Finding the Next Starbucks: How to Identify and Invest in the Hot Stocks of Tomorrow


Michael Moe - 2006
    My objective is to identify and invest in what I call the stars of tomorrow—the fastest growing, most innovative companies in the world.” Michael Moe was one of the first research analysts to identify Starbucks as a huge opportunity following its IPO in 1992, when its market cap was $220 million. Today, its market cap is $23 billion. Lucky? Maybe a little. Art or science? Both. For more than fifteen years Moe has made great calls on many other stocks, earning a reputation as one of today’s most insightful market experts. Now, in his first book, Moe shows how winners like Dell, eBay, and Home Depot could have been spotted in their start-up phase and how you can find Wall Street’s future giants. He forecasts the areas with the greatest potential for growth, including peer-to- peer networking, nanotechnology, and alternative energy. And he explains his four Ps of future superstars: great people, leading product, huge potential, and predictability. Ironically, while the opportunities for outsized returns for investors lie in identifying early-stage growth companies, large investment banks are driven by the economics of trading volume and therefore generally ignore the stars of tomorrow. If you are looking to invest in tomorrow’s winners it’s unlikely you will find them by reading Wall Street research. Mainly, Wall Street is focused on reporting on companies everybody already knows about. Coincidentally, to identify and invest in tomorrow’s stars, you are unlikely to be battling Wall Street’s finest—they aren’t there. Throughout the book Moe includes interviews with some of the biggest names in business—from Howard Schultz and Bill Campbell to Vinod Khosla and Michael Milken—who reveal their own insights into how they discover the stars of tomorrow. For Wall Street insiders and individual investors alike, Finding the Next Starbucks is an indispensable guide to spotting growth opportunities.

Billions to Bust and Back: How I made, lost and rebuilt a fortune, and what I learned on the way


Thor Bjorgolfsson - 2014
    After 10 years establishing his financial empire with alco-pops and beer in the lawless 'Wild East' of newly-capitalist Russia in the 1990s, he moved on to merging, floating, spinning off and privatising businesses from Finland to Sweden, Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece and the Czech Republic. On his 40th birthday, and worth $3.5 billion, he was sitting on top of the world; only 250 people in it were richer than him. His most spectacular triumph was the takeover of Iceland's second-largest bank, Landsbanki - he had expected his investment's value to double or treble in four years, and instead it rose ten-fold.But when financial meltdown hit Iceland in October 2008, Landsbanki crashed and burned, taking Bjorgolfsson with it. Within 12 months he had lost 3.3 billion euros - 98.5% of his wealth - and was treated as a scapegoat in his native country for supposedly bringing about the disaster. Faced with appalling debts, Bjorgolfsson has made good on his promises to repay his creditors, and at the age of 47 is now a billionaire once again.

Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.


Ron Chernow - 1998
    Rockefeller, Sr.--history's first billionaire and the patriarch of America's most famous dynasty--is an icon whose true nature has eluded three generations of historians. Now Ron Chernow, the National Book Award-winning biographer of the Morgan and Warburg banking families, gives us a history of the mogul "etched with uncommon objectivity and literary grace . . . as detailed, balanced, and psychologically insightful a portrait of the tycoon as we may ever have" (Kirkus Reviews). Titan is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller's exceptionally rich trove of papers. A landmark publication full of startling revelations, the book will indelibly alter our image of this most enigmatic capitalist.        Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world's richest man by creating America's most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America.        Rockefeller was likely the most controversial businessman in our nation's history. Critics charged that his empire was built on unscrupulous tactics: grand-scale collusion with the railroads, predatory pricing, industrial espionage, and wholesale bribery of political officials. The titan spent more than thirty years dodging investigations until Teddy Roosevelt and his trustbusters embarked on a marathon crusade to bring Standard Oil to bay.        While providing abundant new evidence of Rockefeller's misdeeds, Chernow discards the stereotype of the cold-blooded monster to sketch an unforgettably human portrait of a quirky, eccentric original. A devout Baptist and temperance advocate, Rockefeller gave money more generously--his chosen philanthropies included the Rockefeller Foundation, the University of Chicago, and what is today Rockefeller University--than anyone before him. Titan presents a finely nuanced portrait of a fascinating, complex man, synthesizing his public and private lives and disclosing numerous family scandals, tragedies, and misfortunes that have never before come to light.        John D. Rockefeller's story captures a pivotal moment in American history, documenting the dramatic post-Civil War shift from small business to the rise of giant corporations that irrevocably transformed the nation. With cameos by Joseph Pulitzer, William Randolph Hearst, Jay Gould, William Vanderbilt, Ida Tarbell, Andrew Carnegie, Carl Jung, J. Pierpont Morgan, William James, Henry Clay Frick, Mark Twain, and Will Rogers, Titan turns Rockefeller's life into a vivid tapestry of American society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It is Ron Chernow's signal triumph that he narrates this monumental saga with all the sweep, drama, and insight that this giant subject deserves.From the Hardcover edition.

The Independent Film Producer's Survival Guide: A Business and Legal Sourcebook


Gunnar Erickson - 2002
    In this comprehensive guidebook, three experienced entertainment lawyers tell you everything you need to know to produce and market an independent film-from the development process to deal making, financing, setting up the production, hiring directors and actors, distributing and marketing your film.

Having It All: Love, Success, Sex, Money, Even If You're Starting with Nothing


Helen Gurley Brown - 1982
    Best-selling author and editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown has become model for women who won't settle for less than the best in their lives. In this intimate, revealing audio book, she invites you to follow her personal, passionate program.

Product Research 101: Find Winning Products to Sell on Amazon and Beyond


Renae Clark - 2015
    If you are an experienced seller or are looking to do arbitrage this book will have less value as I don’t discuss sourcing by arbitrage. I don’t do arbitrage, so I don’t teach it. This book is written for the new or struggling seller wanting to source wholesale or private label products. What you will learn: Basic steps for finding top selling products How to generate product ideas and look for trends How to validate demand Tips for finding suppliers Analyzing data to help you pick a product It took me 5 months of research before I pulled the trigger on my first products to sell on Amazon. Five months and countless hours. I have pages of notes with product ideas in many different categories. Some were wholesale products, others were ideas for my own products. I had some money set aside to buy inventory. But I couldn’t commit. I was looking for...not necessarily thee perfect product, but, well yeah, the perfect product. Fear of choosing “wrong” was holding me back. I knew that product selection was key to success so I needed to choose right. Another part of the problem was I had bigger ideas—I wanted to create a brand and I had some ideas as to what sorts of products I would carry. But those ideas required more capital than I was willing to invest for my first product. As a result, I put so much pressure on myself to dream big and think towards the future that I did…nothing! Another hold up was I was a little skittish to follow the advice to source from Chinese suppliers. It seemed so complicated for a beginner. Could I not take a little less profit and source domestically? Were there not manufacturers that could produce my ideas in North America? Yes, and yes. Ultimately the delays helped me because I learned a lot by joining Facebook groups and listening to and learning from the experiences of others. I devoured the advice in forums as well as blogs, books, webinars, and courses. I learned of the pitfalls of private label that the gurus selling you the dream never talk about. And finally, I did pull the trigger. I put together this guide to help any of you who are feeling a little gun-shy too. I put this book together for all of you who have the brains to say “Hey, if everyone buys top 100 selling products wont that saturate the market?” I put this book together to help you find great products from many different approaches. After reading this, you should feel confident enough to find a product and get started with your e-commerce business.

Designing And Managing The Supply Chain


David Simchi-Levi - 1999
    Each chapter utilizes case studies and numerous examples. Mathematical and technical sections can be skipped without loss of continuity. Most textbooks do not include models and decision support systems robust enough for industry, but that is not true of this new edition.The accompanying CD-ROM also features the return of two simulations, the Computerized Beer Game and the Risk Pool Game and a computerized tool. These simulations help users develop and execute supply chain contracts while also illustrating many of the concepts discussed in the text.

Give: The Ultimate Guide To Using Facebook Advertising to Generate More Leads, More Clients, and Massive ROI


Nicholas Kusmich - 2017
    The best marketers concentrate on what they have to give. The way people consume media is changing, fast. Laptops, tablets, and smartphones keep us constantly connected to the web. This represents a huge opportunity for savvy marketers. The only problem: the old methods are no longer working. New media demands new advertising. Facebook is the single most effective platform for marketing in the Internet era, and Nicholas Kusmich is the best Facebook marketer in the world. In GIVE, he will show you what differentiates Facebook from traditional advertising and explain why it’s so important to promote your business in a way that’s congruent with the norms of social media. He’ll take you through a four-step process to pinpoint your market, master your message, create a magnet, and build a mechanism that both collects and helps you retain and develop those relationships. When used well, Nic’s Facebook advertising strategies can send your return on investment through the roof. In GIVE, you’ll find the tools you need to share your authentic voice with the people who want to hear it and turn their attention into satisfying, meaningful sales.

Restaurant Owners Uncorked: Twenty Owners Share Their Recipes for Success


Wil Brawley - 2011
    Yours can succeed. The owners in this book will tell you how... Restaurant Owners Uncorked is a collection of interviews with a diverse range of twenty owners, such as the legendary and colorful Phil Roberts, founder of Buca di Beppo and The Oceanaire Seafood Room; Scott Leibfried, a renowned, high-energy figure in the culinary industry who is part of the cast of the hit television show, "Hell's Kitchen"; and Chris Sommers, a former Silicon Valley technology executive who makes Chicago-style deep dish pizza (in St. Louis) so well that he was invited to the White House to cook it for President Obama and the first family. This book isn't useful only for aspiring restaurant owners. It also provides practical advice for anybody who currently owns a restaurant or who simply wants to understand and be entertained by reading the business philosophies of twenty successful entrepreneurs. As you read these interviews, you'll feel like you are sitting down with the owners over a cup of coffee or a beer, picking their brains and finding out what makes them tick. You'll learn why restaurants don't have to be risky at all, what chain restaurants' collective Achilles heel is, why having a good CPA is as important as the food you put on the plate, and much more.

Business Legends


Gita Piramal - 1998
    and industrialists of the lime were not afraid to think ahead and plan big. Among the entrepreneurs who led this Industrial resurgence, four were particularly outstanding, G.D. Birla, Walchand Hirachand, Kasturbhai Lalbhai and, J.R.D. Tata. Gita Piramal, author of the acclaimed Business Maharajas, sensitively recreates the Lives and Times of these four titans of industry. She draws upon hitherto untapped sources of information to Sketch her profiles, making htis perhaps the closest Look at these legends this fair. Thought provoking and incisive. Business Legends is a compelling Account of ambition and achievement.

Tata Log


Harish Bhat - 2012
    TATAlog presents eight riveting and hitherto untold stories about the strategic and operational challenges that TATA companies have faced, and the forward thinking and determination that have raised the brand to new heights. Among the engaging and inspiring stories told here are those of Tata Indica, the first completely Indian car that succeeded in the face of widespread cynicism; the jewellery brand Tanishq that has transformed one of Indias largest industries; and Tata Finance, which underwent several tribulations yet demonstrated the principles which Tata stands for. Written by a TATA insider, TATAlog reveals the DNA of every TATA enterprisea combination of the virtues of being pioneering, purposive, principled and not perfect, along with tremendous human effort.

No Exit: Struggling to Survive a Modern Gold Rush


Gideon Lewis-Kraus - 2014
    They're burning through cash, sales have stalled, and investors are nowhere to be found. Welcome to the reality of the new tech boom. Sure, it has produced its glittering share of billion-dollar "exits." But for the vast majority of startups life is nasty, brutish, and short on glamour. NO EXIT explores the feverish world of company founders who are desperately trying to keep their dream afloat. It’s a harrowing and hilarious look at the Silicon Valley no one sees. This is an extended version of a story that appears in the May 2014 issue of WIRED magazine.

The Big Book of Customer Service Training Games


Peggy Carlaw - 1998
    Designed not only to teach important skills but also to spark enthusiasm and a high level of involvement in the participants, these games utilize entertaining and instructive techniques such as role-playing, charades, brainstorming, and debate. As a result of these exercises, employees will learn how to create a rapport with the customer, how to focus on the unique needs of individual customers, how to maintain a positive attitude, and more.

Electronic Commerce


Gary P. Schneider - 1999
    ELECTRONIC COMMERCE, EIGHTH EDITION covers emerging online technologies and trends and their influence on the electronic commerce marketplace.

Andrew Carnegie


David Nasaw - 2006
     Celebrated historian David Nasaw, whom The New York Times Book Review has called "a meticulous researcher and a cool analyst," brings new life to the story of one of America's most famous and successful businessmen and philanthropists- in what will prove to be the biography of the season. Born of modest origins in Scotland in 1835, Andrew Carnegie is best known as the founder of Carnegie Steel. His rags to riches story has never been told as dramatically and vividly as in Nasaw's new biography. Carnegie, the son of an impoverished linen weaver, moved to Pittsburgh at the age of thirteen. The embodiment of the American dream, he pulled himself up from bobbin boy in a cotton factory to become the richest man in the world. He spent the rest of his life giving away the fortune he had accumulated and crusading for international peace. For all that he accomplished and came to represent to the American public-a wildly successful businessman and capitalist, a self-educated writer, peace activist, philanthropist, man of letters, lover of culture, and unabashed enthusiast for American democracy and capitalism-Carnegie has remained, to this day, an enigma. Nasaw explains how Carnegie made his early fortune and what prompted him to give it all away, how he was drawn into the campaign first against American involvement in the Spanish-American War and then for international peace, and how he used his friendships with presidents and prime ministers to try to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. With a trove of new material-unpublished chapters of Carnegie's Autobiography; personal letters between Carnegie and his future wife, Louise, and other family members; his prenuptial agreement; diaries of family and close friends; his applications for citizenship; his extensive correspondence with Henry Clay Frick; and dozens of private letters to and from presidents Grant, Cleveland, McKinley, Roosevelt, and British prime ministers Gladstone and Balfour, as well as friends Herbert Spencer, Matthew Arnold, and Mark Twain-Nasaw brilliantly plumbs the core of this facinating and complex man, deftly placing his life in cultural and political context as only a master storyteller can.