Business Books

This a well written general overview of financial reports. If you have take much finance, this book won't be anything new. Great for people just starting out.

The book is fast and easy to read. The light bulbs kept going off as I read about what it is that I need to do to get my business back on track. If your a small business owner, this is an invaluable tool you must read and know.

At last a book that goes direct to the bottom line (that is a pun) to explain how to really see what is going behind the scenes (financially speaking) of any company without showing up at the CFO door.
I used to know all this stuff about financial ratios and key terms and still was asking to myself, So What? What am I supposed to do with all these little fellows (the ratios).
This book tells without all the mumbojumbo of other publications what to look at and how to take action to put back in track a company.

Great condensed book covering the basics of finance and accounting principles. Very easy to read and won't put you to sleep.

This is an amazing little book. It teaches you the most important financial aspects that you need to know to run your business. I've always dream of starting my own business, and one of the things that was holding me back, was not knowing enough about business finance. I tell you, now I'm very confident and excited. If you own a business or starting one, Please, Please, Please do yourself a favor and read this book.

Are you hungry for HAMBURGER HAMLET? Here is the book. The history of HAMBURGER HAMLET as created by Harry & Marilyn Lewis. I'm hungry and ready to drive to the closest one! Or maybe better yet, to a Kate Mantilini or the Gardens on Glendon still the home of the Lewis' cuisine.

& yes her life as Cardinale is also well covered in this story

a great read - now go get that HAMBURGER ( a #9 or a #11 ? which one?? it must be rare-yum)

Anyone with any sense of the entertainment industry in Hollywood is familar with Hamburger Hamlet. An ancient haven for the Rat Pack and a current haunt for celebs like Matthew Perry and Elton John, it's great to finally have a book that tells us the ups and downs of this great eatery and the two talented people who started it.

Marylin Lewis, not daring to let humility get in the way, spins us through nearly 40 years of burgers, gossip, high fashion and lobster bisque. Her first hand accounts of her own struggles and transformation into the diva of the restaurant industry is nothing short of inspiring.

Heck, this book is almost as good as the burgers and bisque. Thank goodness we still have a few of her old joints still preserved today. My advise? Grab the book, duck into a dark corner booth at the Sunset Strip location, and sink back into the days of legend when a "B" actor and an inspiring dress designer could become the darlings of Sinatra, martinis and a damn good burger.

I savored every page of this smart memoir. Marilyn Lewis' writing is as delicious as her recipes.

"Marilyn, are you sure you can cook?" is the best written memoir I've ever read. What a fascinating life...told with humor, candidness, and an ability to put words together that makes one think Charles Dickens was whispering in her ear.

Anybody in the business world or on the inside track of Los Angeles life knows who Marilyn and Harry Lewis are; their building of the Hamburger Hamlet dynasty is legendary. What makes this truly fascinating book come to life though, is the "true Marilyn" who jumps from the page. With many autobios, you can read it cover to cover and not know a whit more about the real person behind that public visage when you're done.

Not here. There's a lot more served up than some famous recipes and a few anecdotes; Lewis manages to capture the Zeitgeist of the time in which she and Harry lived and loved; a period of Show Business and Big Business colliding an L.A. full of fashion and film and some sad realities along the way.

I'd love to give details but I'm not blowing any surprises. Suffice to say the book is a surprise a mix of personal and public life, and every darn thing that happens when you're a woman with boundless talent and the energy of a high school sprinter. For instance, did you know that under a completely different name,in a completely different world, Marilyn Lewis was also famous for something that had nothing to do with her culinary crown? Double-famous in two different worlds: that's not luck. This is an extraordinary woman.

Marilyn Lewis's own peronal story is downright fascinating; from such humble beginnings she became the Grande Dame of Los Angeles's love for food, fashion, and passion. You can't put Lewis in a box.....her proven "wins" in evrything from film to filet mignon come with a story, a real story, about a real woman who was ahead of her time and made a lot of people plain catch up.

Written with the class you'd expect from one of the shining stars of Los Angeles social life, Marilyn tosses class and candor like a salad, and the result is a can't-put-it-down page turner.

I give this prize of a book my highest recommendation. The Marilyn Lewis you're going to meet in this book is probably not who you thought was on the menu. But I'd put her compelling voice and prolific humanity up against any creme brulee in town: Mrs. Lewis emerges like a creme brulee, in fact: a tough cookie and nobody's fool on the outside, and downright delicious, smooth and all class on the inside.

Give this book a read; it'll show you a Los Angeles (and a world) that may not even be possible anymore.....unless another Marilyn and Harry Lewis show up in town. For now, I'll take the originals....and they're both right here in plaintive sight. Enjoy the meal, and boy, does she know some of the juciest tidbits of Los Angeles's golden age. Enjoy, and don't forget to tip well.

The book, Mastering Monday, set the perfect example for all business people to follow. As I was always curious of why "church versus state" this book answered lots of my questions. There is such a thing as "it's just business" somewhere in our line of duty, but this book gives the big picture and how "God" and business is truly connected.

I've read some great stuff on leadership, but "Mastering Monday" is one of my favorites.

John Beckett is not a theorist, but a practitioner. I've actually had the privilege of visiting his plant in Elyria, OH. I was deeply impressed with the way John interacts with his employees--they're family.

John is unashamed of his faith. The Bible is his source of inspiration. His use of biblical characters as examples of both success and failure doesn't come across as preachy, but prove that the Bible is still relevant for the world of work today. Ironically, John Beckett the `businessman' cites the Bible more than most preachers who attempt 'cross-over' books on leadership for the general public.

From personal observation I can confirm that John Beckett is the same person in and out of the marketplace. His godly character is particularly evident in the kind of family he and Wendy have raised. That's true success.

Surprisingly, for a man who is not a writer by profession, John Beckett communicates with remarkable clarity and creativity.

John Beckett has shown that integrating work with faith is possible---and the dividends are worth the investment.

I like "Mastering Monday" so much that I ordered a whole box!

John Beckett has a perspective of nearly 50 years in grappling with faith and work issues. His book, Mastering Monday, gives a remarkable perspective from a Biblical and contemporary setting to understand important issues. Beckett is well versed, well travelled, and has a thoughtful spirituality.

I know of few other marketplace leaders in the world as respected as John. His book should be a primer for every markteplace ministry and every church that understands the sacredness of vocational calling. Those of us who live in vocationally driven metropolitan areas will well appreciate the clarity with which John writes on the topic of calling.

We will encourage our church and marketplace networks here in New York City to make wide usage of this invaluable resource.

Dr. Mac Pier
President, Concerts of Prayer Greater New York
Chairman, Fulton Street Anniversary Congress

How refreshing to find someone who has a positive, creative angle on business! Whether you are a CEO or simply in the work force "Mastering Monday" is essential study to help pave the way to a fruitful and fulfilling experience for those looking for a balanced family, community and business life.

From the outset "Mastering Monday" steps right into the nitty gritty work situations that regularly grab newspaper headlines tackling issues like .... personal conflict....union confrontation....attempted takeovers....global fall-out of bad business, etc. this leads into John Beckett focusing the reader on essential management policies and practices, the need to rethink relationships, as well as the balance between work and family, employee health, safety issues, and the bottom line in the balance sheet. This book sets out a corporate roadmap that spells out vision, mission, core values and principles essential to forge a balanced corporate character of your business.

"Mastering Monday" is designed to help businesses in the work place to bridge the gap between faith in God and everyday work bringing these two worlds together. John boldly relates some well known Biblical examples of godly personalities who set the highest standards of outstanding leadership from Noah to Jesus. There is a compelling chapter spelling out the end of business where God's principles of integrity and equity are ignored. John illustrates his point with some well known examples of corporate collapse due to business excess, pride, abusing influence in the workplace and devaluing people, with the subsequent impact on the business community and society in general.

In the final chapters John lays out five rock solid structural building blocks for a business based on sound Biblical principles that transcended time and circumstances. These principles cover areas such as....a sense of purpose....core values....the importance of people....stewardship in business and what it means to serve. Again John uses practical examples of these principles which have dynamically effected many spheres of today's business world and the benefits they have brought, not only to individuals but to the community by and large.

Momentum for change is touching hundreds of corporations and organisations as they rethink how they can live out sound Biblical principles in business in seeking to integrate faith and work. This is a genuine move of God potentially changing the whole landscape of work as an integrated part of living out a Christ-centered life naturally in the business world. I would highly reccommend "Mastering Monday" to every one involved in business and management.

Noel Bell.
Retired partner of Noel Bell Ridley Smith, Architects and Planners.

John Beckett has accurately captured many of the struggles and tensions Christians experience daily in the marketplace. Aspects of the author's journey are common to many Christians. His chapter "Integrating two Worlds" will be a help to any Christian in the marketplace -it is an issue that continually manifests itself. The phrase "I found that my growing faith was often relevant to work issues - but the reverse was also true. Workplace issues challenged and strengthened my faith, occasionally more than I anticipated." provides an encouraging perspective. The author shares his own experiences in this realm - in a transparent way that should be encouraging to all who read.

The section "Companions on the Journey" provides a number of biblical stories and characters from which much is to be learned and applied to our work world today. These are not one size fits all stories, but the characters and illustrations the author selects will provide much to think about. This is mixed in with some stories of contemporary business leaders and recent situations they have faced and their responses.

Finally, a discussion of God's workplace agenda and what theme's the author believes are critical in this discussion. In light of some recent business failures (more specifically failures of leadership) - this section does a good job of connecting the themes to "good business". It is a reminder of what really matters - and some encouragement to have the courage to do the right things.

This is a pretty quick reading book, but I don't think it is a read once and put it on the shelf. I'm sure I'll be referring back to it every year or so to remind myself of proper perspectives and to be encouraged in my work.

This book is clear, concise, interesting (almost like an unputdownable novel by Sidney Sheldon). I'm not joking. You can read it in one or two days, do the transcenders, print out your transcender results. Before the exam review the transcenders and walk out with a 900 like me. I must mention i have six months admin and six months support experience. Just to let you know the experience level. Good luck to all.

This book is clear, concise, interesting (almost like an unputdownable novel by Sidney Sheldon). I'm not joking. You can read it in one or two days, do the transcenders, print out your transcender results. Before the exam review the transcenders and walk out with a 900 like me. I must mention i have six months admin and six months support experience. Just to let you know the experience level. Good luck to all.

Exam 70-073 is now the 1 exam most people take in order to become MCP and this book will make a big difference in the attempt. This book covers each exam objective and gives the detailed information you need in order to pass the exam on the first try.

The book of over 600 pages gives you exam tips, study tips, hands-on exercise, case studies summaries and review questions, exam questions and practice tests all to help you obtain your certification ....................

The book sis loaded with diagrams, pictures, tables and figures to make the learning process easier. The author takes out the mystery behind the NT Workstation and uncomplicates the technical jargon thus enabling to retain more information, and remember information is the key to passing the exam.

The book includes Top Score Software exam simulation; this allows you to try the exam before you go live. Overall the book is one for the technical library even after passing the exam.

As good as it gets - do not look farther....

I have looked at few of the books on this subject - this one is make you understand the subject in plain English - you do not feel stupid reading it.

Combine with a good exam test questionary - and you will make it...

I have right know - 5 books on this subject and I just passed the test on the first try with a 866 when only a 700 is required. I believe this book is what put me over the top and gave me some error room to boot! It is very easy to read and reminded me a lot of a textbook but thats a good thing, those "other" books try to make things much harder than they have to be. This book lays it out in a GREAT format. I found no errors unlike many other books and I recommend this with 5 star! - something I rarely ever give out. Good job to the author, keep it up! Highly recommend!

I particularly enjoyed the chapter" The Introvert's Networking Advantage". This chapter distinguishes this book from other networking books. Andrea tells you how to work out a practical networking plan without changing yourselves.

One of the best networking books on the market!
This book confirms the fact that when it comes for networking, relationships, social behaviour etc, women are better than men, as studies indicate, and this great book written by the "Queen of Networking" fully prove this.

Not only is this book worth a million dollars to businesses, we use it to coach and interview candidates who come to us seeking jobs in the arts and culture industry. People need to be proactive about their careers, and Neirenberg's networking strategies will become second nature and add to career success. We featured it in our Art Career Newsletter to raving reviews. Geri Thomas, President, artstaffing.com

What is the best way to grow your business, further your name recognition and meet new people all at the same time? Learn to effectively and efficiently network. Many people see networking as a burden but Nierenberg flips the script giving you motivation to get your networking on. MILLION DOLLAR NETWORKING is packed full of useful advice, time saving tips, along with all the how to's and what for's. Even though this book is stocked in the business section, it should be read by people looking for employment, business owners, and everyday people wanting more out of life.

MILLION DOLLAR NETWORKING is a follow-up to Nierenberg's "Nonstop Networking" but can easily be used as a stand alone and provides new information. The easy to read format, clever stories, and use-it-now ideas will increase your networking skills making you more marketable. Reading this book has provided keys to increasing my networking circle and I'm sure it will do the same for you.

Reviewed by:
Deltareviewer
Reviewing for Real Page Turners

We are not taught how to network in college, or perhaps anywhere else in our natural path of life. Well, this book teaches you all you wanted to know and much more. Even as a student and an introvert by nature, I have made contacts and developed meaningful friendships and professional relationships by using the tools from this book. Get this book, you will thank yourself!

Having spent 10 years of my life as a career adviser, I can more than appreciate the smart tips and comprehensive information contained in Monster Careers. Well written, laid out in a way that makes it a breeze to explore and digest, filled with effective career strategies and techniques, this book will lead you to your next dream job and help you stay there. Jeff Taylor and Doug Hardy have put together a new classic in the job-hunt genre. Get one for your soon-to-enter-the-workforce son and/or daughter... and pick up a copy for yourself as well.

I've used this book extensively in the last 3 months. It helped me construct a great resume, coached me on interview techniques and etiquette, advised me about salary negotiations, and just centered me in general when I was feeling adrift after a recent, unexpected layoff. I gave this book to a friend in the same situation and she has also found it incredibly helpful. I got my first offer yesterday and I know that I will keep this book as a resource long after I land my next job!

I found "How to Land the Job of Your Life" to be the most valuable resource I used in my job search. I also felt that it would be invaluable for my college aged children to keep as they begin their future job searches. The book kept me motivated during the difficult times and helped to keep me focused. I think everyone should read this book and make it part of their permanent library!

Few people know more about finding the right job than Jeff Taylor, founder of Monster, the world's leading career Web site. Taylor leaves no contact unused in this comprehensive guide, discussing every step of finding a new job, from writing a winning resume to avoiding mistakes during salary negotiations to building a productive network. In addition to his experience, he presents advice from recruiters, human resource professionals and Monster employees. So if he directs you to Monster's Web site a little too insistently, you can forgive him, because his book is so well written, easy to read and full of good advice. It includes a good resource list of books, Web sites and services, as well as useful exercises. We recommend this 400-page monster especially to first-time job seekers, although experienced employees seeking more money, prestige or career satisfaction may also find its tips helpful.

I highly recommend this book for anyone in a job search. The exercises in part 2 "Preparing Your Search" have given me so much more confidence by helping me understand my own accommplishments and value to employers.

It's a little annoying that the book refers to worksheets online that don't appear to actually be available.

I came in not knowing much of anything about the music industry...and after reading this book from cover to cover (its a long book), I can say I learned a lot. The book is very easy to read, with real and made-up examples, and simple language. The author does a great job breaking down the rules of the industry. It does not tell you how to run your operation or how to market a hit record...it just lays out all the rules for you to either follow, break, or bend.

The best chapters were about song ownership, copyrights, publishing, royalties, and taxes. Actually, the taxes chapter was really enlightening. You can tell a lawyer wrote this book from that chapter.

I've been in a band for several years, and unfortunately, everyone else that has been in my band has never had the experience of running it as a business. We have been skating by all these years just doing gigs, but now we are planning on releasing a CD and this definitely makes things more complicated. This book has been a godsend. Very informative and USEFUL information. Other music law type books are informative, but haven't been very useful on the level we needed it. You can use what is in this book right away. Its easy to read and understand.

Like all carpenters needing important tools to build a house, this book is the tool for all musicians. It covers all the important music business information and will help cut down unnecessary misfortune for musicians. Definitely a MUST BUY!!!

This offers a great foundation to Music Law. It is clear & easy to read w/ room in the margins for notes. Richard Stim even mentions a few legal loopholes you can benefit from.

You can also recieve free book updates on the Nolo website, which is a cool perk.

There comes a time in a musician or band's career when they get serious about what they're doing and need to start focusing on legal aspects of their endeavors. This book is and indispensable reference for that situation.

The book is written in easy to understand layman's terms. It covers a fairly broad range of subjects, and provides pointers to other resources for more in depth cover of the covered subjects.

One more notable point about the book is the pre-fabricated contracts and legal forms that it comes with. They seem to be solid, could be useful in a number of situations, and are explained thoroughly.

There are two very valuable books here.

These books were first published over 80 years ago. But that does not in any way mean they are less important today than they were when first written. The fact that they have withstood the test of time and are still considered highly valuable works today validates the importance of the message.

The third paragraph of Scientific Advertising gives a preview of the lessons to be learned. "Therefore this book deals, not with theories and opinions, but with well-proved principles and facts. It is written as a text book for students and a safe guide for advertisers." They are both based on well proven facts.

Both books contain very valuable lessons learned by Claude Hopkins during his amazing career in advertising. He gives a very solid philosophy of advertising and then backs it with many actual examples of advertising in action.

If your business conducts any form of advertising, you would do well to read these two books. As Hopkins points out, "The only purpose of advertising is to make sales. Treat it as a salesman. Force it to justify itself."

A recurring theme of both books is all advertising must have a means to measure the results. "In no other way can real service reveal its advantage. Doing anything blindly is folly."

Most businessmen today believe they know their market. Hopkins has some strong words for those who rely on their opinion rather than testing the market. He says, "Sometimes those who judge the world by themselves, succeeded. Four times in five they failed. I know of nothing more ridiculous than gray-haired boards of directors deciding on what housewives want." "Only the obstinate bone-headed, will venture far on personal opinion."

Claude gives some great lessons in selling. "And every effort to sell creates corresponding resistance." Don't engage in selling. Interest those people who want what you have. Clearly show them the benefits of your product. But don't try to sell them. It will backfire. "Changing people's habits is very expensive." "People will do much to cure a trouble, but in general do little to prevent it." So don't try to sell prevention. Sell the cure.

There is some overlap between the two books. Some examples are cited in both books. But it is very interesting reading, learning how Puffed Wheat and Puffed Rice were marketed. There are countless other examples of how appropriate marketing created demand and distribution.

It is easy to say that times have changes and what worked in the early 1900's will not work today. There is no doubt that a lot has changed. But not basic human behavior. So the principles are still the same. Your job is to learn the principles and figure out how to apply them to your product or service.

The two greatest lessons from these books are to measure your return and to get rid of your own opinion about what the customer wants. Learn to ask them. Find out what they want. Trying to sell what you think the market wants can be very costly.

Delightful and easy to read. Full of knowledge you can put to use in your business right away.

This is the seed book on advertising and copywriting.

It's a short book. The ideas in it are so tersely stated
it's easy to miss their profundity.

Very concise. Very well illustrated by examples from
Hopkins' advertising career. The incidents described
occurred in a different time though - so they might
at first inapplicable to today's marketing environment.

Housewives no longer become excited by canned Baked Beans
and mail-order corsetry. When this book was written
products were described with words and a drawing at
best. The demands of the marketplace today are different
and customers have been split-up into almost infinite
niche markets today.

Still, timeless wisdom about what gets people to buy.

I have read marketing books by several of the most famous marketers who are still alive and this book is much better than all of them. This book lets you really understand marketing in a practical way, whereas other books make marketing seem more difficult, confusing, theoretical, and vague. Other books are much less helpful than this one. I think Claude had many times more experience and major successes than any living marketer. I think he knew what he was talking about much more than any others. That's why he explains things much better. I think he was also much smarter and talented as well. He was truly a marketing genius. It doesn't matter that this book is old, because people haven't changed and the scientific principles underlying marketing have not changed at all. If it is true that few people read this book, then I am glad! I would be afraid if all my competition read this book!

If you are going to be successful in direct marketing you need to the buy this book and read it until you can quote from it. Study this book and it will pay off.

Hopkins's career began at the dawn of advertising and copywriting. As his career progressed so did advertising and he gives us a behind the scenes look at many advertising campaigns from the late 1800's-1920's. Hopkins almost single-handedly helped take copywriting out of its "swaddling clothes."

Of equal interest is his personal history. He was raised in a strict religious home and expected to become a minister. But at age 17 he delivered a sermon that revealed his true beliefs, which were more liberal than his mother's, and he said it was the defining moment of his life. Not once, however, does he criticize his parents or his upbringing and he credits his mother for his advertising and copywriting skills.

Hopkins launched his career in Grand Rapids, Michigan and eventually moved to Chicago, and other cities, for bigger and better jobs. Yet he says that he wondered if remaining in Grand Rapids and living a quiet life wouldn't have been the better choice. He remained connected to normal, real people even after becoming affluent and said he learned much about contentment from them. Hopkins's attitude is very different from most authors of modern business and personal finance books, where it's all about the money.

Scientific Advertising is, as you already know, must reading for advertisers and copywriters. The chapters are short and address very specific topics: headlines, letters, individuality, telling a full story, and, my favorite, service. "The good salesman does not merely cry a name...He pictures the customer's side of his service until the natural result is to buy."

In this book you will not only learn about advertising but you will encounter a humble man who remained detached from the trappings that advertising can sometimes present.

USEFUL FOR AN INEXPERIENCED INVESTOR. PRIMARY POINT IS TO FOCUS ON THE LONG TERM AND DO NOT RESPOND TO DAY TO DAY EVENTS COVERED IN THE MEDIA. SOME USEFUL INFORMATION ON WHICH STOCKS TO BUY AND WHEN. GOOD BUYS ARE FREQUENTLY NOT THE "BEST" STOCKS BUT RATHER THE ONES GETTTING THE LEAST ATTENTION FROM ANALYSTS AND THE MEDIA.

Another great book from Bernstein. This one is more accessible than Style Investing and has some great financial planning tips/exercises. After the last 2 years in the markets many investors should reasses their tolerance and goals and Bernstein gives a nice framework to do that within.

This is an outstanding book---the best I've read in 3 years. I particularly like the discussion of risk--how the general perception of risk differs form the investors point of view. And how the investor's perception of risk can be misinterpreted by the broker or financial consultant. A great discussion of value verses growth stocks and which do better under which circumstances. I learned alot by reading this book.

This is the best book I've read in several years. It is thought provoking and backed up by data to show which stocks do well and poorly over time. Alot of the information is counter-intuitive--i.e. shows how your gut instinct is often incorrect. I particularly like the book's discussion of risk, and how the conventional view of risk differs considerably for the average investors view of risk. I plan to reread this book soon.

This readable book explains very important concepts (risk/reward, asset allocation etc.) very well. Serious long-term investors would be well advised to navigate the noise (I would suggest shutting off CNBC as a start), read Richard's book, and then create a diversified portfolio that is expected to help them fund their long-term liabilities (education, retirement etc.) while matching their true risk tolerance.

This book addresses every aspect of doing business on the Internet securely. A must read for anyone that uses the Internet to either buy or sell.

This is an excellent book for the skeptic who thinks that "it can't happen to us!" I think many different companies (government and private sector alike) will be amazed at how comparitively little it actually costs to prevent a corporate disaster. Ever wish to go inside the mind of a good hacker and learn how he does it? This is the book for you!

The ubiquitous Internet is a double-edged sword. A major benefit is sharing information; a major detriment is the risk to customers of divulging private information. For e-businesses, therefore, privacy is a showstopper issue. This book was written to promote e-business success by helping organizations evaluate privacy needs, establish a privacy task force, use technologies to provide maximum protection, formulate privacy policies and procedures, implement and test privacy procedures, and monitor and modify privacy protection. This one's a winner--for companies that want to "win" at e-business.

The ubiquitous nature of the Internet is a double-edged sword, with sharing information a major benefit, and the risk of divulging private information a major detriment. In the rush to establish an e-business, organizations can't afford to ignore the showstopper issue: privacy. Erbschloe and Vacca provide a how-to for businesses to help them evaluate their privacy needs, establish a privacy task force, use privacy technologies to the best advantage, formulate privacy policies and procedures, implement and test privacy procedures, and monitor and modify their privacy protection. This one's a winner--for businesses that want to "win" at e-business.

A very informative and useful book in an area which is near and dear to all of us as we open up to the world of i-payments.