Don't Even Think About Franchises Without Getting This Book
358695
Talk about a no-brainer! This is obvious: if you're even considering investing in a franchise, this book pays for itself a thousand times over. You don't ever want to walk into this world without a guide. The best franchises are great opportunities, the worst of them are pretty much scams, so there is a huge difference. And this is not an area that you want to risk learning as you go. Read this book to get solid on the basics before you take another step.
1120291
I was first told told to read this book from a work colleague.  Throughout my professional career I have worked for Fortune 500 companies along with small, 15 person offices throughout my career.  I have read a number of of business related 'team building' books in the past and quite frankly, was not impressed or just bored out of my mind within the first two chapters.  On the advice of a trusted colleague I gave 'We Culture' a chance and boy am I happy I did.  Before I knew it I was on chapter five.  Ciulla goes into real life, entertaining situations that is applicable whether you work for a global conglomerate or a 10 person small business.  The detailed descriptions on how to properly forge, and sometimes let go, of professional relationships to build a broader positive culture is well worth every penny.  I highly recommend this book and overall business philosophy!
3716508
This book is a perfect read for ANYONE who has ever thought about, or is an entrepreneur!  Giving real life experiences, you can so relate to Matt and Kristen as you learn about their life in the world of owning their own businesses.  It is definitely not easy, and not for everyone - but with careful thought, planning and hard work, anyone who has the desire, can make it a reality to own their own company.  Just starting my own business one year ago, this book really made me sit down and think about re-evaluating my goals and how I can continue to grow and make it the absolute best business it can be.  Awesome book!!
4126437
This book offers amazing lessons for every franchise owner, or any person in customer service oriented industry.  Essential lessons on questions to ask when starting a business, how to get help with advertising costs, what to do when the competition moves close by and so many other fantastic ideas.  I highly enjoyed reading this book and learned a great deal!
1036752
Frank definitely knows his stuff when it comes to franchising, that's why his nickname is Franchise Frank! This book will help put you on the correct path to establishing your own franchise. What's nice about this book is that you can read about Frank's real life situations pertaining to running a franchise. Not only does Frank tell you what to do, he also focuses on what NOT to do, which is just as important. I never thought buying a franchise was something that I could do but with Frank's book "Buying a Franchise" I feel more confident than ever. Thanks Frank.
254700
This book is simply an organizational tool for buying and understanding a franchise, but it does so in a very different fashion. I love the tid-bits of knowledge thrown in to supplement what this tool provides. Definitely worth a buy for those pursuing this lifestyle, and I love the military history that was molded in.
2033961
Since Im not a Facebook fan in general, Ive been ignoring its huge marketing potential for business. Working with Jason McDonalds new workbook changed my attitude. Instead of being bombarded with motivation-depleting jargon and nap-inducing todo lists, he begins with entertaining analogies that provide a comprehensive overviewFacebook is like throwing a party vs. just showing up. Then step-by-step he demonstrates how to think about the environment you're building; where to look for insight; how to draw the right fans and how to keep them. The success process is mapped out in a way that digs deeply into the why and how of each element and uncovers the power of attention to the finer points. The result of following his advice, really working through the workbook, will be something your business will be proud of rather than more clutter on the web. Highly recommend.
1735068
This is a must-have book for any fan of Apple.  It's possibly the most thorough - yet still readable - history of the company.  It mixes business facts, behind-the-scenes secrets, and pop culture tidbits beautifully.  Along the way, you'll learn the ins and outs of other computer companies  (Microsoft, IBM, AOL, NeXT, Power Computing, Xerox PARC, etc) and a lot  about the history of the industry in general and the players in  particular.
Linzmayer is the author of "The Mac Bathroom  Reader," and knows what he's talking about.  Not only does "Apple  Confindential" add more history that wasn't in that volume, but it's  redesigned, updated to this year, and includes Steve Jobs' return and the  iMac success.
In a word, breathtaking:  It has quotes from everyone  involved, timelines, products lists, a history, a little opinion, analysis,  stock info, classic pictures.  It's all here.
I'd write more, but I'm  going to read it again.  And I now know what to give other Apple fans for  gifts.
721443
I can't believe I hadn't reviewed this book. This book is amazing and I think anyone who wants to get into filmmaking should have it. This book inspired me in some of my writings on film and it has inspired me in my filmmaking. This book is about the basic push to make a product and get results. It's not about making millions, but about how you can make a movie and make it work for you. You may not get to the big screen, but you can make a living at it. The book is old school and I bought it years ago, but it's worth it just to read, because some of use still sell DVDs of our movies. What I would like to see in a new book from this author about modern filmmaking, tackling Youtube and new media. But I would say everyone doing indy film should get this book and you can probably get it for much less than $30 now days.

-Nathyn Brendan Masters
3608741
I have and read this book.  It is an excellent book for you to explore if franchises and what type of franchises are for you.  It helps you know and ask yourself the questions you need to ask before investing in franchises.  The author keeps it interesting and it is an easy read.  I highly recommend it, if you are considering investing in any franchise.  A small investment in this book, may help you make the best decisions on investing in a franchise
2477579
I have read this magazine on and off for a several years and wanted to add my 2 cents.  Yes, the magazine does have many ads for business opportunities.  But this is exactly something I want to read and evaluate, the marketplace of business opportunities.  Many of these are franchise opportunities, which is exactly where the first time entrepreneur should start.  The articles are generally well written and many will obviously be useful, but not all.  The value of each article often depends on where you are in the business creation process.  It was not until I read the E-Myth Revisited that I understood the value of these franchises.  This magazine slices and dices the franchises by many metrics to help you find one where you are most likely to both succeed and be happy.  The magazine is easily worth more than the price to any person seriously starting or building a small enterprise.  Hope this has been helpful to the entrepreneurs out there.
453968
I very much enjoyed finding this book in the bookstore a few days ago, and then reading it yesterday morning. It was an easy read, and it was jam packed full of information. It is really three books in one. The first book is the story of Maxine Clark, a short round energetic woman originally from Florida who went to the University of Georgia majoring in journalism. When she graduated she started a career in retail that she continues at today. And what a career! She now makes St. Louis her home with her husband who is also an entrepreneur. She has no children, but her business is basically kids. I think she can be a great role model for many women out there.

The second book is a PR plug for her company: Build-A-Bear Workshop. I had never heard of it before I picked up this book. But while I was at one of my local Malls yesterday (Quakerbridge in Lawrence, NJ) I noticed in the mall directory one of her franchised stores exists there. Naturally I visited the store and the book had greater meaning to me at once. The company was started in 1997 probably as an LLC. And I suspect in 2000 when it was converted to a corporation that is when it did its initial IPO. But that is just a guess. The philosophy behind the company seems to me to be a mix of Starbucks Coffee Shops and the Disney Retail Stores. Quite a combination, and it is proving to be a successful approach to entertainment retail in Mall environments.

The third book is a words-of-wisdom tome on how to vision, plan, implement, and work a business from scratch. It talks about the importance of reinventing traditional products or services from the ground up and then put your own unique spin on them. The author says she sells a brand experience, not a product. But she does move products - and lots of them. She also says that planning and self-reflection are the key to creating a business. And she says she took almost a year to research and write her masterpiece of a business plan she used to start Build-A-Bear Workshops.

The overall book is divided into seven parts:

1. Getting Started
2. Being a Great Boss
3. Connecting with Your Customers
4. Creating an Incredible Experience
5. Using Essential Marketing Strategies
6. Growing Your Business
7. Giving Back

My favorite part of the book was the first: Getting Started. Part 3 was pretty good. And I very much liked parts 5 and 6. I thought at page 64 "marketing tools and strategies" should have been included in the list there. But all in all this is a wonderful book and an important addition to what is available for entrepreneurs to read and study when thinking about getting involved in starting their own business. 5 stars!
1242369
If you are a current or future CF box owner you owe it to yourself to read this book.  We've been around since 2007 and have a thriving box, two actually, and this book has given me insights that I never expected.  Hats off to Chris Cooper for jamming so much practical and extremely valuable information is one package.  I wasn't quite clear about the title of the book and what I expected, but once I started reading and his ideas came together I got it. It's brilliant.
802160
Love this book. Wish I'd read it 5 years ago, it might've sped up my own progress as a writer.  Ms. Kirschner makes a lot of great "real" points about things like developing your "LA armor" how to work both hard and smart (eg: if you're a writer's assistant or PA, take every aspect of your job seriously - every single detail, even down to food orders and organizing papers - people on the show (or film) will remember it - and remember YOU as a hard worker, detail-oriented and clearly ambitious and willing to go above and beyond in ANY job.  It sounds common sense, but the way she's written about it is compelling and a good kick in the butt).  Not to mention, the caliber of people interviewed in the book is pretty impressive.  Wide variety of jobs (agents, directors, writers, actors, etc) represented.  Awesome stuff!
1776403
Relevant search is a really great read. This book initially wasn't on my radar for books to purchase this year, but wow, what a find this was. The key things about this book in my opinion are the problem it is trying to solve (relevancy), the tools it uses to solve this problem (ElasticSearch), and the concept that immerges through solving the problem.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is;
Maybe search is not the application you should be building. Maybe you should be building recommendations.
We can all relate to this concept. Weve all been to stores where when we ask for information on an interested product, we get short answers with very little engagement. You can imagine search like that. While recommendations instead of just search come to you in more of a personalized form. Now imagine going to a place where everyone knows you're name. Just like that TV show Cheers. Upon entering, the bartender already knows what kind of drink you want. In fact, he knows you so well, that he starts recommending some of the new beers that came in that you would be interested in, and begins recommending them.
This is a very strong concept! Think about your favorite restaurant, there is one dish you absolutely love. In fact, you love it so much that when you think about that dish, that restaurant immediately comes to mind. However, on another night, when you think about another one of your favorite dishes a completely different restaurant pops into your head.  What if the first restaurant had the same dish, or even something similar you never knew about this whole time? Both you and the restaurant are missing out. These concepts are what make Amazon and Google so viable in our daily lives. This concept is what is separating Relevant Search form the normal "search". I cant tell you the countless times Ive come across something of interest to me on Amazon by accident. This book is a perfect example. Amazon learn through my interest in Mannings Taming Text by Grant S. Ingersol,l that I might be interested in this book as well. However, because the book is so new I went through Manning's website to make my purchase because I wanted it sooner. But my purchase still stems from Amazon.

I really enjoyed Relevant Search. It came with both tutorials using Elasticsearch, and wonderful concepts that we should all be asking ourselves. I plan on re-reading it a few more times, because I want to go back and soak up anything else I may have missed during the first read through. All I can really say is I highly recommend this book! If you are still on the fence about this purchase I recommend you to use Amazon's look inside to feature to explore around in the chapters.
1965346
I loved this book , it had so
Many marketing ideas that I hadn't even thought of. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to get a head, and I intend  sending copies of this book as birthday presents.  Can't think
Of anyone that wouldn't love it.
1144375
This book is extremely clear in its intent and its focus.  To navigate the world of franchises and to consider spending a great deal of time and money to purchase one without reading this book is the height of folly.  Through this book, Nick Neonakis takes the prospective franchise owner, and experienced business people alike, through the complexities and intricasies of this complex world and presents it in such a manner as to be clear and understandable to all readers. His experience in this field is evident in his insights and he presents all of the difficulties an investor will encounter along the path of franchise purchase, beginning the business and finding real world solutions to the problems that arise in  the world of franchises.  I worked closely with Nick throughout the entire process of learning how to select just the right franchise for my son, who is currently entering this world.  We are confident in our decision of which franchise to purchase and we have the highest regard for Nick and are grateful for his guidance.