Economics-and-finance

Janal would have received received five stars for his introductory book on e-commerce/web-based businesses, were it not for the many typos throughout the book and the hasty organization of the chapters. There were even typos in the foreword which, by the way, was contributed by the editor of Success magazine. This book is a good starting point for the novice, like me, but it could have been presented much better. The book simply and clearly takes you through the steps of how to get a business online, but not much else. I would strongly advise anyone who is new to the net and embryonic about business and e-commerce to look past the typos and read through the whole book seriously, as Janal gives the budding internet entrepreneur a lot of basic advice, and then go out and find other books which delve deeper into the subjects of marketing, business, and economics (the areas that really determine your success on the net). A lot of the information in the book was repeated over and over again, and such information could have been better presented in tabular form. For example, given the number of online interviews he undertook, he could have listed the common points or similarities to be found among those who responded to his questionaire in a separate chapter, such as those who started with formal business plans, those using the site for retail as opposed exclusively for marketing, those who started their e-biz while holding down a full-time job, and those who received outside funding for their start-up or bootstrapped their e-biz, etc. In reading through the whole book, I was surprised at the number of people in his company profiles that had previous business experience. I was also extremely surprised at the number of those profiled who started their internet businesses without business plans (more than half at a rough count). Practically all of the respondents put up their own money to get on the net. Finally, starting a business on the internet seems to be pretty easy, but getting such a business to turn a profit can be very difficult (as more than a few online companies are now finding out), and can be seen by many of his respondents' unwilligness to divulge their profitability ( a few admitted outright that they were not making any money). Nonetheless, his first four chapters are a good overview of the internet and electronic/real world commerce, but it is only a brief overview, and the paucity of information on this particular area (then again, this book was written two years ago, which is pretty much ancient by web time standards) is unsettling. Nevertheless, he succinctly and clearly touches upon the major points. Now, to your dismay, you may find that there are literally thousands of companies actually putting the business ideas that he has suggested in his book to practice on the net. Finally, even though I have been been a little harsh on the book's proofreading and organization, if you spend some time reading the company profiles, you will find some interesting insights and some very approachable web entrepreneurs. There are some hidden gems of internet wisdom in the interviews that the novice would be the smarter to know by heart. If you are thinking of starting an internet business, know next to nothing about the net, and have a lot of time, money, and resources to work with, then this book makes for a good start and a satisfactory (though a bit dated) initial investment.

This book is a great source of basic business practices for the enteprenueur who is about to start a business online. It contains usefull information and tips. Thus it is a good read. The case studies have the problem that they repeat information over and over again. It would have been easier to set a table with the most relevant answers to the survey questions.

It is certainly no secret that the Internet has changed the way people conduct business. Those with products and services to offer have had a whole new world of opportunity opened up to them. Now just about anyone with a modest investment of time and money, with varying levels of computer skills and talent, can make their presence known with relative ease. Another good Internet business book has arrived on the scene that readers should know about. Daniel Janal, the author of another popular book, The Online Marketing Handbook, has written another real winner, 101 Businesses You Can Start on the Internet, with the intent to address the concerns of those who would like to join the ranks of the Internet business community.

101 Businesses... is divided into two sections. In the first section, Janal offers his readers a number of compelling reasons why one ought to open up shop on the Internet. Some reasons to consider are the reaching out to a worldwide market, to do business with an affluent market, no barriers of time zones, being open twenty-four hours a day, beating the competition to new markets because they are not online, very low startup costs, and little or no rent payments to make. Janal proceeds to outline the basics of getting started on the Internet, how to find your way around, and how to conduct your business. To his credit, Janal is brief and to the point when he needs to be, saving the greater portion of the book for other important matters.

The second section of the book, which I consider to be the heart of the publication, deals with the kind of business opportunities that exist on the Internet and how some folks have set up shop. Chapter-by-chapter, Janal discusses a number of creative business opportunities, such as computer and service-related work, and then provides solid case studies of those who have braved the waters, so to speak. Complete with names, addresses, phone numbers, URL's, and Web pages, Janal provides his readers with the insight that few previous publications have brought to light. Janal asks a number of penetrating questions of those who have already set up shop on the Internet that hit right at the heart of conducting business.

Janal breaks new ground in the direction of Internet business publications with this book. It is one thing to read about how to conduct business on the Internet and actually speaking with those who have been there. According to Janal, we ought to learn from the experiences of others, whether positive or negative. They have sound advice to offer! I hope Janal and other writers will continue developing this trend. Janal's book is well thought out and written. It will help many, including college students, who want to start their own businesses but who are in need of the encouragement of others. Put Janal and his case studies to work for you!

This book was the funniest, wittiest book I've ever read. The authors crafted it in such a way that you just have to see the next page. The humor is never-ending, and it's a must-buy for anyone with a sense of humor.

Lilly@Walters-Intl.com Each page of "101 Simple Things .... is filled with quick ideas, lighthearted cartoons and wit. Selected from the strategies you need to succeed, delivered with a handful of sugar.

This is a much more practical book than some of the "100 things you can do when retired" books that suggest babysitting, dogwalking or other simplistic ideas. Mary Helen Smith lists 101 things you should think about or do, like consider what is "quality of life"--for example, downsizing your house versus staying in an expensive piece of real estate, and listing government programs for retirees, something you may not know about. In addition, she stresses understanding about money. Once you are on a fixed income, and one that is possibly lower than your salary, you must deal with money in a different manner. Now is the time to learn about finances and money, not after you've gotten your first social security check. With many millions of people hitting retirement or near-retirement age from the Baby Boom, this is a really good starting-off point to plan out your coming retirement years. Highly recommended.

I'm impressed by how much information is packed into the conversational style of this book. An abundance of practical information is available without it feeling tedious. Your approach is positive, encouraging, and realistic. Maslow and intuition are acknowledged. Caring ways to honor yourself and others are gently and directly suggested. Thank you for writing a helpful book that will positively affect the lives of those who read it.

I liked Paul Falcone's emphasis on the objective of a disciplinary system, i.e. "to create and maintain a productive and responsive workforce..." I wish I'd read this book before one of my employees brought a gun to work...and almost didn't get fired because I had not documented his previous acts of intimidation. Falcone urges us (and explicitly tells us how to) write up work place problems in such a fashion that adequately documents subpar performance, and encourages the employee to rehabilitate himself or herself.

NOTE: I see that other reviewers emphasized the sample letters and diskette, so I'd just like to add that Falcone's introductory chapters are also very informative and lucidly written. He tells you why and how you can treat a subpar employee fairly and thus keep your corporation from having to hire back the employees that you eventually had to fire.

I know Paul Falcone personally. I have talked with him in the past at a career workshop and afterwards. He is a consumate Human Resources executive who understands the issues regarding the documentation of employee problems and assisting employees and managers to work better together.

If an HR or line Manager needs to document an employee problem, this book assists the practioner for samples and ideas of how to write up a report for the file, letters for the employee, etc. This can also be used as a guide for managers who need to document the actions of direct reports. As an HR practioner, I recommend you consult your HR department along with using this as a tool.

A long-term problem employee was transferred to my department. I'd seen other two other supervisors repeatedly get intimidated by her, and the HR dept. ignore the entire situation. A friend recommended this book to me, and WOW what a help! The author gave me verbiage for the disciplinary conversations I had to have with my employee, showed me how to document her poor performance, and the attorney who eventually reviewed the file at HR's request gave me an "A". The new HR person who took over right as the employee was resigning (on the verge of being terminated), said the written warnings were the best she had ever seen. Disciplining this employee was a very difficult, emotional process, but I felt confident that I was doing the right thing for my company, and legally was protected because this book took me step by step through it all.