Business Made Simple

3.5 stars. There was some great information in here, but it's essentially a mile wide and an inch deep.

I've read so many books that cover these issues in depth and are extremely valuable, so I'm not sure who I'd recommend this book to, other than an absolute newbie to business. Much of what was written here will be extremely obvious to anyone who's been in business for any length of time.

Overall I think what bothered me most are the many unequivocal statements about how he guarantees you will be a better manager if you just __. Again, when there's very little depth, it just sounds pretentious and salesy. I would have loved to see a recommended reading list, or even a note about “for more on this topic, see the excellent work of ____.” I've read many of the books that could/should be recommended, so I know many of his concepts are recycled ideas with different names. That's not necessarily bad, but I think that's why this feels so...siloed? Even a bit arrogant. He practices what he preaches with calls to action, and the drive is toward his website and program alone. It gets annoying (I've been on his email list and had to unsubscribe).

Also, I LOVE Storybrand, use and recommend it to all my clients, and Marketing Made Simple is also great. I'm just really not sure who this book is for, other than maybe kids considering an MBA program or something.

I feel like I may need to write a more in depth review on my website that lists the books I'd recommend. And yes, I realize some people would be like “who has time to read 20 books?!” I guarantee you can find the time to download an audiobook or cut back on TV if it makes you that much better of a business owner.

Start with Traction by Gino Wickman. Donald Miller pulls many concepts from that book, and it's far better.