Be Like Amazon: Even a Lemonade Stand Can Do It

by Jeffrey Eisenberg, Bryan Eisenberg, Roy H Williams

You’re on a road trip with an old man and a younger one.

Business stories are told. Wisdom is revealed. A new perspective emerges. Companies like Costco and Kodak, General Motors and Walmart provide color and texture as they appear on the horizon and in the rearview mirror. Real companies. Real decisions. Real outcomes. Jeff Bezos and Amazon give this road trip its rhythm as the four pillars of their success are made plain. It’s a wonderful success, easily repeated, even by a lemonade stand. But only if you understand the importance of the marshmallow.

Be Like Amazon is a 2018 Axiom Business Book award winner in the business fable category.


A little book with enormous impact. Be Like Amazon demystifies the principles and practices of the world’s most successful brands. It’s magical!
– Jay Baer – President of Convince & Convert & author of Hug Your Hater

Putting relationships front and center is what “Be Like Amazon” is all about. The authors observe that continuous improvement is not about cost cutting but about relationships. “Be Like Amazon” provides a roadmap for businesses to build and improve relationships. I highly recommend "Be Like Amazon" to every business person.
- Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder of BNI and NY Times Bestselling Author

"Be Like Amazon" covers one of the most important elements of being a business owner, how to work on your business instead of in your business. I’d highly recommend this book to every entrepreneur who wants to have a roadmap and skip the years of trial and error.
-  T. Harv Eker, NY Times No. 1 Best-selling Author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind™

"There are many things that differentiate Amazon and it's competitors. Perhaps the most underappreciated one the deeply faith-based initiative that if they align their interests with their customers, they'll win in the long-term. And. They have! You still need a guide to help you figure out how to apply this to your business. Let Bryan, Jeffrey & Roy help you win bigger."
- Avinash Kaushik, Google Evangelist

You are going to read a lot of positive blurbs about Be Like Amazon. Let me give it to you If the Eisenberg Brothers feel compelled to write a book, I drop everything to read it. They are just that smart. Be Like Amazon is one of their best efforts. I hate to be so non-specific, but everyone in business really should buy and read Be Like Amazon. The fact that legendary marketer Roy H. Williams co-wrote it with them, only adds to the equation. For the sake of your brand, please please please read this book!.
– Mitch Joel President, Mirum – Author, Six Pixels of Separation & CTRL ALT Delete

“Wow, that is one of the best “business” books I’ve read in years. Incredibly inspiring — both the story itself and the way in which you told it. I’m in awe.”
– Scott Brinker, ChiefMartec

“Witty anecdotes and crisp, often hilarious dialog combine with an exploration of powerful marketing principles and customer engagement strategies that have driven the growth of many of today’s most successful companies…making Be Like Amazon a must read for everyone from business professionals to people who love an engaging story well told. Jeffrey, Bryan and Roy have crafted a clever and insightful book that not only underscores the importance of branding, but also lifts the spirit and tickles the funny bone.”
– Chris McCann, President and CEO, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc.

“This is your best book yet! For students of growth and transformation, this book provides the bridge to go from the “Why” espoused by Simon Sinek to an enterprise’s marketing and messaging. Just brilliantly told story!”
– Steve McKean, CEO, BILLSHARK

“Clear, foundational thinking that provides hope instead of hype.”
– Mark Schaefer, Author of “Known” and “The Content Code”

Genres: Business, Psychology

145 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2017

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Добре че книгата е кратка. Написана е като диалог между двама души, младеж със собствен бизнес и старец, който се явява Йода. Помежду си се наричат "Слънце" и "Вожде", тотален криндж. Диалогът е наситен с пълнежи - изречения от типа "Сим Салабим." wft
Има много малко неща, които могат да се отсеят като полезни. Всяка страница е пропита с тъпото мото "клиенът винаги е прав", което аз мразя от дъното а душата си. Всеки търговец трябва да се грижи за клиентите си и за това да са доволни. Да предоставя най-добрия продукт или услуга, и да прави всичко възможно, за да се върне въпросният клиент.
ОБАЧЕ има една особена група клиенти, които са нагли, безпардонни и отвратителни същества, които бродят по тая планета и не, те не са прави - никога. Те искат доживотна гаранция на всичко - от телевизор до дъвка, доживотна замяна. Те искат да си задържат и парите, но и продукта. Те искат да им даваш отстъпки за всяка следваща поръчка, която направят от теб, въпреки че и нея ще я върнат и няма да ги удовлетвори. Те искат да ги издържаш, защото са недоволни от живота си, защото искат стандарт, който не могат да си позволят, защото щом ти имаш бизнес, значи можеш да си позволиш техния комфорт.
Те се увеличават с всякака изминала година. Консуматори от най-долния тип. Те не се интересуват от природата, не се интересуват дали ти ще фалираш (винаги ще има друг), те се интересуват от стоката, която ще им придаде статут. Всичко това се дължи на факта, че те също чуха за мотото "Клиенът винаги е прав."
За 10 години работа с клиенти съм чула какво ли не, и с всяка изминала година започвам да чувам все по-абсурдни неща.
- Очила загубени в морето - "Върнете ми парите, защото имам 6 месеца гаранция или ще ви репортна на Амазон и на Интерпол."
- Яке купено преди 3 години - "Изпрах го за пръв път и се повреди, това не е нормално за тези пари."
- Обувки купени преди година - "Мъжът ми умря тази година от Covid-19, а тези обувки ми напомнят за него. Бих искала да ги върна. Ще ви изпратя смъртния акт."
- Детски сандали на 6 месеца - "На детето вече не му стават. Искам да ги сменя с по-голям размер."
Мой познат, който си изтърва и счупи телефона, към служителката - "Ей,*********, ще дойда с една туба бензин и ще те запаля, ако не ми смениш телефона!"

Клиентът не е винаги прав и не трябва да остава с впечатлението, че винаги ще стане на неговото, защото злоупотребите в бъдеще ще стават все по-големи. И то в развитите общества. В момента хората не се интересуват от несправедливостите, които им поднася държавата - високи цени на горивата, на тока, на водата, на качествената храна, на всичко от първа необходимост. Те са фокусирани върху това в каква кутия ще пристигнат обувките им и колко процента отстъпка заслужават за тази незаконна щета - леко смачкан ъгъл. Те се спъват и падат, късат си панталоните и ти пишат гневен мейл, че този продукт не трябва да струва толкова, щом се е скъсал от едно падане. Те няма да пуснат оплакване в общината, че е имало дупка и затова са се спънали.

Относно това, че Безос е станал толкова богат, основно, защото се е фокусирал върху клиента, са приказки от 1001 нощ.

[Steve Sarner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanna be like Amazon? Then don’t eat the marshmallow.

This book totally surprised me. It is like no other business book I have ever read. Are there other business books like it? Perhaps, but I haven’t read one.

And I read a lot of business books.

This really caught me by surprise; a pleasant surprise.

Semi-Spoiler Alert: I will provide a little flavor on why it was so different for me below. If you would like to come at it completely fresh – stop reading now.

Ok – so what is this all about and what the heck does a marshmallow have to do with it?

I loved the title of the book and was expecting your typical business book approach which, of course, usually goes something like this:

1) I’m an expert and know a lot – this Venn diagram proves it
2) Here’s how the best did it– never mind 20/20 hindsight is easy
3) Here’s a case study
4) Look at this cool graph
5) Add quote from a billionaire here
6) Quadrant graphic (the upper right is where the cool kids are)
7) Another graph – up and to the right
8) And….another case study
9) Three more unnecessary filler chapters to make it a “real” book
10) Conclusion and summary which, I should have read first and last

Instead of that, I got something completely different.

A story. (Last chance – semi spoiler alert)

The whole book is a usually charming, sometimes corny, and overall engaging conversation of an old sage mentor and his endearing bright young mentee on a road trip to somewhere.

In it, business concepts, statistics, examples, studies and more are presented in the dialogue between these two very believable (usually) people. Some of this is remarkable as it helped explained some otherwise dry concepts - like statistics - in a very engaging manner. Not easy.

This book is really different and really good. Except in some of the over the top corny parts, Sunshine. Badda Bing – Badda Boom. You will likely see what I mean but - hey - it's a story.

So, what’s with the marshmallow?

Read the book.

☺

My Star Rating Guide:
5 stars: Will modify my schedule to finish this book asap
4 stars: Will definitely finish – probably sooner than later
3 stars: Will likely finish – almost certainly later than sooner
2 stars: Read enough – probably will skim at best
1 star: Why did I start? (Rare when checking Goodreads reviews)

[JuanMartitegui · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the Best 5 Business Books I've ever read.

The wizard did it again. This book is profound and applicable, simple but insightful that I'll be making it mandatory read for everybody that's in my company and joins from now on. Before I used to make them read several books (some dry and boring) but know I have this.

Thanks for writing it. And thanks for writing it in a way that's digestible, engaging, funny and entertaining.

Just stop reading this review and buy the book for you, your employees and any other friend entrepreneur.

[Jim Sterne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, provocative and Wiley useful

It doesn't matter that I've known Bryan and Jeffrey for a decade and a half. It doesn't matter that this book is written with gentle humor and a sweet smile. It doesn't matter that you can finish reading it on an airplane. What matters is that this book is packed with solid business smarts and specific instructions on taking advantage of insightful thinking, based on published examples. Read this book. Now. Seriously.

[Laurierhoads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST READ FOR ANY CEO: Big or Small Business

As a cereal CEO, founder of many businesses and start-ups, I've always been looking for something, which will make my job easier. Though an easy route isn't what I seek, I've always known that running a business isn't for the faint of heart, therefore any single advantage to make things work a little better is always welcomed.

I wish I had read this book when I started my first companies. Thankfully I finally found it. This outlines things I never anticipated to be in the book, especially the things the best companies in the world do in common, and why they can easily loose their focus and kill their income streams by moving away from the simple process outlined inside.

I almost did not buy this book because I don't see my company as an Amazon-like business. I had taken things too literally. I guess the lemonade stand caught my eye (though I thought then it might be too simple). In any case I thought they were going to be talking about Amazon's systems and technology, when in fact they did none of that really (other than mention a couple things spawned by the system Bezos uses).

Today I cannot stop thinking about what I discovered and instead of trying to articulate it, I'm buying the book for all my executives but also many of my front line people. And I believe that there is enough evidence in this book about ways I can reinvent my business without much effort other than helping others embrace an adjustment in culture, which they will get excited about.

This book should be the foundational manual for every start up, small business and even giant corporations. They should teach this at Harvard Business School and everywhere business people gather to learn how to do business.

If you're going to build a business or reinvent a business (even though you think you don't need reinvention), this is the best possible place to start.

[Maheesh Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great business book that covers the 4 pillars of Amazon's success and how any business can replicate them. It's a fast read and as a bonus - doesn't read like a textbook. Covers areas that you may have read about before in isolation, but goes further and shows how bringing together the 4 pillars can transform a business. Highly recommend it - I know I'll be using it as a reference book on future projects.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the whole concept of the book. I have read many of the "How To Succeed In Business" type books and this is the first time I have seen one put into a story format.

Sunshine and Poobah are heading on a road trip, and Poobah is imparting his business wisdom to the young Sunshine, explaining the success of Amazon and the downfall of previously successful companies like Sears. What a fun read.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First-Reads.

[Ricardo Gulko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finalized reading this book. Now without any doubt :-) and any second or third thought, I can strongly recommend you! The Book content quality is great like Amazon #CustomerExperience and #CustomerServices! Highly recommended! Made in the Eisenberg Brothers House! Bryan Eisenberg and Jeffrey Eisenberg #CX #CEM #custexp #Custserv

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 - Thought provoking advice with several key takeaways, however, the way it was written got irritating as I went along.

[Seth Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast, fulfilling read.

This is the business book you've been wanting to read. Heck, it's like the business book I've been wanting to write. There's no textbook format here, it's just like eavesdropping on a conversation between an incredibly wise mentor and a young entrepreneur. You can be like Amazon, and this simple text explains how to get started.

[Gisela Hausmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book that I will reread.

There are a quite few things I like about this book, "Be Like Amazon: Even a Lemonade Stand Can Do It."
1. At 144 pages the book is manageable; readers can read it in one sitting (which I didn't), and the ones who don't won't forget the content between readings,
2. the book has a fabulous beginning which says, "We are not going to throw around BIG words here, we are hoping to impress you with simplicity"
3. the book features a fair amount of history, I believe that (a) not every wheel needs to be re-invented and (b) yes, we can learn from history
4. the book is entertaining, full of clever metaphors, and smart.

Just to give you a taste at this books writing style. At the beginning of the book Jeffrey Eisenberg has his character the old man explain, "... “There are only four people on the ocean of life, and you meet them over and over again..."

People are
• drifting
• surfing
• drowning (this third person is a professional drowner)
• navigating.

All of us can envision that. This is not fancy MBA university course language, this is down-to-Earth, we know what the author means, we can even sort out friends and acquaintances into these four categories, hence we, the readers are open minded to hear more.

Eisenberg goes on to run in open doors here (with me) when he picks Kodak as his first example. I too wrote about Kodak in the past. My reference was, "... In 1970, Eastman Kodak, the same company, which today trades at 3 cents per share, was ranked #27 among the Fortune 500..."
Eisenberg compares Kodak with Amazon and explains what went wrong and why.

Be prepared for more fabulous content. I just wanted to mention that I was humored that Eisenberg chose the same examples I like to talk about; or, is it that they are the best examples?

A highly recommended read, regardless what your next career step is, even if you are "drifting", "surfing" or "drowning."

Gisela Hausmann, author & blogger

[Jim Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, to the point. Great approach to telling a powerful story.

Well told story. Very powerful story told in an entertaining and concise way. Read it in an hour and a half and I'm a slow reader.

[Николай Митев · Rating 2 out of 5]

Съдържанието на книгата е поднесено в контекста на разговор между двама души - млад и стар, които се обръщат един към друг със "Слънце" и "Вожде" и се усеща някакво сексуално напрежение между тях, което е скандално, защото в същия момент Слънцето звучи като 12 годишен и изобщо работите на тези двамата не са им никак чисти.

Има наистина полезни съвети, въпреки че четох книгата вчера и днес не мога да се сетя за нищо конкретно, но пък е само 98 страници, така че всичко е наред.

[Bill Peel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short book was recommended to me by my dear friend, and fellow voracious reader, Robert Riggs. It’s interesting how the fable reinforces Amazon’s Four Pillars - Customer Centricity. Continuous Optimization. Culture of Innovation. Corporate Agility. It’s an easy read, yet prompts many opportunities for introspection and reflection. The examples are clear, concise and memorable. The Buyer Legend process is enticing and worth examining for any entrepreneur or executive who is committed to turning the four part Amazon “fly wheel.”

[Joseph Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book uses a story to convey complex ideas, principals, and comparisons in a way that makes them feel easy to get. The story reminded me of the best features from the Rich Dad Poor Dad series of books. While this book was not presented in the way that most of us expect academic material presented, I think that this is the book's strength. I remember the information from this book because of the context cues of the story. I found this book to be good and informative read.

Mr Joe

[Martijn Reintjes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short fun book that makes the point that you should focus on the 4 pillars of Amazon to build a thriving business that survives the ages:
1. Costumer Centricity
2. Continuous Optimization
3. Culture of Innovation
4. Corporate Agility

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some simple and profound business lessons mixed in with some not so great Halo Effects. Entertaining and fun to read, but mixed in with some clunky plugs towards the end. Definitely worth reading, but I'd give it a 3.8 or 3.9.

[Thomas Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an exceptional read for entrepreneurs. Very concise and to the point. Looks into some of the best leaders ever (Sam Walton, Herb Kelleher and Jeff Bezos). I will use this book as a reference going forward.

[Darko Doko · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to make a full topic interesting. very good

[Egdares Futch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Business advice on doing what Amazon does best: customer-centric innovation

[Silvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

📖Be Like Amazon: Even a Lemonade Stand Can Do It. 🖊Jeffrey and Bryan Eisenberg, Roy Williams.
The authors of the book are two brothers Jeffrey and Bryan Eisenberg. After publishing several books, they decided to make this one simpler, more accessible, easier to learn for every business owner and manager. And here comes the role of the third author Roy Williams, who turns a non-fiction into a dialogue between two people who share different business stories.
The book is not burdensome with unnecessary terms and details, is not voluminous and is fast to read. Different ideas and tips accompany each story inside. You will find out the wrong decisions of big companies that have failed them and what are the main ingredients in the recipe of the world’s most successful brands.
This is not a management textbook, but one never knows where he will be inspired by and what business idea will germinate in his mind, so keep reading ...
.
📜Favorite quote:
.
📍It is not the big fish that eat the small ones, but the fast ones that eat the slow ones.

[Robert Petkovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book every business owner should read on the next business trip

It is among shorter books I’ve read but the one I took the most highlights and notes from! At first I thought this is going to be some short story on success, but it turned out to be one of the finest textbooks on business and customer centricity. Like many great advices and useful concepts in life, it is simple yet powerful and it’s advices are simple yet hard to implement. This is the book every business owner should read on his/hers next business journey. It will take a little more than an hour to swallow, a bit longer to digest but it’s impact will last for many years.

[Cherrie Chung · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, based on the format of the book, I thought the information was not going to be in-depth and more of general information that I could read online. However, this quickly changed as the authors provided more insights to what truly make a business successful, providing examples I have not heard before. Very inspiring and I got many pointers out of it. Definitely recommend reading it.

[Vili Ilieva · Rating 1 out of 5]

Не съм особено впечатлена от тази книга. По-малко от сто страници криндж фест... Стилът на писане изобщо не ми хареса. Не знам от превода ли е или си е така и на английски,но не е добре написана. Прекалено елементарно звучи. Спокойно може да се пропусне.

[Darrell Knippshild · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goodreads

[Mel Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a business book, unlike others. It is inspiring! It's well written. Easy to read. Almost a "page turner"!

[Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The audiobook is amazing to hear. Tells such a great story and you learn so much. Very thought provoking

[watermelon 🍉 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Не ми харесва начинът, по който е написана, но определено нещата, които са качазани са доста важни! Бих препоръчала, носи ценна информация, доста малка (прочита се за ден/два)

[Vilislav Slavev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. It is appropriate for entrepreneurs, business owners, people with startups and ideas 💡
I would definitely go through it again in the near future!

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Давам 3 звезди, но по-скоро е за 2.5. Един диалог между двама души, който има тък-там интригуващи моменти, но като цяло не е нещо особено.