Do you need $10,000,000 reasons, or just one?
585567
This was a really fun, sweet, romance with more than just two characters to enjoy.
Gen is a sucker for surveys, or rather for the people in the mall tying to get you to take the survey. She never says no,and she always shows up. Her nieces and nephews enjoy a top position in her life (especially the son & daughter of her sister, who is divorced). God also has a top position in her life, but this book is in no way 'preachy.' And Gen has a terrible time keeping track of her calenders...the problem being she has too many. And then there's her family, including a few who are overbearing and think they can run her life, just a tad. They add LOTS of color to the storyline!

Richard is the town's most talked about, and wealthiest, bachelor...heck he's one of the country's. And he's earned it mostly himself with a start from his Grandparents. But he's about to lose a boatload unless he marries...

Sound familiar? Yes, this story has been written before as far as that part goes. BUT not the way that Richard decides to go about resolving his dilemma.

This is the third book I've read of Heather Gray's (one novel and two novellas) and she has a way of well, entertaining! And that's why we read, right? She's taken what is a very over-done storyline and made it so clever, fun and entertaining, it's completely fresh and new.

Someone else said it could've been longer; I didn't think that at the time, but when I think about it I kind of agree. But I appreciate authors offering us novellas, I get excited when I see an author I'm tracking with something for $.99!

I wish Max were my kid, I completely loved that kid!
4040627
An interesting idea this...letting your client decide what to pay for your services. Mr. Baker's examples are closely tied to his experience in the accounting industry, one in which response times are relatively short compared to the effort expended. My experience in the art world is it can take 20 - 40 years to meet the right angel, person of sexual orientation whom one is willing to consort with and who has the influence, or resources (money), to show results or buy. (Every now and then even a blind hawg finds an acorn!) The same is often true in product marketing, unless you have unlimited funds to launch it. Regardless, ROI is always crouched in the bushes waiting to pounce.

As any marketeer will lay awake expounding for hours, ROI is the bane of marketing. So, in a perfect world where
you have limitless funds and do all the right things (and they're not as nebulous as Mr. Baker would have you
believe) you get results. The looming question is: are they worth it? Day-care has a profit-margin of 2%. Womens'
clothing generally has a markup of 300%, but the clienteles are still waiting to be made aware of "tipping."  After three years working with an artist on raising awareness of her work, she's starting to get orders....for ceramic dog and cat-food bowls and mugs ([...]The work is hand-done, pricey and the one saving grace is the simplicity of targeting the market. But with what resources? (And I said she's STARTING to get orders.) She makes about $1.00 an hour. But hey, it's a lifestyle...what can you say?

So maybe that's Mr. Baker's point. If you're selling something that impacts your client's ROI beyond their wildest
dreams; they're appreciative AND generous, then you might give it a try....letting them decide what to pay, that is. Of course everything is contingent on them being fully aware of the results and/or you have a splendid tax document that unequivocally demonstrates your claim to fame. Both are easy tasks in run-of-the-mill takeovers, merger-acquisitions or lawsuits.(Bottom lines are "Oh so clear" once you've laid off a bunch of people and increased the workload on the remainders (pun) to the point where your major expense is turnover, now three or four times what it was. Any ROI is gonna look great...for a week or two.) Yessir, short-term thinking is the key to keeping shareholders happy!

The caveat Mr. Baker leaves unsaid is wealthy people are frequently smart and thrifty. And, interestingly, they often have a knack for finding the best value for their money. AND that means getting the biggest bang for their buck...not paying generous gratuities because they appreciate the fact you did what they paid you to do. And guess how they found you? Word-of-mouth. And you can be sure whoever referred you mentioned the great value they got...not how much more they (gratuitously) paid because you were so good at letting them know what a great job you did. But hey, it might be worth a try. Even I accept donations. The bibliography is mostly from the 50s and 60s.
2205295
In today's competitive world, you need every advantage you can get.  A great place to start is by making the most of what you have and by understanding that along your life's journey, "asking" for what you want and need is a strength and a necessity!  In her book "Ask Outrageously" Linda Swindling cuts through the clutter and lays out sound reasons and  a formula for asking for what you want, that works!  In fact - her strategies can be implemented and used immediately.  **You will not regret getting a copy - today..
1226748
If you've got an idea, that business that will change your life and ours, insert this book between your ears.  The pace and the capital demands of starting (then growing) a business today have raised the funding requirement bar for dream seekers. Whether you're bootstrapping Friends and Family dough and hope to convince your banker to provide that line of credit, or you need that $5million pronto, you need to understand how to create a credible value proposition.  Failing that, you will not be able to leverage any prospect you have.

But creating a value for something that doesn't yet exist requires credible methodology.  This book gives you a system for doing that.  I've always felt a bit fuzzy about explaining valuation, even in my best performance, and raising capital is not a new game for me.  So I'm enthusiastic about this book because I've never read one like it:  it's ridiculously easy to read, yet I never felt "talked down" to.  The author writes as if you were sitting at a bar and his job was to come up with a credible valuation matrix that will allow you to close your deal at your fundraising meeting tomorrow.

Mind you this book is not a resource for finding investors, though it touches on that subject. But if you are fearless about pounding on doors to raise some dough for your brilliant idea, and if you are definitely intending to trade money in exchange for a piece of your dream, then this book is worth one more credit card swipe.
1738754
Unless you have very little assets, all in the same state or just want everything split by percentages, forget it.  And the online help from a "qualified attorney" was useless.  After trying for hours to mold the revocable trust and "pour over will" to my needs, I made an appointment with an estate attorney.  And I don't really have that much to distribute. Suze claims that these are identical to her documents.  I don't buy that one for a second.
1288638
For those who are ready and have no more need of explanation and mental justification. Straight to the point...just do it!
1166027
Following Ruhlin's advice and think about how to apply it to your situation, and then elevate your business relationships. It's going to cost you some cash to gift on the level Ruhlin suggests, but as the old saying goes, you have to spend money to make money.
2478520
Need a new start or just extra income? This is a thoughtful look and a brainteaser to get you started.
2254721
You need this. Period. It gives great rationales.
2458159
This book could probably be condensed to about 10 pages, but the length does serve the purpose of driving home the essential points the book makes. I'm a graduate student and the book motivated me to bring a lunch every day so that I can put $50 a month into an IRA. If you actually have an income this book should be even more helpful. Just be prepared to read the same thing over an over again.
1538834
I do not usually appreciate "self-help" books, but the points made in "The Richest Man in Babylon" seem to be mostly just common sense.  Unfortunately, most people completely lack common sense about money.

One of the main ideas that most people never seem to get is that it is better, and more interesting, to make money from your MONEY than to make money breaking your back.  However, this leads us to the first difficulty: in order to make money from your money, you have to have some.

As we supposedly "all know," we cannot have our cake and eat it, too.  But most people spend every penny in their paychecks, and then some run out and charge more on their credit cards.  They live from hand to mouth, from paycheck to paycheck, and they never even dream of actually saving 10 percent (or more) of what they earn.

But how can you have money if you don't have any money?  Let us imagine some typical American, earning (say) $40K per year.  Saving 10 percent of his salary would give him "only" $4,000 in the bank at the end of one year.  This looks pretty miserable, until you stop to wonder just how many people could actually lay their hands on $4,000 in cash WITHOUT doing a cash-advance on their credit cards.  By the end of the fifth year, this fictional person would have $20,000 in the bank, assuming no interest and no investment income.

But now this person is in a position to actually begin making investments, and watch his money work for him.  And the profits from that should just be plowed right back into "the money tree."

My personal opinion: if you think there is another way to "financial freedom," you are simply deluding yourself.  Win the lottery?  Gee, how many rich people do you know who got their start that way?

Answer: none.  Lottery winners usually run out and spend their winnings faster than they come in.  Consider winning "a million dollars" in some phony lottery which does not actually hand you a million dollars, but doles you out $50,000 per year over 20 years.  Most people turn this into a sort of middle-class welfare, and wind up as broke as they ever were.  But, if you did NOT quit your job, and put that money in the bank, faithfully, over a 20-year-period, you would (after investing it) have a whole lot more than a million dollars.

The author of this book was clever: he set it in ancient Babylon.  The point was that reality, in many important respects, does not change.

I would agree with all that there are many ways to be wealthy: in learning, in money, in love, in friends, and so on.  But it is very difficult to attain those other happinesses if you can't make the rent.

This is actually a good book.  It has never gone out of print, and that may mean something.
3643122
You just have to have enough money to get one so keep on saving up. I got mine and im loving it.
604473
Don't be stupid, you don't need to pay Harley a bundle to get an extra key made. There is no need to verify anything or have them summit forms and wait for authorization to sell you a spare. Just buy the key and find a locksmith to cut it. Actually the locksmith had the Buell key blanks and laughed at the nonsense Harley was spinning and cut mine for free and it works GREAT!
3202767
If you can get past Sinek's constant iAdulation then this is an OK read. The basic premise is not something that can only be applied to marketing either.

I find the 'Why' principle very relevant for engineering design and requirements generation.
2740838
It seems like these books make everything sound so simple to fix, which is why I'm pretty skeptical of them.
Basically, let me save you a few dollars.
Get to know your clients.
Be original to get prospects on board.
Ask consultative questions when you are hit with objections. "I need to talk to my wife." "Is your wife the one who makes most of the financial decisions? We could schedule a sit down appointment to discuss widgets with both of you here?"
etc. Pretty quick read.
872410
This book tells you you need to solve a problem people are willing to pay for then sell 1,000,000 people, more or less. While I agree this will make you a millionaire, the biggest problem is in the details. Solving a problem that will people will play for implies a new innovative product or service. That is very hard to find, I never could, and I tried very hard. Still I am a multi millionaire because I skipped the find a new problem to solve step and started a tried and true company with an established business model.

I must say once you find the problem to solve that people will pay for or start your own tried and true business, Richelle's book does deliver on referrals and finding sales prospects. I do recommend the book.

Michael L. F. Slavin
Author of 4 time award winning One Million in the Bank: How To Make $1,000,000 With Your Own Business, Even If You Have No Money or Experience
4072188
Getting a product to market in a year may (note MAY) be possible if a bunch of things go right. This makes several presumptions that have to fall in line exactly right. For instance some products (like in the medical field) take longer than a year to go through the approval cycle. Electronics have to have FCC testing, perhaps CSA (Canada), all of which takes time. Plastic parts may have to have a mold made, that takes time, and if it isn't right the first time, well you get the idea.

What Mr. Debelak says is that if you start from day one with the right product, use some of the new techniques he talks about (outsourcing the production to a contract manufacturer for instance), then if all the gods are smiling at you, maybe you can do it in a year.

Ignoring his one year time frame, his book is right on the money in a lot of areas. His practical advice on patents is dead right, they may or may not be of value to your particular venture.

His comments on financing are excellent, but here you're going to need a good bit of luck. There are a lot of people looking for financing.

In fact, everything about starting a new product require a good bit of luck. Just remember it's been done before, and it will be done again. Here are a good set of guidelines to get you started.