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How to Suck at Business Without Really Trying
As the World’s “Best” Boss puts it: I’ve never shied away from giving great advice— especially when free food or money is involved. Money is my lover, and boy, is she into bondage. I’ll show you how to master money’s rules to foreplay for navigating the business world. I’ll take you on a trip that teaches you all there is to know about starting a world-class business and to rubbing elbows (or even more) with the world’s elite.
Listen, I have an MBA from a top university (an American one, of course), no debt, millions in the bank, and an animation studio start-up that I can proudly say does a lot of stuff that I don’t quite understand. And that’s a good thing, because it keeps me focused on my money.
I’ll teach you how to run a business my way. A few of the things I’ll cover are:
• Human Resources
• Strategy
• Marketing & Business Development
• Leadership
• Tech & Big Data
I promise to give you a peek at my abundant life so that it drives you to be just as successful as I am. If you’re already a millionaire, you should pick up this book to validate what you already know to be true.
Listen, I have an MBA from a top university (an American one, of course), no debt, millions in the bank, and an animation studio start-up that I can proudly say does a lot of stuff that I don’t quite understand. And that’s a good thing, because it keeps me focused on my money.
I’ll teach you how to run a business my way. A few of the things I’ll cover are:
• Human Resources
• Strategy
• Marketing & Business Development
• Leadership
• Tech & Big Data
I promise to give you a peek at my abundant life so that it drives you to be just as successful as I am. If you’re already a millionaire, you should pick up this book to validate what you already know to be true.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published February 22, 2022
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2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 26, 2022
The world of business is not a brotherhood of man. It’s more like a nature special, with predation and a total lack of moral compass as a matter of routine. Unlike a lot of my left-handed compliments, this is not a jest. It is indictment. With that spirit in mind, author Marah Archer presents How to Suck at Business Without Really Trying, a satiric look at the world of slick entrepreneurs and their not so sound advice to the masses. Opening like the self-aggrandizing memoirs of an incarcerated former President, the narrative is biting and caustic and saturated with indictments of corporate America.
How to Suck at Business Without Really Trying reads like an instruction manual for an inept, tyrannical employer whose title is longer than his attention span. It’s packed full of cliched tips for motivating employees to work harder than their pay grade, while instilling in them the desire to rend the flesh of their tormentor. It’s hilarious and could only have come from the mind of one who has experienced the stale smell of row upon row of cubicles, pedantic team huddles, and clueless managers tossing about words like “synergy” and “inclusive meritocracy.” I had flashbacks. Truly.
The author is biting in her sarcasm, but the narrative is really a parody of any number of motivational authors who have their own methods of motivating their employees. Full of rich pseudo-advice, How to Suck at Business Without Really Trying is a wonderfully inventive book. You will laugh until you realize that there truly are people out there just like this.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
How to Suck at Business Without Really Trying reads like an instruction manual for an inept, tyrannical employer whose title is longer than his attention span. It’s packed full of cliched tips for motivating employees to work harder than their pay grade, while instilling in them the desire to rend the flesh of their tormentor. It’s hilarious and could only have come from the mind of one who has experienced the stale smell of row upon row of cubicles, pedantic team huddles, and clueless managers tossing about words like “synergy” and “inclusive meritocracy.” I had flashbacks. Truly.
The author is biting in her sarcasm, but the narrative is really a parody of any number of motivational authors who have their own methods of motivating their employees. Full of rich pseudo-advice, How to Suck at Business Without Really Trying is a wonderfully inventive book. You will laugh until you realize that there truly are people out there just like this.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
February 21, 2022
This book has a much longer subtitle, but I’m trying to encourage authors not to try to tell us everything on the cover because it spoils the surprise of the book. So, I’m ignoring it.
And, as you can already tell, this is going to be a difficult review to write, because this book defies definition. It was presented to me as a parody, although it’s often difficult to tell what is being parodied. One thing is certain; it’s a character sketch in the first person. The problem is that every once in a while, you get caught up in what this person is saying, and you have to stop yourself and say, “wait a minute. This is fiction, right?”
The book starts out — until you get sidetracked by the main character – as a parody of self-help books. In that sense, it works very well. The tone of the main character is consistent and sounds very positive. A lot of the advice sounds pretty reasonable. And then you’re hooked…
Because all the while you’re reading the book from the POV of this business executive, there’s the author, who sets himself up as the executive’s victim, reminding us that there’s a whole different level to the conversation. Namely that this guy is based on real-life axxhole business owners. But he’s such a blithe, cheerful axxhole that we say, “Yes, right,” and go on reading, and the bastard sucks us in again. We are so conditioned to first-person fiction where the main character is the good guy that we can’t resist.
Some of the things he says are completely true. The fun part of the book is that the main character pretty well touches on everything that is wrong with the business world, and earns our sympathy by saying most of them are bogus (my word. His words are considerably rougher)
The result is an enjoyable reading experience and a rather slanted lesson in how the business world works.
The only weakness in the format comes because it is a fictional piece with a lot of narrative, so we expect a certain amount of conflict, with suspense leading to a climax. However, because it is a parody of a how-to book, there is none.
A fascinating character study with a lot of questionable business practices thrown in for a bonus.
And, as you can already tell, this is going to be a difficult review to write, because this book defies definition. It was presented to me as a parody, although it’s often difficult to tell what is being parodied. One thing is certain; it’s a character sketch in the first person. The problem is that every once in a while, you get caught up in what this person is saying, and you have to stop yourself and say, “wait a minute. This is fiction, right?”
The book starts out — until you get sidetracked by the main character – as a parody of self-help books. In that sense, it works very well. The tone of the main character is consistent and sounds very positive. A lot of the advice sounds pretty reasonable. And then you’re hooked…
Because all the while you’re reading the book from the POV of this business executive, there’s the author, who sets himself up as the executive’s victim, reminding us that there’s a whole different level to the conversation. Namely that this guy is based on real-life axxhole business owners. But he’s such a blithe, cheerful axxhole that we say, “Yes, right,” and go on reading, and the bastard sucks us in again. We are so conditioned to first-person fiction where the main character is the good guy that we can’t resist.
Some of the things he says are completely true. The fun part of the book is that the main character pretty well touches on everything that is wrong with the business world, and earns our sympathy by saying most of them are bogus (my word. His words are considerably rougher)
The result is an enjoyable reading experience and a rather slanted lesson in how the business world works.
The only weakness in the format comes because it is a fictional piece with a lot of narrative, so we expect a certain amount of conflict, with suspense leading to a climax. However, because it is a parody of a how-to book, there is none.
A fascinating character study with a lot of questionable business practices thrown in for a bonus.
February 14, 2022
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I've got to say, this book is genius. And pretty damn funny. The author has got the personality of the uber-douche boss spot on. Using real quotes from previous managers, whilst quoting and referencing real businesses leaders, it's a very funny guide on how to win at business.
And for me, the irony is that some of the guff said boss spouts is a fair take on the business world! Processes put in place for processes sake. Meetings to discuss the next meeting.
Think David Brent/Michael Scott on cocaine.
I've got to say, this book is genius. And pretty damn funny. The author has got the personality of the uber-douche boss spot on. Using real quotes from previous managers, whilst quoting and referencing real businesses leaders, it's a very funny guide on how to win at business.
And for me, the irony is that some of the guff said boss spouts is a fair take on the business world! Processes put in place for processes sake. Meetings to discuss the next meeting.
Think David Brent/Michael Scott on cocaine.
July 29, 2022
Extended parody of business advice.
If you like the TV series "The Office", then this book would fit that sense of humour. All the trappings of a serious "how to" book are there, but read the fine print in that the author is an employee of the "world's best boss". The entire book is written from the point of view of that self-styled "best boss".
The tongue-very-firmly-in-cheek style is sustained until the extensive references given at the end. These illustrate through their nature a deeper and well-informed understanding of the principles and strategies discussed. It is powerful learning from other people's mistakes. In reading this book, you should consider doing the opposite of the advice and example given. Follow the advice if you want to suck.
I received a free advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
If you like the TV series "The Office", then this book would fit that sense of humour. All the trappings of a serious "how to" book are there, but read the fine print in that the author is an employee of the "world's best boss". The entire book is written from the point of view of that self-styled "best boss".
The tongue-very-firmly-in-cheek style is sustained until the extensive references given at the end. These illustrate through their nature a deeper and well-informed understanding of the principles and strategies discussed. It is powerful learning from other people's mistakes. In reading this book, you should consider doing the opposite of the advice and example given. Follow the advice if you want to suck.
I received a free advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
May 14, 2024
How to Suck at Business Without Really Trying is, if it isn’t nakedly apparent from the title, a satirical text on breathtakingly bad business management.
Written in the style of a self-help business book, it’s designed to impart pearls of wisdom and innovative insights from a sociopathic entrepreneur who has grown their corporate empire from nothing.
These types of books, often penned by self-styled ‘LinkedIn Gurus,’ are ripe for parody and yet How to Suck at Business Without Really Trying falls flat. Amusing in parts, the book unfortunately leans into predictable satire that never truly evolves beyond the first joke.
Read the full review on talesfromabsurdia.com
Written in the style of a self-help business book, it’s designed to impart pearls of wisdom and innovative insights from a sociopathic entrepreneur who has grown their corporate empire from nothing.
These types of books, often penned by self-styled ‘LinkedIn Gurus,’ are ripe for parody and yet How to Suck at Business Without Really Trying falls flat. Amusing in parts, the book unfortunately leans into predictable satire that never truly evolves beyond the first joke.
Read the full review on talesfromabsurdia.com
September 5, 2022
This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I'm afraid I just didn't get it.
I understand the concept of satire, and this book hit that, however it just wasn't funny to me.
I related to a few items and laughed a couple of times - hence giving it two, not one out of five.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Mascot Books for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I understand the concept of satire, and this book hit that, however it just wasn't funny to me.
I related to a few items and laughed a couple of times - hence giving it two, not one out of five.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Mascot Books for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews