This is a superb book about the richest person in the world from 2018 to 2021, Jeff Bezos Founder and CEO of Amazon. I took my time reading this book This is a superb book about the richest person in the world from 2018 to 2021, Jeff Bezos Founder and CEO of Amazon. I took my time reading this book as it was so enjoyable. At circa 410 pages it is extremely detailed - the author did some amount of investigative research. It is a very readable book as it weaves in real stories set in chronological order whilst providing great context. The tone is set in the opening pages of the introduction which recounts a gala event held in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC in November 2019 when Bezos, aged 55, accepted the Portrait of a Nation Prize for commitment to ‘service, creativity, individuality, insight and ingenuity’. The author sets this event against the many external criticisms of Amazon to include the pay and conditions of its blue collar workforce, and its impact on competition along with its climate record. Stone explains that Bezos had attempted to address environmental impact concerns by conceiving the Climate Pledge, a promise that Amazon would be carbon neutral by 2040, ten years before the ambitious goals set by the Paris climate accords.
‘Bezos insisted that Amazon approach the issue creatively so that it might be viewed as a leader and its millions of customers around the world could still feel good about visiting the site and clicking the buttons labelled “Buy Now”.
No concrete way existed to achieve this goal, particularly in the face of Amazon’s growing armada of pollution-spewing airplanes, trucks, and delivery vans. Nevertheless, Bezos wanted to unveil the pledge and invite other companies to sign it with a grand gesture.’
This typifies the style of the book, which acknowledges the unrivalled success of Amazon but provides the full picture – it is certainly not just a rehash of Amazon PR messages (propaganda).
The introduction explains that the author wrote an earlier book, 'The Everything Store' published in 2013 which at the time was the definitive guide to the rise of Amazon and that this book takes up the story as so much has happened since then. For example, 2014 saw the release of the first Echo and the invention of Alexa – this is the central topic in chapter 1 (btw we bought our first Echo Dot the 3rd Gen in March 2019). The transformative change for Bezos came in the spring of 2015 when Amazon reported AWS’s financial results for the first time, shocking investors with its profitability and growth. It catapulted Bezos into the limelight as one of the wealthiest people in the world.
I haven’t read the earlier book but will do so now. ‘Amazon Unbound’ takes up the story from circa 2010 when Amazon is already a multibillion-dollar success story. Being in Ireland, we would be fairly familiar with Jeff Bezos and his association with Amazon over the years but this book is fantastic in terms of providing the detail in chronological order focusing on key themes and aspects of Bezos’s life, many of which I didn’t know about, such as: - The legendary Bezos Leadership style and the S Team. The operational expansion within the US to include the creation of systems to rival the US Postal service and international delivery companies. - Amazon in China and India - The clash with Trump - The purchase of The Washington Post newspaper and his subsequent role - Amazon Prime streaming service and Hollywood - Blue Origin, the commercial spaceflight company and how it differed from and with SpaceX owned by Elon Musk - The divorce and his new relationship - The political forces and the resulting saga to find a second HQ for Amazon in the US
One of the more poignant stories tells of when Bezos in later life goes to visit one of his and his mother’s first homes a modest and typical American home in the suburbs – he was shown around by the new owner. For me, that story serves to highlight a gap in the book. The author is following a trail and reporting a story from an external perspective unearthing unseen documents and talking to lots of people but he is not within the inner circle. Unlike for instance the Steve Jobs book by Walter Isaaccson the author Brad Stone has no engagement with Bezos so we don’t really set a sense of who Bezos is and what he thinks and feels and his reflections on the journey.
The book finishes up with the Pandemic and its impact on Amazon, demand went supersonic putting extreme strain on logistics and operations including warehouse staff. So the book starts and finishes with Amazon, an amazing journey and the man who led it. Highly recommended read. ...more
A fantastic book. I read this in a day or two as I could not put it down. Highly recommended. I appreciated the learnings from the true-to-life story.A fantastic book. I read this in a day or two as I could not put it down. Highly recommended. I appreciated the learnings from the true-to-life story. A great way to learn about entrepreneurship. ...more
I think this is an interesting book. It was highly recommended so I had very high expectations which ultimately were not met.
I subsequently read a loI think this is an interesting book. It was highly recommended so I had very high expectations which ultimately were not met.
I subsequently read a lot of the reviews on Goodreads and I am in the camp which says that: - the examples are a bit flimsy (the US v Japanese car makers example) and not really based on insider knowledge - the examples particularly Apple, which is repeatedly used, is too simplistic.
I don't really disagree with anyone who gave the book a 5 star as the messages are compelling- largely based on his viral 19 minutes TED talk on YouTube 'How great leaders inspire action | Simon Sinek' - which is well worth watching.
I also like books that provide tools or formulas to actually take the information provided and do something with it. I don't think that this book spends enough time helping the reader to find their WHY. So I am going, at some stage, to check out the follow up 'Find Your Why: A Practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team' which is more of a workbook from the description. - but I will read the reviews on Goodreads first!!
So I am glad I can say I have read it but perhaps a good summary would have sufficed. ...more
This is a very good book. It is very readable and contains lots of practical advice and experience from the author Jeff who has managed a hugely succeThis is a very good book. It is very readable and contains lots of practical advice and experience from the author Jeff who has managed a hugely successful business for many years. It is ideal for a startup promoter because it provides brilliant advice to take on board from the very start of your business journey, and if you re-read it later you will pick up even more from the book. The 'Hiring' chapter is particularly good and I really like the Profit Wise questions posed at the end of each chapter. For my full review of this book see my blog article: https://www.startuphughes.com/books-2......more
This is a fantastic book. It is so easy to read and there is so much to learn from this book, from an author who has learned the hard way. I really loThis is a fantastic book. It is so easy to read and there is so much to learn from this book, from an author who has learned the hard way. I really love the examples and the example questions that he poses, if you follow along and try to judge the questions you will get into the author's way of thinking about questions. This is ideal for any startup (or established business) who are in the process of Customer Discovery. For my full review see my blogpost: https://www.startuphughes.com/books-2......more
This is a brilliant book. I listened to the audio version on Bookboon first and then bought a hard copy of the book - and then I gave it to my wife toThis is a brilliant book. I listened to the audio version on Bookboon first and then bought a hard copy of the book - and then I gave it to my wife to read. I also signed up for the weekly e-newsletter from James Clear which complements the many summaries online of this book which are also worth dipping into -
What I liked about the book:
- Easy to read and understand - Uses very practical examples and makes you feel that this will work, the proviso being that you have to spend time on building habits one day at a time - Great structure as he discusses the three layers of behaviour change and the four laws of behaviour change with clear advice on firstly how to create a good habit, and secondly to break a bad habit (being the subtitle of the book)
This is a very convincing book as the core theme is very clear. I particularly liked the section on goal setting where he says that goals are good for setting direction but even more important to make progress you need to have good habits and systems. I also like how the importance of mindset and identity is prioritised in identifying and forming habits that lead to the outcomes that we want.
Committing to the process is what makes the difference - tiny changes, remarkable results.
This is a good book. The StoryBrand framework makes great sense, focus on the problem faced by customers and frame the customer as the hero and your bThis is a good book. The StoryBrand framework makes great sense, focus on the problem faced by customers and frame the customer as the hero and your business as the guide to making their lives better. For a full review see my blogpost: https://www.startuphughes.com/books-2......more
This is an excellent book. Published in 2017 the back cover explains that the lessons, stories and guidelines offer a unique and honest insight into tThis is an excellent book. Published in 2017 the back cover explains that the lessons, stories and guidelines offer a unique and honest insight into the day-to-day realities of what many people see as their dream job (running a coffee shop). I wrote a full book review in this blogpost .... https://www.startuphughes.com/coffee-......more
I got an advance copy of this book from the author's publishing team - I am a business consultant in Ireland and while I don't work with the Bar & ResI got an advance copy of this book from the author's publishing team - I am a business consultant in Ireland and while I don't work with the Bar & Restaurant industry to a great extent, this is a book that I would recommend to anyone operating in that sector.
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A GREAT READ The lasting impression of this book is its tone - the author's personality and voice definitely shine through. One of the headings in the Introduction is ‘Shit was Getting Real’ … other headings in the book include: ‘Why hiring “Social Media Experts” is NOT the answer’ and ‘Respond to Every Online Review – Good and Bad’ I would say that he is a typical Bar & Restaurant person. The ones I meet are really busy, passionate about customers and also want to make money. I can see them really enjoying this book - they will definitely buy into the frustrations so clearly outlined in the book. That frustration is how to do MARKETING.
BASED ON ONE BIG CONCEPT This book is only 90 pages in pdf. The book has a laser focus - the contents is very tight – such that there is really only one message. [image] The big concept of the book is the Ocean versus Fishbowl as explained on page 13 in the introduction to Chapter 1 entitled, ‘Get out of the Fishbowl and into the Ocean’ "If I had to sum up the contents of this book into a single, coherent concept, it would be the fishbowl versus the ocean scenario. A fishbowl environment is made up of people who have heard of you before. Existing customers. People who have “opted-in,” “liked,” or “followed” you. This environment is represented by things like email lists, social media accounts, customer databases, and so forth. Most continuing (and expensive) marketing efforts are geared toward getting more people into your particular fishbowl so you can continue to market directly to those people. Conversely, the ocean is made up of ALL consumers. People who have no idea you exist. People who are looking to branch out and try new places to eat and drink in their home city. People who have not opted in or liked anything you offer. The tourist economy is almost exclusively an ocean environment. It includes the person using Google or online reviews to find a business like yours."
This is geared towards Restaurant & Bars owners but addresses issues that have a broader application within marketing.
VIEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA I totally agree with the author's views on social media which are controversial. For instance, a heading on page 59 is ‘Hashtags are Worthless’. They go against conventional wisdom as created by billions of marketing dollars every year.
DOES THIS BOOK APPLY IN IRELAND? This book is based on understanding your customer. Anyone who travels to other cities or foreign countries will empathise with the description of the customer decision-making process when choosing a restaurant. One often hears that you should eat where the locals eat! Before writing this review I had to think about what exactly the author is proposing as the solution to the marketing dilemma within restaurants. Here are 6 pointers: 1. Know your Customer 2. Keep Returning Customers happy 3. Invest in Staff… btw, the speech to employees on page 74 is superb 4. Invest in SEO & Content Marketing 5. Focus on Reviews 6. Make Social Media work for you (Chapter 5) So absolutely this book applies to Ireland. BTW, Yelp is not big in Ireland but I do see more signs for it in Dublin. For many years TripAdvisor and more recently Google Reviews /Google Business have been hugely important and beneficial for business. I know the Restaurant Manager of a 5 Star Hotel – voted #1 by TripAdvisor in Ireland in 2018. It was a huge boost to the family-owned business.
If you don't much time, yet want to know about Marketing and particularly if you own/operate or work in a Bar, Restaurant or Hotel, then you should read this book....more
This is an excellent book for anyone running a small business who wants to know how to market their business. The subtitle is 'Get New Customers, MakeThis is an excellent book for anyone running a small business who wants to know how to market their business. The subtitle is 'Get New Customers, Make More Money, and Stand Out from the Crowd'. This points to a key tenet of the book - small business must adopt a niche focus so that you can really figure out a specific problem that faces a specific customer profile, and then solve that problem for them by delivering a world class product or service. This will allow you to stand out from the crowd and charge more for your product or service. It will also lead to the developing of raving fan customers who will send other customers your way. This all sounds great but how do you do it. As the back cover of the book explains the answer is to complete the 1 PAGE Marketing Plan Canvas. Allan Dib has created a simple step-by-step process for creating a marketing plan for your business that is literally one page. Simply follow along and fill in each of the nine squares that make up his 1-Page Marketing Canvas after reading each chapter.
I would recommend this book to any startups that I meet to include those on Start Your Own Business and New Frontiers programmes in Ireland. I was so impressed with the book that I wrote a very detailed blog post which selected '20 Business Building ideas' extracted from the book. I also created an infographic to match. For more see: www.startuphughes.com/1-page-marketin......more
This is a fantastic book for anyone preparing a Pitch for their startup or new business project. The pitch formula containing 4 elements of a pitch isThis is a fantastic book for anyone preparing a Pitch for their startup or new business project. The pitch formula containing 4 elements of a pitch is superbly explained with great examples of real pitches by real businesses at Pitch competitions. The four elements of influence were also brilliantly explained. The author concludes that you don't need a Team slide preferring to address Team as part of the overall story of the pitch - a point that most people would disagree with. For more on the book see my blogpost: http://www.startuphughes.com/pitch-fo......more
The contents page is amazing. It links every element of Marketing - each page lists related articles so after reading PR, you might be directed to BraThe contents page is amazing. It links every element of Marketing - each page lists related articles so after reading PR, you might be directed to Branding. There is a separate book called QuickWin Digital Marketing. ...more
Book co-authored by Paul O'Dea Select Selling. A very good Sales book with lots of tools and models. A 3 star as somewhat difficult to read. But worthBook co-authored by Paul O'Dea Select Selling. A very good Sales book with lots of tools and models. A 3 star as somewhat difficult to read. But worth the effort all the same. ...more
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