Business Books

The author's purpose was to teach a layman how to choose a company, based on its accounts.
Inicially he explains why this is the best way to buy a share.
The reader realizes that own a share is the same as own the company.
Afterwards he teaches, in a very easy way, which numbers to look for in the annual balance.
Finally, he shows when to buy.
I've never thought I would be able to understand financial words and numbers so quickly.

This is a good introduction to Value Investing. However, I have deducted one star in its rating mainly because the valuation chapter is weak. The author should rewrite that chapter and focus on Graham's simple formula as well as a true Discounted Cash Flow model instead of the P/E and EPS based valuation.

Furthermore, the glossary and index should also be significantly expanded, for instance, Shareholder's Equity does not appear in the glossary, nor in the index, yet it is an important concept to understand. The same goes for other important concepts. The author is also too repetitive and has a tendency to mix the explanation of different things instead of properly separating them. This is confusing sometimes.

But these things aside, and considering the general lack of outstanding texts in this field, I would still recommend this book to someone wanting to gain an understanding of what Value Investing is all about. If the author were to fix the things I mention above I would not hesitate to give the book a top rating.

As an avid reader of dozens of value investing books, from Benjamin Graham's "Security Analysis" to Marry Buffett's "Buffettology", and Phil Town's "Rule #1", I have to say that I wish I read "Getting Started in Value Investing" first. Each of the aforementioned texts where valuable, but Mizrahi's book does the best job describing value investing soup to nuts. Beginning investors who are serious about pursuing a path to financial freedom by managing your own investments and attaining above-average market returns would be well suited to begin with this book, as part of a broader self-education program. What is Buffett's secret that Mizrahi so succinctly describes? Buy long-term positions in excellent companies with durable competitive advantages that you understand WITH A MARGIN OF SAFETY. It sounds simple, and it is. But simplicity does not mean that it does not takes some hard work, and tremendous patience to succeed in value investing. Read this book, it is a great first step.

Even after reading dozen's of investing books, this is still the one I grab for the 20-minute recap before making large investment decisions.

This is probably the best book for any level of investor who in interested in learning more about value investing. I have recommended this book to a number of my friends and gave a copy to my sister in law. Mr Mizrahi writes in a easy to read style which will allow any reader to understand exactly what he is saying. One of the best ways to describe this book is as a condensed version of Graham and Dodd's "Security Analysis." After reading this book, much of what Graham and Dodd said became much clearer. This book provides the perfect blueprint for investing in stocks and making it though tough times like these. One of the best features of this book is how Mizrahi lays out exactly how to read and analyze a balance sheet. Someone need not be an accountant to be able to translate a balance sheet into a meaningful document. The chart provided in the book makes the process of reading a balance sheet even easier. By reading "Getting Started in Value Investing" along with Jim Cramer's "Sane investing in an insane world" you will receive two distinct and important views about investing. Neither of these books offer "stock tips"; rather they force an individual to do their own research and homework about the stocks they are interested in. By reading these books will become a more informed investor, and you will be able to avoid many of the pitfalls investors make.

I was almost saddened when I finally ended reading the last chapter of this work, because it was so interesting and, as one reviewer put it, "a deceptively simple book".

This is a really entertaining book that starts with demolishing some usual misconseptions about value investing and the (in)famous Efficient Market Theory. Then it explains to reader why most of the hot money in Wall Street is almost incapable to find bargain price stocks and finally Mr. Mizrahi tells reader how to find bargain priced treasures himself. The examples Mr. Mizrahi uses are so simple and novise-friendly, that you can read them without any prior knowledge about the subject and still understand them quite well.

"It is not risky to buy securities at a fraction of what they are worth.", said Warren Buffett once. This book is so valuable that it will propably sell at a fraction of what it is really worth too.

As a professional certified coach, I love this book and use it as a resource in the programs I facilitate on leadership development and business coaching. Tom has such BIG HEART and through this book he provides a wonderful road map on how managers and leaders can begin to create more high performance work teams.

This will become one of your go-to books re: the coaching process. I know it's one of mine! Incredible insights as well as lots of advice, tricks, tips, etc. A must buy for coaches, or those who aspire to become coaches.

In this three-part relational guide for the development of "a performance-focused, feedback-rich organization", consultant Tom Crane offers the reader his insights on three aspects of transformational coaching; the model, the coach, and the culture. The unifying theme, the heart drives relationships, and relationships drive performance, is evidenced by the title of the book and the statement, "If you chose to incorporate any of the practices described, pay attention to how your relationships are enriched and your results are enhanced."

The 'model' part is a three-phase methodology for coaching; starting with connecting, preparing, and establishing expectations (the Foundation); progressing into exploring and issues identification (the Learning Loop); continuing with options, commitment, and follow-up (Forwarding The Action.) The 'coach' element is an introspective piece including communications and style. The 'culture' part covers both `what it is' and seven principles for creating the change.

From reading the book, it is easy to see that Crane believes in intrinsic motivation and in people. He uses a most wonderful term, "positive regard," for how a coach or leader might look upon those they work with. I could not agree more with this sentiment. If you share this feeling, this is a book worth the read, as it gives wonderful guidance for how to bring out the best in people.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"

This book does have some good background information about coaching. It is pretty dry though. If you want to learn about coaching, take an accredited coaching certification program. I did, and this was one of our required reads. It happened to be my least favorite and gave me very little practical information to use during a coaching session. If you want to read an inspiring, empowering book, read Breaking the Rules by Kurt Wright.

Tom Crane goes to the true essence of coaching. He developed a comprehensive coaching method to transform knowledge into performance and action into results. A must read not only for coaches, but also for managers and leaders.

Every few years I re-read this book as my music career grows and I find new ways to use the expertise she has gathered here. The book is a pleasure to read, with clear writing, fine organization and listings of valuable resources and contacts. Highly recommended!

I originally won a consultation package with Geri Goldstein and only had one phone conference with her. During our meeting, I also ordered a copy of this book. Since I have received this book (two years ago) I have not had to call her due to the extremely vast amount of knowledge already contained in her book!! Every time I have another question that I would think of asking her, I open this book and find the answer and much more. This is the most intricately detailed book on self promotion that I have ever acquired. I still have not covered all the ground this book contains?! I highly recommend this book to aspiring artists, agent and managers.

My friend recommended this book to me a few years ago - it hasn't been far from my office desk ever since. This book is not only filled with clear, good advice and hundreds of helpful quotes and stories from all kinds of people in the business, it's also well-organized and enjoyable to read. The author breaks things down to their essentials, dealing with the big questions about being your own boss, along with the thousands of little details. I haven't seen a book that beats this one for its subject. If you want the real information about how it's really done, get this book.

I really liked how indepth this book is. If you can stand to read it all (it is long), you will have a good understanding on how to approach club owners and others in the music business. I like this book and use it with the Guerrilla Marketing book by Bob Baker and $100,000 in Music by David Hooper to really make my gigs great. Club owners love my group because I come in professional and then go out and bring people in to the show. These three books will help you big time.

This book has everything you need to know about booking yourself. Are you ready to work and make things happen? Get this and "How I Make $100,000/year in the Music Business" by David Hooper and you will have all you need to make a really good living on your own.

If you are looking for a "how to" book on performing various mural and faux techniques this is not the book for you. This book will mainly concentrate on more of the legal and business side. After reading this book you will feel and think "Wow I can really make a living off this". I would highly recommend it for anyone considering opening a business or service in this area.

The book provided a down to earth explanation of the process for starting a mural business.
This extended from the practical aspect of actually doing the artwork to the potential pitfalls of running a business, including overload (problems with subbing work out), dealing with customers, taxation and all the other things someone who is good at artwork may forget to consider.
Well worth the read.

How To Start A Faux Painting Or Mural Business by Rebecca Pittman is a book that appears to consider every aspect of starting this kind of business. This is about the decorative arts, and this kind of thing has been needed for so long in all of the Fine Arts. This is not a book about generalizations. It is so impressive regarding: The details of setting up this business; how to dress; the briefcase or carrier; proper etiquette in every kind of situation; how to bid; preparing and securing the client. There are quesions and information regarding: Working conditions; the steps for presentations; assessing the environment; bidding; negotiating; several methods for estimations; landing commercial jobs and home jobs; dealing with contractors; subcontracting free lance artists; taxes; ceilings versus walls; and homes and commercial sites. There are salient points regarding what constitutes plagiarism, as well as motivation and goals. There are useful forms; sample contracts; sample commercial and sample home contracts; invoices; record keeping; and ledgers. In addition to several business forms, there are references for further reading. This is an excellent book for starting a faux painting or a mural painting business.

Is your question, "After reading this book, will I be able to start and run a successful business doing decorative painting"?

My opinion? This book follows through on what it promises! The focus here is learning how to start a business in Faux Painting/ Murals, and make money in the Decorative Arts Trade. This book gives facts, and proven successful business practices and technique, needed by Right Brainers, Artists, and those blessed with Creative Genius. If you need some help with how to go from being a hobby artist, to making real money with your talent, Rebecca has written your instruction manual. This book will save you time, money, and a ton of first time business owner headaches!

Rebecca's book (manual), puts Art and Business together in an easy to read format. It can springboard the Artist/ budding Business-Person into starting a viable business with their artwork.

I found this book easy to understand, well written, clear, and to the point. It will appeal to Artists who want to take their Art to the next level; start a business, market your art, and make money selling it! Don't we all want to do what we love and have the money follow? This book can make it happen for you!

I have been painting murals and doing faux finishing, decorative paint, etc. for 11 years myself, and this is the first book that isn't laden with pretty pictures...it has the nuts and bolts of a business. When I started out professionally in this business I was 19 and had no idea how to run a successful business. Sure, I could paint anything I was asked, but that's not how you become a success, alone. Understanding the labor and customer service skills required, the marketing techniques and time management, those are the pitfalls of many artists, like myself. I learned the game as I went, but I made many mistakes. Reading this book gave me some clarity on my own business issues, and gave me some insight on how to tackle them. Most of us looking into purchasing this book are talented artists of some sort, usually people like us aren't the type to run a business too well, until you learn the ropes. Ever heard of a starving artist? WIth this book you will no longer be one!

I have been developing and delivering sales training programs for over twenty-five years and during that time a lot of things have changed. But what haven't changed are the fundamentals of selling. While it's clear that Making the Sale, doesn't re-invent these timeless principles, it's equally clear that McNair's keen insight, understanding of the sales process, and uncommon vision for the sales profession have produced a book that is practical, entertaining, and indispensable to new salespeople and veterans alike.

Allen J. Lippman
Principal
Integrated Sales and Management

In clear, succinct, readable fashion, author Frank McNair summarizes time-honored sales counsel. His book is well-organized and straightforward. After each chapter, he provides a brief self-test that will help you remember his most important points. This book does not waste your time with hokey yarns; instead, it is refreshingly businesslike and easily portable. We recommend this handbook to neophytes who are starting their sales-advice libraries and to experienced salespeople who want a refresher course.

I am a schoolteacher, and yet I found wonderful words of wisdom in this new book on how to sell. There are so many helpful strategies that will be helpful to those in careers other than sales. I highly recommend this very readable book!

I haven't even finished reading Frank McNair's newest book, but as soon as I caught the gist of his guiding philosophy, I knew that this book was for me. Frank McNair understands that good selling is all about taking time to listen to, understand, empathize with, and respond to the needs of the customer. He emphasizes that selling is not "hucksterism" but a way to help people solve problems. Plus, the writing is clear; the examples are helpful and frequently amusing; and the layout is logical. Don't miss this book.

Over the years I have grown tired of the myriad of books and articles that attempt to convince us how easy it is to sell something. For those of us who aren't born with the "sales gene", these words cool very quickly after the read.

Frank McNair has somehow managed to present his case in a convincing and realistic manner, that contines to have legs long afer this book is returned to the shelf.

I bought this book for a boy who I work with and I fall in love. I found it in great time cause feel down right now. And this simple book helped me stand up and look at my life from different perspective. Now will buy it for every kid or special people in my life

Whether or not you or your honoree grew up listening to or reading The Little Engine that Could, you'll find this book to be the perfect way to say, "I'm proud of you, graduate. I always knew that you had the ability and would put forth the effort to be successful."

This is a great alternative to other frequently given books like The Places You Will Go.

This is the most inspirational book I have read in a long time!! Recommended for all ages

I am an elementary school teacher and also the mother of 4. My oldest is graduating from high school this year. After I read this book, I bought several. One for my son and several for his friends. I also sent it to my nephew that is leaving for a mission to Honduras for the next 2 years. It's a perfect book for those that are heading off in new directions in their lives and it gives them advice and encouragement! I love it!

This is a book that follows the I Think I Can Book, about the little train, It is a wonderful book for anyone that needs a little boost of self-esteem, or courage. It is perfect for those that are graduating or who have completed a difficult task in their life. I would recommend it to anyone.

I thought this book was a good start in learning how to sell your art. You do have to take action, but there is some luck involved as well. This gives you the action part. I am a professional artist already, but I am going to use the tips from this book to make my art career even better. For one thing I plan to stop procrastinating :^). If you'd like to see my work, check out www.wworcesterart.com

Alyson did a great job on this book. A must have for any artist. Invaluable. Laura K. Aiken

Combines conceptual strategies with practical advice. I highly recommend this book for self-employed artists of all kinds.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is beginning a career, or would like to increase their art business. Very informative,it will get you excited about the business end of art!

I LOVE this book and I am not an artist. The tips and techniques that are shared in this detailed and well researched book are amazing and will help anyone that needs to market themselves. I launched my blog and have done really well with it using the information Stanfield provides in the book. One of my marketing mentors advises to check out what other people in other industries are doing. If you only do what everyone else in your field is doing you will have a hard time standing out. Not being an artist I found this book to have fresh new ideas and concepts with new twist on things I already had been doing. I haven't taken it off my desk since I got it. I keep referring to it and using it over and over.

The Innovation SuperHighway is one of the fundamental pieces of work dealing with how to create sustainable collaborative advantage through the development AND implementation of knowledge strategies. The book defines the innovation frontier as our future assets and includes superb examples of innovation infrastructures being created in companies and countries - giving an understanding of how the attention should be on the people and not the technology per se. This since been documented in her subsequent research around knowledge innovation zones, the UNESCO reports and IBM CEO innovation surveys. In wise foresight there is also a chapter is dedicated to youth and how they are being mobilized with their vision. Finally, the vision in the concluding section documents the era of collaborative advantage - another evolving (and now accepted) principle of the Knowledge Economy. It is critical to note however that this book is NOT about knowledge management - it moves beyond these principles and provides a blueprint for discovering and leveraging intellectual capital, versus "managing" what is evident. In this manner the book enables the reader to sense not only why innovation is the utlimate manifestation of harnessing intangibles, but also how to create the dynamic conditions for profiting from an economy where sustainable succes is only possible if organizations and people innovate knowledge --existing and new-- more effectively to enhance economic growth and collaborative advantage. As we move from economic scarcity models based on land, labor, and capital to models of abundance based on an inexhaustible resource - knowledge, old rules do not apply; and the new rules are being innovated. This book provides the best starting point for executives and managers at all levels to begin this journey, and to set the stage for moving into a new innovation frontier - one based upon intangible value and intellectual wealth, for the success of their organizations, their enterprises and society.

Anyone who has read CIO Insight http://www.cioinsight.com/article2/0,1397,1777087,00.asp
And who wants to understand the how of living in a globalized economy:
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman and Oliver Wyman (available here too) , would want to read Amidon's's two books The Ken Awakening as well as this one, .

The book, The Innovation Superhighway, is not about the how why of globalization as much as it is about the forces of globalization (ease of transferring and exchanging knowledge and how as Friedman says "What I am trying to do is say that something important really is happening. The value-creation model is moving away from a vertical silo model to an increasingly collaborative horizontal model, from command and control to collaborate and connect, and that's going to change everything."
This is not recreational read. It is a book to be studied. And the concepts put to use.

First off, when looking for books on innovation, one must know what type of information they are looking for and what information they are going to find in the book that they are going to read. The Innovation Superhighway is a book that starts out presenting the start of a framework using the internet as a means of transmitting information. Early on in the book it is stated that internet and all it's services and facilities are really about innovation, not information. While many innovative activities are occurred because of the information that is made more readily and by the "free wheeling" of early internet companies, the internet is truly about the transfer of knowledge. When much of the book deals with sharing of innovations across some infrastructure sounds wonderful, I have seem little of it in the corporate world, where it may be true in the academic world. In fact I have seen the opposite in the corporate world, where innovation is coveted and hoarded.

In the end, this book will do a couple of good things for you. It provides an excellent look into the ideas of Intellectual Capital, which still has a certain amount of nebulousness about it (although I was looking for something a little deeper here). The book also presents some excellent views into Knowledge and what it can mean to an individual, a company, and even a country. There is a lot of good information in those chapters.

This however only gets us to page 127 out of 349. At this point, the book goes into the story of ENTOVATION which I was unable to find much that I could use in many of my roles of using technology to facilitate communication and parts within a corporation's innovation processes. It becomes the story of how individuals from many roles got together to explore knowledge exchange and sharing for the purpose of innovation. Many of the cases that are put forth rely on companies and individuals seeing the benefit of sharing information and also that all information being shared is of equal value. I have been part of such attempts at sharing only to have them break down due to information having different value to different parties and therefore demanding different returns. The whole knowledge market, although referenced earlier in the book, seems largely ignored. The primary aspects near the end of the book rely on a more idealistic world, where personal gain (thinking selfishly here) is largely ignored and the greater good of society and countries are funded to aid innovation. I have seen little evidence of any working towards that or any chance of these goals coming to fruition. Painting of Exemplar Ken Practitioners through ~40 pages had little value to me in my quest for knowledge and innovation processes.

So, there is value to the book. I felt that the first portion of the book was the most valuable and would love to see more around the strong formations of knowledge management, but I was disappointed that after such a strong start, the end left me wanting for the creating of innovative processes out of technology.

Debra Amidon has thrown the lawn party and everyone's invited!
Before WWW, I used to think how unfortunate it was that the global reach of information and entertainment was primarily a one-way communication. Then the Internet came along and the great dialogue begin. Now, Debra Amidon is helping to create a new agenda and a principal part of that agenda is to how to take the dialogue to the next level, especially in terms of process.

One could see this book from a variety of perspectives such as innovation or knowledge management, but, in essence, it's an incredible coalescing of new human ability to collaborate and create. Debra Amidon not only provides the vision and direction, she also provides a viable example with a vibrant international network of amazing human beings.

As you read the book, you can see that Debra Amidon is actually helping to "pave" the innovation superhighway that she writes about. From a nationalistic point of view, hopefully we in the U.S. are effectively developing our stretches of this highway system. Hopefully, corporate America and the U.S. Federal government will get clearer about this picture. Also, we need to figure out how we can get her to spend more of her time traveling U.S. sections of the "innovation superhighway".

This book wrestles with measuring the intangibles. The metrics of a knowledge driven economy.
This book was first available in 2003. In the March 4th 2006 issue of The Economist there appeared an article: Getting a Grip on Prosperity - what if intangible investment is measured properly?. The concepts in this book are now entering the mainstream.

For someone who wants to understand the forces that will drive our economies and most likely their careers for the next few decades...this book is a useful introduction...particularly chapter 11.2 and Part 5.

This book is worth it for anyone wanting to learn about Pharmaceutical Sales. It covers EVERYTHING you need to know about this career. It was recommended to me by a sales rep for a major pharmaceutical company. The book is great from beginning to end. It's also very easy to understand and offers great tips. The only thing I didn't like were the sample resumes and cover letters. Nevertheless, it was still a good buy.

Insider's Guide to the World of Pharmaceutical Sales, Eighth Edition

This book had every bit of information that I needed to get interviews, how to perform on interviews and what to bring with me. I used it to get a different type of sales position but I went to each interview well equipped and was able to score so many job offers that in the end, I got to pick and choose! There are key factors in here that will truly win you the next interview or the job offer. I am so thankful for this book!

great book. very informative. I highly suggest buying this book before you try and get a pharma job. You will realise that after reading it, the process is whole differant approach than a conventional job.

Great reference. Thorough, succinct, nice extras in the back, lots of legwork already done for you!

This book is a fantastic primer for "how-to-get-a-job" in pharmaceutical sales. It is a quick read, but the information is complete and if you actually follow-through with all of the tactics that the author suggests, you have a good chance of at least getting one interview. After that it will be up to you to sell yourself and demonstrate that you actually know what you're talking about. But again, if you do what the author advises you to do, you should be able to get the business.

The movement from islands of IT to a Service Oriented Architecture requires skills and talent. Unfortunately, the pending baby boomer retirement may cause the transition to slow as the quantity and quality of IT resources diminishes. This book put the IT professional back at the top of the list by addressing the critical issues facing IT personnel and IT Management. How do we do more with less IT people? The answers are structure and consideration of the IT personnel in your organization. I enjoyed reading the book and have already applied many of the recommendations in my consulting business.

This book does what others (and the title) have mentioned, it addresses the people factor that is so often overlooked. Not only does it lay out the Disciplines which contribute to successful, predictable IT management, it gives you a framework to use, almost a checklist of sorts. It is an excellent reference and tool. Indispensible!

I've read all the books about IT and could not make a sense out of it! I'm a veteran and going to school to finish some stuff I left behind and after reading this book I will recomend it to some of my fellow students at RCC

Keep up the good IT work guys.

This book has little value to current IT managers, and anyone with a business degree or MBA has already learned more than this book has to offer. There are no new theories, and the book reads like a combination textbook and self-help guide. As such it never finds a good focus. A quote from the jacket says it all:

This book "...will help you improve your ability to plan your work, meet your commitments, and do so while being an effective political actor."

If you need a confidence boost, then maybe you'll see some value to this book. But the cheering section doesn't produce many valid techniques for actually "doing more with less." The book will leave most readers looking for more solid fare.

A must have in classrooms, all of it it's just an opening to a new dimension of knowledge, thanks to the authors and my firend Javy for this book.

KEEP IT UP.

Rene SuanLi