Networking Insight

Book Review: Creating Success from the Inside Out by Ephren Taylor

Creating Success from the Inside Out: Develop the Focus and Strategy to Uncover the Life You Want was written by Ephren Taylor who founded his first company at age 12, became a millionaire at age 16, and was the CEO of a public company by age 23. Currently, he runs City Capital Corporation, which builds affordable urban housing and produces biofuels through its subsidiary Goshen Energy Resources.

In this book, Ephren shares his inspiring story about entrepreneurship and the desire to succeed. He has accomplished so much by the age of 25, which is more than a lot of people accomplish their entire lives.  Taylor shares his success concepts and tools to help you reach your dreams.  His success came from solid values, principles, and the persistence of his desire to reach his goals.

Throughout the book, Taylor speaks to today’s youth and wants to inspire them to succeed and take control of their lives early on.  We all have excuses as to why we give up and quit. Through Taylor’s entrepreneurial spirit, he created opportunities for himself and didn’t listen to the naysayers. Below are a few ideas that you can take away from his book:

• Accept NO excuses and let nothing stand in the way of your dreams
• Get over your fears and self-doubt and choose success
• Develop the decisiveness and determination to achieve your goals
• Just say no to conventional wisdom
• Start a business as a tool to reach your dreams
• Find motivation in something other than money
• Achieve true and complete wealth by giving back to your community

By reading Creating Success from the Inside Out: Develop the Focus and Strategy to Uncover the Life You Want, you will be inspired by a young entrepreneur whose business acumen and life’s values go way beyond his years.  Taylor’s book is a good read for people of all ages who would like to re-evaluate their situation and need some motivation to move their dreams forward.

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Book Review: The Dip by Seth Godin

The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) was written by Seth Godin who is also the bestselling author of Permission Marketing, Unleashing the Ideavirus, Purple Cow, Free Prize Inside!, All Marketers Are Liars, and Small is the New Big.  In addition, Seth is the editor of The Big Moo, and founder and CEO of Squidoo, and writes a popular business blog that can be found at www.sethgodin.com.

Like all of Godin’s books, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) is short and straight to the point. In this book, he explores how people can get into temporary setbacks with work or projects but can get out of them if they keep pushing. Successful people are able to get out of these dips by staying motivated and focused.

In fact, Godin says that “winners do quit and quitters do win”. It takes self-realization to know when to give up and try a new path. For winners, they work through the dip so the bigger the barrier the bigger the reward. On the other hand, losers don’t stick out the dip and just give up.

Godin’s book will help you figure out if you are actually in a dip and motivate you to get past it and become stronger. The book doesn’t really have any chapters but is broken out into the following two main sections:

•    Being the Best in the World is Seriously Underrated
•    If You’re Not Going to Get to #1, You Might as Well Quit Now

For a fun and easy read, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) delivers. The book can be read in just a couple of sittings because it is only 80 pages long.

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Book Review: Y-Size Your Business by Jason Ryan Dorsey

Y-Size Your Business: How Gen Y Employees Can Save You Money and Grow Your Business was written by Jason Ryan Dorsey who is an award-winning entrepreneur and keynote speaker often referred to as “The Gen Y Guy”.  In addition, he has been featured as a Generation Y expert on shows such as 60 Minutes, 20/20, the Today Show, and The View.

The book is a result of Ryan’s work around the world with business leaders as a speaker, consultant, and generational expert. As a Gen Y member himself, Ryan provides an insider’s perspective on how this generation acts and thinks about their careers.

The book is broken up into the following chapters:
Chapter 1: Hiring Gen Y Makes Dollars and Sense
Chapter 2: Behind the Scenes (and Screen Names)
Chapter 3: Four Generations, One Workplace, Lots of Issues
Chapter 4: An Overview on How to Y-Size Your Business
Chapter 5: What Gen Y Really Looks for in a Job
Chapter 6: Attract Quality Gen Y Employees Faster than Free Pizza at 2 AM
Chapter 7: Day One Is All-Important
Chapter 8: Orientation: Confirming Our Fit within Your Culture
Chapter 9: Keep Gen Y Engaged @ Work
Chapter 10: Develop Gen Y Talent by Making “Good Enough” Unacceptable
Chapter 11: Professionalism Is More than Bling
Chapter 12: Motivate G Y by NOT Giving Us a Trophy
Chapter 13: Retain Gen Y – and Our Enthusiasm
Chapter 14: Lead Me to Loyalty
Chapter 15: Build a Talent Pipeline Like American Idol

Generation Y is the fastest growing segment in the American workforce, which comprises of the 18-32 year old demographic.  As you probably are aware already, this generation can pose challenges to companies because they approach the workplace differently than past generations.

Examples include:

•    Constantly on their cell phones
•    Send text messages to their bosses
•    Expect company to have a green initiative
•    Expect firm to provide community service opportunities
•    Want constant feedback from bosses
•    Don’t dress professional

Regardless of how this generation may appear, they are still very motivated and truly want to make a difference in a company.  Managers just need to know how to work with them to meet their expectations and to find ways for all generations to work well together.

In his book, Ryan shows you how Gen Y can give you a competitive advantage and position your firm for long-term growth. As you can see from the chapter titles, Ryan provides step-by-step guidance and strategies on how to attract, retain, and motivate Gen Y employees to be productive performers for your organization. Throughout the book, Ryan shares real world examples of techniques that have worked for firms.

Ryan’s sense of humor throughout the book makes it an enjoyable read. Not only is Y-Size Your Business: How Gen Y Employees Can Save You Money and Grow Your Business educational, but also inspirational for firms who want to embrace Gen Y to take their firms to the next level.

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Book Review: The Law of Forgiveness by Connie Domino

The Law of Forgiveness: Tap in to the Positive Power of Forgiveness--and Attract Good Things to YourLife was written by Connie Domino who is a nationally acclaimed life coach, trainer, registered nurse, support group facilitator, motivational speaker, and educational counselor who teaches public health nursing at the University of North Carolina. In addition, she is the author of Law of Attraction: Develop Irresistible Attraction.

Connie was motivated to write this book because of the results of her successful workshops on forgiveness. She has witnessed that this powerful law works so she wanted to share it with more people.

The book is broken up into the following chapters:

Chapter 1: My Personal Journey in Understanding Forgiveness
Chapter 2: Enacting or Invoking Forgiveness
Chapter 3: Scientific Evidence for the Power of Forgiveness
Chapter 4: Using the Law of Forgiveness to Heal Our Relationships
Chapter 5: But I’m Still Angry…Working Through the Cycle of Healing When Forgiving
Chapter 6: The Law of Forgiveness at Work
Chapter 7: Using Forgiveness for Health and Healing
Chapter 8: Mad at the World: Using Forgiveness to Reach a Higher Consciousness and Live Your Best Life
Chapter 9: The Big Picture: From Personal Forgiveness to World Peace

Connie begins the book by explaining how she became a believer in the law of forgiveness, which is important for understanding her perspective.  Because of her successful journey of helping others, she is excited to share her learning with the masses through this book.

While many people may be skeptical of the concept of forgiveness, she brings science into the discussion to help validate some of her claims.  Even more interesting is that she discusses throughout the book several real world examples of people who have benefited from forgiveness.  Case studies are helpful for the understanding and learning of what Connie writes.

In this book, the Law of Forgiveness will show you how to:

• Understand the science behind the forgiveness technique
• Use the forgiveness technique to manifest your goals and dreams
• Unleash the power of personal forgiveness – with simple steps in the comfort of your own home
• Learn to forgive while you work through the cycle of healing

The Law of Forgiveness: Tap in to the Positive Power of Forgiveness--and Attract Good Things to YourLife is a self-help book that can inspire you both personally and professionally. According to the author, if you practice forgiveness, then you can unlock the power to attract what you really and become a happier person in all aspects of your life.

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Book Review: BAM! by Barry Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead

B-A-M!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World was written by Barry Moltz and Mary Jane Grinstead who are business experts. Barry is a nationally recognized small business expert who has founded and ran several businesses for almost 20 years. Previously, he has written the books You Need To Be a Little Crazy: The Truth About Starting and Growing Your Business and Bounce!: Failure, Resiliency, and Confidence to Achieve Your Next Great Success.  You can read more about Barry at www.barrymoltz.com

Mary Jane has been satisfying customers for the past 25 years in the technology industry.  She has held executive positions in sales, marketing, and operations for IBM and other advanced technology businesses. As the founder and owner or MJC, Inc., she is a freelance writer specializing in business writing for advanced technology firms, associations, and economic development organizations.

The book is broken up into the following chapters:

Chapter 1: The Myth Busters
Chapter 2: Defining Customer Service the Way a Customer Does
Chapter 3: Determining the Value of Customer Service
Chapter 4: Why Don’t We Deliver the Customer Service We Say We Want to Deliver?
Chapter 5: The BAM!-good Customer Manifesto
Chapter 6: How to Deliver BAM!-good Customer Service in a Self-Service World
Chapter 7: For Customers Who Color Outside the Lines: Delivering for the Best and Worst Customers
Chapter 8: Take Action: What Do I Do Now?

In this book, the authors discuss the common myths of customer service and teach the reader why these don’t hold true anymore.  The authors set the stage for the entire book by starting out with an explanation of these myths. Throughout the book, the myths are referenced and you are taught how to debunk them and move your business forward.

Below are a few of these myths:

• The customer is always right.
• Customers don’t care about great service; they just want the lowest price possible.
• Comment cards and customer surveys accurately measure customer service.
• Companies achieve customer service by under-promising and over-delivering.

The book features exercises, tools, and worksheets. You will learn the following:

• How to bust the 20 myths of customer service that hold back your company.
• How to assess the economic value of each customer.
• How to customize a two-way customer service manifesto.
• How to treat your best customers so they stay and fire the harmful ones so they leave.
• How to add customer service to company DNA – action plans for CEOs, line managers, and customer service reps.
• A comprehensive Customer Service Thesaurus.

B-A-M!: Delivering Customer Service in a Self-Service World is very timely because our society is such a self-service world due to the Internet and customers having their own needs and ways they want to be treated by organizations. By reading this book, you will better understand the importance of delivering great customer service and why you need to take it very serious.  Better yet, the authors provide you a tactical approach of how do achieve better customer service, which will result in making more money and your customers feeling satisfied at all times about your firm.

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Book Review: The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs by Carmine Gallo

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience was written by Carmine Gallo who is a presentation, media-training, and communication-skills coach for some of the world’s most admired brands. In addition to being an author, he is a columnist for Businessweek.com and a keynote, speaker, and seminar leader. He has appeared on CNBC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC.com, BNET, Redbook, Forbes.com, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Investor’s Business Daily.

The book is broken up into the following sections:

Act 1: Create the Story
Act 2: Deliver the Experience
Act 3: Refine and Rehearse

In this book, the author examines Steve Jobs and why he is such an effective public speaker when launching a new product or delivering a keynote presentation. Steve Jobs is known for his “wow” factor and showmanship so his audiences are drawn into his every word. He tells a story in each of his presentations so he gives his audience a unique, inspiring, and unforgettable experience.

In this book, the author lays out the specific techniques that Jobs uses to make his presentations. You will learn how to:

• Create an inspiring brand story
• Answer the one question that matters most
• Paint a specific, memorable, and consistent vision
• Make numbers meaningful
• Deliver unforgettable moments
• Build visually engaging slides
• Master stage presence
• Make it look effortless
• Rehearse effectively
• Have fun

Each chapter provides tools and strategies that you can begin using in your presentations. Throughout the book, the author analyzes actual presentations from Steve Jobs so you can read first-hand at how he creates his stories.  By reading this book, you learn how to take charge of any room, deliver your message concisely and clearly, convey the value of your products and services, and sell your ideas more persuasively.

In the business world, your appearance and style is very important for the success of whatever you do.  One way to become an expert in your area is to speak in front of audiences.  Without an effective and professional presentation, you have a much harder time getting audiences to take you serious.  If you want to learn from one of the business world’s great speakers, then it may be worth picking up a copy of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience.

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Book Review: The Audacity of Help by John Wasik

The Audacity of Help: Obama's Economic Plan and the Remaking of America was written by John Wasik who is the author of 12 books, including The Cul-de-Sac Syndrome: Turning Around the Unsustainable American Dream and The Merchant of Power: Sam Insull, Thomas Edison, and the Creation of the Modern Metropolis. John writes a weekly Bloomberg News column, which earned him the 2009 Peter Lisagor Award for journalism. In addition, he is a regular speaker and lives in Chicago.

The author discusses President Obama’s economic plan and how his administration is trying to jump start our economy.  No matter what your political party affiliation is, this book is an interesting analysis of the current state of our country and what the government is trying to do.

The book is comprised of the following chapters:

Chapter 1: First Aid and Income Boosters
Chapter 2: Rebuilding Infrastructure, Creating Jobs
Chapter 3: Bottom-Up Economics: Small-Business Benefits
Chapter 4: Job Creators and the Green-Collar Bonus
Chapter 5: Get Smarter
Chapter 6: Borrowing Wisely
Chapter 7: Restoring Home Ownership: Keeping the Dream Alive
Chapter 8: Health-Care Reform
Chapter 9: Unfinished Business: Long-Range Goals in Entitlement Reform
Chapter 10: The Road Ahead

The author begins the book with a brief history of the Bush era politics and then leads into how Obama plans to get our country to get us out of this mess.  We live in challenging times so the author has set the stage early as to what this country’s new President is hoping to do.

In each chapter, the author explains the current situation whether it may be healthcare, education, taxes, or energy. Next, he explains what Obama promised in his campaign for each issue. Lastly, he shares what Congress actually passed. It is an interesting way to compare each issue and see how government works.

Many of Obama’s initiatives didn’t move forward the way he promised. Rather, Congress altered what he promised, which is very common in politics. Also, in each chapter, the author discusses who benefits most and what still needs to be done. He does a good job of providing his thoughts on our country’s top issues.

Below is an excerpt from the book to show you an Obama promise vs. what Congress passed for the topic of “Tax Cuts”:

What Was Promised: Obama proposed a permanent tax cut of $500 for workers and $1,000 for families.

What Congress Passed: Limited credit that will pay a maximum of $400 to singles and $800 for those filing jointly.

Personally, I am not a very political person, however, the book does a great job of informing you of the major issues in our country and how our President and Congress are trying to get us out of this recession. If you want to get up to speed on our country and get better informed about our current President, then The Audacity of Help: Obama's Economic Plan and the Remaking of America may be worth a read.

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Book Review: Upstarts by Donna Fenn

Upstarts!: How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit from Their Success was written by Donna Fenn who has been an expert on small business trends and entrepreneurship for over 20 years. She is the author of Alpha Dogs: How Your Small Business can become a Leader of the Pack and a contributing writer at Inc. magazine.

In Donna’s book, she discusses how Generation Y is changing the business world and creating a whole new crop of entrepreneurs. Inspired by the success of past generations of entrepreneurs, these young entrepreneurs are creating cools startups that are changing the way we do things.

Donna interviewed more than 150 young CEOs to learn how they do business, what motivates them, and how they want to change the world. The stories of these young entrepreneurs are very interesting.  Many of these people started businesses while in high school, which is amazing.

The book is broken up into the following chapters:

Chapter 1: Extreme Collaborators
Chapter 2: Technology Mavens
Chapter 3: Game Changers
Chapter 4: Market Insiders
Chapter 5: Brand Builders
Chapter 6: Social Capitalists
Chapter 7: Workplace Renegades
Chapter 8: Morph Masters
Chapter 9: The Future of Upstarts

Upstarts examines this entrepreneurial generation and reveals the following insights that are critical to this group’s success:

1. Building collaborative tribes
2. Deploying technology to your competitive advantage
3. Disrupting the status quo
4. Deconstructing the GenY market
5. Generating branding buzz
6. Adopting a social mission
7. Inventing the workplace of the future
8. Reinventing your company

According to the author, if you follow what these young entrepreneurs are doing, then you have a greater chance of success with your own business.  Times are changing so you need to adapt to the new normal and learn to work with GenY. After all, there are 77 million of them out there.

Upstarts!: How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit from Their Success is a very enjoyable read that is organized around the stories of these GenY entrepreneurs.  Every business is different so it is interesting to read the stories of these entrepreneurs and learn about their journeys of success and failure. We can all learn from these young, determined, and driven professionals.

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Book Review: Becoming a Category of One by Joe Calloway

Becoming a Category of One: How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison was written by Joe Calloway who is a consultant on employee engagement and performance. He has many world-renowned clients such as newspapers in Sweden, hotels in Great Britain, BMW, and IBM. Joe is a frequent speaker on business trends and has been inducted into the International Speakers Hall of Fame. You can find more about Joe at www.JoeCalloway.com.

In Joe’s book, he redefines competition by sharing lessons on how to differentiate a business in a marketplace of commodities.  Rather than striving to be a leader in your industry, Joe suggests that you should create a different category and be the only one in it. Therefore, your firm becomes a category of one.

The book is broken up into the following chapters:

Chapter 1: We Just Started to Go
Chapter 2: What’s Your Story?
Chapter 3: Success Means You Know What Used to Work
Chapter 4: The Commodity Trap
Chapter 5: Your Brand Is Everything
Chapter 6: The Three Rules
Chapter 7: The New Customer Reality
Chapter 8: Tiebreakers
Chapter 9: Case Study: Tractor Supply Company
Chapter 10: The Future of Category of One

Throughout the book, Joe discusses how firms such as Zappos, Apple, Netlfix, and In-N-Out Burger have become category of one companies. All of these firms have done something right because they consistently beat out their competition. In fact, they are in a category of their own.

According to the author, all category of one companies have common threads that make them very successful. Regardless of size or industry, these firms exist everywhere.  Their success can be attributed to the way they do what they do.

Here are a few of the common threads:

• Make a conscious decision to act a certain way
• Have a clear sense of who you are
• Willingness to let go of what used to work
• Your brand is everything

To take it a step further, Joe defines the three rules of Category of One companies as:

1. Know more about your customers than anyone else does.
2. Get closer to the customer than anyone else.
3. Emotionally connect with the customer better than anyone else.

Becoming a Category of One: How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison is a good book to read if you want to learn how to take your business to the next level and move past your competition. The author shares over 20 years worth of experience studying firms so he understands what it takes.

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Book Review: No Limits by Sara Morgan

No Limits: How I escaped the clutches of Corporate America to live the Self-employed life of my dreams was written by Sara Morgan who is an independent software developer and author of dozens of articles and six technical books. In this book, Sara explains how she left corporate America to live the life of her dreams. Her story is about how she has thrived as a self-employed person. After reading this book, it is doubtful that Sara would ever go back to a 9-5 job.

The book is broken up into the following chapters:

Chapter 1: My Story
Chapter 2: What Are the Benefits?
Chapter 3: What Type of Person Do You Need to Be?
Chapter 4: Letting Go
Chapter 5: Where to Start
Chapter 6: Good Advice
Chapter 7: Things to Consider
Chapter 8: Things to Remember

Each chapter takes you through a self-evaluation process that will help you determine if self-employment is for you. The author does a great job of bringing in her own story throughout the book so you can learn what decisions she made and actions she took.  Sara is a big believer in doing what you are passionate about and working around your lifestyle.  As evidenced in the book, she is a much happier person and has time to enjoy life more.

By reading this book, you will learn the following:

• What type of person is best suited for self-employment
• Benefits to being self-employed
• Inspirational stories and advice from other successful people who have struck out on their own
• What physical and emotional things you need to let go of first
• Where you should start in your quest for self-employment
• What resources will help you make the most of your journey

The book is an inspirational story that tells the reader there are no limits to what you can do with your life. If you are unhappy with your job or current situation, then you need to do something to change it. The author is a prime example of someone who has worked hard in her life and realized that she needed to change her situation. She is now making more money independently and able to spend more time with her kids 

If you have been thinking about leaving Corporate America and going out on your own, then No Limits: How I escaped the clutches of Corporate America to live the Self-employed life of my dreams may be provide enough inspiration for you to finally jump off the cliff.  You only live once so make sure that you fulfill your dreams and live a happy life.

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