3 comments about How to Open & Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business: With Companion CD - ROM.

1. How to Open and Operate a Personal Chef Business is a valuable tool for anyone considering starting their own personal chef business. The guide does not focus on cooking; instead the authors focus on those things we need to know about starting a business: marketing, how to handle difficult customers, cooking courses, case studies, a sample business plan and plenty of internet tools to create your business website.
   Sample client questionnaires to find out their food preferences, dietary restrictions and likes and dislikes are very helpful.
   
   The book is well organized and easy to read. It includes a glossary of terms used in the personal chef industry, marketing terms and specific website links for additional information.



2. How to Open and Operate a Financially Successful Personal Chef Business is a useful guide for those who are interested in starting a personal chef business or any type of business, involving the culinary arts or other. Though this title is clearly geared toward those who want to make a career out of a love for food, those interested in beginning a business in any field will benefit.
   
   Though this book does not contain in-depth detail on how to create the business on paper, it does provide useful resources and references for making your business legal. Valuable information on marketing your business, building customer base, serving the customer, researching your market and web development and presence is clearly outlined in a manner that is easily understood and enjoyable to read. Some areas seem redundant; however this offers the reader the ability to choose selections of the text to review, rather than read cover-to-cover, without losing key elements of importance.



3. This is the perfect book for anyone looking to start a personal chef business. The authors hit all potential questions, from what is needed in the kitchen to what to say if a client discontinues services. This book hits the same points in different ways, offering different perspectives on the same issue. It would be a great reference even for a personal chef looking to expand their business into catering, a store, etc. The models for the finance and business plan are a great outline of a well thought out vision and a great thing for any entrepreneur to have, even if they do not plan on expanding.
   
   This is definitely a must-have book for any personal chef. It should be kept as a reference throughout startup and function of the business. It has excellent tips and strategies for all occasions. It is as comprehensive as any book on this topic will come.

5 comments about A Fool and His Money: The Odyssey of an Average Investor (Wiley Investment Classics).

1. This book was first published in 1988, after the 1987 crash. The wisdom and essence of the book is still as valuable now in 2002. It is entertaining as well as educational. The author went out of his way to describe his experience or experiments in various areas of investing, giving knowledge and first hand information on how the investment world runs from different perspectives. The author took a year to study investing and invest with his real money, with the assignment of writing this book about it at the end. As a result, his investment decisions and variety and frequency of his investment may be atypical of an average investor. However, his description of the phychology of an average investor is quite accurate.



2. "A fool and his money" is the story of buyers remorse of one very lucky investor, who walked away with 50 percent of his money. Zero game means one person is a winner and another person is a loser. John got a bad taste, as he discovered the hazards of his margin being called and being forced too come up with 8600 dollars, too cover his investments and learned once again the average investor can not afford too invest. Bottom line, the lucky disappear into anomity, no one knows there name only their story; the losers feed the winners; and the winners are always looking for new losers.

   John made a few mistakes, acted on weak advice, and held on too long after realizing his mistake. John gave some very insightful information about mutal fund managers. At the time of the book 9200 fund managers were controlling 75 percent of the wealth. John says, mutal fund managers don't outperform the averages because they collaborate between each other on selection. Outperformance is shunned because it distinquishes one mutal fund manager above another and makes the other look bad; and his claim for why mutal fund managers don't beat the average.

   The Federal Reserve buy Bonds and use bonds too control the money supply. The Bonds represent assets which banks can loan money against increasing the available money supply to the consumer. If inflation increases, the Fed sells Bonds decreasing the money supply and increasing the interest rate. So, the Fed regulates inflations by controlling the amount of money supply.




3. +++++
   
   This easy-to-read book, by former editor, author, and writer, John Rothchild, is a unique and hilarious book that tells us of his adventure as an average investor in the stock market.
   
   Rothchild's original plan for writing this book was as follows:
   
   "In the late summer of 1985, during an extraordinary bull market [rising market], I decided to drop everything and devote an entire year to learning how to invest, especially in stocks. I resolved to begin at the beginning, finding out as much as I could about the business and how it really operates, meanwhile putting my own funds [of $16,500] into whatever would make the biggest profit. After achieving [this] winning strategy, increasing my net worth, and achieving financial independence [or security], I'd return to tell you how I did it."
   
   Rothchild learned how to invest by doing things such as watching late night television programs "on how to get rich;" going to financial planning places with their money managers; reading newsletters, business publications, and historical financial books; talking to successful investors in order to perhaps learn some inside information; and going to stockbrokers for information on hot stocks, making fully-informed investment decisions, and avoiding irrational markets.
   
   During his journey, Rothchild does a good job in explaining the mechanics of investing especially in the stock market and imparting the psychology behind investing. Even though the author does a good job in explaining terms, I feel knowing some basics on investing before reading this book, will help the potential reader appreciate the humor and practical advice of this book even more. (There are over twenty short useful tips in boldface type peppered throughout this book.)
   
   Finally, the title of this book "A Fool and his Money" gives an indication of what happened to Rothchild's investment. As a consequence, at the very end of this book, Rothchild has a short glossary of major investment and stock market terms that he has defined as a result of his experience. He defines the terms found in this review as follows:
   
   (1) Average Investor: born loser
   (2) Bull Market: a time when your neighbor's stocks are going up
   (3) Successful investor: liar
   (4) Inside information: something you wish they'd tell you; what everybody else has heard
   (5) Stockbroker: salesperson for stocks, mutual funds, etc.; a person who will never go broke
   (6) Money manager: expert who manages your financial affairs; someone to whom you pay a large fee so you'll have less money to manage
   (7) Hot stock: stock everybody is buying; what your brokerage firm calls any stock it wants to sell
   (8) Irrational market: a market that isn't doing what you want it too; every market
   (9) Fully-informed investment decision: wild guess
   (10) Financial security: perpetual care enjoyed by insurance companies, brokers, money managers, and others in the financial security industry.
   
   In conclusion, this is a practical and hilarious book that serves as a warning to the average investor!!
   
   (originally published 1988; acknowledgements; 31 chapters; postscript; glossary; main narrative of 250 pages)
   
   +++++



4. This book is definitely educational and funny! All the tips in the book sound funny but are real. I was laughing so hard from reading this book, my sides hurt...This information although written in 1987/1988 timeframe is definitely timeless! This book was nice break from serious investment books and should not be thought of as less because it is humorous... it kinda reminds you of the humor in the films that Michael Moore creates (although this info is legitimate).



5. The lure of easy money in the stock market encourages more and more people to become investors. Mr. Rothchild decides to become one too, and his journey into the financial world is told in this engaging and hilarious book. He does a fantastic job of injecting life into the dull subject of finance and investment. I smile and laugh through much of the book. I like it even more than the classic The Money Game by Adam Smith.

2 comments about Escape Fire: Designs for the Future of Health Care.

1. Escape Fire is collection of compelling speeches by one of America's leading crusaders for health care quality and patient safety - Don Berwick, MD, founder and president of the Boston-based Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI.org).
   
   Each year, IHI hosts the National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care. The influential annual event draws 4,000 health care leaders from around the world in person and 6,000 via satellite. In many ways, Dr. Berwick's keynote lectures set the tone for quality improvement efforts across the US. With an effective blend of common sense, real-life stories, persuasive metaphors, and out-of-the-box thinking, Dr. Berwick's presentations make for fascinating reading for anyone interested in improving America's $1.7 trillion health care system.



2. A wonderful book told with humility, intelligence, warmth, anger and knowledge.
   It presents the text of Don Berwick's annual talks at IHI's (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) National Healthcare Forum.
   This is a highly reccommended read if you work in healthcare. I don't know what others will think about this book.

5 comments about Zebra In Lion Country: The Dean Of Small Cap Stocks Explains How To Invest In Small Rapidly Growin.

1. A must read if you plan on investing in this very competitive market. Mr. Wagner picks his brain for us for his knowledge of this special market.



2. If you are looking for a book on how to pick small cap stocks, this book is not for you.
   
   If you are looking for reasons why mutual funds are better off than picking stocks on your own, this book will offer you many such reasons.
   
   Mr Wanger invests in what I would conclude as a fundamental-value style and indeed there are certain principles that a reader may be able to extract and apply to his own stock picking approach, eg investing in themes, buying value etc.
   
   However, the more I read, the more the book seemed to promote mutual funds for the lay investor. Depending on your personal preferences, that may indeed be the way to go for some of you.
   
   I offer the following quote from page 237 as a summary of this book:
   
   'Don't overpay, no matter how much you like a company. Invest in themes that will give a company a long-term franchise. Invest downstream from technology. Think and invest globally. Find stocks to own, not trade.'



3. I bought this book when it first came out. It is an easy read, but the insights are timeless. I probably read five or six investment books a year. Of those, I re-read very few. This one I re-read every two or three years because it just reinforces the basics and it is enjoyable. Books like this are very helpful in understanding market psychology and volatility. I am a basic fundamental investor, but not understanding fear and greed will impact your successes and losses when dealing with Mr. Market. Do yourself a favor, buy it and read it.



4. I have spent the last decade working in the investments industry and only wish I had discoverd Ralph Wanger's book sooner. He is right on target with is investment process and philosopy. In addition, his book is not some dry, droll, academic textbook, he is equally entertaining as he shares his words of wisdom!...



5. This book is NOT even similar to Fundamental Analysis, by Graham ( Buffet's peer so to speak - value investing), it is not
   Technical Analysis book. It is similar to Lynch's book - One up on Wall Street, but better - I am a bit biased possibly - I been in the Acorn Fund since about 1986 or so, and like him I have my BSEE, although I am not as heavily invested or concentrated in that fund anymore. Acorn Funds was bought by Liberty Funds, which was then bought by Columbia (BoA). I would give One up on Wall Street four stars, Wagner gets five, I do not rate it as a fundamental analysis book, nor technical analysis book. It's no longer a small cap fund with 200 million or so in assets when I opened my account in ACRNX - it's now a mid cap growth fund, with 11 billion dollars in assets. ACRNX has been a top rated five star fund, by Morningstar. for the vast majority of time since 1986, if not the entire time, with lower than average risk, low turnover, and superior returns. If you want something like an automated fundamental analysis that I believe you can modify to your taste and Wagner's approach - check out American Individual Investors ( [...] ) and order the stock screening program - it has a stock screening program that attempts to put Wagner's approach and about 30 other expert's selection method into a software program and database for screening stocks. Wagner does indeed attempt to discourage investors from investing perhaps their entire stock portfolio in individual stocks; since, most people do not have the resources or time to do it his way, visiting companies, plant inspections, listen in on corporate meetings/media events, going to the trade shows - classical intelligence work. A critical part of his method - one will never get the best intelligence by satellite alone - that probably will never happen. The additional piece of information that critical - he states that up to 50%of ones stock investments should be in overseas stocks and that was in 1997 - which makes the on the ground intelligence gathering for the vast majority of individual investors near impossible. Then there is the desk work - research of annual reports, SEC filing, etc - Fundamental Analysis. But, Wagner was starting to phase out and going into consulting/semi retirement for Liberty when the Internet was starting coming up to speed or mature a bit - which make it easier for the individual investor. I was slightly surprised that Wagner used options on the S&P index. I plan on at least loaning my copy of this book to my niece, for graduation she recieve a subsription to AAII. I doubt even Wagner would advise some one to buy ACRNX today if they had to pay a load. Nor advise anyone to pay front end or back end load on the purchase of the shares of any Mutual Fund. There just are too many good to excellent funds with good to excellent mutual fund managers that do not have front end or back end loads.

5 comments about 11 Things You Absolutely Need To Know About Selling Your Business.

1. Even after reading it, I don't know how the authors provided such a comprehensive tutorial so concisely. This one will surprise you. It goes beyond the basics of valuing your business, seeking buyers, and negotiating, to include really sound advice on some of the less obvious strategies involved in a successful sale.



2. This short book is packed with practical, useful advice. The insights come from 2 gentlemen who have not only been there and done that, but they've written the book and share what you must do to successfully sell your business. They've managed to condense a weighty subject into just the essentials you need to know.



3. Carlos and I didn't realize until after we were listed on Amazon how SHORT 31 pages of content looks compared to other books. In truth, we struggled for a long time rewriting the book to be shorter. We work with business owners, and understand that they typically don't want to wade through a lot of fluff to get to the point. I'm glad to see that some of our readers realize that you can say a lot if you pick your words carefully.



4. I highly recommend this book for any forward-thinking business owner who wants to optimize his/her results in the selling process. In working with thousands of successful entrepreneurs, I can't imagine any of them embarking on such an important event without taking the time to self-educate with this book's practical insights. Dini's and Zubillaga's expertise on the subject is presented in a quick-read, useful manner that is worth every penny.



5. I consult with a lot of small business owners and read this to improve my ability to give them broad guidance on the things they s/b thinking about prior to selling their business. Then I realized it made more sense to give them a copy of the book so I bought a bunch of them and have been handing them out since. My clients have all found the book to be of great value.

No comments about West's Business Law - Textbook Only.

5 comments about Make Money in Short-Sale Foreclosures: How to Bypass Owners and Buy Directly from Lenders.

1. I was extemely disappointed in this book. In the title ........How to Bypass Owners and Buy Directly from Lenders....Yet on page 93 you learn that this is NOT possible as you must have the owners permission prior to ever contacting their lender. I found the title misleading as to the content.



2. I found this book pretty good.... It definitely spelled out all the details of short sales.... I think for property investors trying to understand exactly what is involved with short sale purchases this book is perfect. The book was written at a level that I enjoyed....not overly complicated.



3. The book has a couple good points, and is probably benefical to a novice pre-foreclosure investor, but is not worth the time or money of any pre-foreclosure investor thats ever closed a deal before. Most of the examples in the book 'window dressed' profits on deals by not listing all expenses involved.



4. I have bought a ton of books on foreclosures, and top be honest, there are all pretty much the same - vith variations. Short sales are not as easy as they say they are. I would put my money into a book that encompassed all facets of property foreclosure. Probably be better value.



5. I am completely thrilled with this book, it is easy to read, not super technical, and it's fun yet concise teaching style gets you pumped up about making profits in a very little explored area of real estate finance, pre-foreclosure investing. There are several examples in each chapter giving approximate dollar figures in several hypothetical scenarios, with several different strategies. These figures are a great visual aid in learning how to make profits, and even how to create equity in situations where the buyer has none to buy! The authors walk you through each step of the deal, how to deal with various other types of liens and mortgages, and there are a few sample contracts and agreements. I agree the title is a bit misleading, because it is always necessary to negotiate a sales contract with both the lender and homeowner in case of a short-sale deal, but don't let that deter you, because in these cases, seller and lender will be extremely motivated! What they teach you here will allow you to vaporize the competition, they will walk away, you will be left with the best deal, everybody's happy.

No comments about The Professional Practices Framework.

No comments about Transforming Public and Nonprofit Organizations: Stewardship for Leading Change.

No comments about Multifractal Volatility: Theory, Forecasting, and Pricing (Academic Press Advanced Finance) (Academic Press Advanced Finance).