaches succeed, from drawing links between community needs and coaching to refining skills to attract public attention and targeting a profitable niche market. Any who desire to coach professionally must have The Business And Practice Of Coaching at hand.

I liked this book. I'm glad I purchased it. There really are not that many books available at present on "the business" of coaching. The other one I have, that I'm about to review, is Four Steps to Building a Profitable Coaching Practice (ISBN: 0595296602) which was written in 2003.

I'd say the instant book does a good job of describing the coaching field outside of the sports realm. It talks about whether many of its participants make a reasonable living (they don't), and it talks about the various fields or backgrounds coaches come from (therapy practitioners and consultants). It tries to be helpful in explaining how to be a successful coach from both a coaching perspective and from a business perspective. There are 17 chapters included:

1. Coaching: Trend or Fad?
2. The Differences Among Coaching, Therapy, and Consulting
3. Becoming a Great Coach
4. Four Questions to Your Perfect Fit
5. From Specialty to Niche
6. Attracting Ideal Clients
7. The Coach as Entrepreneur
8. Business and Your Emotional Intelligence
9. Why Good Coaches Go Broke
10. Staying Safe and Legal
11. Executive and Leadership Coaching
12. Business Coaching
13. Skills Coaching
14. Career Coaching
15. Life Coaching
16. Wellness Coaching
17. Creativity, Relationship, and Spiritual Coaching

My favorite chapters were 2, 5, 12, and 13. I am in the process of putting together a business plan for an online coaching business that will compete directly with many law firms, accounting firms, and fiduciary departments in banks. As a result, Chapter 2 was of particular interest to me because it compared coaching to counseling (legal counseling). Coaching that crosses the line into legal counseling can be construed as the unauthorized practice of law which is regulated on a state by state basis. I can't say that I thought the book did a particularly good job of explaining the difference, but it was better than most articles on the subject I have read.

The book explains that only about 10% of professional coaches gross six figures in a given year. That is not a very good statistic. But I suspect the success rate is so low because most coaches are not very knowledgeable about starting and running a business so it is profitable. The authors in this book attempt to explain how the 90% could make more money by including chapters 5, 6, 7, and 9. And I thought these four chapters had some good content. But I think the reader would have benefited more if the book had instead covered in detail the importance of having a sound written business plan, and how to go about writing a sound business plan. The book did not do this. At least I didn't see it.

If you are looking for a book to tell you how to be successful as a professional coach, then I don't think this book is for you. However, if you are looking for a book that will cover many of the issues you need to consider if you want to have your own coaching business, then you'll get a lot from this book. 4 stars!

There are plenty of casual guides on the market on how to coach various sports; but few take the more detailed approach of showing how to build a thriving coaching business, even though some 30,000 coaches have entered the profession in the past five years. There's lots of competition in coaching and so few find themselves able to earn a living wage: that's where The Business And Practice Of Coaching: Finding Your Niche, Making Money, And Attracting Ideal Clients comes in. Chapters are written by two veteran business coaches which provide exercises, tips, and plans to help coaches succeed, from drawing links between community needs and coaching to refining skills to attract public attention and targeting a profitable niche market. Any who desire to coach professionally must have The Business And Practice Of Coaching at hand.

Attention, consultants. This book is worthy of prime real estate on your book shelf. It's been my invaluable business resource for several years, and one I usually review even when I know we'll eventually have to consult our legal counsel. The topics cover key legal consulting issues from soup-to-nuts and in plain English. The chapters are set up so you can easily access the specific topic or issue at hand. Generous case studies provide real-world context. Highly recommended.

This book is a well-crafted, easily readable treatment of an important topic for all consultants. The authors do an excellent job of stressing that consulting is a serious business without overwhelming readers with jargon and legal process.

The book's sixteen chapters cover basic and advanced topics, from retaining an attorney BEFORE starting a consulting practice to how to handle the legal problems that may come up despite the consultant's best efforts to avoid them through good planning. Concise narrative, entertaining case studies, and solid analysis are interspersed with examples of contracts and forms a consultant can use in their own practice.

The contracts and forms discussed and shown in the book are also included in a 3.5" floppy disk. The documents on the single PC-formatted diskette are stored in Word 6.0/95 format.

One of my personal pet peeves is sole-practitioner consultants who do not treat their consulting practice as a business. The first few chapters of the book address all the contracts, agreements, and situations that a consultant faces before dealing with a client -- leasing office space, contracting for insurance, banking, telephone, advertising, and other services. It's a useful reminder that a consultancy is more than a one-man-band, and that "being your own boss" involves significant responsibility and risk as well as significant freedom and personal satisfaction.

The chapter that discusses working with nonprofit clients is written from a for-profit perspective; the stereotypical case studies center on agencies with no budgets and volunteers making promises and representations the board can't or won't honor. This is unfortunate, since most nonprofits, like their for-profit brethren, are fiscally sound, responsible corporations that can and do retain consultants in a businesslike way and compensate them based on their value.

Whether you're a novice or experienced consultant, The Consultant's Legal Guide is valuable as both a tutorial and a reference/resource work to help your practice succeed.

-- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- Selecting an Attorney -- The Relationship of Ethics and the Law -- Setting Up a Consulting Practice -- Starting Your Office -- Contracts and the Law -- Employment Issues -- Working with Other Consultants -- Client Issues -- Clients Outside the Corporate Arena -- Unique Consulting Situations -- Protecting Work Product, Trade Secrets, and Intellectual Property -- Giving Credit Where Credit is Due -- Protecting Assets Through Insurance -- Buying or Selling a Consulting Practice -- Avoiding Legal Problems -- What to do When You Have a Legal Problem -- Glossary -- Index

As a consultant, don't even think about calling your lawyer without having read this book first. Unless you like to pay legal fees, this book will prepare you to get much more input for less money from your attorney. Plus it will show you how to run your practice more effectively, and efficiently while protecting your intellectual property rights. No matter how many books you have read on consulting, this book plows new territory. A must for any consultant's library.

She covers it all--could be worth many times over the price by one preventative measure in how you handle your consulting practice.