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How Did I Get Here: The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO
The most famous skateboarder ever shares the business secrets to his success!He's the man who put skateboarding on the map. He's the first to land a 900 (two and a half full rotations). He's also among the richest pitchmen in any sport. And, in a sport that's especially youth-oriented, Tony Hawk, a 40-something father of four, still connects with his audience by staying tr...more
Hardcover, 188 pages
Published
October 5th 2010
by John Wiley & Sons
(first published September 14th 2010)
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Having two sons who used to watch that awful show, Jackass, I know who Tony Hawk is, and can understand how he’s become such an icon in both sports and entertainment. How can you not like a guy riding a bike through a loop de loop, into the ocean, wearing a chicken suit? Not taking himself too seriously seems to be his attitude, and he explains how that has worked for him in this new book, How Did I Get Here? You can almost hear him laugh as he asks that, as his business smarts and wise choices...more
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Why I Read It: Every time I see Tony Hawk on TV he strikes me as a good guy. Plus he is, by any standard, phenomenally successful. So when I saw this short business book (another topic that interest me) on the new shelf I immediately picked it up.
Where I Obtained the Book: My local library on the new shelf.
Review: Why would you want to read a business book by Tony Hawk?
That is a great place to start. Not to stereotype, but I imaging the average Tony Hawk fan is a slightly under-educated adole...more
Where I Obtained the Book: My local library on the new shelf.
Review: Why would you want to read a business book by Tony Hawk?
That is a great place to start. Not to stereotype, but I imaging the average Tony Hawk fan is a slightly under-educated adole...more
This book was a bit too self-congratulatory for my taste. "This is how we do it in our world" is probably one of the most annoying catch-phrases ever. It must be hard to 'keep it real' when you have your own Happy Meal toy. He does a lot of name-dropping for those-in-the-know in the skater, BMX and Motocross crowd. Tony Hawk has always seemed like an interesting guy, too bad the book doesn't show it. The e-mails from fans and haters provide the most interesting reading.
I never knew much about what Tony did besides being a skateboarder and having his own video game, so it was kind of cool to read about his other exploits. The thing is, though, he has it different from most businessmen in that he has millions of dollars so if his latest venture fails, eh. I was also irritated that he acted like I couldn't remember people's names from the previous page and kept repeating their full name and their relationship to him. Man.
"How Did I Get Here" is sort of like Tony Hawk's "business bio." It chronicles the spawn of Birdhouse, and Hawk's rise to stardom, all while trying to "keep it real." No matter what the cost, Tony Hawk has considered the skater-punk ethos inherent to his business accumen. "How Did I Get Here" speaks to the young Tony Hawks out there who dream of opening their own skate park.
This books shows the reader the life of Tony Hawk outside of the videogame franchise and pulling a 900 ( two and a half spin)the books shows you the CEO and story of Tony Hawk. The story gives insight of the struggles he faced including near bank repucy, risk, and hate from local no name skaters who disapprove of his publicty.
Great read really interesting!
I thought this would be a decent business book chronicling the rise of Tony Hawk as an entrepreneur. The book was actually a pretty boring read and I would not recommend the book.
4th star for the last color photo in the book (and its caption!)
quick read with solid advice re family, keeping balance, acknowledgement re the "luck factor" and honesty re errors made. A few salty words, but very grounded and clear writing style. Everything tied to skateboarding which made it even more interesting. Did you know his (now deceased) father started what is now the main skateboard assoc in the US? Cool facts tossed in with the advice.
While I know nothing about skateboarding, it was interesting to read how Tony Hawk turned doing something he loved into a multi-million dollar business.
Interesting, and fun to read. Some nice pictures, and appealing layout.
May 16, 2013
Melissa Montoya
added it
Mar 13, 2013
Anthony Muraoka
marked it as to-read
Nov 29, 2012
Groton Public
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Nov 19, 2012
WileyBiz
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