Title and author: Ready, Fire, Aim de Michael Masterson

Contents synopsis:

Masterson, a self-made millionaire, provides a kind of blueprint on how to start, build, and grow a small business into as big a business as one could wish for. It divides the companies into four stages: Childhood, Childhood, Adolescence and Adulthood. He even makes some comparisons between these stages of human development and the growth stages of a company. For each stage, define the parameters, as well as the challenges and requirements for success at that stage.

Masterson’s thesis is that you cannot plan and design a successful business in advance. Two likely consequences follow from such an attempt. Or planning consumes the entrepreneur in such a way that execution never actually occurs – analysis paralysis. Or, the plan is created and in the mistaken belief that one should follow the plan, the creator of the company does not adjust or change as circumstances require.

Masterson insists that he must be ready to go; some kind of plan and preparation are certainly essential to avoid some failure. Then he advocates for action: implement the plan before it’s perfected, and then refine it as you go, making it Ready, Shoot, and Aim rather than the traditional Ready, Aim, and Shoot. More than firing a gun, he likes to go into business than flying an airplane: while you have a basic flight plan, you must continually correct your course to reach your designated destination.

Scattered throughout the book are additional jewels of wisdom and experience from the author’s half-century construction businesses. It talks about everything from job satisfaction to the value of other books and publications like Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point (Little, Brown, 2000).

Whether you’re contemplating starting a business, in the middle of doing it, or higher up the ladder to growing an existing business, there are valuable lessons and tips in this book for everyone. It was worth reading.

Readability / Writing quality:

Masterson writes well. It is not always as polished or concise as one would wish, but it conveys your point of view clearly enough. Use lots of examples, titles and subtitles, text boxes, and other devices to organize your material and help make it more interesting and useful.

Notes on the author:

Michael Masterson is not just an author who likes to write about financial success, he has lived it. He has founded and developed several companies, including two that exceeded $ 100 million in value. He has a loyal following for his Early to Rise ezine, which is free and available at earlytorise.com. He is the author of other books that have been on various best-seller lists, such as Seven Years to Seven Figures, Automatic Wealth, and Automatic Wealth for Grads.

Three great ideas you can use:

1. Developing a sales strategy is absolutely essential for any business venture. Developing an “optimal sales strategy” can make the difference between success and failure.

2. It is also essential to understand the difference between marketing and sales. Learning this and putting it into practice can make the difference between success and failure. Developing the unique selling proposition for our business is also critical.

3. Every new business needs four personality types to make it work: salesperson, improver, organizer, and promoter. Identifying those types of businesses in your business will make success much more likely.

Publication information:

Ready, Fire and Aim (Zero to $ 100 Million Zero) by Michael Masterson.

© 2008 by Michael Masterson. Published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Rating of this book:

Overall rating: Very good

Writing style: very good

Application: very good

Technical difficulty: moderate