One Simple Idea by Stephen Key

I picked up One Simple Idea by Stephen Key because it was recommended to me by Tim Ferriss in The 4 Hour Work Week. I immediately didn't like it because the preface indicated that the author was prompted to write the book after the success that he gained after Tim Ferriss took his class. I suppose there are some people that really make a difference in this world.

Stephen Key's philosophy is that one can become rich, not by making a product, but by thinking of it then selling it. The bulk of the work is getting a company to buy it. He makes his money off of royalties and licensing.

This book made me want to do something. I wanted to go to the mall and watch people buy things, chat up store clerks and figure out what people actually want to buy. It made me want to be an inventor. I wanted to start a design company and cold call companies.

This book is equal parts encouraging and resourceful. It builds you up, telling you that anyone can do this, and then gives you the tools. The only downside is that the tools are a real bummer. Key doesn't lie, its a lot of hard work to play with the big boys and market to large companies. To be inspired you had to shift through 150 pages of procedure on the best way to protect your ideas and what items to put in your negotiation clauses. It wasn't what I bargained for. However, I was convinced at the end that it only took 150 pages of knowledge to start my new dream of being an inventor.

Overall I think this book had a rather high rate of return. I read it in a few days and in return I was empowered with entrepreneurial spirit. People on Amazon seem to think so too, so far it has been getting 100% 5 star reviews.

4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

Tim Ferriss lives an awesome life. In this book he explains how we too can change our entire lives by rejecting the common path and forging our own by joining the "new rich". He inspires goals, and gives rudimentary business advice and suggestions.

Although his techniques are unorthodox, it is fun to imagine a life where we aren't stuck in a box, being forced to work until a miracle age when we can stop. You too can travel the world on all the money you need by starting a business that makes money for you. It sounds plausible, and if anything, it can convince you to do something you may never have thought of doing before.

Leadership and Self Deception

Leadership and self deception

Salary.com recommended this book as one of the 13 top business books that could change my life. I almost immediately bought it for 8 dollars from the Barnes and Nobles NookBook store. I laughed when the book described itself as "straightforward". How astute.

It wasn't a great read, persay. The charactors weren't very fleshed out and I had a strange feeling that the reactions the charactors were having were what the writers wanted the readers to be having. The writing sounded  a lot like this:

"Important sentence"

"the charactor thought about that for a moment"

However, the concepts did stick with me. I found the box idea intriguing. I immediately was able to apply the box to people I know now. A person being in a box is an analogy for someone who can't see the bigger picture. Perhaps someone's ego is hurt, or they are being corrected for something unjustly. There must be a box in play, either the other persons or my own. Interesting stuff. It was a gentle analogy that could be used as charactor correction in an office.

My only qualm is that this story about a box isn't really what I thought I was getting into. I thought it was about deciving yourself of your original intentions, say in choosing a career. Oh well. At least now I have the feeling that I can rise above interoffice politics.

The Martha Rules: 10 essentials for achieving success as you start, build, or manage a business by Martha Stewart

I am absolutely not a Martha-hater. I love her, and I see the value of homemaking and entertaining. Still, I was not happy with this book. As most people playing with the idea with entrepreneurship, I want more than anything a close friend to propell me forward towards this task. Martha is not that person. She tells us in the first chapter that she, among her entreprenural minded friends, is the naysayer. That... that just isn't want I wanted. This book was not inspiring, nor did it really have a lot of new information.

The book is organized into "10 essentials" although I could not recall what even one of those essentials was. I remember something about having a "big idea". She presents these essentials by telling stories about other start ups that reinforce her values, namely quality, hard work, doing your homework, and maintaining a pristine reputation. Man, she is the anti-Tim ferriss.

Another thing I disliked was how very small business it was. Martha always refers to the reader of the book as a her and a she, and always indicates that the business in mind was something like a nail salon or a flower shop. Although these life style businesses are the salt of the earth when it comes to women's businesses, it means nothing to the more tech minded female entrepreneur. It really doesn't matter what part of town I put my shop in the age of the global marketplace, Martha.

I have a feeling Martha would hate the likes of me. I am into taking shortcuts, making mistakes, and learning my lesson the hard way to make it into this world. I come from nothing, for goodness sake. Martha makes it sound like only someone with class and background can start a company, let alone make it in this world.