The company was forced to write-down $900 million in inventory and Surface’s future was in jeopardy.Beneath A Surface tells the inside story of how Microsoft turned its hardware dreams into a reality with new details about the challenges Panos and his team had to overcome as well as the internal politics that nearly killed the brand.For fans of Microsoft and those who are interested in the business of building brands, Beneath A Surface is a must read that tells the inside story of how Microsoft turned a failure into a fortune.

    And they often receive an incredible return on their investments. They’re angel investors, some of the most important—and least understood—players in business today, whose investments in startups exceed $20 billion per year. Many, if not most, of the world’s largest companies were originally funded by angels—companies like Apple, Microsoft, LinkedIn and Amazon.com.But until now, little has been written about these angels, due in part to their preference for anonymity. ANGEL INVESTING: The Gust Guide to Making Money and Having Fun Investing in Startups by David S. Rose provides an inside look at who these angels are, how they operate, and how anyone with six figures to invest can potentially generate annual returns of 25% while funding tomorrow’s industry leaders…and having a lot of fun in the process.In the past few years, angel investing has moved from an arcane, tiny backwater of the financial world to a business arena that receives coverage in mainstream newspapers and smash hit television shows such as ABC’s Shark Tank. Every year angels invest over $20 billion into startup companies in the US alone (and double that amount worldwide). Historically this been a virtually random activity, but over the past several years angel investing has begun to be recognized as a legitimate part of the Alternative Investments asset class. With a foreword by Reid Hoffman—co-founder of LinkedIn and a prolific angel investor himself—together with hard research studies and a host of stories from his personal experience as one of the world’s leading angels, Rose explains in this book precisely how angels and venture capitalists differ, describes proven ways for entrepreneurs to attract them, and provides all the relevant resources for investors to enter into the world of startup funding. Rose tackles all the challenging questions that have long confounded angel investors and the entrepreneurs seeking to attract them: • Who can be an angel…and who should be an angel?• Where do angels find hidden startup gems before the public hears about them?• How should an angel build a portfolio that can return 25% annually over a decade?• What is it like to lose all of an investor’s money? And, conversely, what does it feel like to invest in a failed startup as an angel investor? • What are some common mistakes that inexperienced angel investors make?Successful angels know that investing in entrepreneurial ventures is more than just providing money. ANGEL INVESTING is the first complete, up-to-date guide to the subject, including what angel investing is, how one gets started, how to find deal flow, evaluate opportunities, negotiate terms, join an angel group, structure investments, and work with venture capital funds. ANGEL INVESTING includes tools, tactics, and strategies for high-tech, low-tech, and every other kind of early-stage investing. Rose opens the doors to those angels who have limited experience, while augmenting the experience of seasoned investors. Entrepreneurs will gain access to the mind-set of winning angels, and learn how best to win them over, as well as finding information on how to value, structure and bring their companies to a successful exit.The combination of advancing technology, changing federal regulations, rapidly dropping startup costs and new online investment platforms means that it is now possible for any serious investor to undertake angel investing the right way—and that is what the book ANGEL INVESTING is all about.ABOUT DAVID S. ROSE:David S. Rose is an Inc. 500 CEO, serial entrepreneur and angel investor who has founded or funded over 90 pioneering companies. He has been described by Forbes as "New York's Archangel", by BusinessWeek as a “world conquering entrepreneur”, by Crain's New York Business as "the father of angel investing in New York", and by Red Herring magazine as “patriarch of Silicon Alley.”PRAISE FOR ANGEL INVESTING:"As an angel investor and a long-time fan of David S. Rose, I was delighted to hear he finally captured his wit and wisdom in the pages of a book. David is a born teacher — clear minded, witty and provocative, with amazing stories to illustrate every key idea and insight. Those gifts — as well as his unsurpassed knowledge of his field — are teaching me so much more about investing than I've learned over the years doing it! Read every page of Angel Investing."Barbara CorcoranReal Estate Mogul, Shark Tank star, Angel Investor“From the secret economics of angel investing and the best methods for finding and picking tomorrow’s big winners to proven techniques for adding value to any business you invest in, Angel Investing provides readers with everything they need to know to get started in this fascinating, fun—and lucrative—business arena.”David Bach#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Automatic Millionaire and Start Late Finish Rich, Angel Investor“This is the most comprehensive and readable guide to angel investing ever written. The chapter on valuation and expectations lays out a clear framework for understanding one of the least well-known pitfalls in the angel world. And its emphasis on creating a win-win relationship with the entrepreneur is at the heart of being a long-term successful angel—and continuing to see the best deal flow. I recommend this book to anyone even thinking about making or receiving angel investments.”Howard L. MorganFounding Partner, First Round Capital“The world of entrepreneurial startups is where the most exciting and creative action is happening in today’s business world, which is why I was a strong supporter of the JOBS Act of 2012. No wonder millions of people are wondering how they can get involved as investors. There’s no better place to start than by reading David S. Rose’s Angel Investing.”U.S. Senator Charles E. SchumerSenate Finance Committee“David S. Rose’s Angel Investing is the best book on early stage investing ever written. His method of step-by-step explanation is better than any I have read in 20+ years of professional angel investing. I will recommend this to every serious entrepreneur seeking investment as required reading before the effort.”Dave BerkusChairman Emeritus, Tech Coast Angels and Author of Berkonomics“Only an angel who has backed over 90 start-ups could possess the mastery to provide such illumination into our craft. David’s candor and insights will attract more investors to this entertaining and lucrative activity so essential to economic growth.”John HustonFounder & Manager, The OhioTechAngel Funds"Angel Investing is an engaging, easy read, full of real stories and hard numbers, actual cases and a whole lot of good advice. David S. Rose brings tons of real-world knowledge to the subject that makes this required reading for every new angel."Tim BerryAuthor of Business Plan Pro, Entrepreneur, Angel Investor"David S. Rose is one of the most insightful thinkers about the angel and venture investment markets. It's rare that an investment leader with so much experience and success takes the time to share (systematically!) his knowledge so openly. Whether you are new to angel investing or someone with lots of experience, you will learn a ton from reading this book."Marc BodnickCo-Founder, Elevation Partners“David S. Rose has distilled his vast knowledge into an easy to read yet comprehensive guide to angel investing. It is a must read for all angel investors as well as for entrepreneurs seeking angel financing.”Jeffrey SeltzerManaging Partner, Pierce Yates Ventures, Former Deputy Chairman, CIBC World Markets, Angel Investor"Anyone with a checkbook can be an angel investor, but it takes insight to do it well. David S. Rose has written a terrific new book that will help would-be angels make money, rather than lose it. From explaining the value of diversification, to tips on evaluating deals, to offering up plans to attract good deals, Angel Investing will help you move from a money-losing amateur to a money-making professional angel. And if you’re an entrepreneur looking for angel money, you should read this book too. It will help you understand what knowledgeable angels are seeking and how they will evaluate you."Scott ShaneAuthor of Fool’s Gold? The Truth Behind Angel Investing in America“The future of financial markets will be based on the democratization of capital, as the funding of innovation is no longer limited to large institutions and venture capitalists. Angel Investing is the definitive guidebook for visionary investors seeking to profit from the startups of today that will become the superstars of tomorrow. David S. Rose is both a brilliant futurist and an engaging, accessible writer, and his book reveals the secrets behind investing at the leading edge of technologies and markets."Faith PopcornFuturist, CEO and Author of The Popcorn Report

    The Science of Intelligent Achievement teaches you the scientific process of finding success through your most valuable assets:- Selective focus - how selective are you with who and what you let into your life?- Creative ownership - how dependent are you on others for your happiness and success?- Pragmatic growth - how consistently and practically are you growing daily?First, this book will show you how to develop your focus by being very selective with where you spend your mental energy. If you've failed to reach an important goal because you were distracted, misinformed, or overcommitted, then you know the role focus and selectivity play in achievement. Second, you will learn how to stop allowing your happiness and success to be dependent on other people and instead, start taking ownership over your life through creative work. Finally, you will learn the art of changing your life through pragmatic decisions and actions. Self-improvement is not the result of dramatic changes. Instead, science has shown that personal and professional change is initiated and sustained by consistent, practical changes. To grow, you must leverage the power of micro-decisions, personality responsibility, and mini-habits. Your own biology will not let you improve your life in any other way.What do you currently value? What are working to attain? Have you been taught to value your job title or your relationship with some other person above all else? Have you been convinced that the most valuable things in life are your paycheck, the number of people who say 'hello' to you at the office, and the number of people who say 'I need you' at home? Or, have you become so passive in what you value that you let anyone and anything into your life, as long as whatever you let in allows you to stay disconnected from the cold hard truth that when things really go wrong in your life, the only person who will be able to fix it and the only person will be responsible for it is you. If so...welcome to fake success. Passivity, dependence, and the sacrifice of practical thinking and personal responsibility to fuzzy, grandiose ideals and temporary feelings -- these are markers of fake success.Intelligent Achievement, on the other hand, is not a moving target. It's not empty either. Instead, it's sturdy, full, and immovable. It's not something that's just handed to you. It's not something you're nudged to chase or coerced into wanting. Intelligent Achievement comes from within you. It's a collection of values that are aligned with who you are--values you have to protect and nurture. These values do not increase your dependence on other people and things. Instead, they relieve you of dependence. This kind of achievement is something that you have a part in building from the ground up--you know what's in it--you chose it, someone else didn't choose it for you.Achieving real success means you must focus, create, and grow daily. The Science of Intelligent Achievement will show you how.

    Now you can study at the office, on a plane or even in your car with RMC’s portable and extremely valuable Hot Topics PMP® Exam Flashcards—in hard copy or audio CD format. Over 300 of the most important and difficult to recall PMP® exam-related terms and concepts are now available for study as you drive, fly or take your lunch break. Order them both! This product is aligned with the PMBOK® Guide Third Edition (2005).

     It’s these small things that have the greatest impact in the long-term.Neglecting small things can be the difference between failure and success.This book is NOT about failing; this book is about preventing, limiting and continually overcoming the small failures and obstacles so that you can achieve great success because when you take care of the small details, the big stuff takes care of itself.Do you find yourself missing the one thing in life that would help you achieve a desired goal, realize a long-held dream, or push you up the ladder to success?Big Things Have Small Beginnings will give you the blueprint you need to achieve those goals and dreams sooner rather than later.Some of what you’ll learn in this book are:•    The common characteristic our great leaders had that you must possess;•    How giving away flowers helped build a $60 million dollar company and go from surviving to thriving;•    The difference between goals and objectives and which one is more important to your overall success;•    How to be intelligently flexible so you can make massive progress;•    Why learning a new language can improve your business aptitude;•    How to grow a business when you don’t have the capital to do so;•    The importance of keeping a high integrity business model;•    And so much more!Wesley Berry started working at his family’s Detroit-based florist shop when he was just a teenager. He quickly demonstrated a strategic style of management that propelled it from a $65K per year business to a $65 million-dollar international business operating in 130 different countries. In 2016, after 40 years in business, he sold it to “retire” and follow other passions.Through the years, he's provided consulting services to over forty businesses and has appeared as a guest on NPR, The Wall Street Journal, The London Times, Entrepreneur and Time magazines, Fox News, Neil Cavuto, Geraldo Rivera, and John Stossel, to name a just few.Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The law of nature is, Do the thing, and you shall have the power:  but they who do not the thing have not the power.” If you want the power and the keys to success, click the BUY NOW button and be the one who wins and has the power.

    Sales manager John Doyle would consider his career a success--he's his company's top revenue driver, and his take-charge attitude gets the job done. However, when he is passed over for promotion--again--after losing two direct reports, who cite his abrasive style as their reason for leaving, John is forced to reassess how he approaches his relationships. With the help of Mac, an expert in the art of Relationship Awareness Theory, John learns the three stages of conflict, and how he reacts in each.Once John recognizes his own values and trigger points, as well those of other people, he becomes able to better navigate terse situations, express his points in a way that resonates for other people, and even avoid conflict altogether. Equipped with this new understanding of how other people interpret and react to conflict, John soon finds all the relationships in his life--both at work and at home--improving.Reveals a practical understanding of how conflict really works Shows how to recognize its initial stages of conflict, how to navigate it better to diffuse a situation, and how to understand the values of the other person to better frame your point for them Provides guidance for moving beyond conflict to enhance relationships Includes a five-step framework (anticipate, prevent, identify, manage, and resolve) and tools for locating conflict triggers in ourselves and others Anyone can profit from the tools in this book to understand and take control over conflict.

    24 hours later more than R160 billion rand of this fortune was wiped out. The Steinhoff Empire, that took 20 years to build into an international business giant, had crumbled overnight. Markus Jooste, Steinhoff’s flashy CEO, resigned via SMS and has since been fleeing an avalanche of scandals and accusations: luxury homes for a blonde mistress, allegations of fraud, racing horses and unparalleled extravagance, a lavish, black Jaguar for an old university residence… What exactly happened here? Who knew what? What is Steinhoff, who is Markus Jooste and what does it all have to do with the so called Stellenbosch mafia? Where does business tycoon Christo Wiese, Shoprite and Pepkor fit in and where is the pensioners’ money? Well-known financial writer James-Brent Styan unpacks these and other questions in this astounding tale of power and greed, of secrets and deceit, and ultimately the biggest financial breakdown in the history of South Africa. Through interviews with trustworthy sources, revelations from confidential documents and in-depth research about Steinhoff’s history, Styan uncovers what the group doesn’t want you to know. Follow the Money: The story of Steinhoff, Markus Jooste and the Stellenbosch Boys is a gripping financial thriller that will be told as cautionary tale or salacious scandal in both boardrooms and living rooms for decades to come.

    In fact, a million businesses start in the United States every year. Many of them fail, but enough succeed so that small businesses are now adding millions of jobs to the economy at the same time that the Fortune 500 companies are actually losing jobs. Paul Hawken—entrepreneur and bestselling author—wrote Growing a Business for those who set out to make their dream a reality. He knows what he's talking about; he is his own best example of success. In the early 1970s, while he was still in his twenties, he founded Erewhon, the largest distributor of natural foods. More recently, he founded and still runs Smith & Hawken, the premier mail-order garden tool company. And he wrote a critically acclaimed book called The Next Economy about the future of the economy. Using examples like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream, and University National Bank of Palo Alto, California, Hawken shows that the successful business is an expression of an individual person. The most successful business, your idea for a business, will grow from something that is deep within you, something that can't be stolen by anyone because it is so uniquely yours that anyone else who tried to execute your idea would fail. He dispels the myth of the risk-taking entrepreneur. The purpose of business, he points out, is not to take risks but rather to get something done.

    Penny Stocks For Dummies explains the basics of penny stocks and provides expert guidance to help you get involved right away.Penny Stocks For Dummies provides you with the information and advice you need before considering an investment in penny stocks, as well as the tools needed to make sound investments. You'll also get expert guidance on identifying growth trends and market sectors positioned for rapid growth, finding undiscovered penny stocks, and understanding the fundamentals of a potential investment in penny stocks.Arms you with the know-how to properly identify, and purchase, winning penny stocks Shows you how good money can be made from these low-priced shares Gets you involved in Penny Stocks quickly, painlessly, and on a small budget Penny Stocks For Dummies appeals to anyone who doesn't have a lot to invest right now in the current economic climate, but who wants to multiply what they do have.

    But most organizations fail to realize this potentially extraordinary source of revenue-enhancing ideas. The authors of "Ideas Are Free use real-world examples from their work with hundreds of organizations to show how to exploit the virtually free, perpetually renewable resource of employee ideas. The book explains how sustainable competitive advantages in areas ranging from productivity and responsiveness to cost reduction and quality assurance are only possible with the attention to detail that comes from getting and implementing large numbers of ideas from employees. Subjects include how to make ideas part of everyone's job, how to set up and run an effective process for handling ideas, how to help people come up with more and better ideas, and how a strong flow of ideas can have a profound impact on an organization's culture.

    

    Why did this happen? Based on extensive research, including transcripts of FBI-wiretap conversations, Fallen Angel is an insightful account of a remarkable man and the extraordinary events surrounding him: this is the real story of Rajat Gupta, an orphaned immigrant from India who managed to reach dizzying heights in the US corporate sector. Although the verdict is out, the mystery remains: several jury members were in tears after delivering the verdict, and nearly everyone who has known Gupta believes he is innocent so what really happened? With its almost thriller-like cast of real-life characters, Fallen Angel is a page-turner that explores the complex layers of this human drama.

    Buffett has managed to rise to the top of the ranks in stellar fashion, confounding the critics and earning the adulation of millions.As a leader, entrepreneur, potential investor, student, or whatever your calling may be, you stand to learn from the many life lessons of one of the most successful investors of all time, and one who is still very active and at the top of his game. The wisdom in this book can literally change your life.43 of his most valuable and inspiring life lessons relating to investment, human relationships and overall betterment have been de-constructed and explained including actionable information as to how you can implement the lessons into your day-to-day life.The aim of this book is to be educational and inspirational with actionable principles you can incorporate into your own life straight from the great man himself. Don't wait - grab your copy today!

     In 2018 alone, his wealth as of June has grown by almost $40 billion dollars. He founded the world’s largest online retailer, and now wants to make it possible for humans to colonize space.In short, Jeff Bezos is the man.In this book we take a look at the life of Jeff Bezos. From humble beginnings in Albuquerque to present day CEO of Amazon. The book takes a look at the inspirations and influences that make Jeff Bezos the man he is today, and his approach towards life that has ensured the success he is now known for. The aim of this book is to not only give you a glimpse into the life of the world’s richest man, but to also inspire and teach you some of the success principles that have guided Jeff Bezos so far.Ready to learn from the richest man ever? Let’s dive in. *INCLUDING* 18 Little known facts  & 10 Success Principles to live by Don't wait, grab your copy today!

    The result is that businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to the Fortune 100, leave money on the table. In The Art of Pricing, Rafi Mohammed, one of the world’s leading experts on pricing strategy, shows:• The astonishing impact that small changes to a pricing strategy can have on the bottom line• How the right pricing strategy can boost profits and grow your customer base • Why the right way to think about pricing is as a series of easy-to-implement strategies that allow companies to serve and profit from the largest possible customer base• Why the art of pricing involves understanding and capitalizing on the fact that different customer segments are willing to pay different prices for the same product • Why an effective pricing strategy is not about price gouging but one that incorporates fairness into every important pricing decisionThe Art of Pricing will be the invaluable missing link for people running companies, departments, divisions, and product lines, as well as for those in sales and marketing. Dr. Mohammed shows that an effective pricing strategy helps complete the circle by reaping the rewards due for the enormous effort, creativity, and investment made in developing and marketing products and services. Using a range of examples, from neighborhood restaurants to huge companies like Ford, he shows the importance of not falling short—and shortchanging yourself—when it comes to the heretofore little understood art of pricing. Also available as an eBook